T. L. Lim

Recently, things have been pretty bad for naturists in South East Asia after the Malaysian government went ballistic over a video that went viral. A group of naturists, many of whom are my friends met in Penang to participate in a mini-Olympics in the nude. This was carried out in Telok Bahang, a deserted beach. The park ranger was ok with it and nobody saw them and there were no complaints. But a video that was taken and uploaded by one of them went viral some two months after the event. The Malaysian government rounded up all of them who were in Malaysia at the time, arrested and charged them. Some pleaded guilty to charges which did not fit their deeds and they were sentenced from one month to six months in jail and fines of RM 5,000 each.

During the furore in Malaysia, a lot of naturist forums and websites in the region were closed down. Even the owner of the the nude resort in Bali withdrew his plan to hold a huge Nude Halloween Party in Bali. Although Bali is primarily Hindu, Indonesia is still a Muslim-majority country and things can get ugly if Muslim fundamentalists had wind of the nude event. He shut down his blog on Bali naturism and decided to lie low.

I was also told to set my blog to private but I was reluctant to do that. Then newspaper reporters from Malaysia started contacting me and asking me for photos that they could use in the newspaper articles. How they knew my contact (they contacted me through my blog and by email and even Facebook) is a mystery. But I knew giving them photos would only stir Muslim sensitivity in Malaysia and add to the flames of fury and that can't augur well for some of my friends who are still awaiting trial. And of course my blog has a lot of photos. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love snapping pics all the time and my blog is always a little like a photoblog. So in the interest of my friends who were still awaiting trial, I password-protected most of the entries in my blog.

It's been some time now and the furore in Malaysia has somewhat died down. All the same, I know the old blog is followed by newspaper reporters and I just don't want to give them fodder for their columns. So I started a new blog that has no password protection. I don't think any Malaysian reporters are here on naktiv and so here's the link to the blog: http://itsmyprivatelife.wordpress.com

I hate to leave my blog under password protection all the time as if there were anything wrong with naturism. Hence the new blog.

I was just looking through some of my old nude photos when I saw how fat I was at one point in my life. That prompted me to post two photos – one taken 7 years ago and another taken last month. I then gave the simple solution how I lost all the weight. It's a simple solution but nobody will really follow it. That's how strange we really are. But the photos should say something to us. It's now 1am and I should be sleeping but take a look at what I wrote here http://naturistrebel.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/code-b001-photos-that-chart-our-health/
It's password-protected and the password for this entry is healthissue (all small letters and no space between). I've password-protected my blog since some of my friends were prosecuted in Penang for some nudist activity on a deserted beach. I don't want to give the prosecution any ammunition.

Basically, my argument is just stop driving and ride a bike. It's that simple but most people won't really do it.

I also noticed something from the two photos. When I was fat, my entire body seemed choked as is clear from the pic. I'm wondering if obesity can affect penile health. If circulation is disrupted, surely the extremities of our body will be affected. But I'm not a medical man so it's just wild speculation.

What do people mean when they say a nude photograph is offensive? What do they really mean when they say they are "offended" by a nude pic. Do they mean they feel anger when they see a nude pic?

I've long thought about this and I'm sure nude photos don't excite anger. Recently I've seen photos on Facebook of elephants that had their tusks removed along with half the faces. The photos made me burning with rage against the poachers. I can say the photos made me very angry but I wouldn't say the photos are offensive. What kind of photos are offensive?

There can only be a few reasons why anyone would find a photo of a nude person offensive.

1. They find the photo sexually stimulating because they associate nudity with sex. Many textile people I know are obsessed with sex and for them nudity is to be equated with sex. When they see a nude photo, they get all excited and they can't function for the rest of the day. Naturally, they would be offended when they next see another nude photo. They know the sight of a nude photo would ruin their day – they can't help but think of sex and the day's work would all be left undone.

2. They were victims of sexual abuse and a nude photo reminds them of the trauma they suffered.

Apart from these two reasons, I can't think of another reason why anyone would be offended by a nude photo. Should we remove nude photos only because sex-obsessed people and those who need therapy for past traumas might be offended by them? Are our "decency" laws all based on the viewpoint of sex-obsessed people?

