An Interview with ANW members RnR.

Naturism is the most normal and natural of life choices and yet is wondrous in the benefits that it offers the individual and society. Naturists likewise carry that brilliant mix of the ordinary and the extraordinary. We all have the ability to enjoy naturism, it is the simplest thing in the world to do, and yet taking those steps into it can for many appear intensely difficult. However, most naturists will look back and say that within minutes it felt instinctively easy.

As part of ANW's want to encourage a greater understanding and appreciation of naturism we aim to share a selection of interviews with ANW members to show that naturism is for everyone, and explore the all importanty human element of the naturist and ANW community.

An Introduction

We are Rob and Rin, more commonly known in Naturism as RnR, we are married, with two children, one female and one male. We live in the Manchester area, but are lucky to be on the outskirts closer to the countryside than the urban sprawl. If we had to describe ourselves, most people see us as the odd couple. There is an age gap between us which is wider than most others, but our relationship has never really been about age, it is based more on connection. To put it simply, we work really well together, and have an almost intuitive connection between us. In many ways, we are a couple of misfits, who never really belonged anywhere, and so we created a space where we did, and we call that family.

Rob is an old hippie from the seventies, and Rin is part of the happy hardcore Rave generation. Rob these days (He has changed career a few times.) is a writer, and Rin is a combination of researcher, and is qualified in building, maintaining and securing computers and IT networks. She is also a very creative artist and crafter; she would regard herself as going with the creative flow, and always pushing herself in new directions, and trying new artistic ideas.

Rob's background lists Catering, Restaurant work, Horticulture, Psychology and Counselling. Both of us have a good sense of humour, are laid back, open-minded and liberal in our views, although we do not see ourselves as particularly political. We read a lot, and between us have wide ranging tastes, and bookshelves to prove it. Both of us share a huge love of the wild and are very environmentally conscious.

Our favourite place on earth, is our woodland influenced garden, in which we take a huge amount of joy from growing plants, relaxing and generally fooling around and acting like idiots. We love to cook and gather as a family in the garden to be extra creative, and we are always looking at ways to improve our little special private space. We see the garden as an extension of our home, and treat it more like a room than simply a place to grow things.

Attitudes towards nudity and naturism during our childhood days.

For Rob, Nudity was never mentioned at home, or practised. His school days were very different from today, as he was part of the generation of mandatory school showers after gym, which were large open showers, so everyone showered together. The attitude in school was this was simply normal, and there was no shame in the naked human form. Whilst nudity was not really considered acceptable at home, and coming from a poor background of a single parent with four boys, it was quite normal to share a bath with one of his brothers as a child, and also to have his mother walk in and attack him with the luffa. In that aspect, like school, being seen naked, was not really that big a deal, it had been normalised.

In his teen years, he associated with hippies and rockers, and was part of the concerts and festival scene, of which Glastonbury was the highlight of the year. Back then it was normal to all pile into a van, and head south, camping along the way, and tent living was a big part of his life, as all holidays were spent away from home with his friends camping out in the wilds and washing in rivers. The youth of the seventies generation were very earth based and natural, so to get up, strip and walk into a river with soap, was simply seen as washing, regardless of gender, it was to a degree quite normal, as was skinny dipping. If it was hot, we stripped and swam.

For Rin, who had three sisters and a brother, nudity was neither discouraged or normalised. Walking into the bathroom whilst someone was showering was normal. Sitting on the toilet and chatting with the person in the shower was a very normal thing in her household. Changing in front of each other was again a normal activity not really considered by anyone in the family. Rin’s parents slept naked, so nudity was seen but ignored, and not spoken about. Rin was in a dance troop, and so changing quickly surround by well over a dozen other dancers was simply how things were done, and not seen as unusual.

During the summer when it was hot, it was quite normal for Rin’s mother to sunbathe topless most of the time, but occasionally completely naked, but they were taught that it was not something they could do until they were older. Rin started to sunbathe topless around aged sixteen, but not at home, she would do it at her grandmothers, when her grandmother was not there. She used her grandmother’s house because it was very secluded and private.

A natural movement towards naturism.

