It seems like everyone in the world is, in the digital camera age, taking nude photos, either of themselves or a partner/friend.

A couple of years ago I wrote a piece about not comprehending nude selfies. I still don’t. Then there was the article about me apparently being out of touch in this regard.

Perhaps it’s because I’m a naturist that I don’t ‘get it’. I’ve thousands of photos of us nude over the years, all in naturist situations. The only time we’ve taken photos that weren’t naturist were during each of my pregnancies, setting aside a night in the month to photograph my increasing tummy, part of each of our children’s ‘journey into life’.

I’ve never had any urge to stand in the bathroom, mobile phone in hand, snapping away.

They say that men think about sex every seven seconds, but let me tell you…stick a group of women together and they can shatter that remarkable statistic!

I was out recently with a few female friends for a ‘pampering day’ at a spa, as part of a ‘significant birthday’ celebration. Afterwards, we headed to dinner, some wine was consumed, and the conversation then turned to sex. And fellas, please know that if you put a bunch of women together and add in a little alcohol, the air is full of innuendo.

Eventually, the chat took a turn towards personal nude photos. Most of those in attendance know I’m a naturist, so I outlined, to them, what I’ve just said to you in the lines above. I’ve never felt any need for photos to involve a cell/mobile phone, and I’d certainly not be interested in moments of passion being interrupted by the presence of a camera. We like to focus on the passion. 😉

I was rather shocked to discover I was the only one who’d never taken a naked selfie. Everyone else at the table appeared to be taking them quite regularly, and were now utilising nude photography and video into their sex lives to ‘spice things up’! They were even confessing to having videos or photos of themselves and their partner indulging in oral sex, or full penetration and even, in one instance, a lady of rather more mature years confessing that dressing up and indulging in some ‘light bondage’ was now part of her sex life. I’m not sure what ‘light bondage’ is, or how it differs from ‘heavy’ or ‘medium’ or ‘needs a crane to be lifted’ bondage, and I didn’t think, or care, to ask.

SL avatars take a camera into their bedroom

But this lady of certain years claimed that her diminishing sex-life had been reignited by digital technology (and toys), with it extending to some exhibitionism, going out without underwear on, flashing for her husband who would take photos, etc,.

A mature lady provides a small portfolio of herself in various scenarios.
While this lady is perfectly at ease posing fully and confidently nude on holiday, presumably for her partner.
Even if unprepared to go fully nude for the camera, increasing numbers of women are perfectly at ease going ‘topless’ Topless, but no further? Lingerie might be the preferred option for some women In the shower… …or at home… In the bathroom, ‘age’ no longer being a thing where many, many women think they no longer have the body to bare. While some women will pose, on assurances that their identity is blurred Swimsuits may be the preferred option And it’s not just a ‘young woman’s thing’, as my experience at dinner showed. Older ladies are happy and confident in their own skin.

 

None of which has any relevance to naturism, or this blog, at all.

But…

…at that dinner two of the ladies present were very keen to know about naturism, and maybe going on holiday to a naturist beach.

‘I like the idea of walking naked on the beach and maybe a little fun in the dunes’, said one. ‘How hot might the sex be when reviewing photos and video of that!’

Wait a moment!!!!! Let’s retrace our steps here.

I’m all in favour of ‘new naturists’ discovering the lifestyle, but it got me thinking how new technology might be attracting people with the wrong idea of what naturism is. I’m particularly fond of the idea that women are much more confident in their bodies than might once have been the case.

For years, decades and perhaps the entirety of naturism’s existence, we’ve hammered away with the message that it’s not about sexuality, but body freedom. It’s not about sex, it’s about comfort and logic applied to pursuits like running, swimming and sunbathing. It’s not about showing off all manner of genital jewellery in a peacock-like display. It’s certainly not about sex in the dunes.

Of course, I’d be dreadfully naive to suggest that there’s no sex at all in naturism. After all, I’m a woman who -as far as I can be certain- has conceived three times while on naturist holidays. Yes, we like to get passionate with each other, particularly when away from the routine of home and work, when we’re feeling energised and enjoying one another’s company. But I never felt I needed to conceive in a sand dune! And yes, with a balcony not overlooked in one apartment we’ve used, high up on a third floor, even some outdoor passion has even been enjoyed. But we’d not have considered it something that needed to be public for what is a private activity. So, sure, sex does occur while on a naturist holiday, but no more or less than it might on a textile holiday.

I’ve written before how I feel that the arrival of digital technology has led to an explosion in nude photography, either with selfies or a partner taking photographs and how this might have led women to think slightly differently about their bodies, making them more confident to do something they’d never have dreamed of doing 50 years ago, (see the gallery above) when the only women getting naked for the camera were models or the partner of some guy who had photography as an interest. It used to be that you shot a film, then dropped it into the chemist (pharmacist) for development (at least it was the case here in the UK. I’ve no idea how other nations approached the issue of having film developed). Around the time I became a naturist the old ‘instant polaroid’ cameras were already readily available, but I didn’t own one, so no photos exist of my first time as a naturist. A shame, really, as I’d have loved to have had some from my first time as a naturist as I’ve pretty much got a full collection of my subsequent naturist life. I’d never have allowed film to be dropped into a chemist for development, not even a topless shot, never mind fully nude.

A gallery of photos from the time when Cap D’Adge was genuinely naturist.

My first time was at Cap D’Agde, in the south of France (I’ve written about this before, check the archives), a huge ‘naturist city’, complete with almost every shopping facility you could find in any other town, and the photos above give a flavour of what it was like when I was there. They did have facilities for developing film, but neither I or cousin Sylvia, who was with me, felt we wanted to leave the film in to be developed. Go figure! We were happy to be naked all day, quite possibly under the gaze of someone’s camera, but rather didn’t want photos of ourselves to exist while unclothed!

A few years later, Cap D’Agde lost its naturist innocence and the swingers, exhibitionists, voyeurs, foam party and sex-in-public crowd moved in. How it changed, for the worse in my opinion, is well documented online, but not really within the remit of this blog, as it now doesn’t really qualify as genuine naturism in my eyes.

So women appear to have had some subconscious change in their thinking as far as going naked for the camera is concerned, even during the course of my naturist lifetime. When I began, I was 18 and rather shy of telling anyone about my naturist experience. As a couple, Jim and I didn’t tell anyone for a couple of years. Now we’re quite open about it, and what’s more, people love to hear about it, with many saying they’d love to try it.

But, to get back to my point, are they getting into it for the wrong reasons? Do they arrive at it with the wrong perceptions? Are they being educated as to naturism’s real values? Or will we get to a point where the lines between naturism and libertarian behaviour are further blurred?

Ella