International Young Naturists Organisation
Naturist Resources => Blogs, Videos, Articles about Naturism/Nudity => Topic started by: NaturalInNY on May 03, 2012, 11:48:33 pm
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LOXAHATCHEE, Fla.—
Nine-year-old Alex Reamer, like most boys his age, loves video games, the playground and riding his bike, except he does all these things without wearing clothes. Yes, you read that correctly, he is naked.
"I don't wear clothes much!" Alex proudly exclaimed in an interview with ABC News' John Berman, adding he goes months without putting on a shirt and pants. "I just like to be nude."
Alex and his family are nudists. That means naked swimming, naked cleaning, naked homework. Naked everything.
Watch the full story on "20/20: Xtreme Parents" Friday at 10 p.m. ET.
"I never realized that my clothes were so uncomfortable, until I didn't have to wear them anymore," said Frank Reamer, Alex's dad.
The Reamers moved to Sunsport Gardens, a nudist camp outside Palm Beach, six years ago. About 70 residents, including 10 children, live in small RVs located around the 40-acre campground, where nudity is not only embraced but expected.
The Reamers only agreed to speak with "20/20" if we agreed not to blur, uh, anything.
"It sends the wrong message," said Sandra Reamer, Alex's mom. "It says that nudity is bad."
More here:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/growing-nudist-naked-childhood/story?id=16268502 (http://abcnews.go.com/US/growing-nudist-naked-childhood/story?id=16268502)
This episode airs in the U.S on "20/20: Xtreme Parents" Friday at 10 p.m. ET.
I love them taking the stance to not speak to them unless they agreed not to blur anything.
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Thanks for this and it was great. This kid is awesome! Love his spirit and attitude and can only hope it will remain so positive as he matures. His brother is anti but Alex could care less.
Growing Up Nudist: A Naked Childhood
(http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ht_alex_reamer_nudist_family_jp_120504_wb.jpg)
Nine-year-old Alex Reamer, like most boys his age, loves video games, the playground and riding his bike, except he does all these things without wearing clothes. Yes, you read that correctly, he is naked.
"I don't wear clothes much!" Alex proudly exclaimed in an interview with ABC News' John Berman, adding he goes months without putting on a shirt and pants. "I just like to be nude."
Alex and his family are nudists. That means naked swimming, naked cleaning, naked homework. Naked everything.
Watch the full story on "20/20: Xtreme Parents" Friday at 10 p.m. ET.
"I never realized that my clothes were so uncomfortable, until I didn't have to wear them anymore," said Frank Reamer, Alex's dad.
The Reamers moved to Sunsport Gardens, a nudist camp outside Palm Beach, six years ago. About 70 residents, including 10 children, live in small RVs located around the 40-acre campground, where nudity is not only embraced but expected.
The Reamers only agreed to speak with "20/20" if we agreed not to blur, uh, anything.
"It sends the wrong message," said Sandra Reamer, Alex's mom. "It says that nudity is bad."
Family Says Nakedness Reinforces Positive Values
It's one thing to see every inch of grown-ups. But what about children, like Alex?
His parents aren't worried about leering strangers or pedophiles, saying the community is completely safe. Sunsport does background checks on anyone who visits the campground.
According to Florida's Department of Children and Families, there are no specific rules or policies on children at nudist camps or resorts, so children taking part in the lifestyle at nudist camps is not illegal. The state agency did say, however, that it "has received calls regarding families living at Sunsport Gardens over the years." The details of those complaints and outcomes are not public record. Morley Schloss, the camp's owner, said DCF investigators have never found any wrongdoing at Sunsport.
The Reamer family decided to appear on "20/20" to lift the veil on family nudism. Most practice nudism in hiding, not telling friends or family for fear disapproval or condemnation. The Reamers maintain there is nothing lewd or sexual about the lifestyle.
"People have a misconception. They think this is about sex, and it isn't," said Frank. "My wife and I are in a monogamous relationship. We live with our children. I've seen them all nude, they've all seen me nude."