Rob separated after a ten year relationship at the time when he was involved in horticulture, he always slept naked, but once he found himself at home, and doing a job that was actually pretty dirty, he would come home hot, sweating, and covered in dirt each day. Once home and inside, he would strip at the door, and walk through to the kitchen, and put all his things in the washing machine to wash and dry for the next day. He would then make a drink and head for the shower.

To him, it appeared pointless to dress after showering, as this would just create yet more washing, so he would cook and relax after a long day naked. Again, for him mainly due to his life around a very relaxed and open minded crowd, it was simply a normal thing to do, and he did not consider himself to be a naturist, it was simply easier and cooler to be naked.

Naturism becoming part of our relationship.

At first in the early days of the relationship, Rob dressed all the time, and slept in his boxers and a t shirt, mainly out of fear that he would be seen as odd or strange by Rin. As the summer progressed and it got hot, kicking off the duvet and or stripping in bed became the norm, and so both of us ended up sleeping naked. At that time we had a three year old son, so when we were needed in the night, we both would attend to him naked.

It is difficult to say how far into our relationship we began to remain naked all the time, again due to our location, winters are really cold so to a degree, we were fair weather naked. In many ways it just simply morphed from sleeping naked, and as we think back, it was not something we really had a conversation about, it was hot, and we were uncomfortable, and so naturally stripped and got on with things. Rin like her mother would sunbathe topless, on a blanket with the kids, our daughter especially loved being naked, and we had no issue with it, which progressed over the years to full nudity outdoors.

In many ways it is odd, because neither of us were raised that way, but such was our comfort with each other that it appeared quite normal and natural. Neither of us considered that this was a lifestyle, it was just us two, living our life at home and raising our son, and then daughter.

Developing thoughts about Naturism as a Life Choice

The most obvious thing to have changed, is we discovered that naturism, or being naked was actually a lifestyle. We had never really considered it, apart from we were curious and had conversations about did others do it? We would notice the odd article or social media post about the health benefits etc, and it was through those early articles we began to understand that what we had done quite normally, was in fact a lifestyle choice others actually made, in many ways, we are sort of accidental naturists.

We had heard the term nudist camp, but never really considered what one really was or even what people did there. In many ways, we did not need to find out, as we have since discovered, that much of what they do, is pretty much what were already doing naturally at home.

If ANW wasn't a naturist site...

Rin has a very long list of things she loves to do, so the odds are, with the atmosphere and friendliness of ANW, we would probably have joined.

Rob is a true writer, he loves pulling everything apart to see how it works, so as long as it has a forum, he will probably be there in the thick of it offering alternative views and taking into account others. If the topic of music or plants comes up, he will be there. You will find Rin in the book section.

Our Naturist Experiences

Naturism in many ways influenced the revamp of our garden. As were enjoyed it more and more, we made changes to increase the level of comfort. Our neighbours appeared to be fine with it, well we had no complaints, so we just continued to spend our time enjoying the sun, and doing all our gardening and craft activities out in the garden naked. Through that, we started to look deeper into naturism, which is another part of who we are, if we enjoy something, we research it. That led us to internet sites, and other naturists, although that also led us to disappointment. We had a thirst for knowledge, so as a result of searching, we began to form a better picture of what social nudity really was.

Our first real naked guest was Rin’s little sister, she had been through a rough time and was having marital troubles, and her self esteem had crashed. We have never hidden our naturism, but never advertised it either, we have always been aware of social conditioning. Rin’s sister over a period of a year talked about how she wanted to dance in the rain, be body painted naked, and be naked on the internet, and at first, we did not take her that seriously. One night Rob challenged her by telling her, it is raining, and there is the door, in all honesty, neither of us thought she would do it. She asked if we would join her as she did not want to do it alone, so we did, and Rin’s sister became the first to join us in the garden.

As a result, others found out, and we had questions as to what it was like and could others join in? It morphed into the occasional visitor to our garden to sunbathe naked, or spend an evening naked talking and socialising with us. Again, it was not really planned, it sort of happened by accident, but it did open our eyes and make us think, so we looked deeper and found another site and joined it. Once again it was site filled with swinging activities and sexual innuendo, and we just did not want that, Rin especially had a lot of offers and a lot of pictures sent to her, and we left the site.

