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.
ANW creators, Anna and Steve, have asked members of the community to ask them questions for an interview. The first part of this interview covers six of these suggestions.
Tell us about yourselves.
We have written many Blog posts, Articles and ANW Member Blog posts that follow our lives and our story in much greater depth and detail than we can cover here. From our own childhoods, to meeting, through two pregnancies and births, moving to Cornwall, travels in France, living in Spain and a return to Cornwall.
We are an English family living in Cornwall. Anna was born in the mid 1970's and Steve in the late 1960's we have two sons who were born three years apart around the turn of 2010.
Steve explored naturism in his 20's as a way of dealing with his body confidence issues and although he loved the lifestyle never really got to explore it fully until we got together about 15 years later. As a couple naturism became a big part of our lives and both of our sons were born into naturism and grew up with it. Our eldest son although still a naturist has felt frustrated and concerned by the lack of naturist teenagers in the UK and that is a situation we would like to see change.
Early on in our relationship we felt frustrated by a lack of proper information about naturism and we started thinking about that. In 2016 we took our first steps into promoting and discussing naturism in social media on the internet. By 2018 we were building ANW and running a blog called A Naturist Family blog posts and videos from this website can be now found in ANW. It took around 10 months work for of us to compile the Explore section of the site, with over 4000 pages we believe this is the largest collection of naturist opportunities in the world and we add to it on a regular basis.
We launched ANW in May 2020 with many of our A Naturist Family followers joining in those first few days. Many still visit ANW on a very regular basis and this in many ways is the basis of the family friendly and respectful feel that is found within the ANW community.
Tell us about your average day.
With each month the continuous growth of ANW demands more hours and it is very much a full time occupation for both of us. We still, weather permitting look towards naturist adventures when ever we can, which is not only great for us, but hopefully of interest in our writing. So sometimes we may be keeping in touch with ANW on a beach for a few hours and then working into the evening to catch up.
Although much of our day is taken up with ANW administration we continue to write blogs and articles for ANW, plan to create some new videos and write for other enterprises such as H&E and TAN magazines. We also spend time several times a week keeping the ANW presence on various social media channels.
We do not simply do a working shift on ANW. One of us will be on there as soon as we wake and we will work it around all the other aspects of our life. Whether that is school terms or school holidays, doing DIY, visiting family, making dinner we are always working on ANW and then there will be large chunks of time each day when it gets our devoted attention. It is usually the last thing we do before bed and if need be one of us will continue working past that point. It is a passion and a joy and it needs to be because that love of naturism and ANW allows us to welcome it into our lives 365 days a year.
Beyond ANW we love spending time with our sons giving them adventures and experiences. We love our food (a little too much), enjoy sitting down to a board game and watching a film on TV. We do not read or listen to music as much as we would like but hopefully that can be remedied – maybe when we are no longer working at making our home a little more pleasant. Of course whenever we can we add naturism into the mix and share it with the ANW community.
We are not really into spending time without our children. We would much rather take our boys for a walk in a wood than go to a pub.
Why is Naturism so important to you both?
This is in many ways a very easy question to answer but the simplicity of the answer can hide a much deeper, philosophical consideration.
Naturism is instinctive joyful, positive and healthy.
Until you try naturism you simply have no idea how it can effect you and we are sure that many people don't really even think about it they just take part and know that they love it. Whether that is for an hour a year or where ever and when ever they can all year long.
But when you do stop and think and explore the bigger picture the depth of the feelings and the journey your thoughts can take you on is amazing, and of course can be different for everyone. To us being naturists is a natural aspect of life, which is one of the reasons we think the term naturist is an apt word. Far from naturism being the strange, unusual, frightening and possibly sexual experience we fear it may be we relax into it incredibly quickly and find that the common preconceptions we carried with us about clothes and nudity passed down by parents, schools, culture and society are ill founded. Our subconscious kicks in and tells us – This is how we are meant to be.
If you explore this idea a little further it is not hard to see the benefits that naturism can add to yourself, your children, your relationships and the wider society we live in. Most people recognise the benefits it carries on the own body confidence and their own awareness and accepting approach to others. But consider the help it can offer to your growing children, the openness and ease it can give to your family relationships of the young and the old. We don't have to imagine a world with out clothes but imagine a world where clothing is optional, where the function of clothes is not based on a fear of nudity. Imagine how a clothing optional existence can remove the mystery, taboo and lust for the naked human body. The knock on effects this would then have on the porn industry, the existence of strip clubs, sexual secrecy, guilt, hang ups and abuse. How it encourages a more open approach for children heading into puberty, reducing the likelihood of them looking in the wrong places and finding bad or harmful information and making mistakes that they may find hard to forget. Imagine the joys of living in a society when every thing is not advertised through sex, where people are not bullied just because they do not fit a certain “look,” where confidence fights self loathing, self harming and a want for unnecessary cosmetic surgery. Naturism offers a more trusting, honest, real approach to our relationships with others. By removing our barriers we remove our armour, we show a mutual trust in each other and the benefits are a much more peaceful coexistence. Wearing clothing subconsciously creates a distance between us, a distance that seems to be becoming increasing wide. Naturism is amazingly refreshing because with out considering it we are automatically placing ourselves in a situation where we learn to have faith in our fellow human beings and at the same time a greater belief in ourselves.
