Young Nudists Pushing Nudism Forward Into The Future -  – Someone wise said to me recently, “You can’t look backward and forward at the same time.”  This is so true!  If we focus only on the past and where we’ve come from, we miss the opportunity to focus on where we are now and which direction we choose to go in.

How does this philosophy apply to us, you ask?  As young nudists living in a nudist world that consists of mostly older naturists, we’ll likely find out about the “good old days” from those around us.  There is nothing wrong with reminiscing now and again, but to focus only on how great the old days were prevents us from doing anything to create good new days in the future.  So, yes, enjoy the memories and listen to those around you to get ideas, but then implement those ideas into a future that is going to be wonderful.  For example, don’t just talk about the fun you had on the slip-n-slide at a YNA event, plan a longer slip-n-slide for the next one!

Within young nudist organizations, there is a lot of history, too.  This is focused on all too often, which leads groups to continue to squabble over who did what, when, why, and to whom.  How does this help anyone?  Basically, it doesn’t.  If the young nudist summit that I’ve heard about does occur, I truly hope that this will be a time to focus on how to go forward rather than reveling in the past that we wish weren’t there or bringing up silly discussions that aren’t relevant, like whether or not it’s ok to use a pseudonym. Instead of looking at the past and what didn’t work, let’s look to the future and choose what will work for then.  If different young nudist groups need to not interact just yet, that’s fine. Just focus on where you’re going and how you’re going to contribute to nudism or the young nudist movement. 

As young people, we are the future of nudism.  So, eyes ahead, hands on the wheel, this ride is about to start: FORWARD!

Young Nudists

Young Naturists & Nudists America YNA

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Natural Living - It’s been 8.5 years since I learned of the freedom intrinsic in nudism and we all know there are many benefits to being a nudist.  Since then it’s been hard to keep clothes on me and I find that I feel the most free, the most accepted, and truly just plain the most comfortable when I’m nude.

Lately, I’ve learned about another kind of freedom that is different but goes along with the freedom found in nudism: freedom to be healthy.  I suppose nobody held a gun to my head to force me to drink Pepsi each day or to eat sugary, processed foods, but I was a prisoner to it even without the gun. 

Until about a month ago, anyway.  It was at that time that I first met with a Health Coach in my area to learn what “being healthy” meant.  In just that month, my life has totally turned upside down.  Or right side up, considering it’s pretty much been upside down for years. 

It never occurred to me to drink water.  Isn’t that just for swimming in?  Or maybe for splashing people with the hose while playing on a slip-n-slide at the YNA Gathering at Juniper Woods?  It’s not!  That water stuff is pretty great at keeping me hydrated and energetic. Imagine that!

And food.  In a world where a Snickers Bar is never more than 5 minutes away, it seemed strange to try those crazy vegetable things instead.  But I did.  Honestly, that’s some good stuff!  Fruits have always been good stuff but now I’m also friends with veggies.

But what does this have to do with naturism, pray tell?  In thinking about it, the two really do go hand in hand.  Nudism is enjoying life naturally, without additives and preservatives.  So is being healthy.  In the old days of nudism, many people did live a very healthy lifestyle and nudism was just part of the hippie naturist thing.  Nowadays, well, it’s pretty obvious that nudism and eating naturally don’t always go hand in hand. 

Do you think that we should re-unite natural eating and natural dress?  If so, how do you think we can do this without destroying our friend Body Acceptance?  This health thing is something I’m very passionate about and I’m seeing huge results in just changing my diet and starting to exercise.  It’s a passion that I want to share with other nudists, not to get thin (though that could very likely happen) but to help us to live the naturally healthy lives that we deserve!

Natural Living

Young Naturists And Nudists America YNA

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YNA goes to Juniper Woods

Juniper Woods

Young Naturists And Nudists America YNA

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Nudism And The Cell Phone - Earlier this week I blogged about cell phones here and in other places.  Why?  Because my campground is thinking about developing a new cell phone policy.  I must confess that my initial reaction to hearing discussion about this was frustration and annoyance because the policies are typically created because of people demonizing the cell phone. 