It posed the question to us, should we continue to look, and see if there are actually others like us? We took a look at British Naturism, and we considered this, as we continued our naked life in the garden and house. In 2018 we asked is BN really for us, we were unsure, the only thing we knew was, we wanted to find like minded people, but the sites on the internet were not good experiences. We looked at You Tube, and found the A Naturist Family videos, and watched them as they were uploaded. (A Naturist Family was the name of the website that ANW founders Anna and Steve ran before launching ANW). ANF introduced us to blogs, and we searched out more, and for the first time, began to see that there were a lot of people out there like us. The most attractive aspect of ANF, was it showed a family, up until that point, nudity had been a normal part of life for us all. We never really told the kids, we just let them choose themselves, and as a result our kids grew up being naked most of the time.

Our big year to visit other places was planned for 2020, of which something we had discovered was the World Naked Bike Ride, and we talked about doing it. In many ways it was sort of a test for us, if we could ride naked through a city, we knew we could be naked anywhere, however Covid kicked in, and suddenly the whole world ground to a halt, and we were stuck at home... Naked!

In a bid to gain more information, in 2020 having followed the A Naturist Family videos and then blog, when we read about the launch of ANW, and the reasons behind it, and because we could identify with all the blog posts Anna and Steve had written, we joined ANW. Once again, whilst stuck at home with our plans cancelled, ANW became our window to learn more, and experience for the first time, true naturism, in a family friendly and respectful atmosphere. We joined for free, but very shortly paid the subscription to get more benefits. ANW led to us really experiencing a way of living naked that showed others, and as a result, we decided in early 2021, to join British Naturism as a couple.

Both sites allowed us access to good clear advice, and lots of information, which through the lockdowns, helped us to prepare for our first venture into the naturist world. ANW to be honest, was an easier site to navigate, more relaxed, and a hell of a lot more respectful, and so we spent most of time on it and less on BN which we found a little intimidating at times.

In April 2021, we were invited to blog on ANW, which involved a life membership, we had no issues having spent a year logging in daily taking it on, and we also set up the Naked Gardens Group. Through ANW we took our blogs into the garden and started to document our life, we had no idea if it would be of interest, we just jumped in at the deep end and added our slightly warped humour and hoped other would get it. Up until that point we had shared just a few pictures, nothing really that much. Blogging really lifted our confidence, and as a result, we have really embraced the site, and we planned 2022 with the lockdowns finally over, as our new year to head out into the naturist world.

In early June 2022, true to our word, we challenged ourselves to ride naked through a city, our own city, Manchester as part of WNBR. Luckily a week before Rob posted on BN and got a couple of responses, up until then he had not really heard anything from BN members. We met the members at the park, and for the first time ever in front of none naturist and naturist people, we stripped and jumped on our bikes, and had what was one of the best experiences of our life, it was amazing fun, and that lit the fuse to do more.

Our son who had hit 17, thought it was uncool as his friends disapproved, but our 13 year old daughter jumped at the chance, although she wore a bikini for the ride. She did want to do it naked, but we were wary of public comments.

Seven days later, we attended a coffee morning, which we had seen on a BN forum, it was in our area, literally in the next town, so we got in touch, and went along. In a way it was funny, because it had been set up really for the LGBT community, but it was also a naturist event, so we figured, let’s go and see! Our daughter wanted to come, but we felt we would check it out without her first. We were the only ones who turned up, although the organiser who was ten times more nervous than us, appreciated our attendance, and the three of us sat around drinking coffee and chatting for three hours, it was really good fun, and being naked with him, who we had only just met, felt really normal, I am sure we will invite him to the house at some point.

At the end of June 2022, we were invited at the WNBR, to attend a swim meet in Worsley, Manchester. Two of our newly acquired friends from the ride wanted us to experience the swim, and our daughter was very excited. For her this was to be her first real socially naked experience and she was a little nervous. We entered and stripped in a small changing room, grabbed our towels and headed for the pool to meet our friends, our daughter later told us, for about two minutes, she felt terrified, but once she saw the water, she jumped in, and did not look back, something we are pretty impressed with, and really proud of her for trying it.