The instinctively joyful, positive, healthy feeling we get from naturism is created by naturally connecting with the way we are meant to be and all the false problems that society has developed over the centuries are seen as just that. Fake, unnatural, unwanted. Naturism offers a promise of a much better way to live and grow and connect. Maybe it isn't a cure all and the big problem is that while the majority of people remain disconnected from naturism the social problems will remain, but each person that take on naturism as part of their life helps make the change a little more likely. Compare it to looking after the environment. We don't chose not to do it because some others don't. We do it because we want to make a small difference and we know that others will do the same, with the hope that one day the general consensus is that we all look after our planet. It is the same with naturism. Each time someone chooses to try and make their world a little more clothing optional they make the likelihood of A Naturist World that little more realistic and add a little more of the positive benefits of naturism's growth to our plant.
You lived in Spain for 6 years and during that time wrote blog posts and made videos as A Naturist Family before launching ANW and then returning to the UK. How has the experience changed your perceptions of naturism?
It has certainly opened up our eyes to the fact that although the basic idea of naturism is the same around the globe that each country has its own positives and negatives. Living life as 24/7 naturists was a lot easier in southern Spain because of the weather, but also how easy it is to find a beach. In the UK there is less suitable weather days but more organised events, clubs, swimming meets. We think the two things are linked. The many months of easy access to beaches means there are a lot of naturist families meeting up on beaches and less of a need to pay to join clubs or to organise indoor swims. The poor weather in the UK encourages us to be more inventive in our attempts to find naturism. But this seems to have an adverse effect on the amount of families involved. Organised events are brilliant but they cost and are not something that happen every day. The UK needs to find a way to bring a free and relaxed family atmosphere to naturism. Getting families into free spaces like beaches and parks. This doesn't just allow more opportunities but also works as an advert for naturism. Families going to events and clubs is brilliant but families going to public spaces raises awareness of naturism to more than just other naturists.
Enjoying naturism in an all year round warm climate makes you appreciate how sensible the idea of naturism really is and helps it to become a very deep rooted part of your life. For many people naturism is the occasional week on holiday. To be able to live, garden, decorate, visit beaches...all year long in a naturist state is very wonderful and really tough when you no longer have it. Our naturism in the UK is so much more sporadic and you get withdrawal symptoms. We are naturists all year long but our beach visits, and even our nudity at home is effected by the seasons, this was never the case in Spain.
We think there are also cultural differences at play. The Spanish as a whole always seem to want children around, it is unusual to go to a bar at night without seeing children so the idea of going to a naturist beach and not seeing children is almost ludicrous. This in itself has a massive impact on the acceptability of naturism to non-naturists. A mix of families on the beach is a clear sign that it is suitable for all. The UK misses out on this and that is a shame. Our time in France gave us different experiences with a different culture unlike Spain and the UK. We are united by our naturism and common humanity but we are not the same.
Our perceptions of naturism haven't really changed through being naturists in the UK for 7 years, then Spain for 6 years and then returning to the UK 2 years ago. But our awareness that different countries have different opportunities to enjoy naturism has become more defined. If our naturist world is to continue growing we need to communicate globally, learn from each other and look at ways of improving the opportunities we all have.
Why did you create ANW?
As mentioned above we were frustrated by what was available for naturists on the internet. Information was hard to come by and connecting with legitimate naturists was not easy. Too many fakes, too many sexual sharers, too many pests. Simply finding a beach to visit for our next weekend away was a very time consuming and confusing process that wasn't always successful.
We started to think if we want something better then so must others. So rather than complain about the lack of something and blame others for not making it better we thought we should do it instead. It wasn't just information but also social connections. General social media and some naturist/nudist website have some genuine people on there but there are many who are not naturists and some who misuse the lifestyle. We thought that we didn't want to just provide information but also find a way for genuine naturist to connect and share their information. There were good naturist sites out there but they tended to specialise owned by a specific club, resort or national body. All very well if that was what you were looking for, and you weren't put off the lifestyle altogether by unsuitable results you may find on your search.
While we were building ANW we thought about sharing more than just information on locations but also about sharing information about what naturism is, why we do it and what we do. When we first started writing blog posts as A Naturist Family we were not aware of other naturist blogs and so we just made it up as we went along. Making some videos for You-tube and Vimeo that we embedded into our blog and writing blogs based on our adventures, our past and on naturism itself. What we learnt was that we really enjoyed it and we had a lot to say. We had taken thousands of photos over the years and so could explore our naturist history in depth. We often got called naturist ambassadors, we were asked to appear on TV shows, we were invited to events, offered holidays and in interviews for radio or newspapers. This was a little bewildering as we considered ourselves simply naturists. And becoming celebrities was not what it was about. Our videos were shot in a very home-made way and we wanted everyone to watch them and not think: Wow I wish that could be me – but to think: I could do what they do. Simple trips to the beach, cooking at home, having a river walk. To us naturism was the star – and everyone should be trying to take a part. We were purposely “A” naturist family not “The” naturist family. So our thought was that when ANW was launched, it should be a place where everyone could write blogs, create albums, share videos and take part in a community united by its common love of naturism.
