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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Offended by Nude People?

If you are learning about nude recreation, you may have heard about how nudists come in all shapes, size, colors and ages.   Yes, tou will fit in no matter what you look like.  Yet, some of you may be worried about being offended by what you'll see - by what other people look like.  I can assure you, what other people look like is a non-issue.

Some reasonable questions by someone new to nude recreation:

  • Will I see someone much older or younger than I am?
  • Will I see someone much larger or smaller than I am?
  • Will I be offended by seeing different kinds of people, people different from me, nude?
Yes, you will see people different from you.  The amazing part is that you are unlikely to be offended.  Contrary to everything you imagined you knew about the human body in all its shapes and forms, real life is much different.

Like a doctor, I've now seen most every body type, shape, size and age in natural, nude states.  Like a doctor, I am neither shocked nor offended.  Looking at a body is like looking at a face.  A face "just is".  A face is human.  Except, I'm not a doctor.  I've been a nudist for a handful of years.

The "context" of the environment changes how you see people.  Being younger than 80 or 90% of the people at nudist resorts and beaches, I have been surprised at how normal, natural and un-shocking it is to see someone, say an 80 year old woman, nude in her natural state.  It goes against everything I thought I knew prior to trying nude recreation.

Why is this so?

My guess is that it is human instinct.   I "feel" no different seeing this women nude than I would if I just saw her face while she was clothed.  Strange, isn't it?  

Imagine going to the zoo and seeing all of the different animals naked.  There are zebras and gorillas and tigers and giraffes.  The animals are natural.  Seeing humans in their natural state "feels the same".  Does that make sense?

Take a look at this small picture of a nudist couple's backsides (butts!).  It's a picture on the American Association for Nude Recreation's website.  The couple are no supermodels by any means.  They are real people.  Middle-aged, imperfect, natural.

I have a feeling that if you try nude recreation, you'll have this same experience within minutes after being nude around a lot of other people.

Besides the freedom and comfort of being without clothes in a natural state, the experience of being nude around other people in a safe, non-gawking environment creates a new appreciation of human-ness.  An un-learning happens.

The truth is that how people look is irrelevant.  We all age.  We all have different shapes and sizes and imperfections.  Hiding these imperfections behind cloth seems to be more restrictive than liberating.

Nude recreation frees your body from clothing and at the same time, frees your mind.

1 Comment:

NaturalMike said...

Very true... we are all different but also all the same!