The swim was by far the best experience we have had, there was around fifty people, and with the addition of six beach balls into the water, we laughed and mucked about throwing the balls across the water at everyone. Suddenly we had a lot more new friends, and a good few of them, like us, are naked families. We have been invited back to the next one, and we are really looking forward to it. Currently we are planning other adventures into the naked life, one of which we hope will be a beach trip.

Naturism and Families

This has become a sort of troubled spot for us. Our children have always loved being naked, and as we stated, we let them be. Our son took offence to naturism not long after he started high school. At first, he told us, he was uncomfortable with his body, which we understood as he is going through puberty. We had no issue with it and told him it was fine, and to join if he wanted or not. In the last year as he is 17 now, he has been more vocal. To cut a long story short, his friends like a lot of the public think it is disgusting and sexually perverse. He has abstained from all our naturist activity.

Our daughter on the other hand, has gone the other way, she is currently 13. Our son refused to do the WNBR with us, even though we told him he could dress up or wear shorts and t shirt, our daughter was on board with big smiles the moment we mentioned it, her only objection, was we made her wear a bikini to do it.

We really feel that family naturism is actually the most important aspect for the future of naturism. Our daughter has always felt a little bit of an odd ball, because home naturism has always been with adults, as was WNBR. Her visit to the swim, allowed her to see her peers within naturism, and it did her the world of good. Seeing she was no longer isolated and other children love it as well, has made such a huge difference and fuelled her enthusiasm for more. She has one friend (Not a Naturist) who knows about the ride and the swim, and has no issue with it, which again is a massively positive thing for her. Since the swim, she has stayed in touch with the naturist children she met via messaging.

We honestly believe that if our son could see his peers within naturism, he would embrace it again, but sadly, and this is our biggest concern, the impact of social media on his peer group, is having a detrimental effect on him. The saddest thing of all, is he knows it is not shameful or sexual, and yet he has embraced the point of view of his friends, who are greatly misinformed. The most frustrating aspect of all this, is he has grown more body negative because of the influence of his friends, and the cure is literally there right in front of him, his family and our friends.

Not enough is being done to attract families, or young people into naturism, and as a result, families like ours are being affected in a negative way. Families are also being priced out of the naturist world, it is becoming far too expensive for families to take part, and at times, it does feel like if you do not own an eight bedroomed house and drive a Bentley, then you will not be able to afford to continue with organised events. This is just our personal opinion, but it is exactly how it feels at the moment.

It is a proven fact, both medically, and psychologically, that children are not offended by nudity, and thrive around it. They become more secure with themselves and their bodies, and grown into better, more well rounded adults, and yet, little is done to encourage family naturism. We commend all those who try, and have started to avoid any events and places that advertise as “Adult Only.” We will not now or in future support them.

Explaining Naturism to Others and Offering Advice

The obvious is the no shame, non-sexual advice we start with and then we elaborate, and point out the health benefits, and the psychological benefits, of which there is a great wealth of research these days on the net to back us up. We feel that most people are unaware of the benefits, such as Vitamin D production, which is essential to bone density and improves mood. We also point out, that exposing the skin helps lower blood pressure, and allows for the skin to breathe better, which balances the biorhythms of the body, and can help relieve anxiety and lift symptoms of depression. Another move, which could be seen as a little devious, as the whole world appears fixated on celebrity culture, so what we use it to reinforce the normality of being naked, is we list all the celebrities that live a naturist life, we have quite a long list now, which includes the likes of Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Jennifer Aniston, and even Celine Dion, it really surprises people.

We then talk about our own experiences, such as the liberated feelings we get from it, the sheer comfort factor, and how we feel energised and less stressed, also how we have less washing to do, which helps the environment. We highlight we do everything normal people do, just sans clothing, like cook, clean up, garden, and play games. Things like eye contact, and feeling authentic bonds of friendship and comradeship with people are highlighted, and obviously how connected we feel to life and the world of nature that surrounds us.

The best advice is the simplest... BE YOU!