In these past few days in which discussions about cell phones at nudist locations has been very prevalent throughout the nudist world, I am now very, very proud of my campground for thinking about a cell phone policy.  Why, you ask?  Because we are one of the first clubs to really THINK about and discuss the policy.  I’m all for thinking!  Yay to my camp!!!!!

The discussions this past few days has caused me to think, too.  I’ll share below some of the new thoughts that have become evident to me:

1) This isn’t completely an “age issue” as I originally thought.  I’m learning that many older adults love their cell phones just as much as I (and other young people) do!  Yay older folks!!!

2)  It seems that the cell phone and other technology is being blamed for people’s poor behavior.  A cell phone doesn’t take pictures by itself so, instead of considering a policy for cell phones (and Nooks and Kindles and all sorts of other things…) maybe it would be wiser to talk about the picture-taking policy and the consequences of not following it.  I hadn’t really thought about this, but it truly does make sense.

3)  There seems to be a different standard for club attendees and service people at the clubs.  When the gas guy or the cable guy comes on to the camp’s grounds, people don’t think twice about him or her having a cell phone.  But if a member or day visitor has a cell phone, somehow this is a problem.  Why are members and day visitors more suspect than service providers?  This is curious to me.

4)  One friend pointed out that we can ban all cell phones and electronic books and iPads and the list goes on, but, really, if you’re a true bad guy who wants pictures of naked people, all you have to do is drive down to Walmart and buy a pen with a camera and videocamera built in to it.  Pens aren’t banned, right?  This brings us back to #2.

5)  In thinking about the population at a nudist camp, it’s almost funny that people are so worried about photos in the first place.  Most nudist camps have a high ratio of older people (seniors and such) and they also have the same high percentage of people who are overweight and such.  Yes, we’re accepting of every body and we love ourselves regardless of what the outside world thinks of us, but, well, are nude photos of grandma and grandpa or those with imperfect bodies (we have no airbrushes here at camp!  Lol) really in that high of a demand?  I don’t say this to be rude, it’s just a thought to consider.

So, no solution has yet been found.  But that’s ok because people are talking about the topic, thinking about it, and analyzing it.  That, my friends, is the beginning of common sense prevailing on this issue.  And isn’t common sense the best answer, anyway?

Young Naturists America YNA

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Nudism & Cell Phones

The Ever Present Fear Of Cell Phones And Nudism

Being naked is gloriously wonderful.  Being naked of my cell phone?  Nightmare!  Yet prohibiting cell phones is becoming common practice at nudist resorts and results.  This may make complete sense to an older person who wants to prevent their image from being uploaded to any of the crazy websites that are so easy to find, but to a young person, such a policy is reason to not even consider going to a nudist locale.  The topic of cell phones and other electronic devices is a hot one in the nudist community right now and it’s time for us young people to take a stand and offer a solution that will make sense to everyone.  As is becoming the habit, Young Naturists America will be on the forefront  in finding solutions to this issue.  Why?  Because we are going to discuss ideas then present solutions to clubs and those who are instrumental in the nudism community rather than form an ineffectual committee to study this for ten years and never come to a resolution.  This is an area within nudism that just can’t wait as we see so few young people within nudism in general (outside of YNA) and creating policies against electronic devices will only discourage young people from visiting nudist locations even more!

Let’s start with a fun review of the facts, shall we?  According to statistics, spending on cell phones is now higher than spending on land-lines in the USA.  Roughly 85% of all adults own a cell phone.  Among the young adults, 94% of those ages 18-34, 92% of those ages 35-46; by contrast, 48% of those over the age of 75 own a cell phone.  As those of us who use a cell phone frequently know, the cell phone is not just a phone and the talking feature really is one of the less-used features. Instead, the cell phone is used for texting, internet use, checking email, playing games, taking pictures, listening to music, reading books, calculating numbers, making lists, checking the stats on sports, and so much more. 

