The Naked Truth
WARNING: I hate the thought of offending anyone, so if you do not want to read about lots of man-parts and lady-parts, please come back on a different day.
I considered not writing this at all, but an author-friend of mine said, “Are you crazy? All that fabulous material – and you aren’t going to use it???” She had a point.
I also wrote a completely different version of this experience – concentrating on the silliest aspects. I’ve always prided myself on my superior silliness skills. But after I re-read what I had written, I thought it was too trivial – even for me – the Queen of Trivial.
Sure I can play it for laughs. But I think there is something to SAY.
So here goes.
When my husband and I vacationed in Jamaica recently, we took a side trip. We got ourselves a day pass to a different kind of resort. A nude resort.
I didn’t promise my husband I would go through with it. “When we get there, I may chicken out,” I warned. And he was okay with leaving that option open.
But I was curious. Not especially curious about everyone else. Curious about ME. Curious about how I feel about completely revealing my body.
I did it. I revealed my body. I discovered my body. And I discovered a few interesting ideas.
1. The friends we vacationed with did not come with us to the nude resort. I discovered that this was an advantage. I don’t think I could have done it with my friends there. Anonymity can be emboldening. And that itself is interesting. I can walk around naked in front of strangers but not in front of my best friends. Why is that?
2. Private acts should still be private. Most of the people at the resort were just having fun and feeling free. I enjoyed watching people swim, sunbathe, stroll the beach, laugh and play – wearing nothing but sunscreen. But there were a couple of couples who indulged in public sex. I found that yucky. Clothes may be optional. Discretion is not.
3. Although I did not find it too difficult to walk around naked, I found it incredibly difficult to speak to anyone. It was one thing for people to see me. I felt I was in some out-of-body experience and I almost felt invisible. But it was too concrete somehow to have a conversation. I suddenly lost my cloak of invisibility, and became a real naked person. I wasn’t embarrassed until I spoke.
4. My husband didn’t have that issue. From the first moment, he was completely relaxed and happy. It was awesome how natural he is au naturel. He is literally comfortable in his own skin. And comfortable with mine too. I was delighted to find that he was really proud of my 60-plus body. How sweet is that?
5. There is a great benefit in age. At 64, I did not feel that my body was in competition with anyone else. There was an abundance of beautiful young women there. What did that matter to me? There’s an exhilarating freedom to finally relinquishing the constant comparison. Who knew that nakedness and old age were so compatible?
6. I can’t NOT find some amusement in the experience. I found it (among many other moments of humor) in the ladies’ room. For much of the first several hours I didn’t move too far from my lounge chair on the beach. But sooner or later we all have to use the bathroom. It was my first long walk – I think the ladies’ room was about 2.4 miles from my beach chair. But here’s the fascinating part. You know how there is always a long line for the ladies’ bathroom but none for the men’s room? Well, I always thought it was because women wear a lot more clothes, and have to get more undressed to pee than men have to. But guess what? There was still a line to use the ladies’ room and none for the men’s. And we women didn’t have to undress at all. And yet we still had a wait. So there goes that theory.
7. Most important: BODIES ARE LOVELY. There were so many kinds. Sometimes I’ve thought, “You’ve seen one body, you’ve seen them all.” So not true. There were big bodies and little bodies. Dark bodies and pale bodies. Small breasts and pendulous breasts. There were flat tummies and stretch marks. Poochy abdomens and six-pack abs. There were floppy penises and perky penises. Wrinkly scrotums. Post-childbirth vaginas. There were wide hips and bony butts. There was plastic surgery. There was supple youth and there was bent old age. There were scars.
And the more I looked, the more I loved them all.
- Posted in: Aging ♦ Beauty ♦ Humor
- Tagged: Body image, nudist resorts, Nudity, vacations
notquiteold 
I can’t say that I would do what you did, but Thanks for the witty wisdom that you bared…and shared 🙂
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It surprised me that I did it. But I’m glad I did. Maybe getting older frees you of your inhibitions.
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You go, girl! In regards to your last point, I had the same experience the first time I went completely nude in a ladies locker room. Granted, it wasn’t as bold as your endeavor, but it is so amazing to see how different everyone’s figure can be. Bodies are remarkable things and to see the naked bodies of others while you are at your most physically vulnerable is a thrilling experience. I just hope you didn’t get a sunburn. 🙂
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Years ago I went nude (just a towel to sit on) into the sauna at my health club. The other women were giving me dagger-eyes the whole time, and I never did it again. Till now.
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How rude of them! From what I’ve been told, in most places with a sauna culture (Finland, Estonia, etc.) being nude in the sauna at all ages and stages is normal and natural. Wearing anything or being rude to others in the sauna is bad etiquette and, in some traditions, invites bad luck.
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Nope, I don’t believe I could have pulled it off. 😀 😀
Kudos to YOU!