A first time naturist experience can feel scary, especially considering all the misleading information the world puts out. We tell people, walk through the two minutes of fear, and just do it, because once you are naked, you will actually wonder what all the fuss was about? That is a real experience that most people we talk to tell us, the fear beforehand, if far greater than actually being naked. We have seen it with our own eyes, as we have introduced people who wanted to give it a try.

If you are new or are considering naturism, take it from a counsellor who knows (Rob). All those mad feelings of rejection, feeling insecure or that your body is too ugly to be seen, that is the fake narrative of the world and its puritanical influences. Take the step, and embrace your real truth, the truth of who you really are, and stand naked and proud, and actually, you will be very surprised when you realise, it is not that big a deal, and actually, you feel great and the most positive you ever have.

Naturism is for Everyone

Our view here, is naturism should be open to all and inclusive of everyone. Any human being can take off their clothing and walk freely amongst us, and we do not agree with anyone being prevented from doing that. Naturism is natural and authentic for all human beings, we can all be naked if we want. We feel very strongly that naturism should be for everyone, regardless of creed, colour, age, gender or sexuality. If more people embraced it, we feel it would make for a much more relaxed and friendlier world.

Speaking to Friends and Family about Naturism

We have never hidden our joy of living naked, both of our families are aware of it, and when questioned, we talk about the joy of it. We have a small circle of good friends, and they know, as do our neighbours. To date we have had no issues, Rin’s mum was a little odd around the issue at first, but over time she has reached the point where she knows us well, and knows what we are like, and so she has just accepted it and actually has a bit of a giggle about it at times. It does feel a little odd, because Rin grew up watching her mother sunbathe topless and nude when she could.

We do not advertise that we are living a naked life, but we have never denied it either, although we have posted to Facebook that we did the WNBR and we do follow naturist on social media, so we assume, everyone now knows.

The Personal Benefits of Naturism

As a young woman, overcoming an eating disorder, Rin leaned to be comfortable wearing clothes to hide herself. Today, she is massively at ease when naked around others. The greatest benefit of naturism for her, and it is a huge thing, is that these days, she is completely at ease, and fully accepts the body she has now.

To be honest, Rob, has never cared about what other people think of him, he blindly ploughed forward, and is very at ease with who he has become. Naturism if anything has allowed him access to like minded people, something he felt was missing from his life. Genuine friendship is hard to find these days, and we are aware not all naturist are perfect, but considering the world with its fake morals and pretence that everything is perfect, being around other naturists and interacting with them, is a much more honest and genuine environment. Both of us feel valued and accepted, and strongly feel we are part of a very caring community as a result.

Five Words Describing Naturism

Liberating, Calming, Comfortable, Empowering, Natural.

Five Words That Do Not Describe Naturism

Sexual, Shameful, Abnormal, Uncomfortable, Hard

Naturism in the UK

We live in the UK, so for us the law is not that big an issue. It is not against the law here to be naked, simply sunbathing, gardening, or riding a bike naked in a protest is acceptable, and not illegal. It is however illegal to act abusive, or in a sexual manner, causing offence naked, so as long as you act in a sensible and respectful way, no offence is committed.

Nationally there is a lot on offer for Naturists, such as clubs, camps, and through British Naturism there is a whole wealth of events on offer, which is a positive for naturists in the UK. However, considering we live in the northern parts of England, most things require a journey, and a long one at that, we would say that a lot of naturists events organised through the national body, tend to be southern centric, which creates extra expense when considering being involved.

Locally in the Manchester area, there is not a huge amount, we have a Manchester club, but to be honest, it is not very centrally located. It is more on the very outskirts and requires a drive through heavy traffic to get to it. For us it is pointless, as we consider the cost of membership balanced against how often we could use it, we would love a more centrally placed club within Manchester that is easier to access, which would allow us to visit more often.

Manchester has a swim we have recently become involved with it, which is three hours on a Saturday afternoon/evening, on the last Saturday of each month, and it involves use of the whole complex. It is family friendly and reasonably priced, and very well attended. It really is a wonderful experience that is well worth the visit. We are new to the event but have been made to feel really welcome, and it is especially wonderful for our daughter, who has the time of her life.