Statistics on the age those who go to nudist campgrounds or are members of nudist campgrounds are available, but my own informal study of numerous nudist camps on the East Coast of America- done with my very own eyes- indicates that most members and visitors are over the age of 60 and the percentage of people who participate in nude recreation at nudist camps decreases as the age decreases.  Young people may be present, but they typically represent a much smaller fraction of the nudist population than those who are older.  There are many possible reasons for young people to postpone their first socially nude experience, including finances, fear, and lack of peers, which will be discussed in other blogs.

The question, then, is what the statistics and information mean.  First, since nudist resorts are businesses and they want to keep their membership numbers up, the camps are most likely going to honor the desires of those who are older before they honor the desires of the younger crowds: there is power in numbers and, in a nudist location, there is money in the number of older folks.  Second, because there are fewer older folks who use cell phones, there is a higher likelihood that they don’t realize how much the younger folks do on the cell phone.  For many older folks, a cell phone is there to make phone calls and, since they all have cameras in them now, to take pictures.  From my standpoint, there is a definite lack of knowledge of all the crazy things the younger generation does on the cell phone and there is also a lack of understanding that young people actually feel anxious or emotionally distressed when separated from their phone.  There is actually a term for the huge fear of this: nomophobia.

As many clubs consider a ban on cell phones either totally or in certain locations, I’m convinced that we, as Young Naturists & Young Nudists America, can help the clubs to find a reasonable solution while we help ourselves, who don’t want to be without the cell phones.  (It should also be noted that all electronic devices are being considered in most of the bans, including the Kindle/Nook, iPad, and everything else that could have a camera.) 

My original idea of having a pouch for cellphones that they must stay in while in public areas (pool, hot tub, etc.) may or may not make sense.  It seemed like a good idea to me, as I envisioned it to be like the old thick-plastic pencil cases from my childhood so that it couldn’t take pictures through the pouch but it would be open-able so that we can use the phone to check a text, caller id, or change the song on our MP3 player.  So now we turn to you: what solutions can you all come up with for this issue?  It would be great to find a solution that is agreeable to everyone and we need your input to develop a list of ideas to propose to clubs for our sake and for the sake of the future of nudism.  Now I’ll be quiet… it’s your turn to speak.

Nudism

Young Naturists & Nudists America YNA

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Nudist Sex – I’ve had sex.  I know, I know- that’s horrible, huh?  Well, it gets worse: I liked it. Now that I’ve made this startling admission, I am prepared for the nudi-nazis to come to my house with instruments of torture to let me know how wrong this is and to make me change my ways.

Ok, so I’m probably exaggerating a bit about how extremely horrible some people, namely nudists, think it is to have sex or to talk about sex.  Within the YNA organization, sex is a topic that’s allowed and normal.  Talking about sex among nudists outside of YNA…. Well, I wouldn’t recommend it.  Why?  That’s the question: why?

Since we’re all here walking this earth, there is reason to believe that we were all born.  Being that the first “test tube baby” wasn’t born until 1978 and after all these years only 1% of the population is born as a result of any type of assistive technology, it stands to reason that most of the population on this Earth was created through sex.  Obviously, bad people like Adolf Hitler and Charles Manson give a bad name to all of us who were born as a result of sex, but there are many who give these results a good name, too, such as Mother Teresa and Felicity Jones.  Clearly, the results of sex could be good or bad depending on how the offspring turn out.

Beyond the results of sex, I think we can all agree that experiencing sex is pretty common in America.  Statistics indicate that the average age for having sexual intercourse for the first time is age 17 and 96% of adults age 20 and over have had sex.  Though I could find no specific statistics for nudists, we can assume that this figure is similar among the adult nudist population: it does stand to reason that nudists have sex just as the rest of the population does, right?  Which again begs the question of why naturists feel that they can’t talk about sex.  It’s clearly not some crazy and novel act that should be taboo  Actually, if you think about it, if only 4% of adults are virgins, it would make more sense that being a virgin be not talked about since it’s so unusual within our culture. 