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You may surprise yourself!
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Ha ha. I close my eyes when I change.
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You are much braver than me that’s for sure. Public sex? Really?
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It was not even discreet public sex. It was gross. I do not want to watch. The overwhelming majority of the guests though were not like that. There was certainly a “wilder” section of the younger people at the pool/bar, but the beach was full of nice, regular, relaxing folks. For the most part, it was really quite wholesome.
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Fantastic!! Good for you! And good for you for posting this thoughtful response. I’m sure silly was good, too, but I’m glad you went this route. You are brave. And I completely understand drawing the line at naked conversations…that’s a whole ‘nother level of exposure.
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I made a couple of attempts at conversation. It was weird discussing careers with naked people.
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Thanks for answering the with friends or not question. I too think I would be more inhibited with people I know. Strangers are better-and they’ll never see you again, so there will be no next time when you’re all bundled up in winter clothes but afraid they’re thinking about your naked imperfections.
I’m glad you wrote the piece. I hope if I have the opportunity, I will be as brave as you.
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Our friends actually said so. They weren’t really interested, but also said that they thought we would feel freer to enjoy ourselves without them. They are sweet and generous souls.
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Bravo for, as Gracie said, baring it . . . and sharing it. You are my heroine. Agree. Friends? No.
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Oh, if you aren’t my friend, then you can come with me anytime! 😉
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We have a nude beach in my city and it’s honestly one of my favorite places. There’s an odd sense of community and equality there that you don’t really find anywhere else.
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How terrific!! That’s exactly how we felt – that we were part of a very accepting community.
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I think that this is one of the loveliest posts I’ve read in months! I love how you relaxed, how you accepted yourself. I love that you noticed your husband’s pride in you. And mostly I love that you realized how lovely and wonderful all of our bodies really are!
Great post!! Thank you so much for sharing it!
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Thank you so much! That is exactly what I was trying to say. You really made my day!
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Good for you! I don’t think I could….
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You might just surprise yourself someday!
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Vacations are for stepping out of your everyday life and trying new things. Glad to hear that it was a good experience. Loved this post and your illustration.
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Thanks. In the past couple of years, we have found exactly that – that we are much more adventurous and “not ourselves” when we are on vacation. I like our vacation personas very much.
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I think, repeat THINK, that anonymity has a great deal to do with the comfort level which one would feel in that situation. As it goes with the fact that your friends stayed away. Moi, no way!
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Yes, it was much easier being anonymous. And as for you ever trying it… you never can tell!!!
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While not being a prude, I would never do something like that. For some, it is a freeing experience, for me it is simply embarrassing. Maybe it is because I was raised in a house full of girls, and privacy was at a minimum, so was modesty. But I simply find it impossible, now, to even change at the gym unless I have a private dressing room. I understand the attraction of being free of clothes and the restrictions they place. And I envy that ability to, ahem, let it all hang out, however, I think my clothing is my protection against feeling less, or rather, more than others. Comes from being the ugly duckling in the midst of three beautiful sisters. Having married a man who sun burns at the drop of a shirt, going to a place like that would literally be the worse nightmare for him.
Our adventures tend to lean more toward riding a Harley across country, going to the inner city of Hong Kong where no one speaks English, or getting lost in the mountains of France and Italy.
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We all get adventure in our own way… your adventures sound fabulous. And although I may have taken off my clothes on a foreign beach, I have never in 64 years been brave enough to get on a motorcycle, even though my husband LOVES bikes. So I am in awe of you!
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I’m asking this in the most respectful way…was there even an inkling of horny thoughts seeing all these naked bodies? And, actually, I’m surprised there wasn’t a “no public sex” sign!
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There was no sign prohibiting public sex as far as I could see… and I guess as far as some other people could see. As far as whether it was “arousing” – seeing other people have sex was not arousing at all. But in other ways….I’ll admit that it was, a little. Mostly because it made nakedness seem so beautiful.
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Our ancestors walked this earth naked for a lot longer than we’ve been covering ourselves up. What is it about humans that turned us into being who think public nakedness is ‘naughty’? (And it wasn’t all that long ago that even married couples engaging in sex were expected to remain at least partially covered up)? Nudity is completely natural. I’ve been to a nude beach only once in my life (when I was much, much younger) and it was freeing to think that no one was leering or being hard on themselves and how they looked. It’s very sad that we now view even breast-feeding moms as unnatural. Good for you for going outside your comfort zone and enjoying yourself! (But, dare I ask, what’s next?!?!?!?)
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Oh, not sure what’s next… but for the last year or so, I’ve wanted to ride a camel!
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I think like you, there is nothing wrong with nudity though I am uncertain if I would want to be nude in public. The issue of public sex, that is simply wrong.
Good for you for testing your limits and finding yourself comfortable in your skin!
