Christian Schüler - Germany
http://www.waldfkk.de 
 

Insecurities
I lost a drastic 250lbs in a year after a surgery, I was proud of my weight loss, but ashamed because of the hanging fat from my ribs to my pubic area that nagged at me, cuz it wasn’t "perfect yet"...So, at the first couple nudist resorts I went to I wore a short gauzy sarong around my waist.  I felt ok.  I never realized all of my comparing was just my own making.  No one judged me.  In fact I have felt really horrible and insecure over this winter and I just realized it at a recent hot springs visit that what I was missing was being naked, cuz it made me feel better about myself and being accepted...I still have a weight hang-ups about my fat, but its my problem in my head.  Participating in this way of life has made me realize that I can be happy with myself.

K
 
 

Less ‘Obsessed’ "Openness and a relaxed attitude about nudity makes me feel more comfortable about myself, my body, and the bodies of others.  I feel I was as a child; and, am as an adult, less ‘obsessed’ with my sexuality and my body and the bodies of others than my friends who did not have the open experiences I had with my family." Julie from “Growing up Without Shame”

Need to be nude?
It is not a matter of wanting to be nude but the fact is that we should be nude.  If we dress when we don't need to we are once again agreeing that we are not worthy, there is something wrong with us and that we are in fact ashamed.

Bob S.
 

Prideful Shame?
“Religious” opposition to social nudity stems not from sound Biblical exegesis but from pride.  This pride is made of the idea that we should be more than our bodies make us.  Really, most of us look better clothed than naked; I know I do, and I am not an ugly person.  Dressed in nice fitting jeans and a crisp golf shirt, I can present a smart appearance that my nudity could never do.  But is that the real me?  Or am I just ashamed of my mere humanity?  The real me is profoundly human, with lines carved by the creator.  My clothing subconsciously communicates the message that I do not wish to reveal myself, but rather a false me.  The real me is muscular, male, hairy, and light skinned.  Yet this masculine exterior is portrayed through skin soft and vulnerable.  Through our clothing we project ourselves in a way that makes us look larger than life.  To strip off the coverings scares us, not because we could be too attractive to resist (as the common argument goes) but because we will be found merely ordinary.  In a suit, with shoulder pads and clever tailoring, I am like the wizard of oz in that I am but a shadow of who I appear to be.  Walk up to me on the beach and you will find that Gods glory is being revealed in my nakedness, from my toes to my groin, to my head.  No right thinking person could ever lust at something like this. 

One of my favorite aspects of mixed nudity is that girls and boys, men and women can socialize together in the highest way.  No right thinking woman would put herself in a compromising position by allowing herself to be susceptible to molestation.  However, when there is the presence of trust and honorable intention by all, women are able to fill that deep need to be transparent with men in a truly holy way.  So contrary to the argument that says men and women could never be naked together, there are times when it is not only possible, but very necessary.  Young women, typically considered to be the most attractive and vulnerable segment of the population, need have the opportunity to get out of their shell in just this kind of environment because they tend to be set upon a pedestal.  Equally, the rest of the population needs to see them in their splendor.  Organized nudism has the potential to provide the kind of environment to facilitate this kind of interaction.

Gen225
 

Boldness
Of course not every one will respond positively to our unashamed nudity, so here is a great example of someone turning the tables in a negative encounter that shows an unfortunate example of how many feel about nudity...

Several years ago my girlfriend and I where enjoying a peaceful skinny-dip in a local swimming hole.  The peace was interrupted when a man and young boy came along on horseback.  The man was carrying a big club and told us that if we didn't get dressed and get out of there he'd beat us so hard we'd wish we where dead.  My girlfriend, who was always outspoken, said "So you think it's good to teach your boy that violence is better than the human body?"  With that the guy turned beet-red and they rode off without another word!

Ric - OR
 

Telling Family
Shortly after my new wife joined me in the nudist lifestyle we both agreed we should tell our families we were nudists.  We did this by sending them all postcards from Cypress Cove in Florida where we were on vacation.  The postcards had very tasteful pictures of men and women swimming and sunbathing in the nude and we simply wrote on the cards that we were having a great time and that they should all try a nudist vacation sometime. 

