Being a Nudist Teenager

[Danee]

From: http://www.scubaholiday4you.com/being-a-nudist-teenager/

In today’s world, the societal pressures are very strong. Oftentimes,
 people succumb to peer pressure, and try to fit into the image of this
 “perfect” person. They think that to go somewhere in life, they can’t
 be themselves— they have to be what others expect of them. Inner
 direction becomes terribly skewed, and, unfortunately, it is often
 lost completely. Right and wrong, as simple as they may seem, begin to
 blend together, and as a result, many bad decisions are made. The part
 of society that seems to be most affected by these factors are teens
 like myself. Somehow the desire to be popular and the struggle to be
 normal distort perception and mangle self-esteem. Appearance is
 everything, and true identity is nothing. Being a nudist, I am able to
 step back from all this and see what’s wrong with the picture. I have
 the ability to look past the superficial elements and see the soul.
 And I have the power to stand up for what I believe in, against the
 grain of society, and be a leader, even if I stand alone. This is what
 I live for—not to be the most admired or part of the majority. I live
 to be me.
 
Many of my peers live behind this façade, a side of them they create
 for the world to see. It’s what they think will make the world love
 them and what they think will make their friends envy them. “Without
 the mask where will you hide? Can’t find yourself, lost in your lie…”
 This quote is from a song called “Everybody’s Fool” by Evanescence. I
 think it describes how most teens (and many adults) act perfectly. Why
 must they hide? Why must their true self be hidden from the world and
 eventually lost in all the lies? Because it’s easy. So much easier
 than admitting the imperfections, the flaws, and any little detail
 that might ruin their reputation. It’s easier to be ashamed of
 yourself than to have others be ashamed of you. It’s easier to agree
 than to try to be agreed with. And it’s easier to see the flaws in
 your appearance than in your character. I’m not saying that these
 people are bad. They’ve just been force-fed this perfection idea their
 whole life and brain- washed into believing that the image makes the
 person. It takes a great revelation to finally realize that what you
 thought was real isn’t. For most people, it takes most of their lives.
 For me, it was when I was born.
 
I have been a nudist my whole life and have definitely benefited from
 it. It has taught me self-esteem, trust, and honesty, but most
 importantly, I learned not to become part of what my father calls the
 “uni-brain,” or in other words, I think of myself. The AANR Youth
 Leadership Camp has helped me
 
along the way. I could not be more grateful for all I have learned and
 come to realize in the last two years that I’ve been coming to this
 camp. Another thing I have learned from being a nudist is that no one
 is perfect. You can’t pretend to be better-looking than you are at a
 nudist camp, and with no clothes to hide behind, people must know you
 by your personality and how you act. Friendships are much deeper and
 more real. Having no clothes to identify you gets rid of “labels,” and
 people who would have never even talked to each other in the textile
 world become great friends because there’s no initial judgment. For
 instance, when I went to FANR camp this year, there were two girls.
 They became really good friends. Later that week, one found out the
 other was a cheerleader. At Circle of Friends that night she said, “At
 school, I am a punk. I do not associate with cheerleaders, ex-
 cheerleaders, or future cheerleaders. I never would have even talked
 to her if I met her at school. I’m glad I met her here.”
 
One more thing that nudism teaches me, or any other teenager for that
 matter, is that you don’t have to be curious about each other’s
 bodies, and you don’t have to experiment. We’ve already seen what
 everything looks like, so we don’t really care. Sadly, most teens
 don’t know this. A large number of the kids at my school are already
 having sex. If they were nudists from the time they were little, that
 wouldn’t be happening. Many also give into the curiosity about drugs
 and alcohol. They drink and drive, and do other stupid things with
 their impaired judgment. As sad as it may be, this is the truth.
 Nudist kids are way less likely to do any of these things, because we
 have enough courage to think for ourselves. Also, as nudists, we are
 taught to respect our bodies so we probably won’t want to pollute or
 abuse them.
 
Body acceptance. Self-respect. Confidence in oneself. These are just
 three things that set nudist teenagers like myself apart form the
 pack. Nudism isn’t just for adults—it’s for all ages, and as often
 mentioned, highly beneficial to children brought up into the
 lifestyle. We know we don’t have to fit into the “Madison Avenue”
 image or change our true selves to be liked. We’re leaders, not
 followers. This is what I live for—to lead, to stand out. I live to be
 me.

[cc71]

Sounds like a great article. Unfortunately my Trend Micro Security software has blocked me from viewing the site.

[Okla-Homie]

Can we invite the person who posted this??

[Danee]

Can we invite the person who posted this??

You certainly could, Brett, but I believe if you check the site, it was submitted by an 'anon' so..

[bunnyrabbit]

Can we invite the person who posted this??

You certainly could, Brett, but I believe if you check the site, it was submitted by an 'anon' so..

There is a nickname attached to that post.. and that person has some other posts. So i guess it's a regular author on that website. So if someone wants to invite it's possible to do it.

And it seems it's a scubadiver.. ;) 

[Danee]

Can we invite the person who posted this??

You certainly could, Brett, but I believe if you check the site, it was submitted by an 'anon' so..

There is a nickname attached to that post.. and that person has some other posts. So i guess it's a regular author on that website. So if someone wants to invite it's possible to do it.

And it seems it's a scubadiver.. ;) 

Missed that! Thanks, Tony!

Now, being the scuba master, this sounds like a task for you!

[bunnyrabbit]

Missed that! Thanks, Tony!

Now, being the scuba master, this sounds like a task for you!

I'll pass the honor to Okla-Homie this time, since it's his idea..   

Okla-Homie, can you handle this?  

[kavikanudist]

Awesome post and a lucky person to have that experience at a young age!

[Historybuff83]

That post reminds me of a similar essay by the daughter of the owners of Sunsport Gardens in Florida. I believe her name is Stephanie Reamer.

[Johann]

That's a great read... thanks for posting, Danee! 

[Danee]

That's a great read... thanks for posting, Danee! 

You are very, very welcome! 

[Cabding]

I love articles such as this. Positive and hopeful. It shows we are taking steps in the right direction.

[The_booster4]

What a great article if only more people had similar opinions to him

[NakedKiwi]

I think this is a brilliant piece. This sort of thing really helps to better your understanding if you are a newcomer to nudism.

[Gman707]

I agree. It is a very impassioned article. I think my teenage years would have certainly been different, and a lot more possitive, if I had had a naturist upbringing.