My own journey into nudism started as a child growing up in India in the early 90s. Due to the humid tropical climate, clothes got soaked with sweat and clanged to your body during the long summer months. I found smelly, sweat-soaked clothes be an annoyance and preferred to take them off whenever possible. I remember my mom telling me once about how she could not keep clothes on me when I was a toddler. Within an hour of her dressing me, I would have taken them all of off and put them to the side.
My parents were not nudists and did not raise us in the lifestyle so to speak, but from what I recall they were not overly modest either. When I first started school, my parents rented a small one-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a building which only had one hallway bathroom. Growing up in such tight quarters, it was often times a necessity for us to shower and change around each other. Stripping down was oftentimes the first thing I did when I came home from school. My dad would do the same when he returned from his work. Clothing was not really enforced when we were at home and unless we were expecting guests, we were not forced to cover up either. I remember my dad taking me to swim at our friend’s pool and after the session, we would change and shower around each other. My childhood memories consist of watching cartoons in my underwear and building Lego sets nude on the carpeted floors while my mom prepared the bath.
My first encounter with nudism as way of life came when I was a teenager growing up in the California suburbs. My parents relocated to California for work and three years after we arrived, we bought our first home. One afternoon, over a regular conversation about sports, latest movies, and GTA a friend of mine from high school casually mentioned about a beach in Miami where you can sunbathe “fully topless.” Intrigued, I asked him what it was called to which he replied
“You have not heard of it? Haul-Over Beach… Google It !!”
The following semester, my ninth grade Geography teacher decided to show the class a documentary series titled the “Globe Trekker.” There was one episode about Germany where there was a segment on nude, clothing-optional beaches and co-ed saunas where men, women and families went together. This was surprising to me because it was my first time seeing mixed- gender social nudity. I decided to do more research about it and was surprised to find that nudism is non-sexual in nature and being nude is not necessarily considered lewd or pornographic in other parts of the world. This came as a revelation to me in a time when my body was undergoing rapid changes and I was in the middle of puberty. I had another growth spurt the same year where I was growing patches of hair on my upper lip chin, underarms, chest, and pubic region. Then came the weight gain and random, unexplained erections at the most inopportune times. I remember when I would not want to change in front of my classmates after PE and used the bathroom stall for that purpose.
Reading and doing research on naturism and nudist philosophy in my late-teens encouraged me to embrace my changing body and work on regaining my lost confidence. I began by taking small steps. I started sleeping nude on warm summer nights. My sleep quality improved and I was no longer waking up in the middle of the night sweating through my clothes. Once my parents and sisters left the house, I would strip down and stay naked around the house until they returned. I always kept a pair of shorts nearby just in case. Once I moved out of their house for college, I had more opportunities to practice nudism around the house. I built connections with other nudists online and began to attend nude social events. I eventually made my way to nudist resorts and clothing-optional beaches. More to come on that later.
I have been a practicing nudist/naturist for the last ten years and at 30 years old, it has made me more confident and secure in my own body.
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By Nickolas.
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