When we returned home we discovered that our families were quite nonchalant about the whole thing.  Their view seemed to be 'go right ahead and enjoy nudism but don't assume we will be rushing to join you'.  Apart from my son none has expressed any interest in becoming nudist, but, we did have an interesting experience when my wife's sister visited us for two weeks last February at our winter home in Florida.  My wife and I are nearly always nude around the house.  In deference to Louise we both covered up in pareos for the first few days of her visit but it was quite obvious neither of us was wearing anything underneath.  Then on the 3rd or 4th day my wife, without thinking walked out totally nude from the shower into the family room, as she normally might, where Louise and I were having breakfast.  She immediately realized what she had done and turned to go and put something on.  We were surprised when Louise said that if her sister preferred to be nude that it wasn't a problem, so long as we didn't expect her to undress.  She added that if I wanted to be nude that would be OK too.  Of course I stood up and took my pareo off immediately.  Louise had been admiring my tan ever since she arrived; and, she told me later she had been itching to see if it really did extend all over my body.  Although Louise never went nude during her visit she did start wearing a pareo and nothing else.  She found this to be very comfortable in the warm weather we were enjoying at the time, and indicated she might dispense with it the next time she visited us. - She said that while she was not bothered one iota about my wife and I being nude in her company, she needed more time to get used to the idea of being nude herself.  I am sure if we had not told her years ago that we were nudists none of this would have happened.  I think that because she already knew that we were nudists she came half expecting to find us walking around in the nude from time to time, not closing the bathroom door when we were showering and that sort of thing.  I also think she realized we were covering up just for her benfit, and didn't want us to do anything out of the ordinary just for her. 

The moral of the story? Go ahead and tell your family you are nudists.  They likely won't care one way or the other, and have probably guessed the truth already. 

Brian D.
 

Cleaning out
At a friend's house, while helping to clean out a storage area to remodel, it was hot, so we were all working much more comfortably nude.  Another couple unexpectedly showed up, and since my friends did not go for cover, neither did I.  After visiting on the deck for a while an invitation to soak in the spa was made, and with a bit of hesitation they said 'sure', stripped and we had a great soak.  Then they helped us clear out some more junk, still nude.  There was a meal, more visiting, and another soak in the spa.  Before they left they said they had never been in a spa or worked nude before — neither alone nor around others — but that really enjoyed it, and would go nude much more often.  After the other couple left, I told my friends that if it had been just me, I would have gone for cover when the other couple showed up.  They laughed and said that if I hadn't been there, that's just what they would have done too!  Since that day the other couple has visited, soaked, and gone swimming, all nude, with my friends several times.

David B. - FL
 

Lake Willoughby
About thirty of us were wading nude on the south shore of beautiful Lake Willoughby in Vermont a few years ago when we heard the voices of a family approaching.  In the silence of the place, it was easy to understand the words of the husband when he told his wife, "The trail book didn't mention this sort of activity here!"  The group passed, but then returned five minutes later to undress and join the rest of us for an afternoon in the sun.  Although they live just 20 minutes from the Ledges in Southern Vermont, and go there regularly now, they had no idea what the clothing-optional lifestyle was all about until that afternoon they accidently discovered it.

Billy B. - VT
 

At The Beach
Have you ever wondered why pornography is so popular? Surely, one of the major reasons is: that we are sexual, as well as thinking beings. We NEED to know (especially when young) how other bodies look. Not only ours!  A young boy needs to know that other men's penises, women's breasts and women's vulvas look alike, just as their hands, faces and feet do. But mainstream society rejects and condemns this need.  So, as a result teens often get this vital information from magazines that promote UNNATURAL perspectives of human bodies and sex. I'm not ashamed to say that I did this. On the contrary, I'm proud to say that I have explored my mind to find the roots of unhealthy attitudes about human body that I have held, and found the body taboo at the very bottom of it. Today, I've found in naturism a healthy, normal way to deal with it.  There's a common unhealthy curiosity in many men about whether any particular blonde person has blond pubic hair. I've felt it, and there was no need to have.  It happened as a result of a prudish upbringing. So, what's this got to do with anything? Read on.  I just visited Zipolite beach in Oaxaca, México, and can proudly declare that I introduced 4 people to the Shame Breakers cause! You can do it too!  When in a public semi-nudist place, you're bound to run into people who are not nudists, but who would be open to the proposition.  When the only thing you're wearing is a smile, you have all the advantages for making a strong point: 

• You are an example of what they could become at that very moment. They see that you are not a pervert and that nothing bad is happening despite your being naked.
• They already ARE in a place where nobody would protest their getting naked.
• They are on vacation, away from acquaintances, so nobody will know.

