Nudist or Naturist Resorts are quite popular in the USA. They are all over the place, even in your own home town, although you likely wouldn't know it. What is it like to go "all natural" and does it really make much sense?
We decided to stop at a "Naturist" RV resort to see what this Nudism thing is all about. Americans get all freaked out by nudism, even as their European ancestors embrace it pretty much wholeheartedly (particularly the Germans). We are still at the slap-and-tickle stage of adolescence in this country, and we connect nudism with sex, which is really about as far apart as you can get. Believe me, nudist colonies or camps are not sex resorts, and if you think they are, you will be asked to leave.
And of course, few of us look good, naked. Yea, when I was 25, I could look keen in a Speedo, but at age 52, it is more of a sad joke. And alas, with America's obesity epidemic (eating epidemic), few look good naked, and many are downright scary.
Yea, I looked good at age 25. Twenty five years and the law of gravity have changed all that.
But what is the big deal? Is Naturism or Nudism some "answer" to everything? Were we made not to wear clothes, "but for" the conventions of society, are forced to? The answer is, well, not really. People who make that argument are like Vegans who claim that the human body is "not designed" to consume dairy products, which is a load of hooey, as they have no inside track into the designer's mind, nor is there any scientific evidence (just para-science) to that. But I digress....
Being naked all the time is kind of fun, in that you don't have to decide what to wear all the time, and your laundry usage shrinks considerably. When you are traveling by RV, this is kind of handy. You need to get something out of the car, you can just run out there naked, and no one will say anything.
But this does not mean you have no clothes. To begin with, you have to have a towel - not to dry off with, but to sit down on. Why? Well, if you sit bare-naked on a chair or bench, you are going to leave a sweaty butt-print on the seat, and possibly a skid-mark, if you are having digestive troubles (all together now: "Eeeeeew!"). So you are required to carry around and use a towel. So right off the bat there, the nudists have reinvented underwear. And you understand why underwear was invented.
Of course, being naked in the 90-degree heat is fine and all, but when the temperature drops to 60, well, it gets cold, really fast, when you are naked. And many refuse to give up, but rather resort to a larger towel, which they wrap around themselves like a toga. Bingo! They just invented clothing - or should I say, reinvented it.
And you quickly discover that clothing is more than some societal norm, but rather a form of protection from the cold. And sunburn. Yes, getting sunburned "all over" is no fun, but I have seen it happen to more than one over-enthusiastic naturist. So clothing serves two purposes - keeps out the cold, and keeps out the sun.
"...Naturism is all fun and games until the mosquitoes come out."
And the mosquitoes. Yes, Naturism is all fun and games until the mosquitoes come out. And while Skin-So-Soft and other bug sprays work (and you do have to spray them all over), there reaches a time of day when the little buggers are so hungry that all the OFF! and DEET won't keep them away. And you get bit. All Over. Usually around sunset.
Clothes cover your body and prevent this problem. So you see, they have yet another function as well. Protection from the cold, sun, insects, and as underwear. Clothing is far more than mere societal norms harassing the individual.
And yes, there is the modesty factor. At the Naturist resort, there is a suspension bridge (whose engineering I question, but that is another story) that traverses a small river. Since it is visible to the "outside", you are requested to "cover up" when crossing the bridge. So, people either carry another piece of clothing, or the ubiquitous towel is put into service, yet again.
And like I said, while it may be fun to run around naked, it might not be so fun for others, who have to look at your sorry ass, particularly if it is a saggy sorry ass.
But on the whole, I guess I can see the point these Naturists have. But on the other hand, I am not prepared to adopt it as a "lifestyle" or anything....
