As part of ANW's want to enhance 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 important human element of the naturist and ANW community. ANW believes in safeguarding naturism with a genuine, healthy and respectful approach to social nudity and in doing so has an ever growing membership of friendly and appropriate users.
As part of the friendly and social atmosphere of ANW we welcome everyone who is respectful to the community and naturism and encourage members to share their profiles as couples and families.
In this interview we have asked a series of questions to a.b.y.a. C an inspirational Asian family who now live in Canada.
Tell us a little about yourselves and your part of the world.
We are a family of four living in Vancouver, Canada. We moved here over 10 years ago from Hong Kong, partly for me to pursue a new career interest, and partly because there's an official clothing optional beach in town. We are also Asians, which most would not expect to be naturists, not to say a naturist family!
Vancouver is the biggest city in Canada's west coast, mostly known for its ski resorts close by. It's a picturesque town - snow-capped mountains as backdrop, beaches lined the shores, and trees everywhere. It also rains 8 months a year and the sea is ice cold throughout. That said, amongst Canadian cities, Vancouver is certainly warmer than most and hence it's home to Canada's oldest naturist club.
What was the attitude towards nudity and naturism in your homes and upbringing as a child and teen?
My wife and I grew up in pretty standard household where nudity was simply considered inappropriate, and everyone was taught to cover up from childhood. It's never something that was specifically singled out and lectured on, because no one was expected not to want to wear clothes. In general, society's attitude towards nudity was certainly more relaxed for boys than girls. I used to be able to run around naked with my cousins after our daily showers. In the wilderness, skinny dipping boys and men were common scenes.
How did the first get involved in naturism and introduce it to your partner and family?
I realized I enjoyed my skin more than my clothes from a young age. There were episodes of me as a kid stripping off in the summer casually watching cartoons on TV. I also liked to skinny dip during hikes on trails less ventured. Sometimes I'd see other skinny dippers already there. Sometimes I managed to convinced others to join me. Again, this is very much a guys only thing back in those days.
One of the first things I told my then girl friend now my wife was that I didn't like to wear clothes whenever I could. Being a healthcare worker, she didn't find the human body repulsive although she's not as enthusiastic as I was. By then, sleeping in the nude was a routine for me and she didn't mind joining me. When our kids were born, we let them roam around home naked and after moving to Canada, nudity became the norm in our household.
Do you think that attitudes towards naturism have changed since you have been a naturist?
I was quite thrilled when I first found out that there was a naturist group in Hong Kong back when I was living there. We were all like-minded individuals, although only adults and no full family participation. It's great to know we were not alone in an Asian society. That was more than twenty years earlier. I now think the world in general has gone more modest, in the name of privacy and protection. What was innocent nudity last century is now suddenly pornography. Even though there are still plenty of like-minded naturists and families out there, the societal forces driven by ubiquitous digital platforms have silenced most if not everyone. Where naturism is still sanctioned, the practitioners tend to see it as an adult activity rather than a family one. It's a sad development and I reluctantly became pessimistic on naturism as fewer and fewer families came out to reinforce each other, that their choice to raise a nude family is a positive and encouraging one.
Tell us about you naturists adventures.
I myself have been member of multiple naturist clubs. Apart from skinny dipping during hikes and in remote beaches, I have been to nude boat trips, overnight camps, nude swims at local pools, naturist gatherings, and visited multiple naturist resorts. As a family, we frequent our local nude beach, the well-known Wreck Beach in Vancouver, and up till now have joined two naturist youth camps with our 2 sons.
As a family of naturists - Do you find enough naturist opportunities for families and how do you children view the lifestyle?
Family activities are definitely lacking in our world. I don't blame anyone but the naturist families like us for this. Organizers of naturist clubs and events have contributed so much of their lives towards naturism but there are simply not enough successors to their great work. I don't blame naturist venues for focusing on the retiree market. There are just not enough naturist families visiting them. As to those who are active and more vocal, the small number of us are not sufficient to form our own organizations. It would be great if our kids grew up with a group of naturist kids (we are lucky to know one other naturist family, whose kids sadly are no longer naturists). It would be great if we could plan summer naturist holidays together. Unfortunately, it wasn't how it went.
