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Showing posts with label YBN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YBN. Show all posts
Diving In!
Matt of YBN writes about his first experience of naturism.
It was a year ago that my parents first told me they were going to a naturist club on a Friday night. Until then I had been under the impression that they were just going swimming: watching the waistline like most parents. After a few experiences of naturism on holiday in Europe, they decided to take a deep breath and take off all their clothes in slightly less exotic Chepstow. It was here, on this Friday, that I had my first naturist experience. I went in with all of the fears, worries and doubts that probably swirl through most people’s heads at the thought of getting naked in public. What if people stare at me? What if I can't stop staring at other people? What if anyone I know finds out?
Other than people finding out, none of these things happened. As soon as the evening was over I knew that it didn't matter who knew or what they thought. From 16-year-old girls to 60-year-old men and everything in between, people were sharing stories, experiences and just having fun. There was no sense of being judged and no means by which to judge others. Looking at a person in the street, you have all sorts of ideas about them before you get anywhere near a conversation. You look at their clothes, their hair, their shoes. We are all guilty of looking at people and slotting them into little boxes without a thought about the person underneath the shell. Walking into the pool on Friday night there was no way to make these judgments. Everyone was a blank canvas of skin and wet, flattened hair, and it meant that I spoke to people that I never would have done outside the club and would have been much the poorer for it.
In the first paragraph I used the word ‘club’. This is one of the most illuminating words that I can think of to describe naturism. As well as it literally being a club, there is a real sense of community. There were people there from other groups as well as regulars to the Chepstow Fridays. One of the topics of conversation that kept coming up was all the events that people had been to or had planned. I find it truly inspirational that there are people out there who have interests outside the mainstream, but are willing to get together and do it anyway. It is also by no means a closed society. I knew nobody there before that night, and by the end I felt perfectly comfortable to sit and talk with anyone.
As the night drew to a close, I happened to be quicker than most getting dressed to join the real world. Standing there in my jeans and jacket, looking at the room of people still towelling off, I felt more self-conscious than I had all night. Stepping back into the Welsh drizzle and back to the car, I was smiling. Not because I felt embarrassed or cheap, like I was expecting to, but because I felt free. Free to do what I wanted and just be myself, without having to answer to anybody else’s ideas of what was and wasn't 'acceptable'.
It was a year ago that my parents first told me they were going to a naturist club on a Friday night. Until then I had been under the impression that they were just going swimming: watching the waistline like most parents. After a few experiences of naturism on holiday in Europe, they decided to take a deep breath and take off all their clothes in slightly less exotic Chepstow. It was here, on this Friday, that I had my first naturist experience. I went in with all of the fears, worries and doubts that probably swirl through most people’s heads at the thought of getting naked in public. What if people stare at me? What if I can't stop staring at other people? What if anyone I know finds out?
Other than people finding out, none of these things happened. As soon as the evening was over I knew that it didn't matter who knew or what they thought. From 16-year-old girls to 60-year-old men and everything in between, people were sharing stories, experiences and just having fun. There was no sense of being judged and no means by which to judge others. Looking at a person in the street, you have all sorts of ideas about them before you get anywhere near a conversation. You look at their clothes, their hair, their shoes. We are all guilty of looking at people and slotting them into little boxes without a thought about the person underneath the shell. Walking into the pool on Friday night there was no way to make these judgments. Everyone was a blank canvas of skin and wet, flattened hair, and it meant that I spoke to people that I never would have done outside the club and would have been much the poorer for it.
In the first paragraph I used the word ‘club’. This is one of the most illuminating words that I can think of to describe naturism. As well as it literally being a club, there is a real sense of community. There were people there from other groups as well as regulars to the Chepstow Fridays. One of the topics of conversation that kept coming up was all the events that people had been to or had planned. I find it truly inspirational that there are people out there who have interests outside the mainstream, but are willing to get together and do it anyway. It is also by no means a closed society. I knew nobody there before that night, and by the end I felt perfectly comfortable to sit and talk with anyone.
As the night drew to a close, I happened to be quicker than most getting dressed to join the real world. Standing there in my jeans and jacket, looking at the room of people still towelling off, I felt more self-conscious than I had all night. Stepping back into the Welsh drizzle and back to the car, I was smiling. Not because I felt embarrassed or cheap, like I was expecting to, but because I felt free. Free to do what I wanted and just be myself, without having to answer to anybody else’s ideas of what was and wasn't 'acceptable'.
A Newbie's First Day
By Rob H. of YBN
Unlike many of you who will be reading this I don't come from a naturist family, I don't have any naturist friends, and in fact I'd never really looked into naturism. So it came as quite a shock to my friends and family when I announced that I was going along to the YBN gathering in Telford.
Nakedness has always been fairly natural to me, whenever I'm alone (and in private!) I'm naked - it just feels a lot more natural than being covered in hot sweaty clothes, but I've led quite a sheltered life and the number of times I've seen another person naked can be counted on one hand.