Sandra added that her near nonstop nakedness reinforced positive values in her children. "As far as body image, the kids are seeing all different kinds of people, and they're seeing that people can be different. There is less judgment."
Older Son Prefers Clothes
According to Sandra, when completely nude, people look you in the eyes, not at your breasts. As for gawking or inappropriate staring, the nudists say it doesn't happen, and anyone who did that would be immediately ejected from the camp.
But it is a bit awkward for one member of the family, 15-year-old Bud Reamer, who prefers to wear clothes. "It's just more comfortable," he said, calling his parents' decision to become nudists "weird" but one he has gotten used it.
Wearing clothes in a place where everyone else goes naked is extremely isolating for Bud. There are no children his age living onsite, and like his younger brother, he is home-schooled, so he spends most of his time on the computer inside his trailer. When Bud turns 18, he plans to leave Sunsport and join the military.
Frank and Sandra say moving to Sunsport was a family decision, and it wasn't until Bud gave his blessing that they took the plunge head-first into the nude-only pool.
"The kids know we wouldn't force them [to be nude], force them to do something that they didn't want to do," said Frank. "For instance, Alex pretty much refuses to wear clothes, while Bud always will."
As for Alex, he loves nudity so much inside the 10-foot walls of Sunsport that he often refuses to leave. A trip to Universal Studios was "just OK." A better time is playing Nintendo DS (au natural, of course) with his two best friends, a brother and sister, who also live at the campground. According to the 9-year-old, the only downside to going clothes-free 24/7 is all the mosquitoes.
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The full episode is up here:
http://abc.go.com/watch/2020/SH559026/VD55199272/2020-54-xtreme-parents (http://abc.go.com/watch/2020/SH559026/VD55199272/2020-54-xtreme-parents)
I'll never get over how corny the whole "creative shooting" thing looks.
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cant watch it only for united states :sad:
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The full episode is up here:
http://abc.go.com/watch/2020/SH559026/VD55199272/2020-54-xtreme-parents (http://abc.go.com/watch/2020/SH559026/VD55199272/2020-54-xtreme-parents)
I'll never get over how corny the whole "creative shooting" thing looks.
It reminds me of that one scene from the movie Beowulf where they try to avoid receiving an "R" rating for the movie by creatively placing objects in front of his penis. At one point, he draws his sword from the ground straight up so that it continues to cover his penis while he is battling whatever monster that was threatening his village. That movie sucked so bad!
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I did wonder if not bluring anything would translate too not shoeilg anything to meet censor requirements.
I loved reading the article. It was so refreshing tohear the parents talk annd not be paranoid about peadopbiles etc. It is the sad case that useually when documentarys and publications report on naturism they often exclude kids because of these types of concerns andthis does send the wrong message. It says that naturism is somehow adult, which gives it a kind of explicit connotation in the minds of textiles.
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The web proxies I use are apparently not enough to fool ABC and I do not really think this is worth the expense of getting a VPN proxy or travelling to the US for - but does someone have a copy of this thing recorded that he could share?
EDIT: never mind, this one: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/reamers-nudist-camp-family-naked-children-parenting-16283741 (http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/reamers-nudist-camp-family-naked-children-parenting-16283741) seems to work for me.
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Ok so i finally got to watch the video. It was good and the parents were very frank and open. I didnt like the bit where the presenters says "Does a 9 year old have a choice" though as it seemed to suggest that the parents were forcing the kid into something a little inappropriate.
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Got to say thats such a nice atitude to it :)
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Ok so i finally got to watch the video. It was good and the parents were very frank and open. I didnt like the bit where the presenters says "Does a 9 year old have a choice" though as it seemed to suggest that the parents were forcing the kid into something a little inappropriate.
Not to mention, there obviously is a choice because the 15 year old opts out. Alex seems pretty happy about his living conditions.