Many naturist parents tend to adopt an laissez-faire attitude towards their kids when it comes to naturism. I support that practice where there is a constant stream of naturist activities around them. Lack of such, I believe parents do need to set up house rules and act as role models to reinforce the family's naturist practices. Of course children's choices are respected but naturist values such as our bodies are beautiful and being nude is natural and not shameful must also be passed down. Our boys understand this. They are now teenagers and very comfortable staying nude at home and going to naturist venues with. They also know that they are brought up as naturists, and identify as one.
How would you best explain naturism to someone new to it and what advice would you offer to them?
Try it! That's the best way to understand it. The condition is that they try naturism in a supportive and reinforcing environment, especially for their first time - families meeting other families, women meeting other women, and single males not isolated and frowned upon. Also, it's much better to visit a place where nudity is mandatory and everyone else is indeed nude. It's an odd feeling to be nude among clothed or semi-clothed people, but one will go nude when surrounded by nude people. It's perhaps the most powerful experience for an introduction.
What drew you to ANW?
It's true the draw to the site is its naturist theme. Having all the activities going on within the site proves that naturists are just normal people enjoying the same activities clothed ones would.
What do you think naturism has taught you about yourself and do you think it has changed you in any way?
I think the biggest insight I have gained over the past two decades as a naturist, is that fundamentally people are really the same. When you peel off all the clothes, you reveal your true self including all the vulnerabilities and insecurities. To be able to accept that, that our vulnerabilities and parts of us, and to overcome the insecurities that come with those vulnerabilities, is a truly personal growth experience.
Do you think that there are certain people better suited to naturism and others that are not suited to naturism and if so why do you think that?
Naturism is a choice. If we as naturists are true to its principles, then we should not think anyone cannot be a naturist. That said, naturism itself is not necessarily understood by all those who say that they are naturists. The outcome is a big misunderstanding of naturism, especially among those who are not naturists and don't want to be naturists themselves.
How does your country view naturism? How do the laws stand supporting naturism? What are the national and local opportunities like?
Canada has laws that prohibit public nudity but it is legal to go top-free for any gender. Given that it's a big country, as long as the practice of naturism is discreet, it's unlikely that someone will file a complaint. I have gone naked outside of sanctioned areas in the outdoors without issues. As much as this is true, the country also has people from many cultures so it is important to be mindful of their different tolerance levels to nudity. In recent years, the threat to naturism is not so much about whether one should be allowed to go nude but the fact traditional naturist venues are being closed down for commercial or community development. The growth in population in cities also reduces the opportunities to practice naturism discreetly. This coupled with a strong sense of insecurity and possible exploitation from exposing one's body in the internet, has translated to a general disinterest in naturism.
How would you like to see the future of naturism developing over the next 30 years and do you feel these ideas are achievable.
The key to make anything long-lasting is to promote continuity in its "user base". The future of naturism depends on future generations of naturists, which unfortunately are shrinking around the world. Yes, there are younger naturists out there but most of them are not interested in organizing naturism. They cannot be blamed, however. The challenge in keeping different profiles of ourselves separate is near impossible in our overly connected world. The typical call now from naturist organizations is for their members to "come out" and be proud to proclaim their naturist status. For those very committed to naturism, this is workable but again because of the overt connectivity in our lives, many naturists, especially the newer, younger ones who are actively building their careers, would choose otherwise. Maybe one solution to this is in fact for naturist organizations to maintain an "offline" branch for those who simply want to keep their naturism to themselves and other naturists. Maybe for them it works better to go back to paper newsletters and in-person gatherings in naturist venues. In time, after they built out their own naturist network, they will become the new backbone of organized naturism.
To further build out future generations of naturists, we must also focus on families. These days naturist parents are not necessarily reinforcing naturism in their households. It's not because they don't want to, but they don't have the opportunities to. Most naturist clubs have most of their members in their senior years, and in serving their members' interests, they miss out on providing activities for children and teens. I am sure when the club leaders and members joined, they joined as family units with their children growing up together at their clubs. It would be the family setting that attracted new membership and their regular attendance. Clubs need to support the recreation of that environment to attract new naturist families. The formula is very simple - invest in play facilities and supplies, give special discounts to new family members, invite family members to organize activities for other families. It's the nice clean fun that families go after, and keep them coming back. Through this formula we will see our children grow up naturally into naturists, with naturist friends they regularly meet in naturist venues. They can then repeat the formula for their families when the time comes.