Well, while in Zipolite, I was swimming (nude) when a couple of Canadian girls, Debbie and Heather, showed up and swam with me. The water was neck-deep so they assumed I had a swimsuit. When we got out it took ten seconds for them to be gone!  Next day, I saw them and we started chatting. Pretty soon, the conversation turned to nudism. They were acting cool about it, saying nothing was wrong with it. So I suggested they try it, pointing out how this was the perfect opportunity given that they had no other acquaintances, and that there were plenty of other people nude on the beach, etc.  Then I left them to think about it. Next day, they were playing dice and Debbie was topless.  I congratulated Debbie for giving it (literally) half a chance.  Heather said that taking only the top off was silly, and that if she had taken anything off she would have let go of the whole bikini.  So I proposed she wager her nudity on the dice!  If I lost, I was to dance right there — believe me, dancing on the beach feels silly, but try dancing NAKED on the beach for a silly, but rather nice feeling! — Luck was with me, and she had to peel!  So she starts taking her clothes off, trying not to show her body. For a moment there, she starts looking really stupid, trying to find cover where there obviously wasn't any!  I could almost hear the click in her mind as she suddenly realized that she could be totally free from a life long prejudice in a split second. And then it happened: she stopped crouching and stopped "casually" putting her hands over the strategic points and started having the time of her life while playing dice.  We kept on playing for "punishments", and pretty soon everybody, including another guy who had joined us, was naked and having fun. I collected many rewards from this: First, myself and the world were no longer deprived of the view of their beautiful young healthy bodies; second, the look of joy on Heather's face with her new-found freedom thanking me, "You WERE RIGHT! This is GREAT!" Thirdly, I got a piece of information that I had been without my whole life and had developed a sick attitude about.  Afterward, Heather confided to me, "You know something, Juan? I had never realized this, but one of the reasons why I was afraid of my own nudity was because I'm blonde all over my body!!!"

The other two were a Mexican couple, Erika and Eduardo, who were sitting on the beach, smoking, and I went to ask for a cigarette, I confess: to being a rotten smoker. Erika could not stop giggling, and Eduardo was polite but very puzzled. So I just had to shoot,
"Never been in a clothes optional area, have you? Or ever considered going naked, while here, for that matter?"
Nope, and nope, were their answers.
"May I ask why you don't consider going naked?"
I'd noticed Eduardo getting some sand out of his swimsuit just before I arrived, and pointed out one of the minor advantages of no swimsuits — no sand IN the swimsuit.  Still giggling, Erika said that she was a bit fat and that Eduardo — Erika was majorly giggling —  was a bit ashamed of the size of his pecker. Eduardo became quite embarrassed. 
I asked Erika: "Have you seen the others' guys' peckers while here?" 
"NO!"
"Well, Erika, a piece of news: guys around here do not cover their peckers because they don't mind if you take a casual, polite look.  Is Eduardo’s smaller than mine?
She looked, ‘no’... 
"Smaller than that other guy's?"
Again 'Nope'...
"Well, then Eduardo's idea is a fabrication. On the other hand, if it were, the healthiest thing he could do is come to terms with it and accept it, because the size of a man's pecker is far from being the most important thing in his life. As for you being 'fat', I can see that's also a fabrication. You are not a Cosmopolitan model, but loosing no more than 8 pounds would get your body to PERFECT. Because perfect is not what Cosmopolitan wants you to think  — perfect is truly your own body when it is healthy. So if you truly mind about your shape, the moment for shame is when you overeat, not when you are naked. But — and I had to be blunt, but she later thanked me — most importantly, do you realize that what you are arguing is ABSOLUTELY an ILUSION?" She stared at me puzzled.
"Yep, you have the illusion that the bikini you are wearing does not permit everyone else to see EXACTLY what shape you are in!!!  Incredible as it seems, most of us have the delusion that a measly swimsuit will cover a pot belly, and so on."  She looked a bit startled, but could not help noticing that I had just told her the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. After some five minutes of silence while watching a terrific show of fishing pelicans, she simply stood up, took her swimsuit off and went for a dip. And hey! She looked great! Eduardo remained behind a bit and could not help look at my penis.
He finally said, "You're right! I guess my pecker is not that bad..."
 I did not see them sunbathing or swimming in the sea with swimsuits after that day!!!