One of the good things about being a naturist is there are no unacceptable nude photos in our books. We accept the human body in any shape, colour and size and it doesn't matter if there are scars or amputations or deformities of any kind. Those who know me should know that I'm quite open about posting my own nude pics and I do so freely. But there is a group of photos of mine that I am embarrassed about and would never post them online. No, I haven't undergone any surgery and I don't have any deformity that I know of. This can happen at any time of the day or night and it certainly happens quite consistently when I'm asleep or when I've just woken up. And most naturists agree that such photos are unacceptable.

I'm talking about the erect penis. Everyone knows that an erect penis does not necessarily have to be related to any sexual activity. I'm not a medical doctor but I'm sure any doctor will tell you that every man wakes up with an erection. But it is considered inappropriate to expose the erect penis in naturist resorts and in photos posted on naturist sites. You can search through all the photos I've posted on this site and on other naturist websites and I assure you there is not a single photo in which there is the slightest hint of an erection. I'm very careful about weeding out such embarrassing photos.

But lately, I'm beginning to ask myself if I'm imposing an unnecessary taboo on nude photos. An erection can be as natural as nudity itself. And since I'm one who is always snapping photos and selfies, it's not surprising that some of my pics will also include such taboo photos. I will dutifully remove any such pic before posting them online. And the truth is I'm embarrassed of them.

I wonder if there are other naturists who feel the same way. Are we being natural or will there one day come a different generation of naturists who are truly unembarrassed about anything related to the human body?

Hi guys,

The greatest invention in the 21st century must be the monopod. Have you ever been travelling on your own and you're lying in the sun, enjoying the breeze in a perfect naturist setting all by yourself and you want to take pics to share with people on the Naktiv site but you don't want to get out of your chair? If you're one of those who would like to take a ton of photos and selfies and you want more of yourself and the scenery to be taken but you don't want the hassle of using a tripod, what you need is the monopod.

Just look at this pic. I was holding the monopod in my right hand to take this photo. See how it looks as if the photographer was hovering slightly above in the air.

<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-evWHKpZ_HK4/U140wg8cPPI/AAAAAAAC9ZM/pJpr1lJxAUs/s640/SAM_1503.JPG"><img class="alignnone" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-evWHKpZ_HK4/U140wg8cPPI/AAAAAAAC9ZM/pJpr1lJxAUs/s640/SAM_1503.JPG" alt="" width="240" height="320" /></a>

Now it's getting dark and everyone knows it's hard to hold on to your camera to take a pic of yourself with flash. There's bound to be a glare. But it's no problem if you have the monopod. Here, I'm holding the monopod with my left hand and see how my whole image is captured in the pic and that's something that's impossible if you haven't got the monopod.

<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AtCTojn5gu4/U140v_j5aGI/AAAAAAAC9ZE/HvdX_9T27FI/s640/SAM_1502.JPG"><img class="alignnone" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AtCTojn5gu4/U140v_j5aGI/AAAAAAAC9ZE/HvdX_9T27FI/s640/SAM_1502.JPG" alt="" width="240" height="320" /></a>

It's been a long day hiking up the mountain trail. I'm now nicely ensconced in my chair but I want to take a photo of myself without getting out of the chair. That's no problem if you have the monopod. Now, I'm sure you can tell I was holding the monopod in my right hand and what we have is a photograph that nobody could believe was taken by me while I'm still holding on to the camera.

<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EEvttKMGwiE/U140zq1Y1LI/AAAAAAAC9ZU/XWpjjo8bPoM/s640/SAM_1504.JPG"><img class="alignnone" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EEvttKMGwiE/U140zq1Y1LI/AAAAAAAC9ZU/XWpjjo8bPoM/s640/SAM_1504.JPG" alt="" width="240" height="320" /></a>
<img src="">

You're indoors and you're lounging about reading a novel and you don't want to get up. Get hold of the monopod and just look at this pic. You can hardly believe the monopod was in my left hand.

