Timothy Lowe

We can have fun being nude, and there is a great deal to be said for the idea. And here comes the "but", there is a time for seriousness that needs addressing.
N magazine, back when it was still Nude and Natural, had an article on campus nudist groups. Most of the photos were group shots or textiles and nudists talking. There were however, two shots that serve as a basis for this rant. One was a group shot of club members clothed, and the shot next to it were the same kids,nude, but in a pose where body positioning and an exaggerated "ta-da" pose hid all, but managed to convey their nudist creds. The photo was silly. (Don't get me wrong, I love silly, I have a Facebook page devoted to it)To me, it was outputting. Even though I realize it may have been designed to be yearbook friendly, it seemed like it was a "hey look we're being naughty" pose. Kids posing as nudists. Naughty is fun, burlesque is fun, but promoting social nudity starts with a disadvantage. We all know this. People have negative feelings about it. The playful side doesn't have to be left out or ignored for advertising or promoting, it just needs to be thought out better than this example.
There are nude clubs that have masquerades, and "costume" parties for Halloween, and their promotional pages on the web advertise their activities, and yet manage to convey a grown-up sensibility.
I realize I may sound likea fuddy duddy, but if we want nudism to be taken seriously, then there are times we need to act like adults.

I was raised in the South, as in Land o'Cotton, Dixieland, plantations and all the other uncomfortable reminders of That War.
I have been away from that area, except for an occasional visit for over twenty years. Okay, now that I have established my Southern cred, there was an old joke about the difference in nude, naked and nekkid. Nude isnwhen there's an artist in the room. Naked is when your changing clothes in a locker room, a spouse/partner or a doctor is in the room. Nekkid was when you were up to mischief, ie. skinny-dipping with cousins.
We have our silly moments. Getting nekkid can be fun. That forbidden nekkid drive in the country. The Run for the Breakers, even though it's legal, there is something about it that seems kind of naughty.
And that naughty aspect makes it fun. It goes beyond exhibitionism. It is a chance to be silly. To feel an adrenaline high that comes from doing something the public or your boss may frown on, and that is kind of cool and yet…

We want nudism to be accepted and considered normal by the public at large. We can see the benefits.
Should legal nudity become a normal beyond bare breasts in New York City or Berkeley, then yay!
But admit it, we would all miss an occasional chance to be naughty.

Buddhism is about being in the moment, attentive to your surroundings and full awareness of your place in the world. Or a close proximity is often good enough. Okay, being able to walk with out stepping on something or tripping is usually all most of us can do, so how can we get to the point of being here now? I don't know, I'm not there yet. However, I do know that mindfulness is a very important and useful thing to get in the habit of using. I can't suggest guides or yogis or teachers, I would need to know someone personally to even be able to consider making a suggestion of that nature, and I am definitely not a teacher myself. So, where is this going? Well, nudism and yoga, nudism and Buddhism, nudism and spirituality, are all valid pairings. Yoga, aside from the current trendiness of it, practiced in the buff, allows for more freedom of movement. Less hang up on clothing, less expense and it presents the body with the caress of air, and smashes a bit of ego, all at once. Buddhism-wise, ego smashing, and no materialistic hang-ups.
And the same goes for any spirituality. It isn't just witches that practiced skyclad. There were nude baptisms in many churches back in the day. Google it. (My new mantra for when I don't feel like citing sources).
So, be here now, or later or whenever, it's also an open invitation, if you are nervous about being out as a nudist, don't worry. It's no one else's call. When you are a nudist, be the best nudist you can be. When you're textile, be textile, don't fret that you're not naked. Be in the moment and be happy at that moment, you can always yank everything off when you get home.

At some point in time, if you're male, you'll be in a situation where an unwanted erection will occur. There have been many paragraphs written on the etiquette involved with how to deal with the situation when it happens and of course there are those exhitionist types that live for the moment. For the rest of us, well, it can be embarrassing. Why it's embarrassing is a matter of social norms. Of course it's equated with sexual arousal, yeah, Everytime a guy gets an erection, there's someone they are thinking about or looking at, sure we all know that. (Insert appropriate raspbery sound effect here). Only folks with no understanding of male anatomy would think so. The rest of us wake up with one and realize nature has provided a perfect solution to avoid bedwetting. But, there is still the "is that a banana in your pants, or are just happy to see me" attitude that it's all about sex.
Posting photos with an almost semi-erection happens all the time, but it may not be obvious to everyone. There's an angle that occurs that isn't there without a little extra blood flow. There's a directionality. "What are you pointing at?", may be asked. (You know who you are). For such a natural occurrence, they have such a no-no attitude attached to them.
The equivocation with porn is part of the answer, the prudish nature of society is another, and who knows what else. Whatever reason nudist pages don't want them, or genitals posted with out faces makes sense on one hand, we don't want that floodgate open for fear of the all important wall between sexual nudity and wholesome nudity to be swept away in the deluge of free-for-all exhibitionism that will inevitably follow. But, on the other hand, we're not talking sexually explicit photos or even spread labia photos, we're talking about erections. If they are natural, then why get out of sorts over a photo of a guy in a non-sexual setting, who just happens to be at full mast? Pesronally, I think genitalia is funny looking, sorry, I do. Male or female, it's funny looking. And when you throw in the dumb euphemisms for the penis, tallywhacker, dick, salami, weiner, will, etcetera and the euphemisms for an erection, hard-on, Woody, stiffy, etc.it further eliminated the possibility of keeping a straight face when you discuss any form of sexuality and leads to embarassment when you talk to your doctor. Clinical terminology is just as bad, because it isn't a normal for most people. But I digress, back to the problem of unwanted woodies and how to hide them, wait that wasn't the issue. If we are promoting nudism as a natural and viable lifestyle, then erections should be included in the equation. Not that I plan on getting a chubby at the next hot springs I go to, but if we can get past the automatic association with sex, we can get past the inherent embarrassment when one occurs.