I went down to Telford on the friday with no real expectations of what it would be like and feeling fairly calm about the whole thing. When I arrived I was quite shocked (surprise surprise!) to see lots (20-30?) of *naked* people around! (mainly 20 somethings), one in fact came over to me and said hi. It was a bit alarming to begin with... this guy (Joel I lated discovered) helped me to set up my tent and then I got inside and wondered what I was going to do next. I decided that if I was going to be there I ought to do it properly so I stripped off and covered myself in SPF 50 (I burn very easily)... I waited in my tent for as long as I dared to, so long in fact that someone came and asked if I was ok.
Eventually I came out of my tent in all my naked glory (so to speak). It was really quite odd at first being naked around all these people but after only a few minutes it didn't seem like a big deal, I mean I did keep noticing that there were naked people everywhere but I was less and less bothered by it. I think the thing is that it's not being naked that is shocking or surprising or even stimulating so much as what people are doing at the time. You can look at a high art nude photo and not find it erotic at all - in the same way being naked doesn't automatically result in a 'oh my god everyone is naked!' kind of reaction.
In fact I found that once I got over the initial surprise of the whole thing it started to feel pretty natural and normal to be naked around other people. Looking back in fact it seems a lot more strange for us all to be going around in our clothes. Added to that it makes you think more realistically about your self image; I know that I should lose weight (and I want to) but my view of myself is compared against some kind of unrealistic expectation of what I 'should' look like. Seeing what everyone else actually really looks like naked helps you (or at least helped me) to have a much more positive view of my own body. Before I went on the camp I wouldn't go swimming for fear of people 'seeing me' whereas now I have no problem with that at all.
On the saturday some of us went off to Water World to swim naked with 400 other naturists! It was pretty amazing both in terms of the experience of swimming naked (which was very nice and liberating) and also the experience of being there with all the other people. Perhaps I'm going overboard here but I felt a certain closeness with these people that I don't in general in society. Perhaps it is just because in some sense I belong to the same group as them (tiddlywinks players I suspect feel at home with other tiddlywinks players) but I couldn't help but feel that it was more than that - that by removing their clothing these people were removing other less visible barriers between one another. Perhaps that's crazy talk, I don't know - it was pretty fun either way.
What was really good about the weekend was not so much the nakedness but rather the company. The people there were really welcoming and friendly - I find it really hard to get to know new people but it wasn't so hard with these guys. Sure I didn't manage to make friends with everyone but I made a few new friends which was really great.
So my first dip into the world of naturism was I think something of a success. A great time spent with great people. I'm hoping to come along to as many YBN events as I can manage, and I'd encourage any other twenty-somethings to come along too.
Unlike many of you who will be reading this I don't come from a naturist family, I don't have any naturist friends, and in fact I'd never really looked into naturism. So it came as quite a shock to my friends and family when I announced that I was going along to the YBN gathering in Telford.
Nakedness has always been fairly natural to me, whenever I'm alone (and in private!) I'm naked - it just feels a lot more natural than being covered in hot sweaty clothes, but I've led quite a sheltered life and the number of times I've seen another person naked can be counted on one hand.
I went down to Telford on the friday with no real expectations of what it would be like and feeling fairly calm about the whole thing. When I arrived I was quite shocked (surprise surprise!) to see lots (20-30?) of *naked* people around! (mainly 20 somethings), one in fact came over to me and said hi. It was a bit alarming to begin with... this guy (Joel I lated discovered) helped me to set up my tent and then I got inside and wondered what I was going to do next. I decided that if I was going to be there I ought to do it properly so I stripped off and covered myself in SPF 50 (I burn very easily)... I waited in my tent for as long as I dared to, so long in fact that someone came and asked if I was ok.
Eventually I came out of my tent in all my naked glory (so to speak). It was really quite odd at first being naked around all these people but after only a few minutes it didn't seem like a big deal, I mean I did keep noticing that there were naked people everywhere but I was less and less bothered by it. I think the thing is that it's not being naked that is shocking or surprising or even stimulating so much as what people are doing at the time. You can look at a high art nude photo and not find it erotic at all - in the same way being naked doesn't automatically result in a 'oh my god everyone is naked!' kind of reaction.
In fact I found that once I got over the initial surprise of the whole thing it started to feel pretty natural and normal to be naked around other people. Looking back in fact it seems a lot more strange for us all to be going around in our clothes. Added to that it makes you think more realistically about your self image; I know that I should lose weight (and I want to) but my view of myself is compared against some kind of unrealistic expectation of what I 'should' look like. Seeing what everyone else actually really looks like naked helps you (or at least helped me) to have a much more positive view of my own body. Before I went on the camp I wouldn't go swimming for fear of people 'seeing me' whereas now I have no problem with that at all.
On the saturday some of us went off to Water World to swim naked with 400 other naturists! It was pretty amazing both in terms of the experience of swimming naked (which was very nice and liberating) and also the experience of being there with all the other people. Perhaps I'm going overboard here but I felt a certain closeness with these people that I don't in general in society. Perhaps it is just because in some sense I belong to the same group as them (tiddlywinks players I suspect feel at home with other tiddlywinks players) but I couldn't help but feel that it was more than that - that by removing their clothing these people were removing other less visible barriers between one another. Perhaps that's crazy talk, I don't know - it was pretty fun either way.
