If You See Something Say Something

Violence and Social Issues In America Today 

Each year brings change. People evolve, society evolves, and crime rates are affected. At times the crimes decrease, but sometimes the opposite occurs. The following article is a look at some of the most worrisome crimes in the United States and reveals the statistical changes that have occurred within each crime.

Sexual assault

Sexual assaults are sexually verbal and physical attacks that do not include rape. Similar to rape, sexual assaults have seen a decline of 64% from 1995 to 2005. There was a significant increase in 2003. At that time, the rate of sexual assaults was 56%, when in 1995, the numbers were 29%. In 2010 the percentage of sexual assaults reported dropped to 35%.

The current average of sexual assault victims is over 200,000. The numbers relate to 1 victim every 2 minutes.

Teenage Rape

Studies show that teenage rape incidents have significantly dropped by nearly half since 1993, but it continues to be a very pervasive and grave issue. According to Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), a rape or an attempted rape occurs every six minutes in the United States, and the targets of these rapes or attempts are mostly teenagers.

To put these numbers into perspective, let’s look at the statistics of 2002. During that year 247,730 cases of rape were reported, and nearly half, 44%, of the victims are under 18 years of age. Close to half of all victims are teenagers!

In 2005, reports demonstrate that teenagers are 3 times more likely than any other age group to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault. Teenagers are believed to be more susceptible to falling victim to rape because of the rise in technology. Ninety percent of teens go online and use a social networking site. Nearly 80% of these teens post photos online and almost half of them have sent “sexual” type messages. The message is then shared with people other than the intended recipient. This inadvertently increases the possibility of rape.

Teenage girls continue to be four times more likely to be raped than any other demographic. 54% of the 1 in 6 rape victims in the United States are teenagers. Of the 22 million reported rape incidents, over 11 million are teenagers. The cases of rape as a whole decline, but the number of teenage victims are increasing.

Date rape

Date rape was only recognized as an actual crime in the 80′s. This category of rape occurs during a date or outing with someone who is, at least, relatively familiar. At times drugs and alcohol may be present before the crime, but this is not always the case. In the mid 1990s, it was reported that date rape occurs with 57% of current rapes. 38% percent of victims say that the rapist was a friend, relative, or acquaintance. Rape cases may be declining as a whole, but date rape accounts for more than half of those incidents.

The use of the term “date rape” became prominent in the 90’s and has been a focus since. So although rape as a whole is declining, of those rapes, more than half happen with someone the victim just met, slightly knows, or has known for some time. The numbers of date rape victims continue to rise. Since 2005, more than 70% of rapes, that were reported, were considered date rape.

Rape (over the age of 18)

Rape is a violent and demeaning crime that has existed all over the world for centuries. Over the years, rape has been recognized as a crime derived for the perpetrator’s need for power and control over the victim more than it is about the sex act itself. Regardless of the perpetrator’s reason for committing the crime, rape deprives the victim of any say over what occurs to her or his body. Usually the victims are women, but males also fall victim to this demoralizing crime.

Rape occurs once every 2 minutes in the United States. Of the nearly 208,000 victims, over 80 percent are over 30 years of age. Similar to rape among teens, the cases of rape are declining steadily over the years. In 2009 rape decreased nearly 3 percent from 2008.
The statistics were more than 6.5 percent lower than in 2005 and more than 2 percent lower than 2000. So while any amount of rape cases is upsetting, it is a good sign to see the numbers of incidents declining.

Law officials do offer some uncertainty on the accuracy of these figures and voice some concern on how difficult it is to truly understand the scope of the problem. Lack of reporting a rape coupled with false reporting cause a distortion in the numbers. A positive note is that false reporting has decreased to 2% since the assigning of female police officers to rape cases. But if we want to see the numbers truly decline, then we need every victim to report the crime!

Teenage suicide

Suicide among teens is continuously on an alarmingly steady climb. It has been determined that about 1 in 6 teenagers have thought about committing suicide at some point in their life. Of those teens, 1 in 12 actually attempts the suicide. More females than males attempt suicide, but more men than women actually commit suicide. Many girls may attempt suicide in an effort to ask for help. Boys attempt suicide with the intent to end their lives.

Suicide among teens in America increased by 8% in 2004; this is the largest increase in decades. A decline was witnessed before 2003 when the rate of suicide was 6.78 suicides per 100,000 adolescents in comparison to 1990 figures of 9.48 per 100,000.

Suddenly there was a shift and the numbers began climbing again. In 2003 there were 4,232 suicides, and in 2004 the number jumped to 4,599. Teen suicide increased from 6.3% in 2009 to 7.8% in 2011. Current statistics show that nearly 10 in 100,000 teenagers attempt suicide, and each day there are 11 teenage suicide victims. 11 dead teenagers every single day!

Teenage Eating Disorders

It was recorded in 1991 that 40% of those diagnosed with eating disorders of bulimia nervosa and / or anorexia nervosa were teenagers. More than 5 million teenage girls and 500,000 teenage boys suffered with at least one of the eating disorders. Those numbers have been climbing ever since.

In 2004, the numbers were a staggering! There were 12 million teenagers suffering from eating disorders!!! The numbers more than doubled in a little over a decade. Current studies show that 25,000 per every million teenagers suffer from at least one eating disorder.

Bullying (in school)

Bullying among children in school appears to be on the rise, probably due to the various ways children can communicate in today’s tech savvy world. With cell phones, computers, and other means of reaching an outlet to say cruel and hurtful remarks, students are able to say things that they may not say in a face-to-face situation. 

Even while in class, students are taking pictures, posting comments on social media and sending texts with their cell phones. Bullying occurs within the school or on school grounds 79% of the time. Bullying does not need to be done through actual physical interaction, regardless of location.

Current studies indicate that 20.8 percent of students admit to participating in some form of bullying while at school. This translates into 1 in 7 students either being the bully or being the victim of bullying. Perhaps shocking to many is the fact that bullying has decreased to 41 % in 2008 from 52 % in 2001. Statistics show that bullying is steadily decreasing, but the increasing severity of the bullying is still an issue.

School Shootings

It seems like school shootings are all too familiar news stories in today’s world, yet reports show that school shootings are not on the rise. This fact may seem surprising since the media may tend to indicate otherwise. The first shooting in a school was recorded in 1966. Since then there have been 90 school shootings with a total of 231 deaths.

There was a sudden increase in school shootings during the 1990′s and early 2000′s and then they quickly dropped again. These incidents are always shocking, devastating, and difficult to process, but they are considered atypical and rare. 33 deaths were reported as a result of school shootings in the 2009 – 2010 school year. This is a dramatic change from the 63 deaths recorded in 2006 – 2007. Taking into consideration that there are over 50 million children in school in the United States, these statistics relate to a 1 in 2 million probability.

1995 experienced a significant drop from the year before, and it was also the lowest incidents of school shootings since 1985. While the incidents may spike up suddenly, studies demonstrate that the numbers do drop significantly (and quite quickly). As we have seen with the dramatic change between 2003 and the current number of report incidents.

School Violence

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there were 53 violent crimes in 1993. Forty-two of these crimes ended in death.

In 2000, more than 80% of schools reported school violence in their school. The crimes were recorded as 40 crimes per every 1,000 students. Many of these crimes were so violent that they were criminal and needed police involvement. Approximately 15 crimes per 1,000 students were involved in a violent act requiring the police to be contacted. In 2010 those numbers were very different. The number of violent crimes dropped to 2 per 1,000 students.

Guns at School

In the 1990s it was reported that 25% of students carried a gun to school at some point during the school year. The numbers have been on a decline since then. In 1995, the numbers dropped to 20% of students, and since then the numbers have remained quite steady. In 2001, findings show it was discovered that 17% of students brought guns to school.

Since the all time low in 2001, the statistics have remained steady, with little fluctuation. In 2011, there was a reporting that 15% of students had carried a gun to school.

* While these students do not always use the guns, the weapons are a danger and should not be in the hands of young children while in a school setting.

Teenage Drug Use (not marijuana)

Teenagers were recently surveyed on personal drug use, and many easily and willingly admitted to using some form of a drug. More than seventy percent used alcohol, 10 percent used some form of stimulants or uppers, more than 9 percent used opiates, more than 7 percent used tranquilizers, 6.5 used sedatives, more than 6 percent used hallucinogens, cocaine use was more than 5 percent, inhalants use was more than 5 percent, steroid use was at 2.5 percent, and heroin use was nearly 1 percent.

