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It's All About sex

Kelly Ripa proclaimed: It's all about Sex.

The leadership of naturist/nudist organizations piously state: It's not about Sex.

Godiva believes: It's all about sex...that is sex with a small "s."

The recent comment by Mizz Ripa about "Naked Yoga" on her nationally broadcast program with Regis Philbin stated categorically that this form of yoga is about "comfort and sex." Instead of blistering Kelly, we should realize that her opinion reflects the perception of the majority of Americans, particularly those that wouldn't get caught dead within one mile of a nudist resort or beach. http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/regisandkelly/index.html

In direct contrast, the leadership of the Naturist Society www.naturist.com and the American Association for Nude Recreation www.aanr.com broadcast to one and all that nude recreation is not related to sex, but instead is a wholesome alternative form of recreation.

Godiva's take is that nude recreation is not Sex with a large "S" unless you want it to be. Certainly, there are people who take advantage of nudity for swinging activities, which has resulted in the loss of membership in the AANR by Caliente Resort www.calienteresorts.com and Paradise Lakes Resort www.paradiselakes.com, both in Florida. These actions has resulted in a public relations black eye for organized nudism in the United States and maybe elsewhere.

In my humble opinion based upon my repeated visits to nudist resorts in California, Florida, Jamaica and participation in Naked Yoga, nudity is sexual with a small "s." Let's face it, going without clothes on a delightful, beautiful sunny day or skinny dipping in warm waters is one of the most sensual experiences in life. Being present with dozens of nude people of both sexes is a sensory overload.

For most of us it is not every day that we get to see girl parts and boy parts on display. Nude people are simply fascinating. Being nude is exciting. While nudist etiquette frowns on staring at people, we are only human when we take in other people's bodies and are amazed the anatomical varieties of people. That is one of the joys of nude recreation. Being nude and seeing nudity is simply a blast. It is an innocent source of fun and a joyful break from the pressures of life. Sue me for it!

And if you bring along a significant other with you of the opposite gender (assuming you are inclined that way), I can attest it is exciting to see her or him for hours or days without a stitch of clothing. And guess what, that excitement has a high potential to lead to real Sex with a large "S" when you return to the privacy of a resort, hotel, cruise ship bedroom.

We should not be afraid to admit the obvious, nude recreation is sexy, sensual and playfully naughty in a nice way. The statement simply makes sense and will be accepted as true. To state ex cathedra that nude recreation does not equate to sex in any way, shape or form defies credibility and makes it very difficult for the persuadable in our society to believe us.

“Pinhead Nudist?”

Bill O’Reilly is justified in labeling a woman, who gardens topless without sufficient regard for her neighbors or a nearby school, as a “pinhead,” but at the same time the Fox News commentator and his staff needs to get their facts straight http:www.foxnews.com/oreilly

The first and obvious point is that Boulder Colorado’s Catharine Pierce was not gardening in the nude; she was topless. All of the coverage in the Boulder Daily Camera on this ongoing controversy makes that point absolutely clear, http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_14923536#axzz0llMEzZW2

And yet here was the way that O’Reilly introduced the story and bestowed the “Pinhead” designation on Mizz Pierce:

 “On the pinhead front, say hello to nudity in your neighborhood. A Boulder, Colorado, woman likes to garden with no clothes on. You can finish the joke here. But it is no joke for people who don't want to see that. However, the housing authority where the lady lives says it's OK with them. She can garden any way she wants. And so 52-year-old Catharine Pierce will be getting an all-over tan, but she is still a pinhead.”

Besides the obvious distinction between topless and nude, there is also the issue with Fox News using stock photos of two separate nude women in backyard settings, including one with a strategically spraying water hose, but they were not Catharine Pierce.

Maybe there are no sinners in this story, but there are certainly no saints either. We have already discussed the sloppy research by Fox (doesn’t the network pride itself in being “fair and balanced?”). At the same time, Catharine seems to have no interest or respect when she gardens topless in plain sight for her neighbors and local school children.

Godiva is a huge fan of backyard nudity and gardening in the buff, provided it is discreet. Big government should not come down on your right to wear or not wear what you want in your own property, provided that you are not aiming for or not caring about a public display.

If your property for whatever reason does not provide the privacy needed for nudity, then options should be considered such as remote wilderness areas, clothing optional beaches or nudist resorts, such as Mountain Air Ranch in Indian Hills, Colorado http://www.trynude.com/gallery.html.

