My Dog is a Nudist, Too!

We have a Shih-Tzu that my mom found a few years ago at the humane society. We swear she must have been neglected by the owner who dropped her off. She was so shy, and would hide if there was even too much noise. We bought a crate to put her in initially until she was house-trained, and she lasted one day; she had pooped all over herself (we think in protest). She still is very standoff-ish with new people and new dogs. We love her, though, and have learned to give her plenty of room and plenty of love.
My wife just can't get over that my dog is a nudist. You know you've seen the people dress up their dogs; my mother does with hers. My dog, though, will just stand there and look at you like you've gone crazy. She won't move, won't budge, won't even lie down. It bugs my wife to no end that my dog just doesn't like to wear clothes!

Simple Nudist or Creepy Guy?

NJ.com reported that a man was arrested for being naked in his hotel room. It sounds ridiculous on the surface, but the room he was in was clearly visible to anyone coming into and out of the hotel lobby, and faced a courtyard where a teen beauty pageant was being held. Part of me says it should have been no big deal, but my instinct says that this wasn't just a simple nudist.

What to do now.....

I like being naked. I don't get to do it too often, and living where I live precludes me from just going naked at home without closing the blinds. Wife and I love to go to the beach when we can, but weather and work have kept us for most of August, and in September, we can no longer enjoy it. If there was a year-round resort close to us, and I could convince her, maybe we could take a day and go.
It's not worth it for a day trip, though, and staying overnight means dealing with logistical concerns. It's not even worth it to convince my wife to go (although I wish it was).

Save Lighthouse Beach

I just heard that apparently, they are looking at closing/moving/shrinking the clothing-optional portion of Lighthouse Beach. I hope it's not true, but if it is, consider signing their petition. If they do this at Lighthouse, they may also consider it at Gunnison at some point. They are both run by the National Park Service.
Apparently, one of the reasons is due to the sexuality of the beach. It's a shame, because I don't think most of us go to check each other out and possibly look for sex, but apparently it happens. If you are thinking of taking an active part in keeping Lighthouse (and even Gunnison) open, you should consider signing the petition and then joining the Gunnison Beach message board, where there are many people openly talking about sexual activities on the beach.
Maybe you like gawking, or even thoroughly enjoying the company of your fellow man/woman. I don't think it belongs on a beach, and if you don't either, it might just be time to speak up.

What is the lifestyle about, anyway?

Transplanted Pilot made a comment:

"Too many nudists want to support anything naked as legit."

Do you really think that anything naked is legit? Or are there limits? I'll take your thoughts....

Exercise Naked

I did a little naked exercise yesterday, with my Wii Fit. It's not perfect, but it's the best I can get to naked exercising, as I don't have room for gym equipment in my house, and it's not private, so I have to close the blinds in order just to go naked.
Mostly, it was nice - not worrying about uncomfortable clothing. However, being that I'm not in good shape, feeling my flab bounce around was not the nicest feeling. At least it helps remind me why I need to keep exercising.

Health

In clothing, a person can really find it easy to hide themselves. A person can also show off the parts of their body they like. Naked, however, we can't hide anything. I've mentioned before that I'm a little on the chubby side. I'm not necessarily uncomfortable naked, as obviously I've been to 2 nude beaches, but I tend to notice that I have weight to lose.

From what I understand, part of the original nudist philosophy is the notion of living a more natural, healthy lifestyle. Correct me if I'm wrong. I certainly don't live a healthy lifestyle, as I often run to and fro and sometimes eat on-the-go. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I need to live healthier, eat healthier, and exercise more. With one life to live, I should certainly enjoy it.

I hope I don't sound vain in saying this, but next season, when I make it to the beach, I want to look better. I hope to feel better about my body, whether I wear clothes or not. It's not because I want people to look at me, but because I want to live a more healthy lifestyle.

Is there anyone out there who is with me? We can work on this together (virtually, of course). Maybe you disagree with the whole idea. Either way, I'd love your comments.

Sexting

I've noticed a lot of posts on blogs and in the news about sexting. Mostly, this seems to happen with teens and young adults (I haven't heard of any situations including anyone older than 20). Most nudists seem to side with the belief that there is nothing harmful with it.

I think the exact opposite, though. If the naked body was no big deal, these teens wouldn't care about taking pictures of themselves that highlight their nakedness. Maybe, if nudity was more common, we'd see them doing things naked. To me, that's the difference - pictures for the sake of nudity are more like exhibitionism, not nudism. The fact that guys will then send a picture of a naked girl to their friends highlight that they view a woman as a sexual object, not as a beautiful person.

If I send my wife a picture of myself naked to my wife, I obviously want her to see it, but I don't give her permission to show anyone else. If she does, without my permission, she's now violated my privacy.

Now, I can't go so far as to say that any of these kids should be labeled sex offenders. However, girls need to be taught to respect themselves better, and guys should be taught that they should treat any girl like a lady, not a pinup. While I may not agree with doing so, if guys and girls choose to share what I would perceive as intimate pictures, and keep it between themselves, then that's their business.

I plan, though, on teaching my future children that it isn't appropriate to do so until marriage. Even if I raise my children to love and respect the human form, they need to know that most people don't understand the philosophy. The world isn't a perfect place.

More Observations from a textile beach

You'll probably notice that most of my observations have been about women. I think that happens in general for a couple of reasons. First, there is little variation in what is acceptable and not acceptable for men. Plus, what is not acceptable for men can easily brand you as a pervert. Guy wears just shorts, and it's deemed acceptable. Guy wears no shorts, and well, 911 is called. Girl walks topless, no one complains (except for a couple of cops, see here and here) Secondly, due to the laws of fashion, there are more clothing options available to women than to men.

During our trip to Florida, I noticed three women in particular. The first I passed by on the street. I was walking with my wife to a local restaurant outside of the hotel, and saw a woman in what was a very nice, but see-through, top. Worn with a bra or camisole, I would have never looked twice, but it was noticeable that she was bra-less. I suppose it is the type of top you would see on a model. This wasn't the top, but it was similar in the fact that you could tell without a second glance.

The other two women I saw were both at the hotel. Both were probably middle-aged women, and I noticed on each occasion that they both were not wearing any bottoms. One woman wore just a thin top while swimming on the beach, and the other was with her family getting ready to go into her hotel room (probably from the beach/pool), and had only a bathing suit top on.

Part of me recognizes that these women are either proud of their bodies or don't care what other people think of them. I highly respect that and appreciate it. However, the other part of me wonders whether it is immodest to do so. Should we be so comfortable that we can subject others to our nakedness without caring about their opinion? If I was not a nudist, these situations would certainly make me uncomfortable, and I would think it was not appropriate for the time or place.

I still am not sure what to think yet.