The drug use among teens was on a steady decline between the mid 90′s until mid year in 2000, but now is steadily increasing. In the 90s, drug use among teens was over 75%. The number of teenagers using drugs began declining by about 3% per year.

In 1995, “only” 65% teenagers reported using any drugs. The numbers were still high, but significantly declining. The numbers remained similar over the next few years until they reached a low in 2000 of 60%. While there was still room for improvement, it appears that the statistics were going on the rise again. With current studies showing that 70% of students admit to using some form of drugs at some point in their lives the fact is simple… teenagers are in fact using more drugs these days.

Drunk Driving

In 1982 there were a total of 26,173 alcohol related fatalities. In 1991, the numbers of underage drunk driving fatalities were 3.8 per 100,000 people. This was the highest number of fatalities resulted from underage drunk driving in the past two decades.

The number of fatalities has decreased, and this shows that teenagers are not getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking alcohol. Between 1995 and 2007, the number remained under 3 fatalities per 100,000 people. In 2010, we witnessed the lowest number of fatalities with a recorded 1.3 per 100.00.

The numbers have significantly reduced to 9,878 in 2011 and lets hope the number of fatalities continues to decline.

Gang Related Violence

Over 40 percent of United States cities with a population of more than 20,000 people have been witness to an increase in gang violence over the past few years. Although there was an approximate 8 percent drop in gang related violence between 1999 and 2000, the numbers are continuing to grow.

In 1999, there were 27,000 gangs in the United States. The number of gangs and gang-related violence was decreasing every year until it reached its lowest in 2003, with “only” 20,000 gangs. The very next year there was a spike in the number of gangs and their violent actions.

Gang members were recorded as accounting for 6% of crimes from the end of the 1990s to the early 2000s. The numbers translate to over 350,000 of the over 6 million crimes reported. The number of gang related crimes has dropped over the last decade. 1994 demonstrated an all-time high of 5.2 per every 1,000 persons or 1.1 million. In 2003, the numbers were 1.4 victims per 1,000 persons or 341,000 victims.

*Although victims reported crime as being gang-related, over 50% of the time this was not the case after investigation.

If you see something, say something!

The most troubling of all these stats is the fact that people are filing less complaints. The police can only act when a crime is reported and charges are filed. If you are a victim of a crime (sexual or otherwise), you MUST speak up. You should not be ashamed – you are the victim. 

No one will think less of you! If on the off chance that someone says or acts in a non supportive way you should cut them out of your life. People like that — HATERS — are not worthy of your time! You are so worth more than that!

Here are phone numbers that you can call – You Are Not Alone! And you don’t have to give your name:

1-800-SUICIDE – National Suicide Hotline

1-800-656-HOPE (4673) - Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network

1-800-621-4000 – National Runaway Safeline

1-866-331-9474 - loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline

1-800-230-PLAN (7526) - Planned Parenthood

1-800-799-SAFE (7233) - National Domestic Violence Hotline

1-800-422-4453 – National Child Abuse Hotline

1-800-931-2237 - National Association For Eating Disorders

1-800-662-HELP - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism

1-866-SPEAK-UP (773-2587) – School Violence - SPEAK UP

1-800-843-5678 - Cyber Bullying Tipline

1-800-273-TALK (8255) - National Mental Health Association Hotline

1-800-246-PRIDE (7743) - GLBT National Youth Talkline

Young Naturists America YNA

References:

Www.cdc.gov
Www.crimeinamerica.net
Www.fbi.gov
Www.nationalgangcenter.gov
Www.Rainn.org
Www.rapecrisisonline.com

The post From Rape To Teenage Suicide – The State Of America appeared first on Young Naturists America.

Guest blog by: Paulette LaRoche

Steph’s Pond

Not far from Lake Ontario, in a little town called Williamson in upstate New York, there is a place you could drive by every single day without ever knowing it’s a nudist park. You just have to know it’s there. Steph’s Pond, which just opened for the 2013 season on May 1st, is only marked by 4 numbers on a post at the end of the driveway. Drive a minute or so down the dirt path through the wooded land, and you’ll arrive at a house at which you must check in. A security camera halfway down the driveway tips them off to approaching guests, and more often than not, at least one of the hosts will greet you outside.

Gary and Judy reside in this house, and about 40 years ago, the 65 acres of land were turned into a campground for naked nature-lovers of all ages to enjoy as well.  Families ($30), couples ($30), and some singles ($20) may enjoy a day in the sun at this carry-in, carry-out park in the woods. Go for the day, stay for the weekend, or rent a place if you just want to hang out even longer. There are small cabins, campers, and areas available for tents. I can’t particularly describe the lodging options since I never stayed overnight, but I have heard there is no electric, so be sure to ask about this before visiting. Also flashlights and lamps are always good to have in the car.

As far as showers and bathrooms, there is an outdoor shower, as well as an outhouse, not very far from Gary and Judy’s house. The outdoor shower has an assortment of shampoos, conditioners, soaps, etc, or you can bring your own. The outhouse…where do I start? I have personally never seen an outhouse with leg room! Or style. Or comfort. Really, this is the most impressive outhouse I’ve ever seen. It’s enclosed, but still with the ground as the floor; decorated; slightly curved in shape. And the toilet actually flushes, but not like the ones in basically every home. There is a pedal under the bowl. The whole thing is really something that must be seen to be appreciated.

Hikers will enjoy the beautiful scenery, peace, and exercise offered up by the trails. Just keep track of your direction; I managed to get lost once or twice. Is wandering through the woods not your cup of tea? Gather your friends and play some volleyball with the net they have set up in the sun! For those who might rather play a game that allows them to hold a beer in one hand the whole time, there is also a nearby horseshoe pit.  Getting hungry? Take a break from the games for a snack. There are picnic tables available, or you can find a clearing and have a good old-fashioned blanket-style picnic! But make sure to bring in your own food, as there is no restaurant on the grounds.

On to my absolute favorite way to relax, and the reason for the name of the park: The POND! Use a nice long stick to push the raft out to the middle of the 2.5 acre pond, kick back, and watch the clouds. Or scope out the wildlife! Birds, fish, turtles, whatever else might be enjoying the pond with you. See and hear nothing but nature (and Judy & Gary’s house!) When the sun gets too hot, there is one particular area of the pond that is perfect for taking a dip. Try not to keep still for too long, however, as the fish seem to really enjoy nipping at toes!

Judy also loves flowers, and shows it by adorning the park with a breathtaking assortment of them throughout the grounds. The new Steph’s Pond website has pictures of some of what you’ll be able to see when you visit!

You may have noticed that their website says “invitation only,” which means any interested parties visiting for the first time should call ahead and tell Judy or Gary that you plan on stopping by. Also tell them how you found out about their place! This is especially important for singles. I’m sure they want to know that people are visiting with nothing but good intentions. Ask for a brief tour when you get there; they will be more than happy to help you find your way around and answer any questions you may have. Judy is the bubbly brunette with the ever-beaming smile, and Gary is a kind and friendly man.

I hope to see you all there after May 1st!

Young Naturists & Nudists America

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Guest Blog by: Steve of YNA Upstate New York

An example of how nudity is so often tied into sexuality

Change is a fact of life; sometimes subtle, sometimes dramatic.  An area of change in our culture and naturism is sexuality.  I would like to focus on this topic and its impacts on naturism in a short series of blogs.  These blogs will lead up to my sex-positive workshop at the Northeast Naturist Festival in upstate New York (July 30-August 4th, 2013). Within YNA we are working to embrace sexual change in a positive way i.e. sex-positive ways of thinking, doing, and being within a newer, emergent naturism.  This first blog, entitled, “Why Sex-Positive?” is going to focus on dealing with the changing aspects of sexuality within naturism, first in terms of mere language.  We are going to look at some basic reasons of why our claim that naturism is completely non-sexual seems so strange to the textile world, and what that means for us as naturists and nudists. 

I do not consider myself an expert in either sex-positive development, or naturism – I am relatively new to both.  But an area in which I have a master’s degree and years of experience is cross cultural communication.  I have been a translator and problem solver between many diverse people and language groups in foreign refugee camps, including sexual issues.  I also have years of personal cross-cultural experience, having been immersed cold turkey into German culture as a young professional and new husband. I look back now with humor at the mind boggling conflicts that arose cross-culturally over the subtlest linguistic, or body language misunderstandings.  Make no mistake, the problem of bridging the naturism-textile gap is a matter of cross-cultural communication every bit as complex as being dumped into a “foreign” culture and having to learn the language and culture to survive.  In the case of naturism it’s not just culture like, music or food – it’s culture at its most formidable, because few cultural issues are more controversial than sexuality.  Unfortunately in our culture naked = sex.  That is almost a universal association in people’s psyche for many reasons, and one which the pornographers have promoted and perfected for the purposes of sordid gain.  This linguistic association is the first of many cross-cultural reasons that we will explore in these blogs about why naturism needs to embrace sexual change if we are to reach our textile world.  So, in this blog we are going to talk about this mere linguistic association between nudity and sex.