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The public sex was quite gross. I resented being made to feel like a voyeur. But everything else was really fabulous.
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Congratulations! I’ve been to Hedonism II in Jamaica…it was a sexier environment than I am familiar with. My family owns and operates one of the first and largest nudist resorts in the country here in Florida. http://www.cypresscoveresort.com/
I was introduced at an early age. It’s a family oriented resort and NOT about sexuality at all. Well, at least no more so than a regular community. I lived there for six years but I knew I wouldn’t want it to be permanent. I might end up there again at some future point. The people are lovely. We visit the resort about once every couple of moths along with the nude beaches at the National Seashore. It’s very liberating.
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That is so cool! I went right to your website (of course) and it looks like something my husband and I may NEED to try! And where are the nude beaches you go to?
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The National Seashore at Cape Canaveral. There are no Federal laws against nude sunbathing. Playa Linda is one of the nicest. There are some local ordinances but, though officials have tried, they don’t hold up in Federal Court. It’s Federally owned, not locally owned, land. 🙂
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My husband and I are regulars at Hedo and also semi-regulars at CC. Love both places!
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I love how you “discovered” your body that’s was my experience entering the clothes free life and what clothes free living is all about. Just being free natural and comfortable in our bodies, less so the sex thing. Thank you for sharing your experience. Would like to reblog with your permission for our readers
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Thanks. I published this with a bit of trepidation, knowing that some may not approve. But I did publish for all to read. And I checked your site… why not reblog to those I KNOW will be supportive? Go ahead with my blessing.
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Thank you your experience represents what we want to promote ordinary folks finding their bodies in clothes free life
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Reblogged this on clothes free life and commented:
A wonderful account of a first time being clothes free
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Reblogged this on simplenaturist.
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What a lovely story. Good for you. I an relatively new to nakedness and I do love it so much. Nothing compares to the exhilarating feeling of being free.
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I’m not sure we’ll have the opportunity to do it again. But I am so glad we had this chance.
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Nice well written story about a wonderful experience for you. As full time units really enjoyed it. The one thing though was your difficulty having conversations with other nudist. We find that to be one of the things we enjoy most, conversing with our nude friends and strangers alike. The honesty and openness of those conversations easily rivals those with our textile friends. We hope you have the opportunity to experience the freedom again !! 🙂
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Maybe if there is another opportunity (who knows?), I will be that much more comfortable.
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As a life long nudist I am pleased that you wrote a positive article about a lifestyle which is usually ridiculed or castigated by outsiders. It is most unfortunate that you chose to have your first experience at a resort which permits overt sexual activity. This certainly is not representative of the views of the vast majority of naturists.
There are people who masquerade as naturists in order to attempt to attach some legitimacy to their sordid activities, but naturists abhor such things. We believe that naturism is a lifestyle that is worthy of respect. Anything which is inappropriate in any ordinary public setting, except for nudity, is also inappropriate in a naturist setting. Our morals are no different from the rest of society.
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The indiscreet folks were really the exception. Almost everyone was friendly and relaxed.
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I wonder if eventually, going to a naked park, beach, or club will become the norm vice an exotic trip that most won’t take. I haven’t been, but would if my sweetie wanted to.
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There were certainly quite a lot of people there. It was something I had thought about now and again, but didn’t think I would ever do. But I got the opportunity, and I said, “Why not?”
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Great that you took advantage of the opportunity and seized it. Perhaps you can create some other opportunities in the future.
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Reblogged this on Naturally and commented:
Great story about a first time at a nudist venue.
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A wonderful story and not so different than most women’s first experiences in social nudism, but I do have to ask; as a 64 year-old woman, how on EARTH did you allow yourself to become 2.4 MILES from a restroom? OMD, gal, 24 FEET is a challenge at my age!
So glad you had a good time, and hope there will be many more. Our social nudist community is chock-full of great people who don’t give a flea’s fart about the things that make us uncomfortable in our skins in real life. It’s a brand-new start based on personality, not appearance. What woman (person!) doesn’t want to be appreciated for who they are rather than how they look?
My husband and I have had a website devoted to directing newcomers to the ‘good stuff’ online relating to the whole nudism/naturism thing for several years now. No porn, no photo galleries, just solid information. We strongly suggest that anyone interested in the subject start there. A solid grounding in the ‘real thing’ will go far when evaluating the plethora of misinformation more readily discovered via Google Search.
Honestly, this is not a promo for our website, All-Nudist.com. As the world’s #1 ranked website in our category, and endorsed by many of the most reputable naturist organizations worldwide, we don’t need to look for website hits by commenting on obscure internet articles.
We are exactly what we describe ourselves to be in our ‘About’: just a couple of middle-aged Wisconsin nudists who want to help others get started off on the right foot. We do it through our website and have reached over 5 million folks. Better than post-it notes on the supermarket bulletin board, huh?