YNA is a group that is very different from the rest of the nudist culture.  Within YNA, we can talk about sex- and we do talk about sex!  We even had an event held at the Museum of Sex which, though I didn’t personally attend it, I’ve heard was great fun and had awesome chocolates.  YNA folks talk about everything, really, including menstruation, saving the planet, internet pornography, and just about any other topic that might be on the minds of young nudists.   And that, my friends, is why I love YNA: not only is it all about the love, it’s also all about real life and real people. 

Nudist Sex

Young Naturists & Nudists America YNA

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Nudism Questions

Nudism Questions: we all have them but many of them don’t ask them.  These days, it seems that asking questions has been identified as a social faux pas, especially if we are asking a question of someone about an area in which they’re different from ourselves.  Perhaps I need to get a better filter for my mouth, but I tend to ask the questions as they come to my brain.   For me,  there are no good or bad questions or body parts, there are only respectful or disrespectful questions.

Last summer, I encountered a man at my nudist camp who had many, many penis rings.  This intrigued me: I’ve never met someone who had at least 50 rings in his penis before.  Keeping the questions in just wasn’t going to happen, so I approached the man and noted the penis rings and asked if he would mind a few questions about them since I’d never seen so many on one person.  With his permission, the questions began: didn’t it hurt to get all those piercings?  How in the world does he put clothes on?  Does the jingling of the jewelry under his clothes cause people to look at him funny?  Is he able to get through the airport security scan?  Does it interfere with sex? And the list went on.  The gentleman had a great sense of humor and answered each question thoroughly so that something that completely baffled me made sense afterwards.  Questions do that: you ask them, get them answered, and understand them.

While questions often clear things up and help us to forge questions, somewhere in society we’ve been taught that asking questions is rude, a way of mocking others, and just plain disrespectful (especially when it comes to naturism questions).  When I asked my niece one day about a mark on her face- which I thought was due to an injury- her mother prompted her to tell me that it’s not nice to make fun of her birthmark.  Honestly, I wasn’t making fun- I was asking what the mark was.  I had a lot of teasing as a child due to my right eye being a lazy eye.  While initially hurt by people commenting (kids can be cruel in the way they say things) I learned to explain my eye when people asked about it or joke with them when they asked questions in a funny way.  This helps to educate others and allows the air to be cleared.

Yet so many questions are no-no’s.  We can’t ask others about some sensitive topics and I truly think that is why there is so much hatred and prejudice in the world: we mock what we don’t understand and we don’t understand things that we don’t ask about.  I do ask many questions but keep it to things I think I can get away with.  Some of my more unusual questions have been:

* Isn’t it annoying to have a penis hanging down your leg all day? (I asked this of a man- I can’t imagine having a penis there to bother me all day.)

* Did you like it better to have hair or do you more appreciate the convenience of being bald?

* What was it like to realize that you were gay?  What was the reaction of your loved ones?

Then there are the questions that I’d like to ask, but don’t ask due to lack of confidence that the questions will be well-received due to the way questions could be perceived:

* What is it like to be Black?  What prejudices and stereotypes affect you as a result of your skin color?

* When people look at your amputation/ mastectomy scar, what goes through your mind?  Are you ok with questions about that?

So what about you, dear readers?  Do you ask questions?  Are there limits to what you will ask?   How do you feel when questions are asked of you that may be sensitive?  Are questions merely a way of making fun of people or can they be used to increase the love in this world?  Because, as we YNA’ers know… it’s all about the love. 

*  Be sure to visit Young Naturists America often to stay up-to-date on news that matters and thoughts that change you!

Nudism Questions

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My friend, Hadassah, has elbows.  I’ve always assumed this but only a short time ago did I see her elbows for the first time to prove that she does have them.  It’s funny that we’ve known each other for 14 years yet it was only recently that I saw her elbows.  Why did this happen?  Hadassah is of the Orthodox Jewish faith, which dictates that her whole body, including elbows and knees, must be covered.  I guess she joined a more moderate branch of Judaism recently, as her elbows can now be seen.  This is a huge change for her- and for me, as I look at her elbows for the first time.

