vanity comes to all

As a hairy hippy vegan nudist feminist people often think I don’t care what I look like.  I don’t often wear make up and I wear clothing that shows my fuzzy wuzzy legs.  But you are mistaken.  My clashed outfit is carefully selected to make me look, well, however I feel like looking because I like it.

That is not to say that I never have my shallow vain obsessive moment.  I do.  A lot.  Especially when it comes to my tan.  I like having one.  I know you think I’m killing myself with the suns harmful rays, but I don’t care.  Partly I like making vitamin D.  It helps make you happy!  But mostly I really like how it looks.  All bronze and NO tan lines.  ewwwwww.  Tan lines.

OK, so that sounds very nudist-y.  a dislike for tan lines. But oh… my obsession with my own tanned beauty goes farther than that.  I can’t stand it when my nipples are pink.  This is an odd thing to discover about myself as, since I am white, and I was not born into nudism, my nipples have been pink most of my life so far.  but 3 years ago that changed.  I was in the shower one day and looked down at my tan and my nipples were brown!  it was so pretty!

Now due to lovely weather and near proximity to The Beach I was able to keep my lovely brown nipples for a couple years.  Then I moved for a year to a place where nude sunbathing options were limited and it rained.  I had tan lines and this bothered me, (not as much as wearing the actual swimsuit bothered me… ewwww sand granuals caught in my crotch….eugh) but really the problem was how pink my nipplew were.  it didn’t even seem like skin tones.  Skin can be white.. but pink?  It was so freaky.  It was also freaky that it was freaky at all since for the first 22 years they had been that color.

Today I am currently a bit sunburned, but I don’t care at all.  My nipples are brown again!!

Clothing Optional status of San Onofre is threatened

I got the following in an email today.  If you are willing to be known, please write to CA state park director.  Thank you so much for your help and support.

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                     NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
                           ACTION ALERT
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                   http://www.naturistaction.org
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Copyright 2008 by the Naturist Action Committee, which is responsible for its content. Permission is granted for the posting, forwarding or redistribution of this message, provided that it is reproduced in its entirety and without alteration.

DATE: May 21, 2008
SUBJECT: California: San Onofre State Beach
TO: Naturists and other concerned citizens

Dear Naturist,

This is an Action Alert from the Naturist Action Committee. NAC is asking for your immediate help in responding to a serious threat in the state of California.

NAC has learned that Ruth Coleman, Director of California’s Department of Parks and Recreation, has abruptly revoked the application of the Department’s Cahill Policy, as it applies to clothing-optional portions of San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County. Rangers have been told to begin “educating” beachgoers, starting June 1. The issuing of citations for nudity in the traditional clothing-optional area is to follow after 30 days.

IMPORTANT: NAC ASKS YOU TO CONTACT THE CA PARKS DIRECTOR

NAC urgently requests that you contact the Director of CA Parks to express your vigorous opposition to this disastrous change in policy. Detailed contact information is included below. However, so that your contact with the Director’s office will have the greatest impact, please first take a couple of moments to learn about this situation.

THE CAHILL POLICY

Since 1979, the California Department of Parks and Recreation has operated under a policy put in place by then-DPR Director Russ Cahill. The policy came in the form of a memo issued to senior staff, explaining Cahill’s decision not to designate clothing-optional areas in state parks. It also directed that citations for nudity in state parks would only be issued following a complaint and a failure to comply after a subsequent warning.

The policy has been in continuous effect since it was issued. It figured prominently in an important court case (California v. Bost) and was reaffirmed by CA Parks Deputy Director Jack Harrison in 1988.

Details of the Cahill memo, the Bost case and the Harrison letter are included on the NAC Web site, along with the text of California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 4322, which is the authority under which the Director proposes citing those who are nude at San Onofre.

WHY THE CHANGE NOW?

Naturists are always alert to the negative effect that illicit sexual activity can have on clothing-optional beaches. The regulars at many clothing-optional areas are quite effective at educating and discouraging those who would endanger the beach through sexual activities. At San Onofre, the problem has been diminished greatly in recent years, due in large part to those who really care about continued clothing-optional use of the beach.