We are a family, and so the biggest barrier for us is cost, we are not affluent, and some events come with a big price tag. We understand that events cost a lot of money to set up, and as members of the national body we get a discount, but even so, it can still be pricey, especially with the travel costs, which does prevent us from attending some of the events at the moment.

The Future of Naturism

Like all clubs, and societies, new blood is the future, and for naturism to grow and keep going, it has, like everything else to modernise. There is at a times, a feeling that naturism is filled with more old than young people, and to a degree there is some truth in that. A lot of the clubs are established and provide swimming pools, miniten (Mini Tennis) and large lawns and gardens, which is fine for older members who want to relax and soak up the sun with the occasional game, for us, it feels like it should offer more for the membership. We do not feel there is much point paying what is a large sum of money to lie on a lawn, when we have a perfectly good lawn at home, and we can understand why the young feel a little like that is not for them.

Naturist beaches have become a big thing in the last twenty years, and they are great, as long as the weather permits, but for those living inland, once again this involves a trek. Families and young people, do not have a lot of disposable income, especially in today’s economy, so again, beaches which are very appealing come at a cost. We feel, that the future of naturism, could lie in becoming more normalised and about town.

Most major cities have parks, that are not very well attended by the clothed public, they are large open spaces, which few use, so we feel, the creation of communal naturist garden spaces within city parks, (Similar to Germany) could attract a lot of younger people and families. On the WNBR we met in a park, which at the time was filled with young dressed people. We gathered together with our bikes and prepared by stripping. For a time, the park was half filled with dressed and naked people in equal amounts, only one person objected, and they were drunk.

It shows clearly that regardless of the media narrative, dressed and undressed people can find a neutral balance and interact. We spoke to several young dressed people who were curious and asked us about our nudity, and they were not offended and did not object, it clearly showed that there is a way to move forward, and with the national organisation backing it, and we would suggest clear sign posting, naturists could find a closer and cheaper alternative for socialising together in city spaces.

The rise of the new trends in naked yoga, naked gyms, and naked dining, are modern forward looking activities, which are growing at a good rate, they should be encouraged and expanded upon, because not only do they serve all the age groups of the naturist community, they also highlight to the public that there is no shame in being naked in your own skin. They are a massive positive to leading the way forward into the future, and there is no reason, why with support, we could not see specialist naked events in all major towns across the whole country in the future. It is a positive that not only breeds understanding with the public, but also will open the doors for the young and old to congregate and mingle as one naked community. Naturism, needs to get Urban.

The Problems Naturism Faces

In two words, politics and dogma. National and international naturists organisations have become isolated and slow to act. They tend to shy away from collaboration with others, and outside agencies and organisations, they have become believers of their our myths, and in doing so, have lost sight of many of the changes within society that need to be responded to. They preach unity, and inclusion, and yet they appear resistant to work with others. Good examples would be things such as ANW, WNBR, and the free the nipple movement. The sad thing about this is it is creating an us and them attitude feeling, and there really is no need to.

WNBR and Free the nipple, are important causes that show the human body for what it is, normal and not sexual. Both these organisations have become far more effective at generating public interest and acceptance, which is the remit of both national and international naturists organisations, and yet they are lacking in their support of them. The same can be said for ANW, a web site that promotes non-sexual nudity and is growing with great appeal, due to its community spirit. ANW is a melting pot of ideas to help further the naturist cause, and yet there is little or minimum support from national and international organisations, they should have presence on ANW, and yet they do not.

WNBR literally places the naked human form with a strong message of body positivity right in front of the general public, who actually accept and support them. The same can be said for the free the nipple movement, National and international naturists organisations, preach equality for all, and yet are lacking in their support. To have true equality, then women, (something all national and international organisations are begging for) should have the same rights of being topless as men. It should be encouraged and normalised within society, and naturists organisations with their years of work, and experience with governments to modify and amend laws, are lacking in their support.

Media and especially social media are a corrosive influence, with their puritanical views, and again we have to ask, why have the national organisations of every country, not united to challenge the narratives of social and mainstream media, and get the correct facts and messages out there for the whole of the public to see and understand? Science, both medical and psychological backs up the messages of the benefits of naturism, why are our national bodies not using it to set the record straight, and educate the public through the media?

