Andy

I would almost always rather be naked, and this feeling runs deep in me. In numerous childhood photos I am naked beside my clothed brother and sister. Although I have learned to cope with it, wearing clothing almost always makes me feel somewhat trapped and claustrophobic. As a result, I am a social nudist (even in many otherwise textile situations) and a public nudist. I went to my first clothing optional beaches and performed my first onstage nude scenes in professional theater while still in my teens. I have modeled for art classes for 45 years, although not nearly as much now as when I was young. Life modeling has an exhibitionist component that I won't deny; it is liberating to stand exposed on a platform, under a spotlight, for the sole purpose of being scrutinized. It's a performance. It also helps me come to terms with my physical imperfections, including those that come with aging, etc. I put my good points and my flaws on display with the attitude of, “For better or for worse, this it. This is me.” A clothing optional society, in which individuals are free to be as dressed or undressed as they wish, would be my ideal*. In the spirit of “Be The Change,” I seize or create opportunities to be clothes-free regardless of what the expected norm might be. Whether among friends or in a crowd of strangers, I feel that being seen nude has the potential to ease others toward an understanding that it's no big deal. To be human is to have a human body. For this reason, I think it is important to share nude photos of myself online. I have little patience for self-described nudists who simply re-post images of others while spouting platitudes about how wonderful and normal it is to be naked…. if you are sincere, then stand up and be seen!Many onlookers, in person and online, respond to nudity with strictly sexual interest or as if it were a freak show… and I'm learning that I can't control that. I hope that eventually, through osmosis, some of them may come to think that a human body is a perfectly natural thing which doesn't always mean sex, and which shouldn't have to be hidden from view.*I go to Burning Man, which is the closest I have found to the truly clothing-optional society of my dreams.