Posted by helen on May 08, 2004 at 12:06:32:
In Reply to: Re: etiquette posted by Paul on May 08, 2004 at 02:57:23:
When I was young (up to early 20’s), I did not like seeing other people naked, or being naked myself. I am inclined to think that this was nothing to do with background or parents, but I was probably in the situation of no concept of naturism, so maybe it was connected with a somewhat restricted and uneventful youth. I do not have any religious affiliations, and my parents do not know - but they know little about me now anyway.
I first encountered a nude beach when on holiday in Rhodes; at that time I was on my own and it just seemed the obvious thing to also strip off myself. Soon after I saw an advert in a paper for a UK nudist club, which I approached (no idea what to expect) and joined, it was great meeting other nudists and that was it - I was hooked. The first few times I was a bit hesitant when the moment came to take my bottom off, but that soon passed. Now many years later it has become a dominant feature of my - our - lives. This nudist club was a particularly informal and liberal one, things may have been different if I had stumbled upon one of most other clubs.
When I first met Mark, he was not into nudity (although had occasionally come across it), but, after an initial astonishment about this interest of mine, he instantly took to it as if it were normal. Interestingly, he said that on a beach in Corfu an ex-girlfriend would not let him take his swimwear off because she did not want other girls looking at him.
I am now so used to nudity that it seems incomprehensible that there was a time when I did not like it, or that I even had slight apprehensions the first few times. So now, I find it difficult to understand other people, like Paul, who are not sure about it. I realise that many people are simply not interested in nudity, but I think that most of those do not object to others being naked; our favourite beaches are always those which are half nude and half clothed - rather than segregating nudists off to a separate area.
My advice is … JUST DO IT. Don’t worry, or even think, about reactions of other people, or whether you should be doing it. The longer you leave it, the more time you are wasting. It won’t be long before you are hooked like us. Many people are worried about their (conceived inferior) appearance; even if you do have an unattractive body, a visit to a naturist beach will soon show that so do most others. It is true that in a perfect situation we would both prefer to be surrounded by gorgeous sexy young people with incredible bodies, but in reality we don’t care whether you are thin, fat, ugly, untanned or always with an erection (actually that would be a plus point!). There is of course far more to everyone than their physical appearance. Even as a single male, it should not be difficult to make some friends on a beach or possibly at a club, if you give it time, but remember that it is no more a place for just picking up girls than anywhere else is - even though it may well happen in time. Remember … I like seeing naked men! Just be natural and enjoy it.
Love, Helen and Mark