National organisations want the youth to join us, and yet they are not where the young people are, they have youth organisations which are supposed to promote a healthy naked culture for the young, and yet they are lacking in their ability to show up and support their message at major festivals and events that attract youth, they need to engage better if naturism is to continue into new generations.

The biggest advantage of national and international bodies, is that they have done a lot of good for the naturist message on a government level, especially in the area of Law. They need to expand out building on those laws to ensure that every naturist is given the right to express themselves in the same ways any other minority is, and there is much still to be done. We feel there is too much of a political attitude within these organisations who see each other as rivals, and therefore they have become secretive and territorial, that has to stop. All organisations that promote the healthy lifestyle of naturism really need to start working together with one voice to show the world that naturism is easily accessible, and truly is available for everyone, without shame of judgement. Naturism needs to build a higher public profile to combat the misinformation and myths that surround it, and they could play a huge role in that.

One of the most important aspects for all national bodies, is they need to be far more welcoming and accepting of new members. They should take a leaf from the mainstream business organisations, and offer discounted more affordable packages for new members, allowing them their first year at a reasonable price and offering a small discount for renewal of their second year. We feel this would drastically stop the loss of new members who leave after their first or second year, and benefit these organisations in the long run. Let them really experience the organisations and encourage them to be more involved, and they will stay, instead of cancelling their memberships.

If the world became a naturist world

We live in a world where everything is sexualised, the human form has become a thing to lust after. Clothing optional policies would go some way towards normalising the body again to educate people that this is their natural state, and in doing so, it would desexualise the body. By allowing people to freely express themselves with their naked body in normal life, would undo the media and social media’s current narratives that nudity was shameful. That alone would create a seismic shift in the human consciousness, and in doing so, would play a very beneficial role in undoing many of the mental health problems we see in the world. It would remove so much judgement from society that it would aid body positivity, reduce anxiety and go a long way towards helping those who feel lost and depressed, as these things are caused by social media and media narratives, and are psychologically harmful to society.

On a personal and more interactive level, within communities, it could only be a force for good. Once again, acceptance of who we are and who we want to be would become more tolerated, and it is possible, this would play a large role in improving community spirit. Simply removing judgement from society would do a world of positive good for society.

Our Naturist Frustrations

Two words, “Adults Only.”

We are a naturist family, that are body positive, and as much as we have as parents dedicated our life to our children, and as nice as it would be to have time without the children as a couple, we are a family through and through, and that includes our naturism. There is nowhere near enough places or chances to connect with other families, and again, if we want children to follow us with the philosophy of naked living, the children have to see more of it within their own peer groups. National and international organisations and business’s need to be more family friendly, and encourage more families to enter the naturist lifestyle. We have seen the benefits of children being able to mix with their own age groups, and it is a huge relief for them to see that they are not alone, and others their age enjoy naturism. National and international bodies, and business’s, are failing families, and they need to wake up, because the older generations within naturism cannot live forever.

The answer is simple, get educated, understand the huge benefits of family naturism, and change the sign to “Families Welcome.”

(A note for those new to naturism: Genuine naturists recognise that “Adult Only” is still non-sexual – it is simply naturism without families.)

Our Best Naturist Moments

We have two different responses. For Rob is was the world Naked bike ride. Firstly, as we all prepared and were naked, clothed people were walking amongst us, and Rob being Rob, he engaged them in conversation. What he gained from that experience was seeing how normal things were, it did not matter whether he was dressed or not, he happily chatted like he would in any normal situation, as he helped to inform and educate those he was speaking to. On the ride, apart from a few shaded chilly streets, he did not feel naked, it was just like any other bike ride he has had in his life, and it felt like the most normal thing on the planet to do. During those moments of stopping, again, he spoke with the dressed public, and again, it felt like any normal conversation. For him, it proved beyond doubt that nudity is not offensive to the mass public, and highlighted how at ease and comfortable he felt in his own skin.

