Conference moira::naturism

81.0. "Random comments on naturism, by G. Joel Stanley" by MOIRA::FAIMAN (A goblet, a goblet, yea, even a hoop) Fri Jul 01 1988 11:51

    The following paragraphs come from an article entitled "The Puritans
    wore lots of clothes but didn't fashion bathing suits" by G. Joel
    Stanley in issue number 26 (Spring 1988) of _The Event_.  The article
    as a whole is pretty much rambling observations on naturism; these
    particular paragraphs are in the context of a description of a visit to
    the Westfield River site in Cummington, Mass.  I'm posting them because
    I enjoyed the writing; I'll leave it to others to comment on the
    content. 

	-Neil

    ======================================================================
    
        It seemed to me the experience flourishes on a peculiar symbiosis
        between the some of us who are voyeurs and the some of us who are
        exhibitionists and the rest of us who are both.  But whatever
        happened to good old fashioned personal private nudity like some
        persons do around the house?  This was worse than organized
        religion.  It, too, has its own sacred symbols (a garden of
        strangely phallic upright stones), open-air shrines and altars, and
        outdoor temples with worshipers of the Sun God Sol complete with
        gurus and high priests and priestesses who invoke the human form as
        divine and elevate the shared toplessness and bottomlessness to the
        level of a spiritual if not religious experience.  Why not nudity
        for nudity's sake?  Why does it have to be buttressed by
        appurtenances to gain relevancy and legitimacy?  In other words,
        why ritualize an otherwise good thing? 

        Prudes, the ultra-right and the downright squeamish call it kinky.
        The overly health-conscious call it a giant skin cancer lab.  The
        sunning bathers call it therapeutic recreational lifestyle.  For me
        nothing equals the feel of sun, wind, and water on totally exposed
        flesh.  Add the that the exhilaration of being primordially one
        with Gaia, Earth Mother. 

Looks like we need to subscribe to _The Event_.  I like the comments made by 
Stanley in this article.

>>      Why not nudity for nudity's sake?  

I have always wondered this too.  What is the big deal?  I wish we could work 
in the nude!  Can you imagine that? ;-)

>>      For me nothing equals the feel of sun, wind, and water on totally 
>>	exposed flesh.  Add the that the exhilaration of being primordially 
>>	one with Gaia, Earth Mother. 

I second this...and feel sorry for those people who have not experienced it.
Nothing comes close to that feeling.  I love spending time on a canyon rim 
(preferably in Utah but most any canyon will do), with temps in the 80's and 
90's, slight breeze (conducive to a bug-free surrounding) and the warm 
slickrock under me.  Now that's paradise!

OR a warm day at the hot springs or nice hike in the mountains...just let the 
air be touching my skin instead of cloth! :-)

Judy