archive entry: 4th September 2011Naturism dances2 a whole new tune @Abbey House Gardens!Britain's young naturists go to da House!

September 4th, 2001 was an awesome day, true?  

The sun shone on the righteous, lol, for the swan song of this naturist summer at Naturist Heaven .......a.k.a. Abbey House Gardens.   

A swan song for the weather, yes!   

But for naturism and its future, it was an epic, resonant overture.  

It started with a question…. is naturism just another form of retirement home?  

Well, yes, actually, but not all from a negative standpoint. Kevin Porter very interestingly told me yesterday at the Gardens that, although he has always espoused nudism, he had only done so socially for the past few years. Of course he wished he had done it earlier and feels that that applies across the board.

So, have we always been this way? Would we have all loved to have “done the rounds” in our 20s and 30s, only for priorities to stand in the way, like security, a career, a family, a home, multifarious ancillary responsibilities, ego issues and what with strikes last Tuesday, Arsenal in the Cup and the state of the economy etc etc etc?

I think Kevin has a point and the obvious conclusion is that many naturists take up the lifestyle late because default of all the above leaves a vast hole in their lives to fill.

Another prime mover in the dearth of the teen and tweenie element in nudism is probably our obsessive society. Those age groups these days are pied-Pipered into a virtual reality world where you are your brand, or nothing. There are no "Lacoste boobs," no "Nike skin," so naturism is antipathetic to the younger generations’ lifestyles. The Naturist Foundation has the right idea, allowing dressed teens among kids (who you can’t keep the clothes on) and older nudists (who are past caring) in a rather odd dressed crab sandwich called “clothes optional”.

But it is my understanding that too many clubs are far to strict on enforcing nudity; hence no younger members.

Another own-goal is the blanket discouragement of the “single male” as is he were some lascivious pseudo-rapist. Damn, I am a single male and the chance for me to do something untoward would be a miracle of biblical proportion.

The point I am making is the result of this “ban” and I am not sure if the clubs are being illogical or simply deviously clever. Like it or not, men and women are equal but they are not the same, and thank the Good Lord for that! I  love my fmale friends , but I would hate to think the highlight of an evening out would be to chat up the likes of Daryl, Steve A, Richard and Rick, LOL!

The background here is cultural usage. The parameters are: most older naturists are married; most younger nudists are single. Therefore, singles tend to be the younger element. Moving on, since I awoke into this firmament, it has been clear to me that, traditionally, the male leads socially and the female follows, like it or not. So….. if the single male is banned from “leading” then consequently there will be no “single female” to follow.

Ergo, the “retirement home” status quo is protected from disturbance by those noisy youngsters.

Misunderstanding or deliberate?

It does seem to me that the young brigade need to break away from the old school.

Hearteningly this trend was all too apparent at Naturist Heaven yesterday, when the Alexs, Daryls, Mollies of the world provided a new source of energy that can only bode well for our future.  Since a minor coup d'état, Andrew has released himself from the CCBN shackles to say all the right things he always believed in; the Channel4 camera crew were both unobtrusive and positive. The keywords were tolerance and compromise. There has always been a “nude-or-nothing” caucus among the BN elders, which is not conducive to the naturist principles of tolerance and all-acceptance. Here it was clothes-optional, which is surely the democratic way, in the literal (consensual) sense of democracy.

The new drive is focusing now through the universities, where it will be met with newly-liberated, educated, inquiring minds. It has always been a tradition, even in my university days, that young social events and activities were started by students and others then followed.

The country will also be scoured for minor Abbey House Gardens’s, an interest of all generations, but infinitely more young-person-friendly that the cyclopic club circuit.

Also a catalogue of venues for non-lascivious discos (not Steamy-Specs's no-dress-code variety) is being investigated, with positive naturism-sensitive management planned.  Daryl and I are already looking towards out-of-season parties and dances.  We have a venue, in Brighton, but it will take time.   Then maybe eventually .....a YBN roadshow?  Why not!  

The missing persons? The dinosaur societies, the nudist clubs! They and the BN old school will be left to their self-locking devices. They have a very important, indispensible role to play…. but not in the new world.

And all of this will not be naked; it will, as I said above, be clothing-optional, a complete break with traditional BN prejudices. That allows naturists and their non-nudist friends to share our wonderful lifestyle together. Who knows; naturism may in time cease to exist as a word as we become gradually homogenised.   

Then one of our main visual barriers,the “-ism” of being naked, will be removed.

So, yes, naturism as we know it is an old person’s retreat. But….. soon it will be naturism as it is forgotten.  

The new wave is rolling on to our shores.  

Thank you to Amanda, Rakhee and the ZKK crew for such a positive, pro-active, unobtrusive atmosphere you created, which only enhanced the visitors' confidence in your impending programme and not least increased confidence in ourselves and our community.

Thanxxx2 Andrew for pulling the carriage for this whole affair and for representing our lifestyle in the only way it can do to sustain itself.  

Thanxxx, too, to the clothed visitors for being such a heads-up important part of the meeting of lifestyles  

.....and of course thanxxx2 Ian and Barbara for as ever providing the unbeatably perfect surroundings for the day and the concept.

Especially thanxxx2 Alex, Mollie, Daryl and all the younger guys, for the ideas, for being the power-source and the energy and for leaving me (us) with breath-defying optimism for the future of our lifestyle.

Oh.... and for being the beautiful new generation of UK naturism.  Luv'U'all!

All is cool in out here in Naturist Country.