The traditional clothing-optional beach at San Onofre is adjacent to Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps training base. Although those who wander onto the military base are subject to arrest for trespass, the area is lightly patrolled. For those who seek sex in the open, the military beach has become the site of choice, and the razor wire field fencing at the property line has proved to be no obstacle. Naturists have shown reluctance to pursue the scofflaws onto the military base, and State Park Rangers have no authority there.

Recent retirements among those in the CA Parks management team responsible for San Onofre have brought replacements who are intolerant of clothing-optional recreation. Instead of encouraging and allowing the cooperation of naturists in policing illicit activity, Rich Haydon, the new manager who took over at the beginning of this month, has featured the nearby sexual activity in his reports, using it as an excuse to request permission to put an end to recreational nudity at the beach. Haydon has reportedly represented to his superiors that a majority of those who come to enjoy the clothing-optional beach are participants in illicit sex there.

The response from CA Parks headquarters in Sacramento was the revocation of the Cahill Policy as it applies to San Onofre. The Department is reportedly seeking to insulate itself from sexual harassment claims by park employees who have complained recently of a “sexually-charged atmosphere.” That sort of complaint is customarily reserved for employer-employee or co-employee interaction, and it inappropriately ignores the fact that State Park rangers are peace officers with a duty to arrest those who engage in illicit activities.

IS IT ONLY SAN ONOFRE?

At the present time, only San Onofre State Beach is affected by this change in policy. The real possibility that the same thing may happen at other California state parks is, of course, an ominous specter.

WHAT IS NAC DOING?

The Naturist Action Committee recognizes the severity of this situation and has taken quick action.

  1) NAC has submitted to CA Parks a formal request for an administrative stay on implementation of this abrupt change in policy.

  2) NAC has made Public Records requests for documents pertaining to this situation and the administrative action surrounding it.

  3) NAC is retaining a lobbyist to assist and advise it in the often-difficult area of regulatory procedure.

  4) NAC has retained legal representation and has begun the process that may ultimately result in civil action against the State of California and the Department of Parks and Recreation.

  5) From the onset of this situation, NAC has been working closely with Friends of San Onofre Beach, the local user group. NAC and FOSOB will be meeting with CA Parks officials this week on this matter.

WHAT IS NAC ASKING YOU TO DO?

The Naturist Action Committee is asking you to contact the Director of CA Parks to express your concern and outrage over this turn of events. NAC is also asking you to attend a rally at San Onofre this coming Saturday.

1. CONTACT THE DIRECTOR

NAC is requesting ALL NATURISTS and other concerned individuals to contact the Director of Parks and Recreation, regardless of your place of residence. California understands the importance of out-of-state visitors who come to enjoy the state’s beaches, lakes and streams. The change in policy applies to those visitors, as well as to California residents. While all are encouraged to make their voices heard, the participation of Californians is, of course, particularly important.

Send a letter, a fax or an e-mail, or make a phone call.

     Director Ruth Coleman
     Dept. of Parks and Recreation
     1416 Ninth Street,
     Sacramento, CA 95816

     E-MAIL: director@parks.ca.gov
     DIRECTOR’S OFFICE TELEPHONE: (916) 653-8380
     DIRECTOR’S OFFICE FAX: (916) 657-3903

NAC encourages you to send copies of your faxes and paper mail to:
      NAC, P.O. Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903.
Send copies of your e-mails to:
      sanonofre@naturistaction.org

When you write or call:

   a) Be polite. You have a right to be outraged, but you will achieve nothing positive by name-calling or rudeness.

   b) Be known. Give your name and address. If you are a California resident or a frequent visitor to California, point that out.

   c) Be focused. Keep your call or your correspondence brief and on target.

   d) Be clear. Say that you OPPOSE the revocation of the Cahill Policy at San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County.

Additional talking / writing points:

   a) The precipitous change to public policy was done without public input. That’s not an acceptable way to administer public resources.

   b) The so-called “solution” does not address the real problem.

   c) A recent public opinion poll (the 2006 NEF/Roper Poll, commissioned by the Naturist Education Foundation and conducted by the Roper polling organization) shows that a majority of Americans favor the setting aside of public lands for clothing-optional recreation.

   d) In that same poll, an impressive 74 percent of Americans believe that people who enjoy nude sunbathing should be able to do so without  interference from local officials as long as they do so at a beach that is accepted for that purpose.

   e) Rangers and park managers must NOT confuse simple nudity with lewd behavior. Rangers presently have the authority to stop lewd activity, and that authority does not require the abrupt discontinuation of a long-standing policy that has worked well for years and years.