Whether we like it or not, naturism continues to have an uphill battle when it comes to a non-sexual message to the textile world.  Consider an example; the German word for “gay”  (schwul) and “humid” (schwϋl) is nearly identical.  The difference is a very subtle matter of pronunciation, represented only by the “umlaut”, or double points above the letter ‘u’.  I knew a very macho American soldier who could not speak German well, but was too egotistical to know when to keep quiet.  At a German dinner party he insisted on telling the Germans that it was uncomfortably hot and humid.  What he did not realize was that he, the tough macho soldier, was insisting to everyone that he was “gay.”  He didn’t get the pronunciation difference – he was actually saying, schwul, when he meant, schwϋl! The contrast was too much and the laughter was uproarious. No offense to gay people – trust me, you would have all been embarrassed for him while trying like everyone to contain your mirth!  Well, it can be kind of like that when we insist to the textile world, that our nudity is non-sexual.  I mean, let’s be blunt. How is that teenage son or daughter supposed to understand that mom and dad who have never done anything crazy before, and may even go to church every Sunday, are now jumping in a hot tub with a bunch of naked people and it’s not supposed to be an orgy?  Without any supporting context or common experience, the kid’s hormones and sense of propriety inherited from his pre-naturist parents, simply protest the notion. We think we are explaining things one way in our mind, like the macho soldier.  But the language just isn’t there, especially when it has a history of very different meaning.

To a non-naturist friend or family member, naked = sex. Period. The naturism-textile cross-cultural communication gap is a vast void, consisting of a lack of common experience and language to connect two worlds as foreign as the Ithaca area, upstate New York culture I left, and the Hessisch and Pfälzer German culture I was suddenly immersed into.  The nudie has little or no precise language to communicate her new experience, and the non-nudie has no experience base from which to interpret the vague language.  Metaphorically speaking we may think we are saying “schwϋl” but we are really saying “schwul” when we insist to the textile, that naturism is non-sexual nudity.  Then we wonder why the non-nudist frowns, freaks, furrows his brow, or bursts out in laughter.  It’s really not even the right place to start the conversation.

OK fellow nudies, can’t we just admit it?  We have a cross-cultural communication problem of major proportions.  If we continue to insist to the textile world that naturism is purely non-sexual, especially in an increasingly hypersexual world, we are going to have to find better language to do it.  Our language, when it comes to sexology, is pretty weak.  Consider the Eskimos. They have 13 words for snow in a highly developed culture of snow.  They share common snow language and common snow experience.  Sex is a bit more complex than snow, so we can do better than to insist that being naked is somehow absolutely void of sexuality.  After all, in naturism, our genitalia, our sex if you will, is in plain sight.  If you take offense at someone seeing your penis or vulva, then of course you would not be a nudist.  On the other hand, most textiles would consider exposure of their naked body to anyone other than their spouse, either underhanded seduction, or some form of sexual abuse.  So, isn’t it kind of odd that we insist so strongly that our social nudity is non-sexual?  After all, it’s not the “neutral” parts of our bodies, like our elbows, fingers, or toes that elicit such strong emotions.  NO!  It is explicitly our exposed sexuality that brings out such reactions.  I think if we hope to win the battles of today to grow naturism it’s important to be honest with ourselves, and to understand where many of the textiles we are trying to reach may be coming from.   And it won’t do to insist that “schwul” isn’t “schwϋl” – non-nudists don’t get the difference!

In view of the above, sex-positive is a great start at developing a whole new, fuller, richer vocabulary surrounding naturism and sexuality.  Let’s stop pretending naturism has nothing to do with sexuality – in the non-nudist mind it does, and we need to start there.  Furthermore, for us naturists, sex-positive is a way to start being more confident about our own sexuality and therefore more genuine with the textile world.  Instead of being reactive and negative about sexuality, maybe we can take a lead role in teaching about truly fulfilling sexuality.  This in turn challenges us to a deeper understanding of our naked experiences and our sexuality, and how we may relate them metaphorically to similar textile experiences in a way that makes the non-naturist want to consider naturism as a real option.  Maybe we should consider this precisely because many textiles are looking for a way to bring balance, meaning, and fulfillment to their sexuality.   And so we must take a deeper look inside and really ask, is our naturism as non-sexual as we seem to say to the non-naturist?  What are we are afraid of, that keeps us from confronting sexuality in naturism?   Does the textile world see something that we don’t want to see?  All of this is why we need at least some change in our understanding, our experience, and our development of new language as we face changing sexuality within textile culture and naturism.  Sex-positive.  It is the first step in dealing with these changes, and hopefully in reaching many new people, so that they too may experience the freedom and joy that we have experienced.

In this blog we have considered that a large problem in reaching the textile world is that there is a cross-cultural communication gap between our world and theirs.  There is a lack of common language and experience to bridge this gap or deal with changing sexuality.   We need the sex-positive movement, because we need to start where non-nudists start – whether or not we like it, they start with nudity = sex.  Maybe, beyond this fear, they are even trying to gain a deeper understanding of their own sexuality. So that is where we start and it is sex-positive.  Once we accept this we can begin to examine what this means in terms of real experience within naturism and our encounters with the textile world.

In the next blog I will address one of the first and most formidable barriers we face with regard to changing sexuality and sex-positive, and relating naturism to the textile world. We are going to drop the insistence that naturism is completely void of sexuality and we are going to introduce the idea of breaking sexual silence.  

Young Naturists & Nudists America

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Guest Blog by: Paulette LaRoche

Angela Shelton, actress who grew up as a nudist

The April 10, 2013 episode of Ricki (The New Ricki Lake Show), titled, “Stolen Childhoods,” featured a woman named Angela Shelton. She was there discussing her 2004 documentary, “Searching For Angela Shelton.” The film’s main subject is sexual abuse, inspired by her own abuse as a child, allegedly from her father and step-mother. She begins her story on the Ricki show, and one of the first things she says is, (this is not verbatim, by the way, but close enough.) “We were that normal, perfect family with the white picket fence…and we also went to nudist resorts.”  She continues with her story, and I never heard nudist resorts mentioned again. I even located another article that says her father told her, “I made stupid mistakes about the nudist colony and the running around with your clothes off…” However, despite the fact that there was never any link specifically made between nudism and molestation, her casual comment in her introduction heavily implied that there is a clear one.

I was so angry when I heard Angela say that to Ricki! I thought it was completely irresponsible and misleading, as if ALL children who go to nudist resorts are automatic targets of sexual abuse. There is a huge difference between a family-friendly nudist resort and an orgy.  One is a place where adults go to have sex, and the other is a place for people of all ages to enjoy leisurely activities while nude. A terribly mistaken thought is that nudity is purely sexual. When a small child tears off his or her diaper and exclaims, “I’m nakey,” it is never for any sexual purpose. It’s because it’s natural, and they haven’t been taught that it’s bad or shameful to be naked. I think this healthy attitude should not be stomped on. That is part of what leads to body shame and phobia.

What Angela Shelton has done to help others, and to get closure for herself, is commendable indeed. I can also understand how her personal views of nudism and nudist resorts would be a negative one if it were directly linked to her abuse. But to imply that the two are automatically linked is what I have an issue with. A child is no more likely to be abused naked than they are clothed. Of all the terrible stories I’ve heard in the news about similar occurrences, I’ve never heard one talking about nudism.

This reminds me of something I saw on a nudist website (can’t recall the particular site) where someone posed the question, “Aren’t you worried that someone may see your child and want to harm him/her in some way?” and the answer was so spot on: “Of course! But that’s because I’m a mom, not because my child is nude.”  In the words of every Family Feud contestant ever: “Good Answer!”

If you liked this article, check out “Nudists on TV: Modern Family Not So Modern?“

Young Naturists & Nudists America

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Fat Shaming Celebrities

Fat Shaming Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian Pregnant

Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera Fat Shaming

Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy Fat Shaming

 Celebrity Shaming

The post Fat Shaming Celebrities: Leave Kim Kardashian Alone! appeared first on Young Naturists America.

Guest blog by: Kevin W.

