Being ‘older’ in RL, my SL avatar tries to reflect that. But naturism is an ageing lifestyle, it would appear, and there are many initiatives around the world to try to arrest its ‘decline’.

Personally, I don’t think it will ever die, but younger people will tend to simply go naked on a beach without feeling a need to be organised into a single (by region or country) entity, and possibly will fail to grasp that without a sense of organisation their ‘naturist rights’ will be rapidly diminished.

The AANR, the American Association for Nude Recreation, published a Naturist Bill of Rights, which you can view, download as a pdf and print out and frame, if you wish, via this link.

With age, the metabolism slows and gravity takes its toll. It’s hard to keep in shape, but the naturist lifestyle does assist in this, lending itself to fresh air, exercise (we all swim, don’t we?) and good eating. Certainly, some of us of a certain age are no longer our younger, more beautiful or handsome selves. Balding, with a paunch, sagging breasts, but comfortable with our own body image. Confident in a way that the more lithe, younger generation lack.

When I do write for SLN it’s almost inevitably from the perspective of being older.

Even Elle McPherson, the stunning looking 50 year old actress and model (and thus a role model for exactly my generation) once said she had all sorts of flaws and imperfections, but refused to name them because she said it would make people focus on them.

We, the older naturist generation (although I’d put myself down as being at the younger end of the older generation 🙂 ) are well aware of our imperfections and disregard them for the purpose of our nude recreation. None of us are ‘perfect’.

No body is perfect, but every body is beautiful.

I’m currently working on a series of interviews with older looking avatars (some of whom are naturist) in SL, to see why they choose to adopt such a look in ‘Neverland’, the SL where no one has to grow old, and the freedoms and limitations that adopting such a look entails.

I hope to publish this post soon.

Barbara