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| Discovering the nude you. |
| Posted: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 |
There are many activities that a person can enjoy without clothes on.
A nice hot bath comes to mind, as does a good long sleep under a weighty duck-down comforter that has been slipped into a freshly laundered duvet cover made of 500-thread-count Egyptian cotton. Delicious.
But what about public displays of nakedness, like nude sunbathing?
Yes. I enjoyed this activity once many years ago when I was hired to perform stand-up for a three-week run in St. Martin. This delightful Caribbean island practically insists you be nude at the beach, and my co-performer, who happened to be a very good friend, secured a nice secluded spot away from prospective audience members where I could partake in some nude sunbathing, and he some nude snorkeling.
The warm soft sand was like soft powdered sugar, and it made for a most welcome surface for this first-time nude sunbather, and from that point on the notion of wearing a swimsuit seemed quite silly. I can remember swimming in the clear warm waters of the beaches of St. Martin, thinking about the first time that I ever skinny-dipped. I was about 13-years old, and was over at a friend?s house when her parents left us there alone. We had planned this skinny-dipping session for a while and couldn?t wait to strip-off our soggy little bathing suits to experience the naughtiness of our first time swimming in the nude. I?ll never forget that rush of excitement and pure sensual enjoyment, feeling that swimming pool water glide over every adolescent body part.
Organized nudists have for many years enjoyed nakedness along with their traditional activities. One nudist enclave in Washington state, Forestia, boasts family fun-filled Fourth of July celebrations, Saturday night socials, and casual gatherings, such as Nude Movie Night at Richard and Pam's. There's even a Naked Karaoke night. Whoah. To partake in Naked Karaoke night I would have to get really drunk, and I mean giant rum-infused Polynesian-style drinks-drunk.
If you are a bicycle enthusiast and have always wanted to ride nude en masse with a group of other nude bicycle enthusiasts, then the World Naked Bike Ride is right up your alley. People in cities worldwide gather on specific dates to "celebrate the power and individuality" of their bodies, which are usually bedecked with colorful body paint. This organized ride carries with it political undercurrents of protest against oil and automobile dependancy. Offshoots of World Naked Bike Ride day could include Naked Ride the Bus to Work day, or Naked Carpool day.
And if you find yourself in the Dutch town of Heteren, you can add nude workouts to your list of "Things To Do" thanks to Patrick de Man, owner of the Fitworld gym. On March 4, de Man will debut "Naked Sunday" at Fitworld. Only in the Netherlands could a nude gym night fly. Can you imagine Gold's Gym or Balley's Total Fitness hosting an all-nude workout night? No. It would never happen. Not only are Americans overly prudish when it comes to nudity, but we Yanks have far too much invested in our zippy workout clothes purchased intentionally to hide our perceived flaws.
Boy, I love the Dutch attitude toward life. I hope one day I can spend some time in a country that practices multi-platform tolerance. How wonderful it would be to be able to raise a child in that atmosphere.
But back to naked gym night, there is one question I feel compelled to ask: where in the world do you put your iPod? And another thing, you?ll want to be sure that you have a spotter that you can trust while you do your squat-thrusts.
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