Sam and I often get a kick out of the site stats that tell us what search engine terms get people to the blog. People have landed here by searching “soccer and beer,” “If a guy says you are not fat but fluffy,” “aikido makes me nervous,” “hard fast no cuddling after tshirt,” and “no other regret compares to the childhood email address made.”
But yesterday, my heart really went out to the person who searched “I want to be nude at home but I’m too modest.” Many of us struggle with body image. I’m not sure if this searcher is too modest because she (or he) is self-conscious about her (or his) body not being “good enough,” but if she is, I can recommend a solution that worked for me: a nude vacation.
A few years ago my husband finally convinced me to try a nude resort for our winter vacation to the south. I hesitated for many years but that time decided, “why not?” Panic and fear gripped me in the days leading up, mostly because I didn’t feel comfortable in my body.
What I could not have anticipated was how freeing it felt to shed clothing for a week. You get the full range of shapes and sizes, all comfortable in their skins. The experience was a real turning point for me. I learned that I could be relaxed about my body instead of self-conscious. I’ve never experienced the same level of body comfort as I do when I am on a nude vacation surrounded by others who are also free of clothing. And it doesn’t matter whether my weight is up or down, whether I’ve been keeping fit or not. I always feel better about my body when I get to the beach and take off my clothes for a few days.
I documented the experience in a short radio documentary that you can listen to here. [thanks go to Stephane Descharmes for making it accessible on the Bare Oaks website].
Just a quick word if you decide, on the basis of this post, to look into this kind of getaway. There are all sorts of different places to go all over the world. Some are more family-oriented and cater strictly to the “naturist” crowd. Others are adults-only and might attract or even in some cases cater to people in “the lifestyle” (i.e. swingers). And still others might be somewhere in between. So do your research. There is definitely something for everyone.
So to the person who is too modest to be nude at home I say: try getting naked for a week with others and see where that takes you!
I totally agree with the idea and it does work but I also must reiterate. . .be careful where you go. If you are not a swinger and end up with swingers, the result can be highly uncomfortable. If you didn’t intend to be with swingers and end up liking it, that result can also be uncomfortable, in different ways. Seriously, I know of what I speak :).
Or if the all out week is too much or just too expensive, give it a try at Toronto’s nude beach. On a warm day, of course. http://m.thestar.com/living/article/1211416–nude-beach-hanlan-s-point-is-all-that-s-good-about-toronto-shawn-micallef
And there is also a nude beach in Port Burwell on Lake Erie.
How did I not know about either of those while I was living in Detroit? 😉
Yea, definitely only go where you are comfortable. With that said, you don’t have to be a swinger to enjoy the more lifestyle oriented adult resorts. They can be great places just to be together as a couple in a relaxing environment without kids splashing around in the pool.
Really needed this today, my husband and I are off to a Nudist campground tomorrow. He loves to be nude and me well not so much. I recently lost 57lbs and have about another 30 to go. So my body at 51 is not great. I am very nervous but also very hopeful that this will be a positive experience for me and help me get over the shame I feel about my body. It’s a clothing optional resort but my intention is to really try to get comfortable nude right from the start. Shaking in my non existent boots!
Good luck with your first experience at a nude campground. I’m sure you will relax as the time goes on. That’s how it worked for me. Enjoy! And please come back to the comments and let me know how it went!
Reblogged this on Fit Is a Feminist Issue and commented:
As we enter into the holiday season (yes, it’s coming), we are about to face a barrage of posts that are trying to make us feel badly about our bodies (you know the ones, all about holiday weight gain — more on that in a few weeks!). Here’s an oldie but goodie from the early days of the blog, when I (Tracy) reported on how I tackled my body image issues in an unusual way: I went to a nude resort and it was transformative!