Are You A Naked Family?

Having raised our children in an environment of body acceptance, I think they have greatly benefited. With two young sons, Emma Waverman has also taken on this question on the parenting blog "Embrace the Chaos".

 "We live in a naked house, appropriately naked (at least we think it is). We aren’t making breakfast with all the bits hanging out, but there are times when I am getting out of the shower and walking to my closet when I am starkers and the kids are walking around. The younger kids still shower with either me or my hubby. And, yes, doors are crashed open while I am standing in the nude or going pee and my husband has been caught with the towel at his ankles while shaving."

Her post includes a video from momversation.com, of mothers discussing how they handle nudity in their homes. At the end of her piece, Emma asks her readers to weigh in on the subject:

"What do you think? Is your house a naked house or does the whole idea mortify you?"

The discussion that follows in the comments section is quite interesting, with much of it positive regarding in-home nudity among family members. Reading the views expressed, both in the article and the comments, it becomes quite evident that one need not identify as a "nudist" or a "naturist" to contemplate the benifits of body acceptance, and to incorporate its teaching in the home.

Dare to Ask: Mom seeks nudist camp for 14-year-old son | jacksonville.com

Dare to Ask: Mom seeks nudist camp for 14-year-old son jacksonville.com

Submitted by Phillip Milano on April 7, 2010 - 12:00am Phillip Milano's Blog

Question

Is there a nudist camp in Europe that can handle my request that my son of 14 be made to stay completely nude for an entire stay next summer when he is out of school? — Megan, 34, nudist, Paris

Replies

That is a horrible thing to do to someone. — Norbert, 17, Minnesota.

If my parent forced me to be nude, whether I liked it or not, I would hate them and question their motives. Camp is supposed to be fun, not a summer of hell. — Britt, female, Washington, D.C.

That's called "child abuse." I'm not sure what you think you're accomplishing by planning to shove your lifestyle down his throat, but ... he'll hate you for the rest of his life. Have fun with that. — Ann, 39, Kansas City, Mo.

Don't most parents "shove" their lifestyle down their kids' throats? — Rochelle, Williston, N.D.

Expert says

We're not sure what they make young'uns do in those high-falutin' Europe parts, but in these good ol' U.S. of A. parts, we don't like to force 'em to show their parts.

Sure, we may dress our 5-year-olds in stripper-tops that say "Juicy" or "You Want This" on them, but just because someone's got a sleazy mom, does anyone really put stock in that famous saying about the apple not falling far from the pole?

Nicky Hoffman of the 25,000-member Naturist Society, which "promotes body acceptance through clothing-optional recreation," said most 14-year-olds are body-conscious and don't want to be in the buff.

"And they're certainly not going to a camp with Mom and Dad. That's all teens, not just naturists."

The worst thing to do is force them, she said.

"They might be very embarrassed. And I'm sorry to say, but if a child is very upset and talks about it and it gets out, a mother could lose custody."

But are there long-term negative psychological effects on a kid going natural?

"I don't think so. We've done polls and found that just about everyone has skinny-dipped with others at some point. The key thing is it has to be their choice."

Some might wonder if it's OK at all to raise a child in a nudist culture. Hoffman said that first, measures are taken to protect children at resorts or beaches, through self-policing and guidelines. More importantly, letting it all hang out fosters a healthy body image.

"We call our parts by the appropriate names and aren't ashamed of them. There's no 'pee-pee' in naturism. We know our parts and what they are for."

Naturists tend to have lower numbers of teen pregnancies, she said. Girls and boys learn about inappropriate actions, and how not to clamor for attention or denigrate themselves or others for "imperfections."

"They end up with a deeper respect for the opposite sex," she said. "It's like there's no surprises. We look deeper than the surface ... you may grow up feeling intimidated talking to a doctor if he's got his suit and tie on, but when there's no clothes on anyone, it's an even playing field."

Post cross-cultural questions and replies at http://www.yforum.com/, or mail to Phillip Milano, Times-Union, P.O. Box 1949, Jacksonville, FL 32231.

Kudos to Phillip Milano for seeking out Nicky Hoffman at TNS to answer this question. I know the French are more comfortable with nudity than most folks in the USA are, but I can't imagine why any mother would want to compel her child to be nude, and remain so, in a social nudist environment. Yes, naturists/nudists should teach their values to their children. Yes, they should take them with them to the family naturist park, and demonstrate clothing optional body acceptance in the home. But, no one should be forced to be nude. This is akin to Christian parents forcing their children to take communion. It is abusive rather than meaningful to the child, until he has taken on those values as his own.

