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Nude Etiquette

Isn't social nudity simply getting out of your kit and enjoying the freedom associated with celebrating life sans clothes? Oh, if we could be so idealistic.

Actually, one of the best places on the planet to take the nudist plunge is Club Orient www.cluborient.com on the French side of St. Martin. Nude use on the southern side of Orient Beach has been accepted and celebrated for decades now....and there is no sign that is going to change.

For those always dreaming about running around naked on a tropical island with that very special someone (must be one of the great monogamous couple fantasies), check out the Tiko-Tiko for a nude trip to nearby Tintamarre http://www.tikotikocruises.com/

So why isn't a visit to Club Orient or a cruise about the Tiko Tiko an unrestrained naked sex romp? Even though we are talking about no clothes, there is still a sensible etiquette associated with nude recreation. Club Orient's website FAQ provides some great pointers in regard to personal hygiene, public displays of affection and the differentiation between nudists and swingers.

For example, do I really need to sit on a towel? The answer: "Because to not do so is very poor etiquette and it is not sanitary to sit on anything without a towel. This also includes sitting on the edge of a table because someone's bread or silverware (yetch!) will likely be placed there at some point. Simply put, bare bottoms don't belong on any horizontal surface without a towel underneath." Got it?

Okay, but what about hugging and kissing your very special partner and companion. After all, aren't you on vacation and does the absence of clothes make that big of a difference? "In the old days PDA stood for, Public Display of Affection. It was short hand for nobody really needs to see that! Nudists have long understood that being without clothes did not mean it was now acceptable to behave inappropriately with your partner(s) in sight of others.

"Why you are in a public place, please do not act any differently than you would on the ground of any nice resort. That means when dancing, do not grope, fondle or grind. When on the beach helping someone with sun tan lotion is not an excuse for a massage better suited for the bedroom.".....Not sure we needed the second paragraph.

And now to the most troubling question of all for nudists....Is being a nudist or naturist a lifestyle and what does the term "lifestyle" mean?

"There are certainly naturists who live predominately clothing free life and that could certainly be interpreted as a naturist lifestyle. However in today's vernacular the term, "lifestyle" has an entirely different (negative) connotation. "Lifestyle" groups are generally "swingers" meaning they participate to one degree or another in exchanging partners for sexual activity.

"Are there nudist swingers? Sure, the same way there are swingers in all walks of life. Being a nudist has nothing whatsover to do with sexual activity. Swingers who are overt in their intentions in a nudist setting are generally shunned and if they make others feel uncomfortable, they are asked to leave the resort or club."

 

 

 

Naked Yoga Fantasy?

Never in recorded history have so many read so much and found so little.

Please allow me to apologize to the memory of Winston Churchill for this crude paraphrase....but when it comes to the much ballyhooed-naked yoga there is so much sizzle, so little steak.

A quick Google search reveals (no pun intended) 4.2 million mentions of "Naked Yoga" including even a Wikipedia definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_yoga stating that the practice is becoming popular in Western societies. Really?

Certainly, there are oodles of websites and presumably places for gay male "Hot Nude Yoga.".....Good for them, but what about women and straight males?

In many ways, the Naked Yoga phenomenon got off the ground with super coverage of co-ed Naked Yoga classes http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/05/24/DDG9FCSNDS1.DTL at the One Taste Urban Retreat Center in trendy San Francisco www.onetastesf.com. Alas, One Taste didn't want to be the "Naked Yoga" place and the program was abandoned and slow sex and orgasmic meditation classes took its place.

There are still outposts where one can find coed-nude yoga including the Phoenix Temple in downtown Manhattan www.nakedyoganyc.com with classes on Monday nights and Friday lunchtimes and also in Austin, Texas www.austinnakedyoga.com

The biggest issue as always is gender balance. Most conventional yoga classes...there are an estimated 16.5 million yoga practitioners in the US....are weighted to the female of the species. Not true for Naked Yoga.

Writing for the Austinist, a Central Texas on-line publication, http://austinist.com/2009/07/29/hello_my_name_is.php an unidentified female wrote about her trepidations and pleasant surprises about taking naked yoga. "Maybe heightened awareness due to my nakedness made this realization so intense, or maybe it would have had the same effect even if I were clothed," she wrote. "I don't know, but it felt like an epiphany. It was about so much more than yoga: the balance of effort and ease, of lightness and heaviness... It was so thought-provoking that I completely forgot I was naked."

