The urge towards freedom from a rigid dependence on clothing is not limited to certain cultural or age groups, but it may well express itself in different ways. It's possible that the Festival, and other events like it which may develop, represent for the current generation of people 18 to 30 years of age what "free beaches" did for people of that age in the 1960s and 70s.
The large majority of people at the Festival don't go nude, at least most of the time. But anyone can be nude if they wish to be. It's an interesting lesson in how nudity fits smoothly into "everyday life" (if it can be called that in this context) when each person is free to choose how to dress without the usual social Youngs. Although nude people at the Festival are a minority, in contrast to conventional society, they are an accepted minority. Perhaps this is a public nudity issue pattern for a broader part of our society in the future. If you're curious to see whether and how this can actually work - try visiting the next Festival.
Nudity is often a part of the artistic statements that participants create. It may be in the form of body painting, performance art, living tableaux, or whatever an active imagination can conceive. This kind of art is a heightened form of self-expression, but nudity can be a part of any self-expression.
In his essay The New American Holiday, Darryl Van Riley says
Today, as Americans, we live in a world in which the power of the individual seems dwarfed. Who or what is any one of us amid the impersonal forces which drive corporate business or government bureaucracy? We have become a passive people. Our freedom to choose has become the freedom to choose between products. Our inner lives, increasingly, do not belong to the world around us. We have been deprived of community. We live, as consumers, in isolation from one another, and our political liberties begin to seem trivial.It seems to me that these remarks apply very well to people who have discovered the value of nudity and wish to make it a more important part of their lifestyle. Though we know this way of living is in tune with our best instincts, it is poorly understood by the world at large. Our desire for community with others of like mind is frustrated by the simple practicalities of finding and interacting with each other in the midst of an indifferent and sometimes hostile society that is madly rushing to nowhere, under the self-serving illusions promoted by huge, impersonal mass instutitions of media, business, government, and religion. Under such circumstances, our inner lives not only don't belong to the world around us - they don't even belong to ourselves.
People need places they can turn away from this, to find each other, and to find themselves. Sometimes in solitude, and sometimes in community.
The noted science fiction author, Bruce Sterling, in an article about the 1996 festival published in Wired lamented how our society provides convenient venues for many less creditable activities, while art is exiled to a remote desert:
It's all exactly backward. If you want to have a naked pagan art fair, you ought to have it in the padded comfort of a sealed, air-conditioned casino. It would be perfect for this kind of activity. If you want to divorce somebody or feed the gambling bug or lick your chops over paid nudity, then you ought to have to creep off to do that in some remote boondocks where the rest of us don't have to witness your gross behavior. I wonder how our culture got into this oxymoronic situation. It can't be good for us.
Perhaps this exile is ending. The "Festival" began in 1986 as a one man's essentially private gesture. Attendance really began to take off in 1994, and at the same time Web pages started appearing (just as the Web itself was emerging). 1995 and 1996 were "classic" years. The 1997 event attracted about 20,000 people, and there are signs that many spin-off events at a variety of other locations are starting to occur.
"A nude woman covered with mud is an interesting sight, but mostly she
looks like she's undergoing a beach treatment. But take some nude muscular
young guy and armor him face-to-foot in black and gray sulfurous muck
and he looks genuinely impressive, like a New Guinea head-hunting
Mud Warrior. Hey, Nancy and I are with this. It works for us. We strip
the dusty clothes from our middle-aged, married-couple carcasses and
we cover ourselves with mud."
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Copyright © 1998-2005 by Charles Daney, All Rights Reserved
Last updated: January 1, 2005
What if I get an erection? This is the most common concern among men. However, we do not know of anyone who actually had an erection on the first visit. The combination of the non-sexual environment and the unfamiliarity of a first-time visit serves to minimize the issue.Please Visit Related Nudity Links: Nudist Lolita Site | Clips Groups | Teenage | Cheerleaders Porn-Videos | fkk Naturist Beaches | Dvd For Sale Toys | Frontal Nudity | Vintage Nudist Galerie
Miami Nude
Beach Nudity, Please Read!
There's something liberating about the antic of being naked. The
freedom. The exhilaration. The lack of pocket lint. Unfortunately, for
most people the notion of nudity requires some rationale - no matter how
silly that rationale may be. Streaking across a football field.
Skinny-dipping in a lake. Mooning for the camera. Photocopying your
butt. Playing naked Twister. Flashing a nun after sixth-period class,
hoping she didn't recognize you and isn't at this instant phoning your
parents. For most people, it's all about the naughty thrill of getting
caught or exposing a private part. But not for all. No, for many it's
perfectly routine, as normal and natural as, say, kissing hands or shaking
a baby.
