The Nude Life

OK, let’s get our terms straight: the term “nude” does not take any modifiers. You can’t be “semi-nude” any more than you can be “semi-dead” or “semi-pregnant.” It’s like “unique.” Something is either unique, or it isn’t. There is no such thing as “fairly unique” or “pretty unique.

Likewise, saying someone is “semi-nude” doesn’t tell you anything more than saying that they are “partially dressed.” Nude means nude — no clothing being worn. Not topless or topfree; not “barely clothed;” not “partially undressed.” You can’t be semi-nude. Being “semi-nude” means you are dressed or clothed to some degree.

The exception to this would be regarding footwear as the young lady at right is demonstrating. Quite often, nudists are obliged for safety or comfort reasons to wear shoes, sandals or other footwear. Someone wearing shoes or sandals who is otherwise unclothed would still be considered nude in my book, as footwear is a type of attire distinct from clothing.

Agree? Disagree? Counterexamples? Please share and debate in The Nude Life Forum!

Dear Readers -

As you see above, the header art for this blog needs replacement. I’d love to have a tasteful image of simple nudity gracing the top of each page of this blog, but I have not been able to find a nice image that is either in the public domain or for which the owner would allow it to be used here.

And so I am asking for your help! Please, if you can think of or find a suitable image of some kind that you think captures the essence of The Nude Life blog, please point me to it or e-mail it to us. Thanks!

Meanwhile, in The Nude Life Forum, we have visitors asking about finding a nudist community in which to live full-time, how to get started in social nudism, and several other topics that deserve some discussion from our visitors. Drop in and see what’s being discussed, then offer your own viewpoints on these and other aspects of The Nude Life.

And finally, do you want to keep up with The Nude Life blog? Just subscribe to our RSS Feed!

We are in New York City for a few days, and so of course we will be nude nearly half the time. Our hotel is just steps from Times Square, and therefore we’ll probably bump into the Naked Cowboy as we usually do during every visit. But aside from the 14 or so hours a day we’re out of the hotel supposedly earning a living, we’ll chill out in the nude, in the hotel, while taking in an amazing view of 42nd Street.

With views like this, it’s our preference to leave all the lights off in the room and let the lights of the city add a soft glow to the hotel room. Some mellow music from Soma FM coming through iTunes, and simple nudity along with a glass of wine at the end of the day, make a long day of travel almost pleasureable. Leaving the drapes open and the lights in the room off provides us with both the freedom to be nude and not be visible to anyone who might be able to see into our 44th-floor window, but also to let the spectacular lights of the street below add a tender glow to the room.

It’s a wonder we made it through so many years of the business travel grind before discovering the relaxation and unburdening that a nude night’s stay in a hotel can be. A few hotels we’ve stayed at even provide little tea light candles in the room to help add to their guest’s decompression. Would that they also invite their guests to disrobe and relax in the most natural way possible!

Now it’s our habit to immediately undress upon reaching the hotel room after our journey or the day’s work. Unpacking, doing e-mail, phoning home — they can all wait until we’re nude and much more comfortable. And so like every night in a hotel for us, our week in New York City will be spent mostly nude — as we like it.

Are you a “road nudist?” Do you have experiences to share about enjoying simple nudity while away from home? Share your stories in The Nude Life Forum!

We have re-published our series of blog postings from the nude cruise aboard the M/S Holland America Maasdam which we wrote during the cruise in February of this year. The complete series of posts from each day of the 10-day cruise is online in the Nude Cruises section of The Nude Life Forum.

If you haven’t seen those postings before when we wrote them back in February while on the cruise, you can read them all here, in one place, with a few links sprinkled in for reference to some of the items mentioned.

We hope you enjoy reading the posts as much as we did writing them. And as always, we invite your comments, feedback and questions — either here in the comments section of the blog, or in the Forum itself.

This story on today’s All Things Considered from NPR news struck a chord when I heard it. One of the women quoted in the story about women motorcycle enthusiasts said, “You just get addicted to it.” Another said, “Whoever thought that after 50 you could have a totally different life — a lifestyle?” And the reporter offered the most relavant quote: “The ladies of Harley say they ride because of the sense of freedom and independence they feel on a bike.”

Substitute social nudism for motorcycles, and women of Harley with most of the women nudists we’ve met, and the story would be the same.Nudism brings a freedom, an independence, a self-confidence, a camaraderie not unlike what many people find in motorcycle clubs — but nudism doesn’t require a $10,000 machine or special leather clothing to start enjoying the benefits. No need to dress exactly like everyone else on a Harley, either — all those “rugged individualists” all seem to favor dressing exactly alike in the same black t-shirts, blue jeans and red bandannas.

I love motorcycling and rode a motorcycle for many years. The feeling of freedom they offer is wonderful. But it’s nothing to compare to the simple, perfect pleasure of nudism. And there’s a lot less maintenance required when all you have to do to enjoy it is remove your clothes.

What are your thoughts on the similarities or differences between nudism and motorcycling, or other “freedom” hobbies? Discuss and learn in The Nude Life Forum!