What was really good about the weekend was not so much the nakedness but rather the company. The people there were really welcoming and friendly - I find it really hard to get to know new people but it wasn't so hard with these guys. Sure I didn't manage to make friends with everyone but I made a few new friends which was really great.
So my first dip into the world of naturism was I think something of a success. A great time spent with great people. I'm hoping to come along to as many YBN events as I can manage, and I'd encourage any other twenty-somethings to come along too.
Telling Parents
By Ben of YBN
Some of us grow up within a naturist family and so all family members and maybe even close friends will know of our naturist lifestyle. Other people, myself included, do not and we are therefore faced with a dilemma - do we tell our parents and if so how?
A lot of space has been taken up at numerous websites discussing the topic of telling our parents that we are a naturist and I have read a lot of this discussion.
I think the best advice would be to say that often we build the entire thing up far too much and forget that they are our parents and will still love us - naturist or not ! Naturism isn't a 'mainstream' activity and so there will probably be a few giggles and maybe some 'mickey taking' but this is normal and in no way is it meant to demean you or belittle your lifestyle decisions. They will have a lot of questions, most of them stating with "why" or "where" and as long as you answer them honestly and truthfully they will see that you have given a lot of thought to your decision and will support you because of this.
Sit them down and explain to them that you have seen websites / visited a beach / read articles and that a lot of what you saw or read fits with you and your beliefs. You aren't asking them to get involved but to understand this side of you and accept it as much as they accept your music taste! In some instances they will make allowances for you and it is up to you to stick to the agreed rules...just walking out nude in front of them and shouting "I have something to say..." isn't the most tactful way to go about things!
There are instances where parents reaction isn't that good but as long as they accept that it is your decision and is part of who you are then something will have been achieved.
At YBN we have a lot of experience with emails and members who have had to face the prospect of telling parents and so if you have any questions then please email us and ask.
Naturism is a brilliant lifestyle and if you have people to share it with - especially friends and family - then it can make it even better. If you aren't in this fortunate position then just being able to tell them that you are off to a beach or club and are no longer lying makes everything seem a lot more relaxed and normal to you as well as them.
Some of us grow up within a naturist family and so all family members and maybe even close friends will know of our naturist lifestyle. Other people, myself included, do not and we are therefore faced with a dilemma - do we tell our parents and if so how?
A lot of space has been taken up at numerous websites discussing the topic of telling our parents that we are a naturist and I have read a lot of this discussion.
I think the best advice would be to say that often we build the entire thing up far too much and forget that they are our parents and will still love us - naturist or not ! Naturism isn't a 'mainstream' activity and so there will probably be a few giggles and maybe some 'mickey taking' but this is normal and in no way is it meant to demean you or belittle your lifestyle decisions. They will have a lot of questions, most of them stating with "why" or "where" and as long as you answer them honestly and truthfully they will see that you have given a lot of thought to your decision and will support you because of this.
Sit them down and explain to them that you have seen websites / visited a beach / read articles and that a lot of what you saw or read fits with you and your beliefs. You aren't asking them to get involved but to understand this side of you and accept it as much as they accept your music taste! In some instances they will make allowances for you and it is up to you to stick to the agreed rules...just walking out nude in front of them and shouting "I have something to say..." isn't the most tactful way to go about things!
There are instances where parents reaction isn't that good but as long as they accept that it is your decision and is part of who you are then something will have been achieved.
At YBN we have a lot of experience with emails and members who have had to face the prospect of telling parents and so if you have any questions then please email us and ask.
Naturism is a brilliant lifestyle and if you have people to share it with - especially friends and family - then it can make it even better. If you aren't in this fortunate position then just being able to tell them that you are off to a beach or club and are no longer lying makes everything seem a lot more relaxed and normal to you as well as them.
Diary of a Teenage Nudist
Below is a film about a girl called Bianca. Who at the time of making the film, was an 18 year old who, like many of her age, is about to go to university. Unlike most, however, she grew up in a nudist club. She was a naturist herself until the age of 12, when her self-consciousness, a negative image of her own body, and a lack of other teenagers interested in nudism, led her to cover up. She's been what other naturists call a 'textile' ever since.
However, she discovered, via the internet, that there is a new generation of teenage nudists. As well as looking into the motivation of nudists, Bianca investigates whether the whole movement is as universally innocent and non-sexual as practitioners claim. From meeting closet nudists who only take their clothes off alone, and witnessing a naked bike ride through central London, to an extraordinary and liberating nudist camp in America, this is Bianca's open, honest, affectionate and sometimes critical look at what it is to be a naturist.
Diary of a Teenage Nudist pt1 by PedrodePena
Diary of a Teenage Nudist pt2 by PedrodePena
Diary of a Teenage Nudist pt3 by PedrodePena
Diary of a Teenage Nudist pt4 by PedrodePena
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