Going topless or nude in an inappropriate setting violates Godiva’s time-and-place rule. There are appropriate times and places for nudity, and the sense of freedom that comes with it. There are also inappropriate times and places for nudity or in this particular case, topless gardening, and when it does occur the entire nudist movement takes a PR hit in the face, such as a “Pinhead” designation.

We need to be smarter and not so bullheaded. Let’s support the heck out private backyard nudity, discreet nude recreation on public lands, clothing optional beaches and nudist resorts. These are the appropriate places and let’s designate times to go visit them.  

Playboy's "Naked Prey"

The mere mention of Playboy usually generates scorn from the nudist community for glamorizing sex and in some quarters for objectifying women. Godiva is going to avoid getting into this debate, at least for now.

Instead, I want to draw attention to an absolutely stunning (okay you would expect that from Hugh Hefner's photographers) pictorial of Guess model Candice Boucher. You are thinking what is so surprising about Playboy choosing a high-fashion jeans model for a nude pictorial...Isn't that Playboy's MO? http://www.examiner.com/x-1916-Sex--Relationships-Examiner~y2010m3d22-Sexy-Fashion-Guess-girl-Candice-Boucher-featured-on-cover-of-Playboy-April-2010

Yes that is correct, but there is something different here. http://photos.tuxboard.com/candice-boucher-playboy/ The eight-page pictorial includes 12 photos of Candice absolutely nude with the exception of a towel wrapped around her head as she ostensibly emerged from a shower. All of the photos of South African Candice were shot in a remote game lodge in Southern Kenya, and virtually all were outside with zebras, giraffes and lions as backdrops.

So why should nudists start applauding a Playboy pictorial? The answer is this one conveys the essence of nudism. Candice wears absolutely no clothes, including no shoes. She is nude and comfortable in her nudity. That wasn't always the case despite her model great looks.

"It's taken me a while to be comfortable in a bikini," Candice told Playboy. "It's a work in progress, I was one of the shiest girls you'd ever meet . . . I was one of the shy girls in the corner." And now she is in Playboy.

"Well, let's just say I never in my life thought I would appear in Playboy," said Candice. "But I am happy and excited by it."

That's just it, being happy and excited. Many nudists have complained about too many clothes being worn at nudist resorts, particularly establishments marketing clothing optioning choices.

Candice through the lens of photographer Raphael Mazzucco, who has shot three Sports Illustrated swimsuit covers, is joyfully nude with a confident attitude, showing every inch of her athletic, clean-shaven body. She is running free across the African plains.

We only have one life to live and so much of it involves clothes. Let's see if we can get back to the days of finding the precious bandwidth and the place to wear absolutely nothing...not even sandals...and celebrating our nudity. Isn't it time to put the Nude back in nude recreation?

Nude Saviour

She doesn't appear to be a gritty heroine with her wide smile and blue eyes. And yet, Elizabeth Young and her husband, John, not only saved Desert Shadows Inn in Palm Springs from the wrecking ball, but they are also keeping alive the nudist dream.

Today, Elizabeth and John own the renamed Desert Sun Resort www.desertsunresort.com that appears to be thriving despite the economic downturn. One should consider that the property nearly didn't even make it to, let alone through the recession, in 2008.

"I hate to think back to the negative times because when we took it over it was so painful," Elizabeth told the Naturist Society's "N" Magazine www.naturist.com. "Everything was being shut down. The gardeners were let go and the pools were being turned off. When they (former owners) walked out the door at midnight they did take everything possible, including the phone system, the computer system, and everything..."

Elizabeth even recounted how a Norwegian couple showed up on the doorstep of then-Desert Shadows Resort, only to spot a sign saying the resort was closed. Talk about a bummer. One of the resort homeowner's came to the rescue and let them stay at their unit for the week.

The story has a happier ending. Today, the pools have been replastered, the hotel rooms have been remodeled with free Wi-Fi. What has not changed is the resort is "clothes free," rather than the more common "clothing optional." Sorry gawkers, no free shows at DSI.

From a public relations standpoint, accomplished, intelligent and telegenic women are the future of nude recreation. They are quite normal and yet they enjoy going without their clothes. What message does that send to women as a group?