And the end analysis?

"I waved goodbye to Naked Men Numbers One and Two and sat in my car for a good ten minutes before I felt balanced enough to drive," she wrote. "On the way home, I did a quick cost-benefit analysis of the whole experience, and believe it or not, the proswon out. Or maybe that was just the chai talking."

And no story would be complete without the box score. Gender: 18 males; 5 females; Likelihood I would do it again, 7.5 out of 10; Average penis size, average and most awkward naked yoga pose: happy baby http://www.tracis.info/tracis.info.pictures/Happy%20Baby%20Pose.jpg

So Godiva must ask....Can we save Naked Yoga? Can we ever expected real gender balance? Should we restrict the number of males participating in a co-ed class? Should we even care? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Nude Eye Candy?

Does the American Association for Nude Recreation (www.aanr.com) need some eye candy to spice up its stodgy image?

Let's face it, the long-time trade/lobbying association for nude recreation resorts is coming across as old, pudgy and yes, male.....That's not going to cut it.

You can read all about them in their monthly newspaper, "The Bulletin." Newspaper? The Bulletin? Why not stone tablets?

This month, we were treated by to a President's Podium article entitled "Has AANR Become Outdated?" John Kinman, who is outdated himself, refutes this charge and defends the association's public urination contest with the two nicest nude resorts in Florida, Caliente www.calienteresorts.com and Paradise Lakes www.paradiselakesresorts.com

The issue is the alleged "sexual exploitation of the human body" in the form of inviting swingers by Caliente (guilty as charged) and holding a g-string contest at Paradise (give me a break).

Before you start thinking that Godiva is dumping on old people (e.g. Kinsman and PR coordinator Carolyn Hawkins) or the way overweight (e.g. executive director Erich Schuttauf) that is not the case.....My issue is the slow, dumpy, outdated image of the trade association.

In the case of Caliente, they have enlisted the energy, smarts, talents and yes, great looks of marketing pro Angye Fox http://www.myspace.com/adsizzle. Do you think Angye would send out a monthly newspaper to the world and call it a day? Hint to AANR, newspapers are dying.

And Paradise Lakes has used Shannon Pankow as well as Fox to carry the water....and placed them happily in the water. Isn't nude recreation about pure joy and fun? Shannon has even served as a fitness host for the radio "Fitness Buff" show, broadcast in the nude from Paradise http://www.paradiselakes.com/FitnessBuff.htm

With virtual certainty, Godiva can state that Angye and Shannon among many others understand the world of Twitter, LinkedIn.com, Facebook, MySpace, podcasting, blogging and webcasting. These are new media tools for the 21st Century....By the time the AANR catches up, they will no longer be "new" media tools.

Nude at Size 12-14?

Never in recorded history have so many said so much about a....little tummy.

One of the real feel-good stories of the soon-to-be-over, downer-of-a-year, 2009, is the Glamour magazine photo of a very confident and very nude Lizzie Miller www.glamour.com

So what's the big deal about a drop-dead gorgeous, 20-year-old blonde model in Glamour magazine? Aren't they a dime a dozen? The difference here is that Lizzie is 5'11", weighs 180 pounds and has a little tummy that was not air brushed. She is a size 12-14, not the skin and bones, size two look of most cadaverous Glamour models.http://www.inquisitr.com/34194/glamour-model-lizzie-miller-shocks-readers-by-not-being-airbrushed/

“When I read them I got teary-eyed!” she says. “I’ve been that girl, flipping through magazines trying to find just one person who looked a little bit like me. And when I didn’t find it I would start to think there’s something wrong with the way that I looked. When J. Lo and Beyoncé came out and were making curves sexy, I started to accept myself more. It’s funny, but just seeing them look and feel sexy enabled me to do the same.”

The result of this new thinking and confidence is obvious. Google lists more than 3.7 million pages devoted to Lizzie. She had drawn attention from newspapers all over the globe to the recent NBC's Today Show interview with Matt Lauerhttp://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/08/on-the-cl-more-body-image-brou.html.

The immediate positive reaction by Lizzie's photo is that it should promote a better feeling of body acceptance by literally millions of normal women. Sorry, not everyone is a "Barbie" doll. Instead of concentrating on bothersome parts, such as "mummy tummies," maybe women will consider themselves as a whole be less critical....or maybe pigs will fly?