Baby in tree hole

Social Acceptance - Sitting atop a hill on a crisp cool morning watching the sun wake and rise, thoughts on life steadily flow.

A slight gentile breeze strolls through followed by an increasing wind as the sun starts to shine ever so brightly.

Looking all around, I see a tree I’ve watched grow old over the years. Back in the day, it was quite lively, full of leaves, full of song birds proudly singing their songs for me, chipmunks and squirrels chasing each other up and down and through the branches.

Today I sit reminiscing Mother Nature’s shows I’ve watched none of repeats, all new and different. Here I sit pondering what Mother Nature’s life lesson is for me. There are no birds, no chipmunks, nor squirrels to be seen at this once lively tree. This tree now stands broken, missing all but a portion of its trunk. The tree’s trunk tells a story of many woodpecker attacks, wood boring insects, and evidence of being once lived in by squirrels. There lies its branch turning into soil.

Once upon a time, this tree was a seed in the soil laying in wait for the day it got the strength and courage to sprout out on its own adventure. Through its life, it had obstacles to overcome and accept.

Let’s bring this tree’s life into ours.

One day you were brought onto earth with nothing but your innocent naked body. You had no worries and no care in the world except to be loved and fed. Nothing mattered to you, not even what your body looked like or anyone else’s body. The media doesn’t speak baby so you weren’t told what bodies are attractive or what bodies you should see as disgusting, gross, fat, ugly, sickly skinny, and so on. All you knew was that you were you and that other person was just another person that wanted only to be loved and fed just like you.

Life Acceptance

As time went on you got older, you noticed others around you who are much older and have views that were modified by society saying that the Natural Life is to be regarded as bad and shall be frowned upon. A little older now and you’re beginning your school career, not doing much yet but learning how to play and share toys with your peers. Elders in your life direct what and how you will conduct yourself. Elders say you will be dressed at all times except when bathing. You don’t understand as you spent your first few years of life running around outside in nothing but your skin.

You are dazed in confusion but do as told; you wear clothing in fear of getting in trouble. You’re uncomfortable as the summer heat is making you sweat and your clothes are sticking to you. Your told to put this on as your going to the beach, your thinking, wait, how come? When we went to the beach before, we never wore anything. You put on the swimsuit, go to the beach, play in the sand, sand is trapped between your skin and suit, scratching you, making you sore and bloody. You get in the water and wash out the sand, ah comfort, coolness, now lying on your towel sunbathing. Sunbathing was a fond memory, now your fighting the swimsuit that all wet, sticking to you, bunching up, giving you wedgies, the elastic is hurting your crotch, you try to fix it but you get yelled at by an elder for “touching yourself”. Ouch the pain and now humiliation. What are you supposed to do, endure the pain and hope nothing goes wrong medically with your “parts” because the elder scolded you for trying to fix your swimsuit? Think not, done with going to the beach ever again.

Time passes, memories are fleeting, you don’t think about anything but what to wear. Years later, someone says, remember when… Oh the days of camp, how wonderful to be free. You listen carefully and ask what changed. You’re told, school. “What, school?” Yes, the school’s staff said we could no longer take you to camp in fear you’d be different than your peers. “My peers?” Yes, your peers, your classmates. “My peers like other kids at camp?” No, school. We will never go to camp again due to the school.

You are much older now and thinking about what’s missing in life. You remember camp and how you loved the freedom and worry free atmosphere. You didn’t care then about your body’s appearance nor anyone else’s. Will it be the same now as then?

Remembering the “school” fear, you realize you must be secretive. Let’s research camps, resorts, and beaches and see if any appeal to you or you can figure out what one you went to as a kid. Searching and searching, ah, yes, here’s some near by. Contact…Yes, come on down for a visit. Ok.

Arrive at one camp, hmm, not familiar but quite welcoming and family style. You’re invited to join in a game of volleyball and a snack with a bit of sunbathing, quite lovely and relaxing.

Life Acceptance

Arrival at second camp, hmm, a feeling, a remembrance, it’s ever so slowly coming back, yes, yes it is, this is where I spent my first few years of life. Ah, home. I’m home. But look around, hardly anyone around, cabins are gone, club house looks so very small to me now, there are trailers now not tents, and now I’m all alone going to camp, when I can.

Just like the old tree, we started out full of life, had a fun filled youthful life, and now we are dwindling down. Many moved on and left us with only memories. As the tree hopes to not be forgotten, we hope that life as Mother Nature intended it to be will never be denied and others will come checkout a life of freedom. There’s nothing better than the feeling of freedom, feeling of relaxation, basking in the realization that your body’s appearance means nothing as you are you and that’s all anyone shall love you for. Don’t deny yourself, don’t deny nor disrespect Mother Nature for creating you as you are. Mother Nature sees you as exquisitely beautiful. Leave your worries behind you and visit a camp, resort, or beach as you’ll see that no one cares what you look like and you may make a lot of friends that you’ve been missing out on your whole life.

Social Acceptance

Young Nudists And Naturists America YNA

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Guest Post By: Chet Kresiak

Nudist Children - America has been stunned recently by the horrific allegations about child abuse at Penn State University. Scandals involving sexual molestation of children have rocked many of our most revered institutions, such as the Boy Scouts, the Catholic Church and in our schools. It’s clear that child abuse is a societal problem, not restricted to any particular organization or institution. Even the naturist population has been victimized by those who would exploit children for sexual purposes, although it is very rare.

Nudist Kids

Any person or group planning naturist activities must be aware of the current cultural climate, which is becoming increasingly intolerant of any activities involving children who could be misconstrued as being inappropriate or harmful. Naturists believe that people of all ages should be able to participate in nude recreation, that rejecting shame when it comes to the human body is beneficial to physical, mental and sexual health. The presence of children is a necessary component of the philosophy, and to remove them from naturist activities would significantly redefine the modern movement which began in Germany in 1903.

Morley Schloss, board member of the Naturist Action Committee, operates a nudist youth camp at Sunsport Gardens in Florida, and debunks the notion that children are somehow at risk in naturist settings. “From what I read, children are safer at naturist resorts than in scout camps, church groups or malls. Most nudist resorts are gated communities. Members and guests are screened for criminal activity. Children have many people looking out for them, adults and other children. Since naturist children are generally comfortable with their bodies, they would not be hesitant to report any approaches to them with which they are uncomfortable. For these reasons, children are quite safe from abuse in naturist venues.”

In January of 2010, acting on an anonymous complaint, The Florida State Department of Children and Families paid a visit to Sunsport Gardens. Mr. Schloss welcomed them in, showed them photos of children having fun at the youth camp, and the officials left satisfied that Sunsport offered a safe, caring environment.

Still, overzealous politicians or prosecutors are always looking for “hot button” issues with which to stir public sentiment in their favor, such as in 2003 when U. S. Representative Mark Foley (R) Florida read an article in the New York Times about an AANR nudist youth camp at Lake Como Resort in Land O‘Lakes. Foley was running for Senator at the time and felt he needed a “family values“ issue to take attention away from rumors swirling around that he was gay, so he seized the opportunity to began a crusade against the youth camps, accusing them of “exploiting nudity among minor children to make money.”

The story about the youth camps went nationwide, with Foley appearing on Fox News, and Time Magazine running an article asking the question “are they any place for kids?” The firestorm had begun.

In Florida, naturists took action, meeting directly with Congressman Foley, and gradually the issue faded away, certainly due in part to the political strength of the naturist population in Pasco County. Governor Jeb Bush’s office released a statement saying that “The rights of parents to impart their values in their children and raise their children as they see fit are sacred.”

Nudist Children

At about the same time, since the Times article mentioned that a young naturist camp was also being held in Arizona and future camps were being planned in both Texas and Virginia, anti-camp bills were quickly introduced in those state.

There were also ultimately no political consequences in Arizona, but in February of 2004 the Virginia House of Delegates voted 98-1 to require parental supervision at camps for young nudists, later approved by the Senate 40-0. The single vote was against the act because the bill did not go far enough. In 2005 a bill was introduced to modify the language in the nudist camp legislation, which would have effectively banned children from all nudist and naturist venues, but that legislation was tabled for future consideration.

In Texas, a county prosecutor succeeded in banning children from the Hippie Hollow clothing optional park, and State Rep. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) authored a bill which would have outlawed nudist youth camps, even though there were none operating in the entire state. Hughes called the camps “magnets for pedophiles”, perhaps seizing upon a portion of the original New York Times article which referred to “COGs – creepy outside guys” trying to get inside the camps, or peek through fences. Efforts by the NAC killed the legislation, but the Department of State Health Services amended the Texas Administrative Code rules on General Sanitation to read “a youth camp many not allow campers or staff to be nude, except when bathing, showering, changing clothes or receiving medical care”. This code effectively banned naturist youth camps in Texas.