Nude beaches are the perfect denominators for these two groups, the
puritans and the pure exhibitionists, the fakirs and the non-fakers. Think
of it as a big game of strip poker where everybody has crappy hands. The
thing to remember is that nude sunbathing isn't about sex or exhibitionism
- we'll leave that to the nudist colonies and Courtney Love. Nude
sunbathing is about elation and free-spiritedness (and avoiding wedgies
and ugly tan lines).
I've made the trek to No Clothes Land many a time. I've dropped trou in
Europe, where it's no big deal - heck, even the Royal Family has displayed
a boob or two (not counting Prince Charles). Black's Beach in San Diego
is world famous for nude sun worshipping. And, of course, here in Miami,
we have Haulover Beach.
One of the misconceptions about nudity is that every human body is
beautiful (Right). The key to inoffensive nude sunbathing is to do just
that - sunbathe. Do not play volleyball in the buff. No grilling or
barbecuing. Even if your Playgirl's Mr. January, do not perform an oil
and air filter change on your auto while naked. An watch the jogging -
you could poke somebody's eye out.
Nude beachgoers often have their social cliques and routines. They picnic
and fraternize, and they love to mingle. Zoiks. These people who sashay
up and down the beach wearing nothing but a smile and a spare tire are the
same folks you find in the receiving line at a wedding wielding a business
card and a can of Binaca.
When I venture to Haulover, I stick close to my blanket or hit the water.
I don’t wander about. It’s like you want to work the room, but there’s
no place to put your hands and no appropriate place to hang your Walkman.
(Plus, you feel like you’ve gone to a party and everyone’s wearing the
same thing.) Personally, I happen to like being naked. It’s never
bothered me. I often get home from work, disrobe, and sit naked on my
couch eating cereal. (Did I just cross the line of too much information?)
Some people are uncomfortable naked. I’m not. What I do have a problem
with, however, is being ugly and naked. Statistics show that the number
of people who enjoy nude sunbathing is proportionate to those who should
put something on. Like a tarp. Or one of those tents that they use when
they’re debugging a house. That one of the reasons why I prefer the
sanctity of my blanket. I can feign sleep (or death, if necessary) should
some naked old man approach me and start to discuss today’s undertow as he
squats liberally in front of me.
Sunscreen: I’d be remiss if I didn’t stress the importance of proper
protection. Those regions that rarely see the light of day are the first
to succumb to the sun’s deadly rays. Hence, watch your behind, or your
buns will be toast. As for – how do I say this politely – garnishing your
weenie, yes, your little buddy needs sunblock, but remember, you’re in
public. There a fine line between safety and pleasure when applying
lotion to Mr. Happy. I’ve seen guys go at it like they’re greasing a fire
pole. So take it easy. Don't make things hard on yourself.
When it comes to accessories, there are certain things you should and
should not bring to a nude beach. Telescopes and binoculars are definite
no-nos. You may think of this as a ball game, but I’m sure the Red Sox
would beg to differ. Likewise with a camcorder – carrying a video camera
at a nude beach is the pervert’s equivalent of driving by a schoolyard
with a van full of candy. As for ready, avoid books with titles like
Justice of the Piece. Stick to Field and Stream, Reader’s Digest or the
Gideon Bible. Sunglasses are a must. If you’re gonna ogle, at least do
it behind your Maui Jims.
As for your random beach bump-ins, there are obvious encounters. Besides
bodies that you’d rather not see naked, piercings are immensely popular.
Popular, I surmise, because they’re in places that wouldn’t necessarily
be exposed at Publix (unless you shop at the new one by the bay). I’ve
seen nipples that look like parachute rip cords.
And below the belt, I’ve seen piercings that made me recoil. (Come to
think of it, I’ve seen coils down there, too.) And little napkin rings.
And something called a Prince Albert. I’ve seen less metal at a gun
show. And shaving. Hmmmm. Apparently trimming the hedges has become all
the rage. Some folks go for the close cropping; others like it smooth. I
haven’t seen topiary this creative since I was at the Botanical Gardens.
Nude sunbathing can be a kick, an exciting way to liven up an otherwise
dull day at the beach. For the ladies, it means being able to wear a
sundress without worrying about unsightly strap lines. For the guys, it
means there’s no need to adjust the boys: it’s a wind sock now. For all
of us it means an escape, a break from our daily worries and cares, a
moment’s freedom where less is so much more – except when it comes to that
sunscreen.