Now does this result suggest that we all should just accept ourselves and not do anything to improve our bodies? That is hopefully not how the message is being received....We should do everything within reason (e.g moderate daily exercise, sensible diet, sufficient sleep). And if we reach our body potential, then why shouldn't we show our bodies and enjoy our bodies in a safe and secure nude setting?

Lizzie Miller should be seen as a hero to nudists around the globe, especially those from the female side of the great gender divide.

G-String Contest Overreaction?

Did the American Association for Nude Recreation www.aanr.com go too far in suspending Florida's Paradise Lakes Resort www.paradiselakesresort.com?

The crime you ask, promoting a g-string contest endorsed by Penthouse magazine http://suncoastpasco.tbo.com/content/2009/aug/22/pa-g-string-contest-brings-trouble-to-paradise/

Maybe the management at Paradise Lakes is guilty of being a little tacky and objectifying the female form (as if that has never happened before?), but do they need to have their membership taken away? For the record, Paradise Lakes withdrew its membership....but the point is still the same.

The AANR's suspension of Paradise Lakes comes one year after a similar crackdown on the neighboring Caliente Resort www.calienteresorts.com for trying to reach out to the swinger community to raise more nude revenues.

Godiva can understand AANR's concern with the obvious perception problems associated with a too close association between so-called lifestylers and true blue nudists, who just enjoy sunning and swimming without annoying swimsuits......but coming out with both barrels blazing for a g-string contest?

When Caliente withdrew from AANR, Caliente's marketing queen Angye Fox said the resort was "taking advantage of educating the next generation, the 20- and 30-somethings on social nudism. AANR hasn't done a good job of targeting those folks."

She's right on this point. The AANR needs to get away from sending out a monthly newspaper to members. That is so.....19th century. It's time for New Media (blogging, podcasting and online video), let's get with the program.

It should not be lost on readers that the AANR has now come down on two of Florida's really upscale nudist resorts. There are very few four-star and above nudist resorts in the U.S. They are precious. We should be looking for more ways to support them in their quest to just to stay in business. Suspending a key member for a g-string contest seems like the punishment is worse than the crime.

Nude Heidi Montag?

Just kidding.....

What's unfortunate was that Playboy www.playboy.com was just kidding too.

They put "The Hills" reality star Heidi Montag on the cover, promoting her pictorial/interview and naturally the expectations are that we will see Heidi au naturel.....but "nooooooooooo....." this was just a tease. And you wonder why Playboy is in trouble financially?

MSN Money is astounded how anyone can lose gobs of money selling nude photos of beautiful women, adding that Playboy has become "shockingly tame." http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/CompanyFocus/playboy-is-the-bunny-a-bargain.aspx

Playboy has made a fortune over the years of posing and displaying beautiful celebrities to millions of grateful men, who found out what Cindy Crawford, Ellie Macpherson, Katarina Witt, Ursula Andress, Jenny McCarthy, Pamela Anderson and others looked like without any clothes. Don't you think the same desire would apply to Heidi Montag?

Now, if Heidi does not want to pose in the nude for religious or conservative political reasons that is her choice and naturally Godiva respects that.....but then she shouldn't be in Playboy.....Maxim or Good Housekeeping would be logical alternatives.

Maybe Playboy could convince Madeline Albright to pose in a Lanz nightie?....Conceivably, I should withdraw that chide; they may take me seriously.

What is it with this trend of outlets that celebrate nudity are opting for more photos with clothed models? Take the new website for Caliente Resorts www.calienteresorts.com in the Dominican Republic and the Tampa Bay area of Florida. There are just as many marketing photos with clothed models as those who wear no clothes....and aren't these nudist resorts?

Before we hit Playboy with both barrels, let's give them credit for a super pictorial in the same September issue of breathtaking AVP volleyball princesses, Michelle More and Suzanne Stonebarger. They are buffed, fit and gorgeous in their birthday suits shot on a California beach. This is the essence of nude recreation, and why everyone should give nudity a try at least once in their life.

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner was a daring pioneer by introducing a men's magazine that celebrated the unadorned female form and convinced many of the most alluring women in the world to bare it all. The magazine would be well served to go back to its roots with even more baring and less teasing.