I consider myself fortunate to have been raised with naturist values. I grew up in a family with two parents and two sisters. Though we didn't specifically identify ourselves as "nudists" or "naturists" (I don't think that term had even been coined yet), it was not unusual or considered a "big deal" to see one another nude in our home. We simply were not taught to hide our bodies when dressing, bathing, drying off, or when walking to or from the shower. We even occasionally skinny-dipped as a family. My parents always slept nude, and made no attempt to hide that fact--a practice I eventually adopted for myself.

When I married Kathy, I discovered that she had been raised very differently. She had a number of body-shame issues to overcome before we were finally able to agree upon our own strategies for raising our children. Ultimately (and I'm very grateful and proud of her for this), she overcame her fears, and our children were, for the most part, raised as I was. I think our children have benefited from this kind of upbringing (as I know I have) in ways that they may not even fully realize at this point in their lives. They have grown up without the crippling sense of shame and insecurity about their own bodies or the morbid curiosity about the bodies of others that so many of their contemporaries exhibit. My daughter is recently and happily married, and my son just left home for a six-month Christian missions trip. I am unabashedly proud of what they are making of their lives, and excited to see what the future holds for them.

-Gregg

More on Topfreedom

Writing for The Huffington Post today, former Playboy "Feminist Playmate" Juliette Fretté weighs in on cultural double standards between the public perception of uncovered male and female breasts.

The Meaning of Breasts


She correctly identifies that the issue is one of socialization:

"How we socialize ourselves to believe certain stigmas are natural and normal. How we forget what breasts are really for. Which leads to the question: why we should punish female breasts and their owners for how men fantasize about them and how society at large perceives them? Not for what they really are?"

"At the same time, there should be nothing wrong with perceiving female breasts (or male breasts) with sexual adoration. But let us also be careful to avoid pigeonholing their entire meaning based on that appreciation. And moreover, if we insist on sexualizing breasts, then we must insist that sexualized body parts be free from double standards. If women's breasts are labeled obscene, then men's breasts should also be labeled as such. And if men's breasts are perfectly acceptable, then those of women should be as well. Consistency is key."

"This may sound completely radical and revolutionary, but if one truly examines how society has unfairly judged this body part, the fact that we ever did it and normalized the practice in the first place seems completely goofy."

I agree, and think that Ms. Fretté is correct to point out the double standard. Though, I'm not sure I understand her brand of "Modern Feminism." She seems more comfortable selling images of her own breasts in Playboy, than she would be exercising the public topfreedom rights she seems to be advocating:

"So what about legalizing the exposure of women's breasts? If men can do it, so should we, as crazy as that sounds. Yet even as a Playboy Playmate, I would be uncomfortable walking down the street exposed under such a liberal ruling in favor of women's bodies. But why? Perhaps it would not be the exposure as much as the context and response I am conditioned to expect from society for such an action."

Interestingly, she seems unaware that, in at least some States, women are free to be shirtless anywhere that men may be, and that some brave women are exercising that right in order to change public perception and begin the process of re-socialization toward a more gender-equal acceptance of that freedom.

(See my previous post about the Women's Topfreedom March in Maine)

Re-post from April 4th

Women's Topfreedom March in Maine

Posted 4th April 2010 at 07:22 PM by stringsinger

Two articles appeared in the Maine Sunday Telegram about a a topfree march through Portland which was organised (via Facebook) by a young woman named Ty McDowell:

Women march topless in Portland without incident

Marching for right to bare breasts, women faced with sea of cameras

It is also interesting to read the comments section after the articles. I respect Ms. MacDowell for her effort, but am a bit surprised at her naivete as to the kind of response she might have expected from the public. If her aim is to desensitize the public to women's topfreedom, it will be important to persist. The legal right to be topfree has already been won in Main, but public acceptance will not be won until enough women are willing to exercise that right. I think she learned some valuable lessons this first time out. According to one of the articles, Facebook was used to promote the event. She might do well to publicize the next one a little less publicly, to avoid drawing a crowd of onlookers who otherwise would not have been there. I do think that if a group of women (and perhaps some of their shirtless male supporters) would commit to publicly going topfree on a regular basis, it would go a long way towards achieving their goal--once this becomes commonplace, the public will accept it. Some brave women must be willing to face the immature reactions of some (ogling, mocking and scorn), if wide-spread public acceptance is ever to be won. What good is a legal right, if that right is never exercised?

Re-post from April 3rd

Nudiarist: Religion Threatens Nude Beach

Posted 3rd April 2010 at 04:58 PM by stringsinger

Nudiarist on his "Diary of a Nudist" Blog posted this today (my comments follow):

Religion Threatens Nude Beach in Key West

A section of Smathers Beach in Key West slated for naturist use is under threat from religious groups who are "uncomfortable" with the idea of nude people enjoying the sun and surf.