Naturists often talk about naturism offering equality and we wanted that equality to be part of ANW. Obviously we have to make some decisions and at times be guides for the community but naturism is the star and we all have the chance to enjoy that on an equal level.
To do this we have to be respectful to naturism, each other and ANW and thankfully two and a half years after the initial launch the community continues to maintain those wishes. We remind members to “Protect Themselves, Protect ANW and Protect Naturism.” A major purpose of ANW has to always be to encourage the acceptance and growth for genuine naturism.
Part of doing this is not just connecting individuals, couples and families to each other but also connecting them to the 4000 plus opportunities available for them to enjoy. Beaches, national bodies, local clubs, campsites, resorts, villas, spas, experiences and other naturist products and services. We want these opportunities to reach out to ANW members and for ANW members to then support the opportunities that they offer. Our basic premiss when building ANW was the idea of making it a one stop shop for naturists. So whether you want to find friends, find out about naturism, read blog posts, look for beaches, share images, vote in polls, debate in the forum, join a club or federation, run a group, go on a naked bike ride, watch a video or anyone of many other things you may want to do as a genuine naturist on the internet then ANW would offer that. And we continue to explore new avenues.
Currently we offer an insight into the world of naturism but long term we want the world to truly be A Naturist World and once the ability to be clothing optional is a part of everyday life then the A Naturist World like the word naturist itself will no longer be needed. Will that ever happen, maybe one day, maybe in many years to come, in the meantime we offer a safe place for us naturist dreamers to meet and share adventures.
How important are families to naturism?
We do not think the importance of families can be over valued. There is much talk about minority inclusions, equality, encouraging women but if we have to consider any aspect of society as more relevant than others then it has to be families.
We like the idea that simply encouraging more is enough. More of everyone will encourage more of everyone. It can be that we think: How do we get more women? But as many women are introduced to naturism by the men in their lives – then it makes sense that more men will encourage more women. Naturism is not something that should get overly concerned about religion, race or sexual orientation. Stripped down to our basics we are all the same, we are equal in naturism and those differences that are often so important in the wider society are not really that important at all. When the sun shines down on our naked skin as we run to the sea it really doesn't matter where we come from, what colour our skins is, what our sexuality is or whether or not we have religious beliefs and what those beliefs may be. Being naked humans at peace with our surroundings and respectful of each other is enough.
So what about families then? Many people will not have children and will never have them, some will not even like them. Some will be too young, others too old and more may not be in a relationship at all. But families still represent a core part of society and if we do not encourage them we are ignoring a huge proportion of the population.
Isn't encouraging everyone enough? Yes it should be but currently there is a trend growing that involves ignoring the existence of children. It is an understandable trend that goes beyond naturism. The concerns relating to the misuse of children on the internet. The fear of child abuse is rife: a crime that deserves confronting and should not be hidden but has been blown out of all proportion. We rightfully want to keep children safe and we should hate child abuse, but society is lashing out haphazardly in an attempt to keep children safe. Naturism is an unfair victim. A victim that cannot properly fight back. If a website promotes family friendly naturism with images it can worry that a lot of followers have other wants. If an event promotes itself as family friendly it may find protectors at its gates. We have lost count of the people who have said to us “Naturism is fine for adults but not right for children.” Our knee jerk reaction to that is: if naturism isn't suitable for children then why is it suitable for adults? Surely if there is something unsuitable for children going on then it isn't going to be something that attracts the majority of the population. Naturism displays behaviour that is universal and suitable for all. Ensuring naturism is seen as family friendly doesn't just encourage families but it encourages everyone who wants naturism to be non-sexual and understands it as such. Families in naturism ensure that the lifestyle is not over taken by libertine practises, it encourages suitable behaviour and discourages anti-social behaviour.
So if we take the idea of families further. By encouraging families we naturally encourage more women. Not just mothers and grandmothers but also women that want to feel safe and want to be assured that the lifestyle isn't sexual. Families encourage more well behaved men into the lifestyle and a larger number to chase out any bad behaviour. Individuals and single sex couples will also feel more confident of not being pestered in a family friendly environment. Families also encourage more young naturists: Those naturists who are under 30 are going to be more likely to go to a beach, event or club that has young families than if they are just populated by retirees. It also encourages multi -generation gatherings both as extended families and also as communities which is positive for all involved.
Families are not just the bulk of society. Families offer the bridge to encourage all to naturism and to keep it safe. Families also offer the future. The next generation of naturists growing up with naturist friends.
Anna and Steve would like to thank all the members who have sent in questions so far and remind everyone that they can send more questions for consideration in further parts of this Interview.
They would also like to thank the members of ANW for continuing to make the ANW community the wonderful place it is today: not just a shining example of naturism but of internet communities in general.
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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