Nude Public Relations Disaster

Godiva was wincing in pain watching the "Culture Warriors" http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/segment of the O'Reilly factor last night.

And whether you count down the minutes until the program airs each night or absolutely detest Fox News is irrelevant. The O'Reilly factor broadcast twice each night at 8 pm and 11 pm EDT is the number one rated cable news show in the business by a wide margin.

That is exactly why the impact of a very damaging segment on an Oregon City woman by the name of "Rae" is so hurtful to those who enjoy nude recreation or just living life without clothes. The fault is not with O'Reilly, his producers or his two "culture warrior" analysts, instead it lies with Rae and all of those naked rebels who give nudity a public black eye.

She insists on washing her car and gardening in the front yard sans clothes. She has checked with the cops and to no surprise there is no Oregon law preventing public nudity. Her neighbors with small children are predictably not so sanguine.

Maybe Godiva is starting to sound like a broken record (dating myself), but there is a time-and-place rule when it comes to nude recreation. The Naturist Society http://www.naturistsociety.com/ understands this informal requirement as it has always advocated proper signage to separate textile beaches and ocean strands where birthday suits are allowed, such as Haulover Beach in Florida http://sffb.com/

Certainly Rae is within her rights to parade about butt naked, particularly in granola crunching Oregon, but what is the damage to the reputation of backyard nudists? Let's face it, guilt by association is a time-honored contact sport in American politics.

The collateral damage of Rae's antics broadcast to millions by Fox News is the public reputation of people who want to enjoy the fleeting days of summer in their birthday suits. No wonder grandma doesn't approve. 

Nude Freakinization?

Is organized and relatively unorganized nudism an unmitigated public relations disaster?

Godiva poses this question today upon reading a recent Reuters piece http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE56N2QR20090724 "The World's Top Five Nude Events." They include riding bikes in the buff on downtown streets, running naked with bulls and watching the burning of a huge wood man in your birthday suit.

In and of themselves, these "activities" appear to be harmless and maybe even amusing....but do they advance the cause of gaining greater public acceptance of those who just want to enjoy more of life sans clothes?

Reuters listed five "events" in its Top Five. The envelope please......

1.) The World Naked Bike Ride http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/ promotes organized nude city bike rides with generally leftist political overtones. Is this activity harmful? No. Does it contribute to the "freakinization" of nudists? Sure does.

2.) AANR World Record Skinny Dip www.aanr.com set a baseline Guinness Book of World Records designation for 12,000 simultaneously skinny dipping at nudist and clothing optional resorts and clubs throughout the nation. Did this event advance the PR cause of nudists? Godiva believes this one was positive because it was controlled and occurred in places where nudism is permitted and sanctioned.

3.) Nude Beach Olympics, Maslin Beach, Australia http://www.2camels.com/nude-beach-olympics.php includes the "best bum" competition and "three-legged races." This call can be made in two nanoseconds....sorry, this one aides and abets the freakinization of nudists.

4.) Running of the Nudes, Pamplona, Spain http://www.runningofthenudes.com/....Ahhhhh....PETA and nudists in the same sentence? Everyone agrees that the overall sentiments of PETA are sound, protecting animals...but running naked in the streets of very Catholic, conservative Spain? That country has made tremendous strides toward accepting nudism with some great resorts www.costanatura.com and www.veraplaya.info, but to suggest that running around in your birthday suit in Pamplona is over the top is an understatement.

5.) Burning Man in the Nevada Desert http://www.burningman.com/....Nuff said. Some see Burning Man is a celestial celebration of epic proportions; others are not so charitable. So why not strut your naked stuff in the Nevada desert? The tumble weeds won't mind.

Back to the original premise. Do these nude athletic events contribute to the freakinization of nudists? In four of the five examples offered by Reuters, Godiva believes the answer is yes. What is really unfortunate is that Reuters did not examine the great nude water volleyball games at Desert Sun Resort www.desertsunresort.com in Palm Springs, the naked tennis tournaments at Caliente www.calienteresort.com in Florida or the clothes free para sailing and kayaking at Club Orient www.cluborient.com in St. Martin......Are these people freaks of nature?

Nude at Home?

There is a time and place for everything, and most of all that applies to nudity.

Despite the antics of naked daredevils, this author knows that society as a whole will never accept being butt naked in public...and that is a good thing. This is especially true in traditionally conservative cultures such as the USofA.

