While visiting a friend in Palms Springs, where the high temperatures were 110-120F, I was introduced to Nutrogena sun screen (I am talking about he creme that somes in a tube, nto hte spray). I found with just one application, I could go in and out of the water all day without burning or having to reapply it. It is expensive, but well worth it. I have never burned while wearing it, no matter how much time I spent in the sun. Abotu a minute after you put it on it is dry to the touch, so you dont' get on clothes if you put clothes on over it. Anyway, if you are fair skinned, it shoudl allow you to be in the sun for much longer. You will still fell warm, but definitely won't be as apt to burn.

The states of Vermont and Oregon have pretty nude friendly laws. In Oregon, you can legally be nude anywhere if you are protesting. The oregon State Supreme Court ruled that nudity is protected under the State's constitution. The wording of the decision is clear about protests, but vague about other situations.

I agree that there probably shoudl be designated places for the practice, but on the other hand, I think people shoudl also be allowed to be nude outside of designated places if they so choose. If they choose to rake on the risks of such actions that is their choice. However, I think few would choose to do so, just as few persons choose to park a brand new car in South Central Los Angeles (a crime ridden area). People so mostly use common sense to reduce their risks.

Anyway, changes in public nudity laws would have to be gradual, to alloow for cultural adaptation. No responsible legislators would go from a total ban on nudity to allowing nudity everywhere over night. That would likely be chaotic.

It would be more like in Europe, where they would designate sections of public parks where nude sunbathing is legal, and sections of beaches stc...

Umm... the statement read as long as they are NOT trying toi sexually arouse either themselves or anyone else.... I suspect you may have accidentally made a misquite which totally changes the meaning of what I said. LOL... luckily that site managers added a feature that allows you to edit posts a couple weeks ago.

One of my favorite T-Shirts reads "If we were meant to be naked, we'd be born that way." It's a lot of fun to see someone read it and see their expression in that split second where their brain is trying to make sense of it.

I do agree that because most people only are nude in the contexts of either sex or bathing, those are the only things that they associate nudity with, or rather the only things that come to their minds. I have a long list of other activities I have done while nude, and seldom ever think of sex (out of a sexual context) when I see another nude person.

Once thing about everyone beign naked, is that there are no cues a to a person's status, so everyone generally treats everyone else the same. If "clothes make the man", than a lack of clothes makes everyone equal.

Right. No religion, no shame. Nature is nature.

Nudity IS legal in USA since 1932.

@snytiger6 People are still products of cultural conditioning and/or biology, re: appearance. In every place I've been naked, there was a definite privileging of those perceived as more attractive.

@DUCHESSA Not everywhere.

@ailurophile It is one thign to favor those you find attractive, and yet wholly another thing to demean those you don't.

One thing I like about nudist clubs is that I have witnessed people beign treated more equally than in any other place I have ever been. There are exceptions, but they are very few.

@snytiger6 That some communities do not have nudist resorts doesn't mean is not legal in that place.

@DUCHESSA True. In Oregon, the state supreme court ruled tht nudity was a right under the state constitution, although the ruling was worded vaguely so the only 100% clear part of the ruling was regarding protesting. The net effect is tht local nudity ordinances stayed on the books,but are not really enforceable as such. The few localities tht enforce bans on nudity instead charge you with "creating a public disturbance" if they can.

TIt is my understanding that on most Federal lands nudity is legal as there are no laws banning it. Tht is also true of many State lands in various states.

U.s. laws regardign nudity are very inconsistent and a general mess though.

You do have a point tht in most places where nudity is legal,mos tpeoel are unaware of that.

gymnasium means 'to exercise naked.'

@GoldenMean actually it means Naked place

'...much to the horror of the jewish peoples...'? The early Jews were not monotheists and shared much with the peoples around them for a long time, even to 3rd CE. If you have sources to share, I'd love to know these. I'm always interested in separating fact from fiction.