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I didn't really like the vid. Of course, it seems the whole series is meant to be flashy and about absurd parenting to begin with, so I guess the station trying to twist the video into a semi-anti-nudist vid doesn't surprise me. Of course it doesn't help when the kid seems a bit overly stuck on being nude and the mom basically says that guys checking a woman out never happen at the nudist park. If their nudist park is open to the public visiting it, they are going to get a few guys checking women out eventually. We might as well be real about what actually happens at nudist parks, so that it doesn't come out later that we are liars or delusional utopianists.
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There is some truth to that. I kniw a naturist coupke who met at a club, found eachother atractive and got together. While naturism helps romove some of the mystery with the body and the fascination with getting to see it as part of a sexual experience it doesnt remove the basest of human attraction. Until humans no longer need to reproduce/ start families we are always going to find someone attractive. While we certainly need to ensure that sexual behavior and innapropriate ogling are kept out of naturist events, to suggest that no body ever has a biological reaction (not erections and stuff but the chemical and emotional reactions to attraction which can involve the odd bit of staring if you dont contol yourself) to a fellow naturist/human being/potential partnet and any that do are instantly removed is just stupid.
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There is some truth to that. I kniw a naturist coupke who met at a club, found eachother atractive and got together. While naturism helps romove some of the mystery with the body and the fascination with getting to see it as part of a sexual experience it doesnt remove the basest of human attraction. Until humans no longer need to reproduce/ start families we are always going to find someone attractive. While we certainly need to ensure that sexual behavior and innapropriate ogling are kept out of naturist events, to suggest that no body ever has a biological reaction (not erections and stuff but the chemical and emotional reactions to attraction which can involve the odd bit of staring if you dont contol yourself) to a fellow naturist/human being/potential partnet and any that do are instantly removed is just stupid.
:3145
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I just watched the show today. I think I need to watch it again, but I didn't like it. It seemed uncomfortable to me because the interviewer was uncomfortable. It seemed like he had his opinions and his "angle" before he even got to meet the family.
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I didn't really like the vid. Of course, it seems the whole series is meant to be flashy and about absurd parenting to begin with, so I guess the station trying to twist the video into a semi-anti-nudist vid doesn't surprise me. Of course it doesn't help when the kid seems a bit overly stuck on being nude and the mom basically says that guys checking a woman out never happen at the nudist park. If their nudist park is open to the public visiting it, they are going to get a few guys checking women out eventually. We might as well be real about what actually happens at nudist parks, so that it doesn't come out later that we are liars or delusional utopianists.
Very well said! :-)
I would like to add that I think this is the sort of thing that tends to turn off younger people from visiting nudist places: "eye to eye contact at all times", "don't fraternise with other club members", "don't think sexual thoughts" etc. etc.
If nudist clubs were more honest and open as to what they are really like instead of trying to put on a pretty face for the media, I actually think that we would get a whole lot more support from mainstream society than we currently do.
I saw the interview too. Whilst it was great that Alex was confident being naked, he didn't come across as being an exceptionally intelligent or articulate kid. Half the time I couldn't understand what he was saying, especially for a 9-year-old.
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"Does a 9 year old have a choice" though as it seemed to suggest that the parents were forcing the kid into something a little inappropriate.
That's a common attitude I've seen among non-nudists who don't really understand nudist philosophy. They figure that nudism is more "naughty fun for the grown ups" that kids shouldn't be a part of. Obviously as nudists his parents don't feel that way.
As for "kid's shouldn't be forced"mentality; kids are "forced" to do all kinds of things. Parents "bring their kids to church, to political protests, to do charity work, to sci-fi conventions and all manor of things before the kids are old enough to make an informed decision about it. The parents generally feel that whatever thing they are bringing their child to is a positive good for them to involve their children in.
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As for "kid's shouldn't be forced"mentality; kids are "forced" to do all kinds of things. Parents "bring their kids to church, to political protests, to do charity work, to sci-fi conventions and all manor of things before the kids are old enough to make an informed decision about it. The parents generally feel that whatever thing they are bringing their child to is a positive good for them to involve their children in.