What are the biggest problems that naturism is currently facing?
Continuity is the biggest challenge, and it's happening worldwide. The more that people accept that naturism should be or can be for adults only, the faster it will degrade into something naturism is not. This has been the case for years but we haven't found the solution to it yet.
If the world was accepting of naturism - happy to take on a clothing optional policy in most situations - how do you think it would change the way society works?
If it is truly naturism that is accepted, then honestly nothing needs to change, and probably nothing will really change. It would be an extension to the world of fashion, where the opting out of any garment on a body becomes a way to express your identity. It would also be a way to live more practically - save on laundry when there's no need for clothes, jump into water to cool off wherever you are, reduce wastage in producing unnecessary garments. The question naturists have been asking is, why this is not already the case?
Is there any aspect of naturism that frustrates you or annoys you or you feel let down by?
Naturism is about living life as nature intended. It's about doing without, living without. It's about self-acceptance and letting go of one's frustrations. There should not be anything frustrating about that.
Has there ever been a specific day, location, venue, activity that at the end of it has made you think - this is naturism at its best?
Any day anywhere that I can simply be in my naked body at my own free will, is good enough for me as a naturist. Of course, I do like lying on a beach with fine white sand under a blue sky in front of bluish green water, but I don't want to be naked only in such an environment. I want to be naked in any environment, because it should be my choice to live life as nature intended.
Do you speak to friends and family about your naturism?
My immediate family lives nude together. I told my then girlfriend, who is now my wife of almost 20 years, about my preference for nudity very much upfront in our budding relationship. She endorsed it early on, although she didn't participate as much. At that time I was an active member in a local naturist club and I let her know of that also. She could see that I lived a very normal life outside of my naturist activities, but certainly happier whenever I was nude. It's fair to say that we came together because neither of us were very fashion conscious. We were also very keen on the 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, especially when it came to clothing. It's therefore quite natural for us to embrace naturism together after we married, and extend it to our sons in their upbringing. It is crucial for any couple to be open about their lifestyle preferences. This applies to naturism or the way you squeeze out toothpaste. Being true to yourself and to each other is a key ingredient for an enduring relationship.
We haven't yet brought up the topic of naturism with any of our non-naturist friends, but we are lucky to have a few naturist ones. I always think that I'd be honest about my naturism should anyone ask, but that hasn't happened yet. I guess people don't just randomly ask in a group what they think about nudity or naturism, so I never get the opportunity to share my thoughts. I do look forward to the day when the question comes up. I will be happy to report back when that conversation ends.
What five words would you use to describe naturism that people who haven't tried naturism may not have considered ...
"Naturism helps save our planet."
...and what five words would you say doesn't describe naturism that those same people may wrongly consider to be true.
"Naturism is only for adults."
If you were to close your eyes and consider naturism as an animal, a colour and a food item what three answers would come to mind?
A dolphin. Green. Mint.
Do you have any naturist regrets?
I could certainly have let more people know that I am a naturist, and what naturism is about.
Why do you think people should join ANW? What can existing naturists get from it and how about "newbies"?
It's important to connect and from connections we grow. ANW provides a platform for naturists to connect, and in mutual reinforcement we grow our naturist mindset. It opens doors to those still in the closet. Hopefully it helps them come out more too.
Independent globe-trotting to beautiful beaches and exotic locations is an exciting part of naturism - but naturism has a long history of local clubs, social meet-ups and national bodies - how important do you consider these aspects of naturism to be for today's naturist and the future growth of naturism?
Much like our social interactions in the textile world, naturist interactions can be local or global. It's great to travel to naturist destinations for the experience and to meet new people. It's an everyday thing to keep in touch with your local friends. When you have opportunities to do both, then your naturist world is balanced and thriving. I'm one of the lucky few who have both, and that's why naturism has thrived in our family through all these years.
ANW thank a.b.y.a. C for taking part in this interview. a.b.y.a. C have shared several Blog posts with the ANW community.
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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