Also, I lifted the following from an online encyclopedia:
'...recent studies of human lice suggest that clothing may have become commonplace in human society around 72,000 years ago...' [en.wikipedia.org]. I knew the Jews were an ancient civilization, but...?

Now, regarding the Greeks: I've read there were double standards for female nudity in Greece, the exception being the Spartans.

I have both encountered naked people in public and have sometimes been a naked person in public and contrary to your ideas of what would happen, about the only reaction was some people took out their camera phones to take photos. The vast majority of people didn't have any reaction at all. There was once or twice, but not in the same day, a rabid right wing religious fanatic who would shout at us, but that was the only rare negative reaction.

Before, anyone gets ideas about going naked after reading the above though, you shoudl familiarize yourself with local nudity laws and be familiar with what you can and cannot do legally. I was living in Oregon which has very nude friendly laws.

In regards to item #5 on the list above, in nudist culture it is considered proper nudist etiquette and common in nudist culture to carry a towel or something else with you to sit on, for sanitary reasons, and if possible to shower or thoroughly clean yourself after dedicating.

Wow! You got me laughing my ass off greenchilehound. That was hilarious.

I think it's great satire.

@snytiger6, after dedicating what, may I ask?

The thing about contracts,even social cottracts, is that they can be modified, changed or even broken.

A lot of the point of nudism is to get over feeling ashamed of one's body. I think it is criminal tht we are taught to feel embarrassment and shame over how we look, and are taught that the ideal beauty is what we see in photos that are all touched up and altered to a point that it is impossible to reach in real life.

I'm with you on this.

Me too! I really don't want to see the swinging nutsacks, bushy bushes and floppin titties everywhere I go. Lol...put some damn clothes on....
But swimming topless is a wonderful and free feeling when you have breasts....

Etiquette in nudist culture says you carry a twoel with you to sit on for hygienic purposes.

As to self respect, I think to feel shame over your own body, is showing a lack of selg respect. I think respect in general is to accept people as they are, as opoosed to what clothes they are wearing. I've been to the nude beaches and nudist clubs and without clothing people treat each other equitably, which is treating each oher with more respect than I have seen in clothed society. Without clothing to denote status everyone is seen as being more equal.

Yep -- compulsory would be a bitch.

Yes... clothing does serve the two purposes of providing warmth and protection. However, not everyone needs warmth and/or protection, and so I think clothing should be optional when not needed.

Yes. I live in Cleveland, OH, and I wouldn't go outside nude right now unless there was a fire in my building!

Quit caring whether people were clothed and what they look like. And any shaming men would be naked also, or be made to leave whatever gathering.

Clothing is sexier than nudity!

Wear a scarf....around your neck...LOL

@snytiger6 I heard there are two new Nude Resorts in NY. I will investigate them.

@Hercules3000 Well, if YOU want to spend time with swingers that is up to YOU....

Personally I don't like swingers, as they are presumptuous thinking everyone onlyu things about sex like they do themselves, and they seldom respect boundaries of personal space, which is VERY annoying.

As for things you don't really need clotign for...
walking
running
reading
sleeping
swimming/diving
hiking
gardening
cleaning house
bike riding
sun bathing
Or basically anythgin were you dont' need clothing for warmth or protection.

In ancient Greece the Olympic Games were all played in the nude, so there is a wide variety of activities you can do. Nudity provides more freedom of movement, and nudity was not as big of a deal back then.

It is common etiquette for nudists to carry towels to sit on for hygienic purposes (makes me wonder if author Douglas Adams, who wrote the Hitchhikers's Guide To the Galaxy" series wasn't a nudist).

@snytiger6, common etiquette, like common sense, is not so common, I'm afraid.

@Condor5 Sadly, you are right.

It is considered proper etiquette in nudist culture to carry towels to sit on for hygienic purposes.

Man, I'd be concerned about dragging my wang in the sand when bodysurfing. Ouch!