That suggests the type of person who goes to sci-fi conventions has ever even kissed a girl.
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I saw the interview too. Whilst it was great that Alex was confident being naked, he didn't come across as being an exceptionally intelligent or articulate kid. Half the time I couldn't understand what he was saying, especially for a 9-year-old.
True. It makes me wonder - those parents who home-school their children tend to be the least fit for the task. At least allowing him to stay in the community he likes is a more noble goal than distorting facts in scientific education is.
As for "kid's shouldn't be forced"mentality; kids are "forced" to do all kinds of things. Parents "bring their kids to church, to political protests, to do charity work, to sci-fi conventions and all manor of things before the kids are old enough to make an informed decision about it. The parents generally feel that whatever thing they are bringing their child to is a positive good for them to involve their children in.
Kids are often forced to dress against their will, too.
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That suggests the type of person who goes to sci-fi conventions has ever even kissed a girl.
Clearly you have never been to Dragon*Con in Atlanta.
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As for "kid's shouldn't be forced"mentality; kids are "forced" to do all kinds of things. Parents "bring their kids to church, to political protests, to do charity work, to sci-fi conventions and all manor of things before the kids are old enough to make an informed decision about it. The parents generally feel that whatever thing they are bringing their child to is a positive good for them to involve their children in.
That suggests the type of person who goes to sci-fi conventions has ever even kissed a girl.
That's pretty rude. There's plenty of geeks that have a functioning social life and are able to attract men or women. I really hate the stereotype that people who attend conventions or who play RPGs or who cosplay are all socially inept.
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Chill out - stereotypes are there to parody. Sure, not every geek is a pimple-faced basement dweller, but so what? The stereotype is funny. Just like knowing gay people who are indistinguishable from straight people aside from their romantic/sexual interests does not make the "fabulous" characters less funny.
On a related note, observing a bunch of geeks in one place from a distance, they seem ridiculous. But interacting with them, or even just pondering what it would be like, it turns out I have a lot in common with them. I consider myself a geek, I just do not have the courage and the spending habits to actually join them. And, for the domain of cosplay, I do not have the physique. I admire them for what they have and I lack. I am but a dreamer, but I immensely respect those that have what it takes to live such dreams. "What a bunch of freaks - wish I belonged to them"
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Chill out - stereotypes are there to parody. Sure, not every geek is a pimple-faced basement dweller, but so what? The stereotype is funny. Just like knowing gay people who are indistinguishable from straight people aside from their romantic/sexual interests does not make the "fabulous" characters less funny.
On a related note, observing a bunch of geeks in one place from a distance, they seem ridiculous. But interacting with them, or even just pondering what it would be like, it turns out I have a lot in common with them. I consider myself a geek, I just do not have the courage and the spending habits to actually join them. And, for the domain of cosplay, I do not have the physique. I admire them for what they have and I lack. I am but a dreamer, but I immensely respect those that have what it takes to live such dreams. "What a bunch of freaks - wish I belonged to them"
Yes, and I generally don't mind jokes about geeks if they're funny. I just didn't find it that funny. To each their own I guess.
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I'm a geek (played White Wolf games and D&D, Warhammer 40k back in the day, and currently playing Star Wars the Old Republic as I type this) and I found it funny.
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I'm a geek (played White Wolf games and D&D, Warhammer 40k back in the day, and currently playing Star Wars the Old Republic as I type this) and I found it funny.
Ah well I was probably being too sensitive. :undecided:
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Don't take it too hard, ask my wife, she will crack the same joke on me 100 times, but one time she does I just get all offended. It happens to the best of us (and even me!)
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Anyone who was offended by Stuart's one-liner obviously doesn't understand Stuart's sense of humour...yet. Relax and take it with the whimsy as it was intended.
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Anyone who was offended by Stuart's one-liner obviously doesn't understand Stuart's sense of humour...yet. Relax and take it with the whimsy as it was intended.
:3145 with you 100%.