The same can be said for Sharon Picone, the vegan nude chef from Florida with her au naturel cooking videos www.nudechef.com

It is easy to get discouraged about the future of nude recreation and then you see a wide smile and bright eyes . . .

Redefining "Smoothies?"

We are certainly obsessed with hair care, including coiffing our secret gardens. In fact, the trend is toward napalming our jungles and this activity is not just limited to the female of the species.

A recent Google search revealed or unveiled 626,000 pages devoted to the subject of hair removal around the genitalia. Playboy www.playboy.com reported that 85 percent of the women who pose for the infamous men's magazine remove all of their pubic hair, and it doesn't appear that men are complaining.

What was once a cottage industry with companies such as Hair Care Down There (HCDT) http://haircaredownthere.com/ has now become big business, just consider all of the salons that offer waxing down there.

Is this intense focus on defoliation a new trend? According to Wikipedia's entry on this subject, the answer is no http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikini_waxing. The practice reportedly goes back to Ancient India, about 4,000 years BC. The modern day focus is more tied to the invention of the bikini and the need to remove previously hidden hair follicles from pubic...err...public sight.

But how does hair care down there apply to nudists? We don't wear bikinis to nudist resorts, hot springs, retreat houses or clothing optional beaches. That's the point, we want to be nude. And if you ask the Nudests Nudists http://www.wnn.nu/, the key to being totally nude is to have no forest down there.

What's ironic and maybe a tad disturbing is that nudists are following the direction set by Playboy. Just as the "bush" gave away to the "landing strip" or the "band-aid" and then to the nude look in the pages of Playboy, the same trend has been spotted at nudist venues. And it doesn't just apply to women.

Godiva personally noted that ever more nudists were opting to lose their public hair at upscale resorts such as Desert Sun www.desertsunresort.comin Palm Springs and Caliente in Florida www.calienteresorts.com. The bush or the au naturel look still remained in vogue at the Kiva Retreat Center in hip Santa Cruz, CA www.kivaretreat.com and back in the good ole days when the One Taste Urban Retreat Center www.onetastesf.com offered Naked Yoga.

So is there a correlation between upscale and the nude look and rustic and the "bush?" Sounds like a great topic for federal stimulus dollars.

Even though I have no empirical evidence to offer, I am quite comfortable in saying the bush era is over or at least it will never be the same again. Here's to redefining the term, Smoothie. 

Naked Sandals

Is Sandals shedding its modesty, let alone its prudishness?

Godiva nearly choked on an eggnog latte reading the Castaways Travel website www.castawaystravel.com about the possibility of running around in your birthday suit at two Sandals properties www.sandals.com in the Caribbean.

For years and years, Sandals has chosen to take the PG-13 approach, while its rival SuperClubs www.superclubs.com has opted for R ratings and sometimes even a NC-17.

For nudists, SuperClubs offered clothing optional beaches at its Breezes Grand Resort and Spa at Negril, Jamaica (been there, done that). Ditto and more at Breezes Resort and Spa, Rio Bueno, Jamaica with its "au naturel" side of the resort ("Nekkid, man"). For the more adventurous (understatement), SuperClubs also manages the notorious Hedonism II (prude and nude beaches) and its younger sibling, Hedonism III, also with prude and nude beaches.

For whatever reason, Sandals did not pursue nudist dollars or at least revenues from those who were curious about au naturel sun bathing or topless bathing for women. Is that changing? Has the rotten and maybe just recovering economy changed the score?

At best, Sandals is sending out a mixed message...and maybe deliberately so. The company is offering "exotic adventures" at its sultry offshore island at its Royal Caribbean Resort near Montego Bay in Jamaica. The same is essentially true for its (coincidental?) offshore island at its Royal Bahamian Resort near Nassau. Sandals is heavily promoting these offshore islands in addition to the actual resorts as "two vacations in one."

So what does that mean for nudity? Sandals even takes on that question in its FAQs and provides a (no mistake) ambiguous answer:

"Sandals does not promote or advertise clothing optional or topless sunbathing. In the event a guest chooses to participate in this activity in more remote areas, the management will intervene only if it becomes disruptive to other guests. We welcome the opportunity to host you at one of our award winning resort(s)."

Gee, we are sure happy that Sandals is willing to take our money. Will they also let us take off our clothes as well? Hopefully, Sandals will become bolder and even devote one of its properties or at least a sizable portion of one of its resorts for those who want to enjoy nudity around the clock.