Naturist Illustration | The Realiser's Voyage

The Wonder of Nude

A glimpse into the wonder that is 'Naturism' by Georgia Steele

"When no one else can understand me...". The opening line of Elvis Presley's hit 'The Wonder of You', I can imagine rings true in the minds of many Naturists always being asked the question "why?"

Well, before I delve into this article I must make a disappointing yet important announcement.

I am not a Naturist.

I know. I will forgive you for rolling your eyes and throwing this article onto the coffee table before looking up to see what you have missed from Blue Planet. But if you are still reading I would love for you to let me take you on a journey to recognise the stark difference between our 'Naturalist' national treasure, David Attenborough and the societies of people all over the world who I have become very interested in; the 'Naturists'.

For this article, I will use the term 'Naturism' when describing the philosophy and the term 'Nudity' to describe an aspect of active naturism.

The most exciting thing I have discovered while researching naturism and the people who engage in it, has been its longstanding journey through the centuries. Although I have to be honest, this didn’t start out as “research”. My attention and fascination with this subject had been sparked from re-watching some of my favourite films and T.V series episodes, which to my surprise have a strong theme running through them...

Nudity.

Naturism through the centuries

Please bear with me while I explain this. Naturism is presented through the storyline of one of my favourite Murdoch Mysteries' episodes ‘Murdoch Au Naturel’. A detective drama series set in Victorian-era Toronto, Canada. One day the genius detective stumbles upon a naturist colony and the storyline has held me captivated ever since.

In the episode ‘Murdoch Au Naturel’ the German pundit Heinrich Pudor is mentioned as a founding father-type, whose philosophies inspired Naturism in the western world. Sunshine, exercise and vegetarianism were the main aspects. Ideas that reached the height of popularity in post-World War I Germany. However, anti-Semitism and toxic beliefs of racial hygiene tainted Pudor’s work along with many others'. Hence, his worth was later disregarded after WW2, and a new generation of rebels without a cause was born.

Many of you, I'm sure will be more familiar with the next two…

1969 classic, Carry on Camping was voted the best Carry On film of all time, which I’m sure does not surprise you. In which, comedy stars Sid James and Bernard Bresslaw try to entice their two prudish girlfriends to a naturist holiday camp like the one they saw in the Cinema. The funny and light-hearted nature of the whole film is timeless and plays into every human’s desire to try something that society frowns upon. This brings us nicely to my final film favourite; Calendar girls. Fast-forwarding to 2003, the main character Chris, played by Helen Mirren soon recognises (in a desperate attempt to create a stand-out calendar for her late friend’s charity fund) that nudity is a common, even expected, cultural interest. Particularly in the confines of a greasy mechanic's garage. Yet in an unexpected setting, it can shock, awe and be a foolproof way to grab society's attention. Although ‘Calendar girls’ has a more heavy-hearted storyline, the emotions of the leading women are portrayed with poignant authenticity. Feelings of grief, guilt, misunderstanding and embarrassment unravel throughout their journey into nudism. But thankfully, humour and liberation reign supreme for the characters and the experience leads them to learn more about themselves as women, their bodies and their relationships.

Sex vs. Nudity

The widespread notion that sex and nudity go hand in hand is astonishing. Could it be considered that the reason we synonymise nudity with sexuality is because of the way nudity is and has been portrayed in media for generations? For 42 years, as of 2019, Britain's most-read newspaper - The Sun, circulates approximately 1.2 million newspapers per year in Britain. Infamous for its stories of "SEX SCANDALS" brandishing the front pages while playing host to the striking, staged and subjected nude women of page 3. Its popularity is akin to a form of cultural British heritage, much like strawberries and cream are to summertime tennis.

Written in a recent Guardian article ‘From utopian dreams to Soho sleaze: the naked history of British nudism’ author of ‘Nudism in a cold climate’, Annebella Pollen deduces "nude photographs are not something that can be stabilised." We all bring our own perspectives and intentions to them. But they “are worth taking seriously for what they reveal about bodily ideals and realities in a period of rapid social and cultural change”.

In a Canadian Documentary about naturists in 1984; one female naturist described a bikini as "a most titillating object of clothing" and continued to explain that when this factor is removed (so to speak) "I feel free, I have no worries. No cares." I was amazed to read the exact sentiment being shared by an Anglican vicar in the 1930s. Written in the same Guardian article mentioned previously, ‘the vicar condemned the attire as a ‘“satanic invention” that promoted titillation through part-concealment.’ The exact wording from two separate accounts in two very different eras by two unlikely counterparts certainly provides food for thought.