2. ATTEND A RALLY AT SAN ONOFRE BEACH ON SATURDAY, MAY 24

In close cooperation with Friends of San Onofre, NAC urges you to attend a rally at the beach on Saturday, May 24, 2008. Bring your own handmade signs to carry, if you wish. NAC will be providing a number of “Nude Beaches YES!” signs for participants.

This is an important event for those who are outraged at the Director’s action and who believe San Onofre Beach is worth saving! If you’re close enough to make it, please show up around 10 AM. Parking is limited.

MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Additional information and links are available, along with this NAC Action Alert on the web site of the Naturist Action Committee.

   www.naturistaction.org

Select “Alerts” and find this NAC Action Alert under Current Alerts.

PLEASE HELP NAC TO CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!

The Naturist Action Committee is the volunteer nonprofit political adjunct to The Naturist Society. NAC exists to advance and protect the rights and interests of naturists throughout North America. Fighting for the clothing-optional recreational use of public land is expensive. To do its job, NAC relies entirely on the voluntary generosity of supporters like you.

After you’ve contacted the Director of CA Parks, please take a moment to send a donation to:

   NAC
   PO Box 132
   Oshkosh, WI 54903

Or call toll free (800) 886-7230 to donate by phone using your MasterCard, Visa or Discover Card. Or use your credit card to make a convenient online donation: www.naturistaction.org/donate/

Thank you for choosing to make a difference.

Naturally,

Bob Morton
Executive Director
Naturist Action Committee

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Naturist Action Committee (NAC) – PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Executive Dir. Bob Morton       – execdir@naturistaction.org
Board Member Allen Baylis      – rab@baylislaw.com
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick  – naturist@sunclad.com
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Female nudists need a community of their own

now, I’m not a separatist Feminist, but I do know that in certain situations having men around can make women uncomfortable exploring or trying new things, or discussing topics that are important to be discussed.  In a perfect world these things wouldn’t be taboo for men or women, and could be discussed as a society.  But with the societal constraints we have, approaching nudism as a woman is difficult.

 That is not to say that with our societal constraints approaching nudism as a man is easy, But there are far more male than female nudists, and I can only speak from my perspective.

Women are brought up to see themselves as objects and tools for men’s gratification.  (Even men are brought up to see women this way.)  I know that this is does not apply to 100% of the population, but to some extents our culture tells us this.  look at any magazine, or at pop icons.  Just because there are a few exceptions doesn’t mean the problem isn’t there, or that it’s ok to ignore it.  But I digress…

 If you are a woman interested in nudism, and you go to a beach or a resort, you will be getting naked in front of men.  These same men that you were taught will objectify you, and who will drool over you.  The men that society tells us cannot control themselves if a woman wears a skirt that is too short.  And we’re expected to simply forget society and happily prance about?

It takes time, and courage.  I only go down to the beach when I have male protectors.  Men that I know will keep the creeps away (because it is a public place men who think it is ok to objectify women troll the beach looking for women to stare at and sometimes (though rarely) even jack off to).  I’ve never been to a resort, but I would not go alone the first time even though the pervs are screened out.  I would not feel comfortable.

 It would be utterly fantastic to have a place to go to be naked where I could feel safe.  I feel safe on the beach if my friends are there, but I want to feel unconditionally safe.  I think it would be great to have talks about society and self perception.  What is expected of the female body, and what is the reality?  Let us accept and embrace that reality! 

Once more comfortable with our bodies and ourselves, I think it would be easier to happily prance at resorts with people of all genders. 

 One more comment.  Before anyone says this is reverse sexism and we should allow men,  This is about creating a space for women to join an already existing community.  Not a community completely separate from men. 

Of course it’s my fault, men can’t be expected to take responsibility for their actions

This is such a huge friggin’ issue I don’t know where to begin.  It covers everything from why girls must abide by highschool dress codes, (well too bad if it’s 100 degF out.. spaghetti straps will distract the boys) to honored excuses for raping someone(did you see what she was wearing?).  My most recent run-in with this philosophy is much closer to the former than the latter, but thoroughly annoying at the time. (all this ending a few months ago)

 What made it worse was I was emtionally involved at the time and almost believed it. 