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As for "kid's shouldn't be forced"mentality; kids are "forced" to do all kinds of things. Parents "bring their kids to church, to political protests, to do charity work, to sci-fi conventions and all manor of things before the kids are old enough to make an informed decision about it. The parents generally feel that whatever thing they are bringing their child to is a positive good for them to involve their children in.
That suggests the type of person who goes to sci-fi conventions has ever even kissed a girl.
That's pretty rude. There's plenty of geeks that have a functioning social life and are able to attract men or women. I really hate the stereotype that people who attend conventions or who play RPGs or who cosplay are all socially inept.
the problem is that a lot of us are like that. I have played rpgs and tabletop games all my life (as well as reading comic books) and while i and most of my geeky friends are perfectly social i encounter the opposite on a regular basis. We have three gaming/comic stores in manchester, a forbidden pkanet, a traveling man (both great for comics and traveling man in paricular has great staff you can have a laugh with) and a specialist gaming store called fanboy 3. Even though fanboy 3 has the widest selection of rpg and boardgames, i always try to avoid going in. The place reeks of sweat and if you go in on a gaming night its full of people with greasy hair and overpowering body odour. Its basically a store full of geek steriotypes. I might be a geek but at least i shower and stay clean and smell pleasant.
The sad truth of it is that sterio types spring up because at some point they are based on truth (i.e a steriotype of the brittish is that we drink lots of tea...im not offended by this, especially since i am on my 5th cuo today). Steriotypes are not an ironcast rule but they do usyfally have some accuracy to them. The world would be such a better place if people stopped getting offended by steriotypes and just accepted them as what they are, an average representation of society (however negative that may seem.)
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Chill out - stereotypes are there to parody. Sure, not every geek is a pimple-faced basement dweller, but so what? The stereotype is funny. Just like knowing gay people who are indistinguishable from straight people aside from their romantic/sexual interests does not make the "fabulous" characters less funny.
It may or may not be funny but stuff like the latter example can be harmful. One of the biggest things that helps combat homophobia is the realisation that non-straight people are just the same as straight people with the exception of what they're attracted to. A lot of people don't realise this in their gut and the rampant portrayal in media as campy, queeny types is certainly doing no favours.
I don't think there's quite as much danger in stereotyping a hobby, though. And I say that as someone who's cosplayed at conventions!
(Also, when it comes to conventions at hotels, I think that particular stereotype might be a bit off. There's a reason you avoid sitting on beds where con-goers are staying :L)
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Chill out - stereotypes are there to parody. Sure, not every geek is a pimple-faced basement dweller, but so what? The stereotype is funny. Just like knowing gay people who are indistinguishable from straight people aside from their romantic/sexual interests does not make the "fabulous" characters less funny.
It may or may not be funny but stuff like the latter example can be harmful. One of the biggest things that helps combat homophobia is the realisation that non-straight people are just the same as straight people with the exception of what they're attracted to. A lot of people don't realise this in their gut and the rampant portrayal in media as campy, queeny types is certainly doing no favours.
I don't think there's quite as much danger in stereotyping a hobby, though. And I say that as someone who's cosplayed at conventions!
(Also, when it comes to conventions at hotels, I think that particular stereotype might be a bit off. There's a reason you avoid sitting on beds where con-goers are staying :L)
I agree that there is more harm in stereotyping certain groups (such as races or sexual orientations) than others (such as nerds or geeks). I suppose that I was sensitive before because even the latter differences can be used to bully others and make them feel inferior. I understand though that there was no malice intended in the original commenter's post.
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I really didn't like this video....it felt as if the family was depicted as some kind of zoo animal.....the 15 year old was depicted as some kind of outcast......this surely isn't a good depiction of naturism.
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I really didn't like this video....it felt as if the family was depicted as some kind of zoo animal.....the 15 year old was depicted as some kind of outcast......this surely isn't a good depiction of naturism.
I'm not sure that I'd want to have the life that these kids have. Yes, they get to be nude all the time if they'd like, but they're so separated from society. I would be pretty bored if I were them.