For Hadassah, exposing her elbows was a breach of modesty, as seen by her faith.  Her religious beliefs had more emphasis on which body parts are acceptable to see and show, perhaps, than most people’s beliefs, but how different are they from modern culture, really?  While most people in the USA would agree that having people see your elbows is fine (and you may get some funny faces if you suggest otherwise!), how many people have that same good part/ bad part response when talking about… a woman’s pubic mound/ labia majora?  Or a penis?  Or a woman’s breast?

These body parts are the parts that are so sacred/ private/ obscene/ bad that they have many, many names.  A penis could be a dick and may have a name, the labia majora may be called a crotch, and a woman’s breast might be called a boob.  Even the grouping of the parts has a name: our private parts or, as some kids say, our privates.  Of course, we all know numerous other names for all these parts and many parents teach their children to call them some off-the-wall names.  And don’t even get me started on what we call the urine or feces that come out of these parts!

All of this begs the question of why certain body parts have numerous names and are “forbidden” while other parts only have one name and get no attention.  Think of the poor elbow: it only has one name and certainly no pet names.  All children call is simply “elbow” and everyone knows the name of this body part.  Not so with the genitals: they have numerous names, none of which are to be said in polite conversation.  I double-dog-dare you to bring up the status of your penis next time you’re at your family reunion- I’m thinking this won’t go well.  Compare this with a discussion of your elbow and you’ll see that there is a huge difference in how discussion of body parts is received.

What I find even more interesting is that men’s genitalia are typically correctly labeled- penis, scrotum, and testicles- while women’s genitalia are confused, even by adults.  We talk about the vagina as the part that is seen when the clothes come off, but, unless you’re the woman’s gynecologist or are very intimate with her, you’re really not seeing her vagina.  This is a common misconception.  Let me give you a little anatomy lesson, in case you didn’t know: the vagina is the canal inside of the woman that leads to the cervix.  (You’ll put your Diva Cup in the vagina, for those of you who have followed Felicity’s Blog about the Diva Cup.)  If you are at a nudist event, you most likely are seeing the woman’s labia majora, otherwise known as the pubic mound.  You may also see the labia minora, the inner lips inside of the labia majora, if the woman has “protruding labia.”  What’s sad to me is that so many people don’t know this basic anatomy- and I’m not just talking about children here! 

All of the silly labels for genitalia and the incorrect use of the terms of the woman’s genitals are simply a result of the stigma that is attached to these parts.  So why are these parts “bad”???  In this day and age we can understand this a bit because these are the parts that have been wrong for us to talk about and wrong for us to see or show since childhood.  We can understand that and, as nudists, we can take away the penis and labia majora stigma by not hiding these parts either with clothing or in our conversation.  This is something that we need to help our society to overcome, though!  This may start with first educating people on what their parts are, as so many people don’t have any idea of what’s what.  After that, we need to normalize these parts and take their stigma away by treating them with the same respect as our elbow, which has no stigma.  But surely there’s more…. What more can we do?  How do you help others to stop seeing their and your genitalia as bad parts that can be neither seen nor heard about?

*  Be sure to visit Young Naturists America often to stay up-to-date on news that matters and thoughts that change you!

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Young nudist - When I was growing up there was a popular song entitled, “I Wanna be Rich.”  It seemed like a good idea at the time, so I planned to grow up and be rich.  Little did I realize that being a social worker isn’t going to make me rich.

So, I’m not rich.  I get by and I’m not starving, but the contents of my bank account doesn’t put me on the Forbes 400 List.  Looking at the list, it seems that everyone I know is with me in not being on the list, so I guess I’m in good company.  Many of my not-rich friends enjoy going to nudist locations, including camps, resorts, and parties, which sometimes presents a problem: these places and events all cost money.  Not being rich, that’s sometimes quite a hardship for us.