While talking to a friend about the research I was doing for this article, she astutely likened people's perception of nudity to the feeling of anticipation when unwrapping Christmas presents. I think I can personally attest to this - females in bikinis, or in any state of part-concealment, are practically synonymous with sexual stimulation. Just ask Playboy magazine. However, when the suspense and intrigue are removed, the view becomes less of a sexual object and more of a natural being. Thus, the act of revealing something that should be kept hidden, rather than the naked form being on show, is what titillates Western society.

Nudism

Since working as a Lifeguard from August of this year, I have unexpectedly gained a deeper insight into this very topic. I have lost count of the number of times I have walked through the ladies changing rooms to find bare breasts and bottoms attached to individuals of all sizes, ages and ethnicity. Although there are ample changing stalls available, I have observed many people feel a sense of safety and acceptance in this open environment. Although, It is astonishing how much we hide our bodies from the sun. When lifeguarding the swimming pool in late August to early September, many men were sporting the awkward t-shirt tan lines. Far more so than women. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness that we blatantly neglect our bodies the object from which all life on earth derives. With that in mind, one can’t help but wonder if we non-naturists are missing a trick?

So where did it come from? No, not Naturism, I’ve covered that, pay attention! Anti-nudists. A clothed society of prudes and moral etiquette. What steered us from being an unlaced race to a straight-laced society? Maybe it's simply plain old Britishness? Or is a reason for feelings of embarrassment and shame accompanying nudity a religious one? Whether it all began with Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis, or a civilisation incessantly governed by traditional rules and strict moral standards, who knows?

Nudity is obviously something that has been captured, expressed and celebrated in the arts for centuries. Da Vinci, Botticelli, and Michelangelo, to name a few of the greats, are eternalised by their works of the Birth of Venus and the Creation of Adam both symbolising the truth that we all enter the world ‘unclothed’. In addition, life drawing classes are taking place all over the world for the purpose of reproducing the human form through an artistic medium, with models of all ages, ethnicities, religions and genders. For me personally, it is a chance to appreciate and capture the human form in all its glorious imperfections.

NEWT

Please believe me when I say that searching YouTube for content of naturist communities is very dubious territory. I know from experience. However, trust me when I say that watching NEWT (Naturist European Walking Tour)'s annual videos, will change your perception of Naturism forever. Each year, a group of like-minded people gather somewhere in the Austrian Alps to explore nature in the way it was intended. Yes, they hike amongst some of the most beautiful European scenery stark naked.

Researching the law further, I myself, was surprised to learn that according to the Crown prosecution service in the UK, ‘nudity in public alone, with no aggravating features is very unlikely to amount to any offence’. However, the public confusion lies with the classification of “any act of a lewd, obscene or disgusting nature which outrages public decency.” The degree of public opinion on the subject is far too vast and varied to be entirely clear as to the extent of this classification. More information can be found on the CPS government website: Nudity in Public - Guidance on handling cases of Naturism.

A line from a Naturist member in the episode of Murdoch Mysteries; "We must make concessions when dealing with the outside world". (This was a thought I comforted myself with when my parent's loud London friends came to stay. But that's a different matter altogether.) Similarly, NEWT members make concessions for the outside world by clothing themselves at certain points of their naturist hikes.

However, unlike the UK, European countries have a certain reputation for being far more liberal and accepting than us Brits towards forms of nudity, so the naturist walkers share their paths with the clothed community too. From observing the calm reactions of the clothed passers-by in these videos, you would think they were almost expecting it. There is a wholesome sense of community, acceptance and diversity amongst the walkers.

For those who say the human form is ‘beautiful’, you are right. But let's be honest, it can be ‘ugly’ too, and as a very wise friend once said to me “what is wrong with that?”. We live in a society that craves beauty, and though we are now growing and developing in our ideas that there is beauty in everything, we still cannot comprehend that non-beauty is absolutely fine. In fact, imperfection is the most natural thing in the world.

If I have realised one thing throughout this journey, it is that Naturism is far more present in our society and media than we think. Perhaps naturists are just good at keeping it under their hats, or are we as a society choosing not to acknowledge and accept it? Either way, the British Naturism organisation describes Naturism thus; "Naturism is the practice of going without clothes - whether that is just occasionally at a beach or in your garden, or as a more general part of everyday life. Naturism is healthy, sensible - who wants to wear clothes when the weather is hot – and great fun!" Anyone who actively applies these values to their daily life has my undivided attention.

They are taking their clothes off in nature, voluntarily for the freedom and pleasure it brings them. If that is not the height of liberation, I don't know what is.

Finally, to paraphrase the King... Elvis,

I guess I'll never know the reason why,

until I try it too!

By Georgia Steele