All of this hysteria grew out of nothing more than ignorance, outright prejudice and unwarranted suspicions about nudism and naturism, and was a waste of time and public resources. There was absolutely no evidence that any harm was being done to any child. If anything, teens attending textile camps were found to be having sexual encounters, with others incurring physical harm from sports and other activities. Children attending nudist camps were happy, healthy and safe.

Bob Morton of the Naturist Action Committee wrote in the March 2004 Nude and Natural Newsletter that in “the case of the Virginia legislation, losing means a significant abridgement of the parental rights of naturists and the unmistakable message that social nudity is somehow unhealthy or unsafe for children.”

Bill Williamson wrote in the AANR Bulletin of May 2004 that “this Virginia initiative just further proves that we have a lot more work to do before we can enjoy the peace and tranquility of our serene environments without the constant overshadowing threat of unnecessary government intervention.”

In the May 2005 AANR Bulletin, Williamson wrote, “Obviously these are no longer isolated political attacks on nude recreation, but a concerted strategically planned effort to separate the family from social family nudism. These social conservatives believe that if they can prevent our children from sharing our wholesome participation in social family nudism, they can then designate nude recreation as simply another part of the adult entertainment industry instead of the most rapidly growing sector of the travel and resort industry.”

Nudist and naturist organizations continue to work with policymakers to advocate for nude recreation for all ages.

In 2006, Mark Foley left Congress in disgrace over his “sex-laced” emails and instant messages to teenagers serving as pages. The hypocrisy of his campaign against youth camps angered nudists and naturists everywhere, still struggling to restore reputations, mend family differences, and recover from loss of business. There was little vindication in Foley’s fall, just bitter memories.

Still, Morley Schloss is optimistic about the future of naturist youth camps. “I don’t see a crisis”, he said, “Naturist camps that have had problems have taught the children that they must be careful and distrustful, that naturist resorts are unsafe. Let’s be proactive. In words and photos, we must portray children and their families having fun at naturist resorts and naturist youth camps.”

Stephane Deschenes of Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park agrees. “We certainly must not give up on this point. Some naturists/nudists believe that we should keep quiet so that there won’t be any scrutiny. In fact, many people criticized AANR for running the (2003 New York Times) story about children’s camps in the first place. I disagree. When you keep something quiet and people find out, they are more likely to be shocked because it is a surprise. If we keep talking about it, then it normalizes the situation. That’s why I make sure that there are always lots of pictures of happy children on all our marketing materials.”

Although Rep. Mark Foley’s attacks failed in Florida, Texas was successful in banning the youth camps, and in Virginia, the requirement that parents or guardians always be present effectively killed them in that state, too. In addition, according to Paul LeValley of the Professors and Researchers Special Interest Group of The Naturist Society, the numbers of children overall at the youth camps has “plummeted“. The only exception is at the Sunsport Gardens Youth Camp, where attendance grows every year. Only two other camps took place last year (2011) in the United States, one was at Juniper Woods in New York, and the other was at Shangri La Ranch in Arizona.

This controversy over the youth camps is a clear illustration why nudists and naturists need strong representation from national organizations. While Foley failed in Florida, his demagoguery was damaging, and lasting. It’s perhaps just a matter of time before another “Mark Foley” comes forward to attack naturists, and all of us need to be prepared to push back and fight for our parental rights. When the attacks come, they will be at the children, not just on the youth camps issue, but on their participation in general.

Nudist Children

Young Naturists & Nudists America YNA

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(Guest Nudist Blog By Anon)

Naked Run

For years I struggled with my own body image. I spent nearly half my life dealing with issues concerning my appearance and self worth. Needless to say, I had eating disorders that stemmed from those issues as well.

The idea of being naked in public never really appealed to me. If I couldn’t accept myself for what I looked like and who I was (under my clothes), how could I expect anyone else to?

But the conceptual idea of nudism had always intrigued me on some level. It seemed like it would be a very freeing (and very brave) experience. Anyone who could shed all of the fabric and textile materials that masked their body from others had to be incredibly comfortable in their own skin. So I promised myself that someday, when I would be stronger and more accepting of myself, I would give naturism a try.

It took a long time, and several false starts. But then the day actually came and I was ready to be brave! A couple of years earlier I had heard about the Annual Sunny Buns Fun Naked Run that would take place in a town near me. It was only a mile run, through one of the more heavily wooded parks and didn’t gain a large audience of non-participants. It seemed like a reasonable place to take my clothes off and be naked in public for my first time. To me, the thought of doing a naked run sounded far more fun and enticing than just hanging out at a nude BBQ or pool party.

So I signed up for the Fun Naked Run and payed my entrance fee. I figured that even if I got scared and bailed at the last moment, the money really wouldn’t be going to waste (since it was a charity event). The day of the Naked Run dawned cloudy and gray but not terribly cold. I jumped in my vehicle and headed out to the park. I still wasn’t sure if I was going to be brave enough to do the event, but I at least was brave enough to show up.

To make a long story short, I have to admit that I wasn’t able to strip all the way down that day at the Sunny Buns Fun Naked Run. I arrived at the park and saw all of the other participants roaming around in various states of undress, talking and laughing and having a grand time. I must have looked freaked out because several ladies came over and started talking to me. They explained the event, told me a little about their first experiences with social nudity, and in the end calmed me down quite a bit. And I was able to take off most, but not quite all, of my clothing. I just couldn’t manage to let go of my underpants and bra at the last minute.

The Fun Naked Run was a huge step. Especially for someone like me, who has lived for so long afraid of her own skin. I haven’t been back to try an event again, but I’m sure I will at some point. I met some amazing people and had a one-of-a-kind experience, and I look forward to doing it again. And this time I’m going to try for fully nude.

Young Naturists And Nudists America YNA

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Guest Blog by: Sarah Dowless

Being sex positive is important for your own life, your partner’s life and really, everyone you know as it ultimately makes you a confident, respectful and open-minded person. But what exactly is being sex positive? In its simplest form, sex positive is an attitude towards human sexuality that regards all sexual activities as healthy and pleasurable and encourages sexual pleasure and experimentation. Need a little more of an explanation? Be sure to check out the post we wrote about sex positivity and the nudist community.

Anyhow, becoming sex positive can be hard for people. We may not be able to wrap our mind around certain facets or emotions. Maybe we were born to think a certain way or maybe we just haven’t learned how to love ourselves yet. Whatever the case may be, there is absolutely room for improvement and with time, everyone can become a little more sex positive, even the most sex positive among us! Check out some of these tips and techniques for re-framing your attitude towards sex.

The first and most important step to becoming sex positive is to know who you are and what you want from your body, your sex life, etc. You can’t begin to be open, expressive and welcoming of others if you yourself do not accept who you are. Spend time getting to know your body, get comfortable in your own skin and stop judging yourself based on what you look like. Being sex positive means you love all bodies for what they look like and that means yours, too. Fat shaming, thin shaming or any kind of body shaming of another person runs counter to the sex positive movement and will only hurt others. Plus, there’s another reason to love your body. Some recent research showed that women with positive body image have better sex! It’s likely the same goes for men, too.

You also want to make sure you have a good understanding of your actual self, so also take the time to really learn what gets you turned on, what feels good and how you react. If this is a new thing for you, consider getting a toy or lube to really get you going. Use some of these Adam and Eve coupon codes to save yourself some money.

Secondly, you need to ditch the negativity. Stop looking at sex in terms of whether it’s slutty or not or thinking that certain fetishes are dirty and wrong. There is nothing dirty, slutty or wrong about sex as long as it’s occurring between consensual adults. People are into different things — that’s what makes our world go round. This one might take awhile, as you will literally have to change the way you think. Practice stopping yourself every time you want to make a judgment against someone else or yourself because of a sexual choice. If you find your friend or partner is judging you for how you look, or for your sexual choices, either make them aware of it so they stop, or simply get rid of that toxic relationship.

And last, in the same vein as above, you will want to stop categorizing some sex as more superior than others. Such as the idea that hetero-sex is better than homo-sex. Once again, as long as it’s consensual, no sex is better than the other. All sex is equal. You might also want to educate yourself about different genders (beyond male and female), lifestyles and sexual orientations. 