 The long part of the story abbreviated:

I was flirting with and (I thought) befriending a guy for 6 months.  This was all moving very slowly as there was a huge age difference and we met on a nude beach.  flirting in the nude is difficult as there are bigger personal space bubbles.   Anyway… I would think in talking to someone (even casually) on a regular basis you would mention a significant other if you had one.  Especially if there is a bit of flirting going on, just to keep things on the level.

 This did not happen.  I find out he has a Special Lady Friend (SLF) when he decides he can’t kiss me.  His moral sensibilities prevent him from going further!

Now in the discussions that followed this incident came the line:

“Every day I’d tell myself to play it cool, but then I saw you and just couldn’t help myself”

 What praise, right?  I’m just irresistable.  My humorous retorts, my calling out his occasional misogyinistic remarks, my charms and beauty.   Thank goodness I’m still a few pounds overweight.  It made me that much more resistable I’m sure.  Thus my bit of a paunch saved his SLF from true heart ache.  Had I been that much more fit He would not have been able to say no  when he did.

But I didn’t lead anyone on. When I was sort of dating someone I made it known in conversation.  I kept it on the level.  When I became available, I made it clear. 

But it’s my own gosh darn fault that he mislead me.  If I hadn’t been so wonderful he could have resisted me sooner.  How about this for a senario:

If he wasn’t such a jackass he would have been honest with me. (and his SLF)

strong woman vs naked little girl

EDIT: If You are searching for porn I hope your balls turn green, shrivel and fall off. Fuck off pervert.
if not, sorry for the interruption.

I go to a nude beach.  Often 3 or 4 times a week.  I’ve never been to a nude resort but I think that it might be fun.  there would be fewer creeps in a resort.

State beaches are public places.  That means the creepy guy with binoculars isn’t doing anything illegal.  That fully clothed man who is staring at me when I body-surf, isn’t doing anything illegal.    This is a much bigger problem for women than it is for men.   The big problem is there is nothing I can really do about it myself.  If I get up in some pervs face, that might just excite him.  I feel totally helpless.

So what do I do?  I need a man to help me.  Even better if it is multiple men.   I have found a group on the beach that is associated with The Naturist Society: The Blacks Beach Bares.  They really make me feel safe at the beach as a single woman.  We stake out an area and set up umbrellas, and when creepy people (read “creepy men”) show up the guys ask them to leave.  Let me tell you, a clothed gawker doesn’t like being approached by naked men.

Being protected makes me feel wonderful and safe and totally used by the patriarchy.   I’ve done a lot of introspection on the matter.  It pisses me off that I need to be saved.  when I was little and I played make believe my favorite character was “Zorra”.  I was like Zorro, but a girl.  I wanted to save the town from the corrupt and help the people.  I can’t stand needing to be saved, or I couldn’t until I got used to it.

I feel I can’t go up to them.  it would reinforce the behavior.  I mean yes I’m upset, but now they have breasts really close to them.   Here’s my view on it now:

The problem is one that exists within the patriarchy.  I’m currently living in the patriarchy.  A solution exists within the patriarchy.  I can either use this solution, or not go to the beach, or go to the beach and get stared at by creepy people.

I want what I want.  I want to go to the beach.  The guys that stand up for me are kind, and respectful.  Some are more entrenched in patriarchal views than others, but in general they are good people.  I think that just because someone is selfish (about giving up their privilege) doesn’t make them bad.  It doesn’t make them stellar, but I know there is a lot of privilege I don’t give up to make the world better either.

the party has arrived

There are a few reasons I decided I needed a new blog.  The big ones are:

 1. distance myself from whining about my personal life and start a discussion (read monologue with myself) about how I feel about issues that are important to me.

I want to do some introspection.  I’m not sure where I sit on a lot of spectrums, even when it is an important issue for me.  I want to question my beliefs and poke at them to see where they fail, and where I don’t care that they fail.

2. Annonymity.  I’m female and a nudist.  I don’t want to advertise that too much when people know what I look like or can find other information about me.  I want a public place to discuss issues surrounding nudism.  I’m sick of making every post “friends only”.  I want to read comments from people that are new and can help me find understanding in life in general. 

 So here I am.