First Time to Lifetime
My own experience with nudism started in England when I was 11 years old.  I attended a grammar school which had it's own swimming pool.  After PE classes we went into the pool in the nude.  It was the wonderful feeling of the water flowing over my naked body that convinced me even at that early age that swimsuits were not for me.  I've avoided them ever since.

Shortly after I married for the first time I suggested to my wife that we visit a nudist club.  She was reluctant but we often went to a well known beach where nudity was the norm. Gay stripped off and enjoyed sunbathing in the nude but would not venture out of the sand dunes onto the open beach.  I kept trying to persuade her to go to a club where we could practice social nudity.  Eventually and to my great pleasure she agreed and we arranged to visit the naturist club near to where we lived.  When we arrived we found the grounds to be deserted so Gay had no problem with undressing and settling down by the pool.

After a couple of hours she had to leave for a dental appointment.  When she returned another car followed her into the parking lot.  A man got out, she got out, they undressed together and came to join me. Gay was hooked, she was a nudist, and from then on we often took our vacations at nudist resorts in England and at Paradise Lakes after we moved to Canada.  We told her parents that we had become nudists and really enjoyed it. They were most intrigued but would not join us, although they did start sunbathing au naturel in the privacy of their back yard.  After Gay and I immigrated to Canada we bought a house with a pool and completely private backyard where we could be nude whenever we wanted which was often!  We soon found that several of our new friends also enjoyed swimming and sunbathing in the nude.  We introduced other friends to social nudity through the simple expedient of suggesting, "why don't we all go skinny-dipping?”  Few refused and most enjoyed it.  In this way nudity became the norm at Brian and Gay's place.

Ultimately our marriage broke down and we separated. It was then that I met Georgia who is now my second wife. When we were planning one of our vacations together I naturally suggested that we go to a nudist resort.  She also was reluctant at first but we talked it over and she agreed on the grounds that I wouldn't ask her to do something that wasn't right and on condition that we would leave if she didn't like it. So, in February 1987, off we went for two weeks at Paradise Lakes. We arrived late in the evening after a long day of travel.  After we checked into our condo I said "let's go to the hot tub." "What, with nothing on?”  Georgia replied.  "Of course" I said.  So off we went. We arrived at the hot tub, took off our robes (it was a cool evening), showered and joined a few other couples in the water. After a few minutes she got out and sat on the side to cool off.  Her words to me were "there's nothing to this, you don't even notice" that you and everyone else are naked.  She had become a nudist then and we had a great vacation. She told me that being nude in a social situation with other people did wonders for her self-esteem and body-image and she wished she'd found naturism much earlier in her life.

Since that time we've enjoyed the nudist lifestyle together. We are frequently nude around the house and of course we are always nude in our hot tub.  We joined the nudist club near Ottawa for a few years but left when it fell into a state of disrepair. We always take our vacations at clothing optional or preferably nudist resorts and have visited Paradise many times, Cypress Cove, Como and Hidden Valley as well as resorts in Mexico, Cuba, Spain, Yugoslavia and Lanzarote.  After I retired we spent our first winter in Florida at Paradise.  Now we have a winter home a few miles away, but have recently become members at Como which we find more to our liking than Paradise as we are not party animals.

So I've been a lifelong nudist myself and have been lucky to marry two ladies whose first experience of social nudity was good and who enjoyed the lifestyle as much, if not more, than I do once they had been introduced to it. Georgia insists that when we go on vacation we go to a nudist resort or at least somewhere that is clothing optional.  As I found out all those years ago — and she agrees — swimsuits are to be avoided at all costs!