"I'm convinced that the naturalist is not an evil person," said Adam Walker, pastor of Calvary Chapel. "Let's just look at facts about humanity: The naturalist does not see anything wrong about nudity. I believe that. You've got to know that not everybody going on that beach is going to be a naturalist. Twitter has opened the world. What do you think is going to be going on on these beaches?"

"I personally would not want this temptation there for my sons," Walker's wife Patty said. "It's hard enough for them to go through life as a teenager. I don't want their mind dwelling on things like that. You go in there and you're not in there for the right reason and you come out, you've got to go let that out somewhere, and things happen in our community."

So, in a nutshell, naturists and naturists are not evil, but nudity attracts evil people. And the argument is not about reality, but about what people "think is going to be going on". And what on earth does Twitter have to do with nude beaches? Fear, ignorance and religions zealotry once again stand in the way of the basic human right of enjoying nude recreation.

Posted by Nudiarist at 9:52 AM

My comments:

stringsinger said...

Yes, Christians too, are effected by cultural attitudes. Unfortunately, that often means that, when confronted with something they are unaccustomed to like social nudity in a public recreational setting, rather than thinking carefully (or biblically) about the issue, they just assume it is wrong. That is how we get silly statements like the one you referenced. But, the knee-jerk reaction of condemning something as immoral because it causes one cultural discomfort is as common among secularists as it is among those that are religiously minded. Fortunately, Christians who are able to overcome unfounded acculturation and treat the subject seriously, will find nothing in the way of a biblical argument against such practices. And, in fact, Christians in earlier historical times were (rightly) much more comfortable with their bodies and those of others. Sadly, the two biggest hurdles to greater body acceptance among Christians today are a resurgence of heretical Gnostic dogma and (ironically, in light of the popularity of Intelligent Design Theory) the co-option of ideas of Social Darwinists, that treat human sexuality as a mechanistic (bio-chemically determined) process of stimulus and response.

Purpose

The idea and purpose behind this blog has remained essentially the same since its inception, so I will re-post here my original introductory post from 2006:



The Naked Truth - Journal of a Christian Nudist



Most Christians today would assume that to merely look upon the unclothed form of anyone other than one's spouse would be an occasion for sin. This however, is an idea that comes from our culture rather than from any appeal to logic or a careful examination of scripture or early church practice. As a biblically conservative Christian who was raised in a home where seeing other family members nude was common and never considered a big deal, I have actually taken the time to test my experience against Christian teaching about the body. In the 30-some years I have been studying scripture, Christian philosophy, Church history and theological anthropology, I have yet to come across a cogent argument that seeing others in the state in which God created them is morally wrong. To be sure, some have proposed such arguments, but they have all failed to hold up to serious scrutiny. I therefore became a nudist (or "naturist" as some prefer to say.)

I now endeavor to be "salt and light" and to represent the truth of the Gospel of Christ among a growing sub-culture here in the U.S.A. that regularly chooses to recreate "au natural." Whether among casual skinny-dippers or year-round nudist club residents, myself and other Christians are beginning to have an impact on this often un-churched people group. The obstacle to faith for some, is that many Christians wrongly condemn their nudism. My task is to show that the Gospel is true and worthy of believing in spite of the false ideas of these misguided Christians. Please pray that many nudists will come to a saving knowledge of Christ and that they may find churches that will welcome them.

From time to time I will post my experiences and specific prayer requests on this blog. I use the same screen name "stringsinger" on a number of Yahoo! groups and naturist/nudist forums, so you may find my posts elsewhere on the net. Try Google-ing "stringsinger+nude" or some similar variation.

-stringsinger

Beginnings

Back in 2006 I started a blog of this same name in a more obscure corner of the Internet called "Christian Forums." At the time I was updating it rarely, and didn't give it nearly the attention I had intended. Recently, I have decided to take up blogging more seriously though, and I am finding the Christian Forums venue a bit limiting. What Google offers here on Blogger just feels to me more like a "real" blog, whereas CF is more of a community of on-line gamers and folks who like to chat, all done under the banner of "Christian", though membership is not limited to Christians, and many do not identify themselves that way. So what follows is the new-and-improved "The Naked Truth" 2.0, with a better look and for a (presumably) wider readership. For continuity's sake, as I make the move to this new venue, I will re-post some of the recent and more relevant early entries from the former blog site. At the time of this writing though, all of the archives of the old blog may be found at:

http://www.christianforums.com/blogs/u121607/

Blessings in Christ, to all who find their way to this new blog, and thank you for your interest, comments and questions.

-Gregg