As young people, many of us are not only not rich, we’re in quite the opposite of rich: poor.  It is often the young people who are in college full-time, which means they’re not working full-time and earning a big paycheck.  After college, we finally get a full paycheck but we also get the joy of paying back our student loans, which take up much of that paycheck.  Those who are young and living in their first home of their own are fraught with the extra costs of not just paying for their home but also furnishing their home and buying every single thing that a home needs, from towels and pots & pans to paint and decorations. This is very expensive, especially for young people who are newer to the workforce and not making huge salaries just yet. 

So how do we build a bridge for these young people who have little money and huge expenses but have a desire to participate in the nudist community?  We can start by being thankful that these young people don’t need to expend money for new clothes for the event, I suppose.  But beyond that, what can we do?  I’ve heard a proposal that young people should have a substantially lower fee for daily rates and memberships at clubs.  I know that all young people would agree. But would all of the business owners?  As someone who helps in the operation of my local club, I can see the other side of this coin: if people don’t pay for admission or membership, there won’t be enough income to keep the place open.   It’s a quandary for me since I really can see both sides of the debate.

Dear readers, I’m wondering what YOU think!  Should young people get a discount?  If so, how much and what should the age cut-off be?  How could/ should this be proposed to clubs so that they understand that it’s to their benefit to create a young adult price?  Inquiring minds want to know: I want to know.

Young Naturists & Young Nudists America

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Introductory Nudist Blog: Why YNA ?

Barely M’s Nudist Blog

Nudist Blog – My first memory of having a microwave was at the age of seven, when my mother brought our family’s microwave into my second grade classroom as a way of melting chocolate candy melts so that my class could make candies for the holidays. I can’t really remember not having a microwave to get food cooked quickly. The invention of the microwave didn’t just cause food to be heated more rapidly, however, it became the name of my generation: the Microwave Generation.

You may be asking what the microwave has to do with my Nudist Blog here on YNA. It has nothing to do with me microwaving nudists- that wouldn’t be “all about the love” at all!- and everything to do with my “Get ‘Er Done” mentality that YNA seems to share with me, a product of this Microwave Generation. To put it succinctly, I don’t wait well. Roller coasters are fun but I hate waiting in line, my microwave popcorn is yummy but I don’t like waiting the 2 minutes and 30 seconds for it to pop, change within nudism is fantastic but I don’t want to wait years for it to happen. If Burger King can be “My Way Right Away,” why can’t naturism be the same- just add pickles?

In my eyes, much change is needed in nudism as we see the nudist population aging and our nudist venues lacking young people. We need to find ways to bring more young adults into nudism and to update our nudist locations for the higher activity level that young nudists bring with them. Talk of change has occurred for years, but I am not a person of talk: I’m a person of ACTION.

Thus enters YNA, a group in which action occurs. This is a group that I’ve watched for about a year now as they’ve hit the nudist world by storm. Now that I’ve see what YNA is up to with my own eyes, I wholeheartedly desire to be a part of this incredible action-oriented, love-motivated movement. Forget “talking about” and “creating a committee for” increasing young adult participation in nudism- YNA comes up with ideas and just does it. The events that have

been hosted, the mainstream discussion and advertising, and the true outreach that have been undertaken by YNA are all actions that have brought many individuals to their first nude party & event. The love that is shared- because it truly is all about the love, which includes hugs, respect, understanding, volunteering, help, and compassion- is what brings people back for their second event, and beyond.

So why YNA? Because I want to be a part of a live, moving, active group who is truly doing things to promote nudism while maintaining the high standards of integrity that are so much a part of the nudism that I’ve known within the nudist community for nearly nine years. YNA may mean Young Naturists America for some, but, to me, it also stands for Young, NOW, & Active. And I’m proud to be a part of such a dynamic organization.

Nudist Blog

Young Naturists & Nudists America YNA

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