All posts filed under: editorial

access denied naturist push to make Toronto beach nude only was a monumental fail here is why

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The recent efforts of some naturists to require visitors to be nude at the clothing optional designated part of Hanlan Point Beach in Toronto was a monumental fail. The experience of a woman who was confronted by two male “naturists and told she needed to get undressed. was reported first on Reddit and then picked up by media outlets in Canada and internationally. In the eyes of this writer the misguided efforts of the nude only proponents which include a leader of the Canadian naturist federation did more harm than good. It may well have created lasting consequences for clothes free beach goers in Toronto and those trying to normalize simple nudity and clothes free living in general. Here’s why I believe it was a major fail. Engagement diversity fail – The wrong people, the wrong time, the wrong place. Two older men telling a woman that she needs to take her clothes off when she visits a public clothing optional beach is nothing short of creepy. Regardless of their intentions it reinforces the public perception …

naturism’s dirty little secret that you should know

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Naturism has a dirty little secret and it’s time it was exposed. Shh.. Come closer and I will tell you.  Are you ready for this? Can you handle the truth? Well,  like it or not here is the one thing some naturists and nudists don’t want you to know. NATURISM NUDISM AND CLOTHES FREE LIVING DOESN’T SOLVE ALL THE WORLD’S PROBLEMS? WHY? WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS Yes that’s it! It is out of the bag! Naturists, nudists and people who practice clothes free living are human beings. Contrary to conventional wisdom we  aren’t freaks, we aren’t pervs we aren’t crazy, we aren’t social misfits, we aren’t hippies, (well some of us aren’t), we are human beings. We come from all walks of life. We come in all shapes and sizes. We are historically and increasing diverse, and guess what? We don’t all think alike. We don’t all believe the same things. We aren’t all liberals, we aren’t all conservatives. We aren’t all old, we aren’t all young. What does it mean that we are human …

unnatural and unconstitutional in the natural state

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Guest contributor unconstitutional Arkansas For those who love irony, “the natural state” (nude) is illegal in “The Natural State” (Arkansas). AR 5-68-204 is the most severe anti-nudism law in the country! Across the country and around the world, naturists are often plagued by laws that impede our ability to enjoy nudism free from harassment or risk of prosecution. In many cases, the culprit is a “public indecent exposure” law that is so poorly and loosely worded that simple, non-sexual, non-offensive nudity gets outlawed in the process. And yes, we have one of those, but Arkansas also has a law that specifically targets nudism on private property. And that’s not even the worst part. I kid you not, AR 5-68-204 is so extreme that it is a crime to “advocate” nudism. You can be fined $2500 and spend a year in jail just for expressing a favorable opinion about nudism. If you are thinking “But that violates free speech!”, you are absolutely correct. There have been several people who suggest that someone just needs to break …

naturism philosophy nudist practice and the politics of disagreement

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Politics – the total complex of relations between people living in society -Merriam Webster Dictionary A few days ago I had what I thought was a civil though dynamic conversation on Twitter about best first visit situation clothing optional or clothes free it was born out of a tip I gave on our recent podcast about planning for summer clothes free living. Without having listened to the podcast some parties launched into a defense of the clothes free side to in their words “show the other side.” After a vigorous and cordial rapartee, we agreed to disagree. I thought the conversation ended on a good note. However I discovered shortly after one of the parties to the conversation promptly unfollowedoir account.   The other has blocked our account and the accounts of others who disagreed with their view. I observed the same pattern occur between two other naturist account one of whom was reacting to a question about the terminology of naturist or nudist. Judging by that observed pattern over the past few days one could say that there is a …

perspective on top freedom from Africa 

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I feel like I'm going through a "#breast & #nipple consciousness awakening". Seriously. My intention was to write a quick blog post titled "The #NippleRevolution", inspired by a highly inappropriate tabloid article about my nipples. Instead my mind has been churning for days, fascinated by this mess of a world we live in & wondering if & how my words can make a difference. I have so many questions: ✨ 1. If we still have communities (which tribes?) in Kenya where the women are topless, can urban women just decide to ignore the male gaze & go about our business? (Say Safety wasn't an issue) ✨ 2. Why aren't men's breasts (even when big) sexualized the way women's are? Is anyone telling them to wear bras? ✨ 3. Are we heading in the direction of the West where one day women in Africa will have to fight for the right to #breastfeed in public? ✨ Has someone written a thesis about #breastculture in Africa? I want to read it. In the meantime, I need to …

Facebook community standards versus natural depictions of aboriginal clothes free life

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Last week we came across a post about an Australia web magazine whose Facebook page had been suspended after posting an article about the way that aboriginal Australian women are shamed for their nudity while the European female is celebrated. The account suspension and removal of the article suggests a real double standard when it comes to how the clothes free bodies of native/indigenous people and the bodies of people of color are viewed, versus the clothes free bodies of people of European heritage. Something we have written about recently in the black history series. The New Matilda article was based on a speech given by aboriginal feminist writer Celeste Liddle at the Queen victoria Women’s Centre on International Women’s Day. Liddle’s Facebook page was subsequently banned for posting links to media coverage in the UK of the original page ban. In her speech Liddle observed the double standard in the way European nude bodies and non European clothes free bodies are viewed. “I say this, by the way, not to demonize young, pretty, blonde women …

All nudes is good nudes?

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Originally this was going to be an opinion piece about celebrity nudity and the observed tendency of some in the nudist community to glam on to every celebrity nude picture that emerges as good news for the nudist cause. But that will come later maybe in a part 2 follow-up to this post. It seems the issue is much bigger than just celebrities and points to an underlying issue that seems prevalent the in the online nudist community. That is the idea which seems to be held by some that any nude picture is a good thing simply because it shows a person naked. I will use the term nudist instead of naturist or clothes free throughout because that is how most of those I observed tend to describe themselves. The “all nudes are good nudes” phenomenon seems to emanate exclusively from guys who call themselves nudists. It seems that the naked body is the primary expression of nudism.  In this perspective simple nakedness pictured, no matter where the photooriginated whether porn site or voyeur taken …

London and Boudicca – John Harding

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When we think of what soldiers look like today, we think of brave men or women in camouflage clothing, arranged into regiments and coordinated with military precision. We see pictures on television or in films of ultra-professional, unflappable highly trained personnel, taught to respond admirably in extreme conditions. And in many cases, while we may have personal reservations over the political will and reasons for deploying them to foreign climes, admiration for the professionalism, sacrifice and dedication of our armed forces never wavers. Armies and soldiers in yesteryear, may have lacked the training, but the bravery and loyalty remained; always bound by a common cause. All of the accounts of major battles that defined British history, such as the English Civil War, the Battle of Bosworth or the Battle of Hastings were always fought by two passionate armies with military equipment. But some British history has been steered by armies that lacked the training, the dress and the chainmail. Some of the most revered individuals in our past were not reticent at engaging their enemies …