This is merely the beginning and is far from being an all-inclusive list. You can check out more ways to be sex positive by Laci Green, and you should never be afraid to reach out for outside help if you’re dealing with something you don’t think you can handle on your own. Becoming sex positive can and will take some time. Just be patient with yourself and continue to work in the right direction.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored blog post. Opinions expressed here are in line with YNA’s philosohy.

Young Naturists & Nudists America

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Gay Rights

The Issue Of Gay Marriage / Gay Rights

Last night, prompted by a Fox News segment, we posted the following post about gay rights on our official Young Naturists America Facebook Page Wall:

“Attn: Fox News !!!

We at YNA want to abolish the term marriage from the legislators’ vocabulary! Civil unions only! 

Marriage is a religious term only!

Gregory Angelo told Mike Huckabee that there are too many laws and legislation that have the word “marriage” in them and that disentangling them would be almost impossible… Young Naturists America is willing to step up and help explain to the government how to use the “find and replace” function in online text! 

Grow up and move on! Separation of Church and state for crying out loud!”

This post prompted two comments that I would like to address in more detail.

Gay Rights Post Comment / Question #1:

• “Although I totally understand where this is coming from, the bit about “civil unions only” gives me the idea that this page is anti-equality. Can you elaborate?”

Great question! For years, I personally have been advocating for this new approach to gay rights and marriage. Based on my world view, which is also part of the YNA philosophy, there needs to be a clear cut differentiation between church and state. The job of the government is to take care of its citizens – all of them! “We are all created equal” are not just words, they are a value system which needs to be upheld.

Today, when people want to be recognized as an “official” couple, they get “married.”  Individuals can go down to City Hall and apply for a marriage license. What I am suggesting is simple – states should issue only civil union certificates.

If people want a piece of paper that uses the term “Marriage,” they should only be able to get it from a religious institution. 

Words mean a lot and their meanings can stir up much emotion. By eliminating the term from the government’s record, we could finally take a step towards recognizing the fact that government is there to take of its citizens’ needs.  

Religious institutions are like private organizations. They can and do discriminate based on their beliefs and religious doctrine. But a government should be a place where all law-abiding citizens are treated equally regardless of race, religion, sexuality and so forth.

By eliminating the term marriage we eliminate religion from the process. Religious institutions will no longer be able to to argue that gay rights are, in some way, infringing on their religious beliefs or morals. It changes the piece of paper from being a religious one to a completely secular one.

Gay Rights Post Comment / Questions #2:

• “You do not have to have a civil union and gay to be nudist so why talk about it on here? Maybe safer to say about nude unions and nude freedom and top freedom.” 

 Young Naturists America is not just about nudism or “nude recreation.” There are other organizations that are solely focused on the nudity. YNA is focused on the individual as well as the core social issues that we believe need to be addressed. Gay rights are one issue that we have a problem with. Governments should not be looking at what an individual’s sexual preferences are. All government should look at is a person’s track record as a citizen.

For us, the social nudity is more of a means to an end. A way to break down social barriers and promote acceptance.

Gay Rights by:

Young Naturists And Nudists America YNA

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The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

On Clothes

And the weaver said, “Speak to us of Clothes.”

And he answered:

Your clothes conceal much of your beauty, yet they hide not the unbeautiful.

And though you seek in garments the freedom of privacy you may find in them a harness and a chain.

Would that you could meet the sun and the wind with more of your skin and less of your raiment,

For the breath of life is in the sunlight and the hand of life is in the wind.

Some of you say, “It is the north wind who has woven the clothes to wear.”

But shame was his loom, and the softening of the sinews was his thread.

And when his work was done he laughed in the forest.

Forget not that modesty is for a shield against the eye of the unclean.

And when the unclean shall be no more, what were modesty but a fetter and a fouling of the mind?

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.

Young Naturists America YNA

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Guest Blog by: Dave Beeman

View of the desert & hot air balloon, at Mira Vista Resort

My wife and I were approaching our 23rd wedding anniversary, and we had decided to plan a weekend getaway for the first time in 20 years. We live in New Mexico, which has plenty of places to see and things to do, but we decided to go to Arizona. I jokingly suggested we go to Mira Vista, thinking my 90% textile wife would never go for it. She asked me, “What is Mira Vista?” I replied, “It’s a clothing-optional resort just outside Tucson, Arizona.” Nothing more was said until after New Year’s, when she dropped a bombshell and said, “Let’s make reservations at Mira Vista”! The rest is history.

We left New Mexico on the morning of March 15th. It was a 5 hour drive to the resort from our home, mostly via Interstate 10. The resort was easy to find, and we arrived with plenty of daylight left. The receptionist was very warm and friendly. She gave us a very brief rundown of rules and policies, and then guided us on a tour of the facilities. My first impression of the resort was that it was in a beautiful location with an abundance of desert flora. It also had more than a little old west charm. The “club house” was originally a stage stop for the Butterfield Stage line. It was built in 1850 and has pretty much been in continuous use in one form or another since then. The current owners, who also own Laguna del Sol outside Sacramento, CA, purchased the Mira Vista property and opened it as a clothing-optional resort in 2006.

Mira Vista Resort

There are a total of three pools, and one in ground hot tub. The main pool is kept at a comfortable temperature and is just big enough to get in a few laps. There is a dedicated water volleyball pool, a 96 degree conversation pool, and the hot tub is maintained at a relaxing 106 degrees. There is a good sized workout room complete with weight machines, and the road around the resort provides a nice half mile loop to run or walk. The food was excellent, and the prices were in the mid range. We spent the rest of Friday afternoon enjoying the sun and met some very nice people from Canada. That evening, we skipped the karaoke in favor of a dinner in downtown Tucson (people would pay me not to sing). The next day was going to be a 100% clothes-free day for me, and we got an early start enjoying the sun after breakfast. The resort filled up quickly. Now, I will say, that while there was a fair mix of gender, and the age demographic varied from 9 to 90, the vast majority were people older than I am at 46. This didn’t surprise me, given the fact that Tucson attracts a large number of snowbirds and retirees. There was, however, no age discrimination, and I could tell the resort has plenty of regulars. We even treated ourselves to a massage, and I must say, Kristina, the masseuse was excellent, and I could feel the positive power radiating from her hands.

There was a special St. Patrick’s Day dinner and dance. The only negative thing I would say is that they need a bigger lounge, as it was filled to capacity quickly both nights. The dance was a lot of fun, with some very original costume ideas on display. The view of the stars from the conversation pool later that evening was spectacular and made the perfect end to a great day. There are condos for sale on the resort, and a tour of the condos was offered. Our room was excellent, not the Ritz, but plenty of space with a very nice front patio to sit and enjoy the sounds of the desert while enjoying my morning coffee. We left the resort Sunday morning very reluctantly. While I won’t say that my wife is now a nudist, I will say she enjoyed herself, and was the one who suggested we make plans to return!

Learn more about Mira Vista on their website at http://www.miravistaresort.com

Young Naturists & Nudists America

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(guest nudist blog by anon)

Topless At The Beach

Topless In St. Martin

When I was 15, my parents took me to St. Martin for a week’s vacation. I was excited because we were going to the French side of the island, and, at the time, I was studying French in school. On the way to the hotel, my mom told me to stay by the hotel’s roped-off area, because there was a nudist beach not too far away.

She didn’t have to warn me. Back then, I would never take my clothes off anyway. I was a total nerd and had big hips and no breasts. I wasn’t going to show off my ugly body to anyone when I could hardly stand to look at it myself.

I couldn’t wait to go down to the beach and read in the sun. Once I walked out of the hotel doors onto the sand, I noticed almost all the sunbathing women were topless! Mom had forgotten to tell me about this being a topless resort. Maybe she didn’t know herself!

Then I noticed a bunch of teenagers my age who were playing a game of “half nude volleyball” on the sand. I was shocked how comfortable the topless girls were, wearing nothing but bathing suit bottoms or shorts. I wrapped my sarong around me tighter and tried not to look anywhere but straight ahead. I was nervous, embarrassed and in culture shock.

After a while I heard the teens speaking French. One of them said, “Let’s ask her if she wants to join us in a game of volleyball.” I was terrified, but a smiling, friendly girl, who said she was from Canada, started to pull me over to where they were playing. “Come join us,” she said in French. “My name is Colette.”

Colette and I became instant friends. Before long, I felt foolish all wrapped up like a mummy in my sarong. So I took it off. We had a great game and lots of laughs. I stopped noticing the topless girls and just noticed how nice they were. It took me a whole day, but I eventually took off my top, too. After all, even my mother wasn’t wearing her swimsuit top!