But what about being nude at home? We have explored backyard nudity and came to the conclusion that unless the neighbors are being given an unintended show of body parts that the home is the time and the place. However does this time and place rule apply to young children (always and with good reason a very sensitive subject).

The New York Times today published a major examination of this subject http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/garden/16nudity.html?_r=1&ref=health and the story was not surprisingly inconclusive.

Are children natural nudists? Without question.

Should parents regulate the behavior of their children? Absolutely.

Should parents encourage children to see their bodies as healthy vessels deserving of respect? Some will disagree, but the answer should be "yes."

Should society be on guard against pedophilia? Yes, yes and throw away the key!

Should we adopt a time and place rule taking into account the presence of other children and adults and make sure that children clearly understand these limitations? Yep.

It's time to make the call. If the time and place are proper, and the child is taught what is proper and what is not, then why not teach the first lesson of body acceptance and body potential?

It's never too early to develop the next generations of healthy, happy, well-adjusted nudists.  

Hill Country Nudists

As the old saying goes, "If you have to live in Texas, you might as well live in Austin."

Not exactly a compliment, but they do have a point. Austin is a happening place with hundreds of techies, state government types, Tex-Mex and barbecue joints, such as Threadgill's where Janis Joplin got her start, and of course, the University of Texas ("Hook em Horns").

And leave it to the UT college newspaper to be the unlikely source of a great plug for nudism. http://www.dailytexanonline.com/nudist-club-gets-down-to-the-essentials-1.1639833

Among the major perception problems for nudism in America is the fact it is seen as too male and too middle aged....and along comes Daily Texan writer, Roxanna Asgarian, who is both young and female.....She decided to take the plunge at a Hill Country Nudists (non-landed Austin club to find out what it was like to socialize....sans clothing) www.hillcountrynudists.com

"I shyly ring the bell and look through the glass front door into the house, and see an awesome view of Lake Travis, which lines the backyard," she wrote. "A naked man appears in my line of vision. I blush as he beckons me in.

“'Here goes,” I think, as I strategically avoid his lower region with my eyes as he directs me to a room to change. On the way, I glance at 10 or so middle-aged people, mostly couples, hanging out by the bar. Most of them are naked, although some have on a shirt or a sash covering select parts of their bodies."

Roxanna did her homework before attending the event overlooking Lake Travis, particularly the impact of nudism on those hailing from the fairer gender.

“Women have an additional barrier to nudism,” one man said. “Many women don’t know whether nudism in a group setting will be safe, when actually it’s incredibly safe. It’s safer than going out to a bar, because you know and trust these people.”

Now it was time for the moment of truth.

"I thought it was funny that, before I went to the Hill Country Nudists’ gathering, all my friends asked, 'What are you going to wear there?' as if my outfit would be even more important since it would only be on for five minutes. I have on yoga pants and a T-shirt, and when John drops me off in the guest room with two other changing women, I peel them off.

"The youngest woman there, besides me, is 24 and also a UT student. Other than that, the crowd is primarily middle-aged and most of them have their partners with them, which helps me loosen up and let my arms hang by my sides, rather than gripping tightly around my body."

Roxanna's fears and preconceptions of a nudist event seem to melt away as reality replaced anxiety.

"I had been worried leading up to the event that I’d arrive to find some massive middle-aged orgy, or that I wouldn’t be able to stop looking at all the penises on display," she wrote. "But no orgies (at least in front of me) and I only sometimes glance at the penises, a little. The ceviche and empanadas are divine, and the atmosphere is relaxed, friendly and respectful."

Sitting nude with two middle-aged men in a hot tub produces a discussion about....Roxanna's career goals once she graduated from UT. Talk about a sexually charged atmosphere!

"I’m serious. They’re asking me about my career goals and I am responding openly," she wrote. "I definitely feel naked, but I don’t feel exposed or sexually objectified.I realize that these people are onto something, and that it takes maturity to be able to hold it down like this when you’re all nude.

"At the end of the evening, after retreating to the guest bedroom to put my clothes back on, I say my goodbyes. I am invited back and told to bring friends. I take their invitation seriously, but am not sure if I want to become a lifetime member just yet. I hug the women and men and promise to come back. And on the way out, I don’t even glance at the penises."