<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YcLzsgvS3to/U2eEUdADqwI/AAAAAAAC_tw/dwq8P38e5EM/s640/SAM_1578.JPG"><img class="alignnone" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YcLzsgvS3to/U2eEUdADqwI/AAAAAAAC_tw/dwq8P38e5EM/s640/SAM_1578.JPG" alt="" width="320" height="240" /></a>

Get the monopod today!!!!

EDITOR:
Oops, I forgot to show the monopod. Here it is. This is the monopod before you pull it out to its full length. It's short and it makes for easy transportation. The small attachment next to it is the iPhone holder. It holds just about any camera phone. The second photo is the monopod after it's been extended to its full length.

<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-x_72pPpQZiQ/U2eJ5dCcR7I/AAAAAAAC_uI/qPo0wIjPhVE/s640/IMG_3959.JPG"><img class="alignnone" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-x_72pPpQZiQ/U2eJ5dCcR7I/AAAAAAAC_uI/qPo0wIjPhVE/s640/IMG_3959.JPG" alt="" width="240" height="320" /></a>

<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sKascW4wT0U/U2eKAZt_-RI/AAAAAAAC_uQ/UNDR5Q7AGbg/s640/IMG_3961.JPG"><img class="alignnone" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sKascW4wT0U/U2eKAZt_-RI/AAAAAAAC_uQ/UNDR5Q7AGbg/s640/IMG_3961.JPG" alt="" width="240" height="320" /></a>

I just posted in my album this photo that means a lot to me:

<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rORqafhNLd4/U2WsADZGmyI/AAAAAAAC_ZI/r7paUx_bFRs/s800/P1080929.JPG">

You see, this photo was taken in March 2013 when I was with the Taiwan Naturist Association. I decided to tell everyone who knew me that I was a naturist. True, people already had some idea that I was one from the time I was in the uni hostel. My roommates would always find it amusing that I slept without clothes. Once someone in my church read about a Christian naturist camp in the US and he made it seem like it was most inappropriate and of course I defended naturism but people generally thought I was just eccentric.

What I did was to post that photo on my Facebook wall. My Facebook friends include people who knew me from my earliest childhood, from school, uni, church and my profession. My family is religious and by "family", I mean my parents and brother. Naturally, my Facebook friends include clergymen of all kinds from a fundamentalist pastor to monks and at least three bishops and one former bishop.

I chose that photo because to me, it's so incredibly beautiful. I love how I was pointing out to the beauty of the earth that includes the land and the ocean. I felt certain that if there is any photo that would be least offensive to textile folks, this must be it. It's optimistic, so obviously non-sexual, upbeat and it's pulsating with the vibrance of life and the richness of this beautiful world of ours.

I don't know how many people saw the photo but within 5 minutes of posting it, I got a call from a friend who sounded worried. He said I was guileless and I did not understand the implication of my actions. The world is an evil place and I may have, in my innocence, overlooked how treacherous it could be. He urged me to delete the photo before some unscrupulous chap downloaded it and used it to blackmail me. I assured him it was all right. I didn't mind if everyone on the planet downloaded the photo. It's a photo with such a lovely scenery and I didn't think many photographers would be embarrassed of having taken such a photo – at least it wasn't so bad as some of my out-of-focus photos. He was not pleased with my answer. He asked me if I could think of the implication if my kids saw the photo. I told him I believed it was all right for kids to see it but since the law is rather strict on this, I had in my Facebook posting excluded anyone who was under 21 (I could have chosen 18 but I picked 21 to be on the safe side). Finally, he told me that someone was sure to complain to Facebook and I would be banned and did I want that? Now, that was the only argument that meant something to me. I don't like Facebook but all my friends are there and I've used it for years so it would be a bit hard on me to have my account deleted for posting a photo against its puritanical rules. So I deleted the photo from Facebook and posted this:

<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-X8TiXs5NlPA/U2WsAEBO1SI/AAAAAAAC_ZM/10fIZG9DdsY/s800/P1080929x.jpg">

I thought that should be all right but no, it wasn't. A few of my conservative friends un-friended me. Someone told me my photos were distasteful and I was being decadent and did my wife know about my naturist holiday? I told them that of course I told my wife about it. In fact, I showed her all my photos and the one she liked best was a pic of me seated on a beach buggy with a woman leaning on the side of the buggy. The woman's husband was actually standing not far from her but you can imagine how conservative Asians would interpret that kind of photo!!!