By the time our vacation was almost over, I was very comfortable being topless. On my last day of vacation, Colette and I went down to the nude beach and skinny dipped! Coming out of the water completely naked, I felt free and I felt BEAUTIFUL.

I could not wait to go back! I loved my first experience with nudism and will cherish that experience forever!

Topless Girl

Young Naturists And Nudists America YNA

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While most people don’t think about the historical political impact of the clothes they wear, textiles and the textile industry has in fact had a tremendous impact on societies around the globe, and still do today. It must be remembered that prior to the European Renaissance and Industrial Revolution, the majority of Earth’s human population was (and still is) centered about the equator in tropical and semi-tropical regions. European and other temperate zone, sub-arctic, and arctic populations traditionally required hand-made clothing (typically of animal skins and furs, wool, insect by-products such as silk, hand processed leaves and tree barks, and hand/loom woven plant fibers such as linen, hemp, and cotton) for protection from the elements. Desert dwelling peoples also traditionally required clothing for protection from overexposure to the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. In some of these societies handcraft textiles and loom woven fabrics became a valued art, benefiting prosperous weavers and merchant classes. People also wore clothes to indicate their socio-economic status, and religious offices.

However, for most people around the world, outside of small elite aristocracies, wealthy merchant classes, the religious establishment, and societies heavily influenced by handcraft textile and merchant guilds, clothing was primarily worn for practical functional purposes, and not required when impractical, such as for swimming, or for working in hot humid conditions. Fabric body concealment was not ascribed any moral dimension as symbolic of modesty or purity. The naked human body was associated with poverty at worst, honesty and purity at best, and was, at the time, not directly associated with human sexuality by the majority of Earth’s peoples.

Then, in 1750 the textile mill was invented in England. This created tremendous wealth for the owners of textile mills, and agricultural land barons that supplied cotton, wool, and other raw materials to be woven into textile fabrics for clothing (as well as for rope, ship sails, construction materials and other uses). As clothing was the major profit generating end use of the textile mill owners products, it became imperative for their local populations to be indoctrinated with the “need” for fabric body concealment at all times to maintain continual profits. This indoctrination also solidified the positions of the aristocracy by direct transfer of wealth from the masses via textile clothing purchases, by designating certain clothing styles as highly expensive and only to be worn by aristocrats, and by designating many different clothing styles for each gender, age, class, and trade, region, activity, and sect, thus reinforcing divisions within the general population, making them more easily subdivided and controlled. Once the masses accepted the practice of continuous fabric body concealment (often indoctrinated though the church, the most effective proponent of new ideas available to the aristocracy at that time) the wealth of the textile manufacturers was assured for generations. Textile manufacturers and religious organizations in Asia had long followed a similar path to continuous profits and authoritarian hierarchical control within their own regions and religions as well.

As the technology of the industrial revolution progressed it became possible for the textile manufacturers to supply more clothes than was demanded by local populations, and the manufacturers were thus compelled to seek elsewhere to market their products. Thus colonial expansion was greatly accelerated. The European aristocracy sought new markets for its products (primarily textiles, in addition to alcoholic beverages, and weapons), cheap labor, and new environmental resource lands to produce its required raw materials (primarily cotton and wool). The church sought new converts to its authoritarian belief systems, including of course fabric body concealment at all times as a matter of piety, morality, decency, and civilization. Governments sought expansion of their global influence, tax base, and increase of their national wealth. Governments also sought to enforce fabric body concealment as a matter of “law” and social “order” as the practice became standard within their own populations and profitable elsewhere within their colonies. Sufficiently indoctrinated populations themselves assumed the belief that they were made more pious, moral, modest, decent, and pure through the practice of fabric body concealment. However, the many cruel atrocities performed by the European church during the middle ages (mostly rooting out indigenous traditional holistic counselors, scientific knowledge bearers, and healing practitioners, many of which were women), the witch trials of Salem Massachusetts, the international slave trade, two world wars, hundreds of large and small scale military conflicts, and millions of more recent violent criminal psychopathic acts tells quite a different history.

Police officer “Smokey” Buchanan measures swimsuit of Betty Fringle on Palm Beach, to see that its length meets swimsuit regulations – 1925

Today there are other means than authoritarian hierarchical institutions for textile manufacturers to indoctrinate their pervasive false message of the necessity of fabric body concealment at all times. Television induces highly suggestible trance states allowing programming to access the subconscious as well as the conscious mind through projection of visual images and auditory signals. Magazines captivate minds with glossy vibrant colorful images and engaging narratives. Newspapers expound the stories mass media consensus determines to be most profitable. The internet engages and interacts with the minds of its users. Advertising more and more invades every aspect of our daily life. Meanwhile women are attacked by various forms of violence, children are harassed to the point of suicide, people starve themselves to death out of hatred for and dissatisfaction with their bodies, and people are routinely ostracized, bullied, attacked, raped, and murdered for what they choose to wear. Actually, clothes freedom (the ability of any person to wear or not wear whatever they want without negative repercussions or consequences) can be a fair indicator of freedom in general within a given society. From what I have seen in my travels abroad, liberty and self-determination tend to abound in the societies where clothes freedom exists. In the societies where clothes freedom is denied, authoritarian hierarchy prevails and other personal freedoms are also at risk.

Young Naturists & Nudists America

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My First Naked Party

(Guest Nudist Blog By Anon)

Naked Party

Naked Party

The post Naked Party appeared first on Young Naturists America.

(Guest Blog By Anon)

Social Nudity And Body Shame

Body Image Issues

I never really thought too much about the little bit of extra weight I have always carried, especially on my hips, thighs and of course, my derriere (my Butt!). I was always able to dress in just the right way so that I could always look at least ten pounds lighter than I actually was. I never thought I would be the “type” of person who has body image issues… That is, until I went away to college.

My first trip to the community bathroom at my dorm kind of shook me up. As soon as I walked in I saw all of these lithe girls walking around. I immediately pulled my towel up and tied it as tight as possible around my waist. In fact, I felt so self conscious that I would get up hours before anyone else just so I could shower in privacy and not have to expose my naked body to others. This went on all throughout college. I never could shake that feeling of being less in shape compared to everyone else.

Over time, I started to get a little more comfortable in my own skin. But that quickly changed once again once I met the man of my dreams. As soon as we started to head down the path of getting intimate, I always had to be the one to jump up and turn off the lights. I never gave my body image issues much until my boyfriend started talking to me about my issues. I was a little shocked at first. It took some time and while it was somewhat of a process, I slowly began to enjoy leaving lights on.

I think, now that I look back, it took more naked time for me to be able to finally accept my body. I started to notice that the more time I spent with my boyfriend without having to worry about being covered up (or having it dark), the more I started to open up. As time went on I was even able to actually appreciate my body. It has taken years, but I finally understand how nudists must feel. The ability to accept or even celebrate the naked body is special a special thing. Today I can finally stand in front of a mirror naked and not hate the person I see. We all have issues and thing we would like to change but we are also all unique and beautiful in our own way.

I guess I could say that being naked in public (or semi public) gave me the tools I needed to accept my body and, in many ways, myself!

Body Image Issues And College

Young Naturists And Nudists America YNA

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(Guest Blog By Anon)

Girl Sunbathing Naked

A Naked Girl Story

Being a girl and growing up in a house of four other girls, nudity was never a big deal to me. If it was not myself I was checking out in the mirror it was my sister’s naked butt I had to watch bounce from the room we shared to the next door bathroom. However, this was all within the safety of our home and the security of our walls and the privacy of a family. I never imagined that nudity outside of these safe spots would feel any different.

My first social nude experience, I was fifteen years old. All of my friends and I were invited by one of our other friends to a cabin up north. It was in the beginning of July and the days were hotter than ever. We spent hours upon hours out on the lake and if not there then enjoying iced drinks on the dock. Staying cool was the top priority.

The first night some of the boys brought up going skinny dipping. However, the idea got shut down since most of the girls were not interested. The second night, however, was a different story. The majority of the girls were burnt to crisp and suffering from hot flashed. So even before the sun was fully set, all of us tippy-toed out to the beach.

I really was not expecting the experience to be anything other than what I had witnessed at my house. Nor did I think it would feel any different. Till that point in my life, I had never seen the opposite sex undressed and only a couple of the very close girlfriends.

The boys went first. I could not stop staring. Of course, I knew what it all looked like, I had seen it in movies, pictures, and general media. However, it all seemed so much more “real” when it was “flopping” right there in front of me. My initial feeling was that of shyness and discomfort. As though I was eavesdropping or looking through the window into someone’s home.