For Rin, it was Swim meet up. On the ride Rin was more focused on our daughter, so at the swim, she had a lot more time to interact with other naturists. She really enjoyed being in the warm pool and talking to people of every group and both sexes, and having a lot of fun interacting with all the children and their families. Once again, for her it made no difference to her experience, she was not aware she was naked, and that highlighted that it did not matter whether or not she had on a swim suit, if anything, she found that being naked was less cumbersome, and comfortable than wearing a swimming costume. Her interactions were fun, informative and very enjoyable, and she felt that it was her best experience in the naturist life to date.

For both of us, regardless of the situation, the one thing that appealed to us the most, was the simple act of showing great respect to each other. Everyone, was friendly, respectful, and accepting on both occasions, and that is not something you find easily in many of today’s socially dressed situations.

Steve and Anna asked us to “Close your eyes and consider naturism as an animal, a colour and a food item and share the answers.”

Rin. Wolf, Rainbow, Ice Cream.

Rob. Hawk, Blue, Blackberry.

Naturist Regrets

Not getting involved in social naturism sooner, we felt that we were discouraged by the lack of family friendly opportunities, venues or events. At that time, we lacked the support system to have the children watched whilst we engaged in Naturist activities, and we really felt like we wanted them included. However, we soon realised, as we researched what was possible for families within naturism, a lot of places were adult only, and not family friendly, even though at times they made out like they were, which led to disappointment. Another great hurdle that held us back was cost. At the time we were building our business, and the high price of some events and places, as well as the distance we had to travel, was a  deterrent to us becoming more involved.

Recommending ANW to naturists old and new and those learning about naturism

We have visited a lot of sites and looked at most of them for many years, and we found them sexually explicit, harassing, and very rude and unwelcoming to new members. In many cases we felt like we were the fresh meat to be offered up, as the amount of sexually explicit pictures and propositions filled our inboxes.

ANW was such a breath of fresh air, and came as a great relief. We had become a little defensive and felt we did not wish to share images when we arrived, but within a very short space of time, we really could see the difference between ANW and other sites we have visited and joined. We have no other presence now on other social websites, we are strictly ANW only.

The site has a fun and happy banter, the forums are respectful and none judgemental, and there is a big lack of political pandering, which you would get on a national organisation forums. ANW is a huge resource of information, be it lifestyle, hobbies, or travel destinations, it even has a very up to date listing of all Naked Bike rides. You can read articles, and literally see the naturist life evolve in front of you, as everything is clearly explained and there is always a friendly voice if you have questions.

ANW for us is a welcoming and very friendly none judgemental community. We have had no sexual propositions, although the site is policed with great efficiency to prevent that, and we have really fitted in well. We have posted more images than we ever thought we would, simply because we know through the verification process, we are truly amongst genuine naturists. We have become far more involved than we ever thought we would, writing blogs and running a gardening life group.

We are daily visitors, and feel we have made some really wonderful friends. I suppose the main secret of ANW, is you finally feel you have found a place of like-minded people where you belong.

As newbies to naturism or to ANW, not only will you be warmly welcomed, you can see clearly the benefits of being around safe friendly and very respectful people. We feel it is a safe haven for all naturists, and would also state we feel, it has become the best site on the net for naturists to meet and interact.

Final Thoughts

We feel national organisations need to modernise, there are times when we have seen events for older people and others for younger people, and we feel this is a mistake. Events should be exactly that, an event for all naturist. Our experience of ANW has shown us how inclusive naturism can be, and we feel that in our own country, a lot of the positive messages are not being heard, especially in the media. Naturism should be all embracing, inclusive and welcoming, it is a life we can all live, and all can embrace, and yet we feel there are national aspects that have not yet realised that. ANW is the example of what global Naturism should look like, the whole of the naturist world pulling together to encourage and support everyone who wishes to take part. National organisations need to unite with each other, and work together with one aim, and one goal, which benefits everyone.

RnR are one of various members on ANW who write blogs and articles for the ANW community. They also run one of the ANW groups.

ANW would like to thank RnR for taking part in this interview. ANW welcomes all who are respectful and interested in naturism and invite all genuine naturist organisations, clubs, events, venues and other opportunities to be part of the ANW community and work with us to encourage the growth and acceptance of naturism around the world. If you have any questions email Anna and Steve at [email protected]

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