A couple of days later, someone rang me up to say that he had heard some complaints from my church friends that although I concealed my genitals, the shadow of my penis could be seen. I had to look at the photo again to realise that it was true. But what puzzled me was why on earth would anyone look at a mere shadow when the thrust of that photo is the beauty of the scenery? The Pacific Ocean lies on one half of the photo while the shore can be seen from our vantage point atop the cliff. In the end, I removed the entire photo from my Facebook wall.

But the good thing from that episode is everyone who knew me knew I was a naturist for real. Whenever I post a photo on Facebook, my brother-in-law tells me that he and others would scrutinise the photo to see if I was clothed or did I just photoshop a cover over my body. But why that would bother anyone is something I can't understand. My Mum rang me up to ask me if I felt embarrassed at the naturist resort. I told her I didn't feel a thing at all and that was about it. Our conversation went to other matters; she was not bothered about naturism nor was she disapproving. She just wanted to know how I felt more out of curiosity because she had never been to a naturist group. That really showed her to be more progressive and balanced than some of my much younger friends.

Photos are a good way of introducing naturism to people. I don't think I would have made so much impact if I hadn't posted a photo but had merely written about it. Friends would still not be certain if I was a naturist. After that episode, I don't think anyone has the slightest doubt.

I consider myself a generally tolerant chap but I sometimes get a little irritated by naturists (usually they are Orientals) who are so obviously ashamed of nudity. They will talk about how natural nudity is and how we must tell the textile world that there is nothing wrong with nudity and we mustn't wrongly associate it with sex but when it comes to posting their photos in a naturist forum, they come up with all kinds of excuses. They may blot out their entire faces the way suspected criminals' faces are pixellated in newspapers or they may post only photos that are ambiguous as to whether they are really naked. And in the same post, they talk about how natural nudity is.

I usually don't say a word when I see such posts in the naturist forums I'm on. I understand the culture among Orientals generally. After all, those of us who are ethnically Chinese are extremely conservative and we've been so since Confucius gave examples of how only animals had no shame and could appear naked in the open. How often do you see a Chinese man or woman naked at the WNBR?

But what really gets my goat is when people who claim to be naturists criticise other naturists who post photos of themselves that show the genitals. I have seen on various occasions naturists who are of the view that we should all conceal our genitals in photos that we post online because it's more "tasteful". If these people can have their way, they will soon demand that we all put on clothes because it's more tasteful.

All my friends whom I grew up with, attend the same schools and uni with, go to the same church with, are without exception non-naturists. Every one of them. But I openly declare to all of them that I'm a naturist but they all seem to think I'm a naturist because I'm eccentric. To them, there must be a reason why anyone would want to be a naturist. To them only a morally debauched person would go to a nudist gathering and since I'm happily married and very much a family man, I must be eccentric.

Recently, a group of my friends with whom I would normally communicate by means of a group email that goes to everyone in the group, discovered online some of the many photos of me in a naturist setting. They were concerned and they told me that I was exposing myself to possible blackmail by unscrupulous people. One of them remarked that it was a "very explicit" photo because it showed me in frontal nudity and my face could be seen very clearly and why didn't I cover my face???

But you see, my friends are non-naturists and I don't blame them for thinking that way. But I do know of quite a few naturists I've met in Asian naturist forums and even on international forums who think in precisely the same way. They are ashamed of posting any photo that shows their faces and their nudity. Of course I have since met other genuine Asian naturists but unlike the West where naturism seems to have taken off rather successfully, there are really very few of us in Asia who are not ashamed of our nudity.

It will probably take many more generations before this decidedly textile mindset is changed in my society.

Anyway, to my friends on the group email exchange, I sent this photo. I told them that the blackmailers could have a whale of a time blackmailing not just me but my two other triplets as well. I haven't yet got their response. LOL.

<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-f5y-tD3f9mY/U2SEVJuIGWI/AAAAAAAC_Fc/29ksbY-0cqc/s800/SAM_0081.JPG">