Then the girls went. I was a little less shocked, however, I was surprised by the variation. Every naked girl I saw, had her own unique body. Some of the naked girls had fat in different spots, others seemed to have none at all. Even the girls with generally the same breast size as me, had different shaped breasts.

By the end of the day, I was impressed with the naked girls’ bodies while I was still quite uncomfortable with the boys’. I suppose the reason why I did not notice the nuances of the boys’ nakedness was because after the first few seconds I chose to look away as much as I could.

For months after, I felt as though I had done something really wrong. I felt as though I was supposed to look away even more.  I guess, I was not ready for nudism yet, not at that stage of my life at least.

Naked Girl

Young Naturists And Nudists America YNA

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(Guest Nudist Blog By Anon)

A fellow Streaking Guru At Work

Streaking

I have never been very much of a daredevil. But there has always been something so seductively enticing about the experience of streaking down the street. I had heard stories of others doing it as a dare, or even when they were intoxicated. Naturally I wanted to try my hand at it. The only things that have been standing in my way were the lack of appropriate opportunities (cop-out I know), and the confidence to actually do it. That all changed one night during high school.

I was at a party with my girlfriends when someone mentioned that no one had gotten naked yet. Most of us simply brushed off the comment and continued to hold our conversations. However, as the night progressed, and people became more relaxed, the idea suddenly didn’t seem so bad. A few people joked about the idea of heading to the store and disrobing in the middle of the aisle, but that idea was way too risky. Instead, a handful of us decided that we were going to streak down the middle of the street.

After about the first five minutes, the initial excitement that was in my mind was replaced with anxiety. I had never been really all that comfortable with my body image, so the idea of actually showing all of it to anyone and everyone was mind-boggling. I began to think of ways in which I could back out without looking like a coward. But I could find none! The only option I felt I had, if I did not want to look like a chicken, was to go through with it and suffer the inevitable consequences later.

One by one, people began getting naked. They Were dropping their clothes on the porch and took their turns running up and down the block. As my turn got closer and closer, I began to feel more and more anxious. But as I stood there, in my t-shirt and panties, I began to realize just how fast the experience really was. In addition, it seemed as though most people were feeling the same sense of nervousness as I was.

And then it was my turn. Once I was at the head of the line, I decided to pump myself up so much that I could actually go through with it. However, instead of taking my clothes off in front of everyone, I walked far enough away from them to where I could take them off alone. And just like that, I was naked in public! But once I was naked and began running down that street, I was amazed - it felt so exhilarating!

At the time, I was only really proud of myself for actually going through with it. But looking back, I see how significant that experience was because it was the first time I just felt free.

I totally understand the appeal of nudism and why so many people chose to embrace a nudist lifestyle – it was of the most freeing experiences of my life! 

Streaking

Young Naturists And Nudists America YNA

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( By Anon )

Naked Boys Running Into Lake

I am the body,

the body is me,

created by the Divine.

My spirit and body are woven together

making it all one, inseparable.

Out in the wilderness I commune,

stripped from raiment I bathe in nature’s embrace.

The trees are the pillars of the temple,

the sky of blue the ceiling, the clouds tapestries,

the sun the lantern.

Run naked with me,

innocent like little children,

we say goodbye to the working world, goodbye to false pretenses

as we embrace reality without a façade,

if only for a little while.

We’ll swim like dolphins in the water,

all the while enjoying its gentle massage.

We’ll dance all day under the sun

into the night

when the cool glow of the pale moonlight shine its magic upon us.

The wind will sing to the tune of a gentle breeze,

a melody so sweet and soothing,

and we’ll sing with it.

Let’s all laugh together

and run through the trees and into the fields,

cherishing bonds of friendship

as we wash our feet in the running water of brooks and streams.

Brothers and sisters we all are.

In God’s image we are created,

male and female, naked and unashamed.

Of all body shapes, of all sizes,

of every age, from the child to the teen to the young adult to the old and wrinkled,

each one a work of beauty

lovingly created by heavenly hands.

Naked we are all innocent again

Naked

Young Nudists And Naturists America

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Rachael Delmar

Guest Blog By: Rachael Delmar

Getting people to open up and share their experiences, struggles, hopes and aspirations, is just one of the things that we do at Young Naturists America. But in my opinion, these personal stories are extremely important. When we share our most intimate fears and experiences we not only begin to heal ourselves but we help others as well. In this instance, I reached out to Rachael in the hopes that she would be willing to talk and share with us her own personal struggles with body image. As we were reading her post, Felicity asked me why she was willing to reveal some of her most intimate thoughts and experiences. So we decided to ask her, and here is what she said: 

“I do it because I want to feel brave, like a survivor. I want others to know that no matter what, they are never alone and they have nothing to be ashamed of. It took me years to be able to do this. I know how hard it can be because I had to get to this point alone.”

YNA is not about the “me”, it is about the “us” and “we.” Together we can help each other move past those issues that hold us back. The only way we can make an impact is if we all work together to teach people how to be more accepting and compassionate. Together we hope to teach people how to be more tolerant and essentially, how to be more human. 

Again, sharing personal body image struggles is difficult so let’s all show her some support… and some love!

Distortions

mirror un-friendly you speak conversationally.

mirror mirror they surround

showing distortions

hypnotized

un-realistic

image

burning in head

flaming through eyes

the visions unclear

If someone were watching….

My Mother When She Was 19

That someone never fails to be me, viewing myself through my mother’s eyes. I dream of the day when I can look at my body through the eyes of others who say I am beautiful.  I remember the first time I confronted my soul out loud.  If anything, my mother did create a warrior.

As I grew, I watched her scream about being fat, starve herself, and berate me for eating too much.  She became everything I never wanted to be. 

She tortured herself until she reached 98 pounds.  A weight that made her lose her hair, and created the psychosis she suffers from today.  I can still hear her vomiting a barely touched meal.  She is a ghost in my head whispering into my ear every single day.  “Don’t cure me. Sickness is my me. My terror was you’d set me free.” -Frederick Seidel

I was too young to understand the meaning behind her compulsions.  My innocence was lost.  She looked at me and saw her child as fat. 

This was the start of a life that I never wanted.

My Mom Today

I have always vowed never to be like her.  It became my blood oath.  I do finally understand that some things can never release their grasp on your insides…….

By the age of 12, I weighed 120 pounds.  I didn’t know the meaning of calories.  Exercise was a thing we did in school.  As a ‘chubby’ kid, this was a moment I dreaded every single day.  I was surrounded by girls I envied in ways that knew no bounds.  I never longed for their expensive clothes or the ability to capture the boys.  I only yearned for their bodies.  

As the years went by, I grew into a more ‘womanly’ body.  Yet, I could never erase her voice in my head. 

By graduation, I was on a mission to become my own woman.  I wanted, needed, to emancipate myself from her grasp on my soul. I was so concerned about such a meaningless ideal, that I didn’t find myself on the road to graduating college.  After all, this was the one goal she did not instill in me. 

So I ran… from her and from myself.  I trained myself to exude confidence that most times I did not feel. 

I continued this marathon until the age of 21. I thought that if I could metaphorically run, I could kill the pavement as well as my mother’s issues. 

I still recall the day I ran 3 miles without stopping; the time I raced to 9 when my grandfather died. 

Endorphins became my drug of choice.  My weapon.  Yoga became my meditation, the flow was like sex.  The gym was my safe haven. 

I began modeling both clothed and nude.  A visual to really try and see what I looked like, through other’s eyes, not my own or hers. I began taking courses on nutrition and psychology.  I still possess the textbooks.  I refer to them as if they are my bibles when I feel I am on a downward spiral. 

Here is where I found my power and control.

I made everything a burn of muscles. 

I became obsessed.

…..still looking in the mirror, scales my enemy.

Not listening to anyone, in the past year, I have gotten down to 107 at 5’6”.  I don’t know the meaning of too skinny.  I only know the things that haunt me.

My battle is a daily curse every single day.  Instead of starving myself, I try and try to be healthy.  My only lesson is to try and embrace her and what she made of me.  Like the warrior she made of me, I am starting to own my body in the right way.

I know I will never be free.  Yet it is like a perpetual fire under my ass.  It ignites me to fight and never stop.  Most of all to never give up. 

I now own my muscles at the proud weight of 120. Back to where I started at age 12. The irony is not lost on me. ;)

I Am Empowered!

Young Naturists And Nudists America

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