One section specially relating to this article can be found here: http://www.all-nudist.com/women-in-naturism.html#.VStEePk7v0s
The rest of our site may just blow your mind! (nicely) – Angie
Oh, and you HAVE to read about my ‘first time’ nude out in the world! And when Steve told me he was naturist and I thought he meant he liked TREES! No really, it’s a hoot!
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Thanks. I don’t know if I will ever do it again, but I am really glad I had the experience. And the bathroom may not exactly have been 2.4 miles away… it just seemed like it!
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Reblogged this on All Nudist.
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Reblogged this on Naturalian's Blog and commented:
Once tried always followed!
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Thanks so much for writing this! I’ve been curious about nude beaches for years. Visited one years ago in Greece (as a college student) but was with friends (both male and female) and didn’t have the guts to take off my bathing suit. Now, however, as a 50 year old woman, I believe my husband and I might enjoy this experience.
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Why not give it a try someday if you get the opportunity? I was surprised to find that the initial self-consciousness disappears rather quickly when everyone else is undressed too.
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I hope we get the chance to. I think I’ll forward your post to my husband. Thanks again!
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BTW, my husband usually doesn’t read my blog, but I had him read and approve this one before I posted. He has the right to his privacy too (although I don’t always give him it) – but he was okay with letting a little part of the world know about our vacation adventure.
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I couldn’t do it, even if I WAS in great shape, like you are. I’m with you on the public sex, though – that may be natural, but let’s keep it private.
I applaud your bravery!
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My body is far from perfect. I’m 64 and I have scoliosis. But there were a lot of imperfect bodies there. I fit in. Everybody fit in.
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Great article, by the way, which beach in Jamaica did you visit?
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Don’t want to mention the name, but think the western tip.
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Reblogged this on The Bis Key Chronicles and commented:
Would you be brave enough to do this?
“The terrible poetry of human nudity, I understand it at last, I who tremble for the first time in trying to read it with blasé eyes.” ~ Rachilde, Monsieur Venus: A Materialist Novel
“I suddenly realize that I’m naked, which shouldn’t bother me since it’s the phone, but for some reason it does.
“How’s it hanging?” Kyra asks and now I think I’m blushing. It’s just an expression, but jeez!” ~ Barry Lyga, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl
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Thanks for the re-blog.
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As a naturist myself, I’m glad you found it such a positive experience and decided to share it with others, we have recently opened our own Naturist Campsite near the Eden Project in Cornwall. Do you mind if I share your piece on our Facebook page?
( https://www.facebook.com/campingwestofeden ) – Sue
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Checked out your page. Very nice. Feel free (in every sense of the word) to share my post.
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Susan, how awesome for you guys, lots of work but you will have some wonderful times 🙂
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Thank you 🙂
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It was good to see this blog again and reread it along with all the positive comments. We will be spending the weekend at our nearby resort playing nude volleyball.
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Not being particularly well-endowed, in fact being very under-endowed, I was always hesitant to take my kit off at a nudist beach.
But, when the umpteenth opportunity did present itself in the form of a beach far enough from home that anonymity gave me enough courage, I made the long drive out there. The first half hour of nudity – after an hour of psyching myself up – was great.
Then… who should I meet in between me and my towel but my boss! The most uncomfortable five minutes of my life followed: she standing there quite unphased by her enormous pendulous breasts being in plain view of her junior sales clerk; me standing there trying my best not to cover my thumb-sized endowment and run away in a cloud of beach sand.
The first day back at work was… uncomfortable. But, after that, neither of us mentioned anything.
All things considered, I go to a nude beach again. But only on another continent.
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That is hilarious! Thanks for sharing your “little” encounter.
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I am fascinated by this. It’s not something I’ve ever in my life considered doing, being the self-conscious type, but this has made me feel actually tempted. I love the idea that everyone being naked puts you on an even footing, and removes the shame we all feel. Being naked among clothed people would feel humiliating, but with everyone the same, the variations and flaws would all become just different types of normal.
You made some great points. Definitely easier to handle among all strangers, so that’s worth bearing in mind. Also I’m with you about the public sex, that’s pretty gross and I’d prefer if it were disallowed. My fear is that my hubby might think the opposite! And also might be voyeuristic towards the other women, which would be shaming (he’s totally unselfconscious himself and doesn’t get that ‘just looking’ is invasive at all, even when fully clothed).
Being pale Britishers, the sun is also a concern for us. Obviously nudism wouldn’t be much fun in colder climes, but neither would all-over sunburn. Some parts of my body rarely see daylight, never mind sun!
So it might be that I’ll never get to try this, but it would be a real shame. I have a feeling that experiencing just once that loss of inhibition, escaping the shame around saggy/wrinkly/fat/blotchy bits, could permanently change the way I feel about my body.
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