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Public nudity: The Naked Truth |
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Written by Jane Glenn Haas, McClatchy-Tribune
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Tuesday, 19 June 2007 |
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When we consider the way celebs abandon clothing today — from Paris Hilton's sex video to Britney Spears flashing her privates — I have to wonder why twenty- and thirtysomethings aren't drawn to nudist camps.
Like, why not get down to basics since that seems to be a goal of Gen Y?
But the naked truth about nude recreation is that the people who practice it are mostly older than 50, says Associated Press writer Cara Rubinsky.
To hit the nude beaches is to spend the day with guys who buy a six pack instead of flexing one; to sit on the sand with women sporting cellulite and wrinkles. Oh horror! For those younger than 30, a nudist camp means getting up close and personal with the inevitable. The spirit may be youthful but the flesh tends to be wilting.
Nudist groups and camps are trying everything from deep discounts on membership fees to a young ambassador program to lure college students. Rubinsky quotes a membership director at a Connecticut nudist camp as saying, "We don't want the place to turn into a gated assisted-living facility."
I'm breathless at the mental picture. Since I'm not - and never will be - a nudist, I called the American Association for Nude Recreation in Kissimmee, Fla., to ask a simple question: Why?
To feel the freedom to be without clothes, Carolyn Hawkins says.
She became a nudist with her second husband and raised her children to be nudists, but feels the pressures on young families today take up too much time. They can't spend the weekend without their clothes when they have to take the kids to soccer games and baseball games and dance practice.
She says when younger people come to open houses held at nudist camps, they understand and experience the joy of wearing no clothes.
The American Association for Nude Recreation (www.aanr.com) lists the various regional associations, including a Western one based in Phoenix.
Under the regional listings, various clubs are listed, including a nude volleyball camp in Foothill Ranch, Calif.
No one responded to my e-mails for more information.
I'm not implying there's a cover-up going on here. I do think nudists may be a bit shy about too much local publicity. There's nothing like a nudist colony open house to draw local voyeurs.
All of which got me wondering when it is we start worrying about keeping our clothes on — or cheerfully enjoy taking them off for recreational purposes. No, not that kind of recreational purpose.
A couple of weeks ago, two of my grandchildren spent the day at the pool near my house. My grandson is 5 and my granddaughter, 3.
Once they were out of the pool, they proceeded to strip and put on dry clothes in front of just about everybody.
In fact, my granddaughter delightedly danced around the pool, apparently feeling the freedom of a clothes-less moment.
Naturally, her mother's running after her waving garments, insisting on stifling her free expression.
Clothes make the man — and the woman — and we learn that soon enough.
Probably by age 10 when we want to make sure we're wearing the same thing everyone else is wearing.
Maybe there is something to the theory that elders grow more childlike as years go by.
Apparently there are 270 clubs and resorts in North America catering to nudists. At least 90 percent of the estimated 50,000 members are older than 35. Indeed, the median age at most clubs is nearing 55.
I can't imagine all these nudist venues will simply disappear. Unless fashion trendsetters continue to strip us of false pretenses, reaching the point where we all live in a seminudist camp.
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