by Stephen Lautens

July 26, 1998

No nudes is good nudes.

At least that's what most Canadians seem to think for ten months of the year.

Forget for a minute our basically prudish nature. Canada is not a country built for nudism. For three of our four seasons (also known as Cold, Freezing, and You Have to Be Kidding) any visible skin turns blue and immediately falls off.

If you're lucky, it's just a finger.

Not exactly something that gets you ready for a nudist mindset.

I have just two words for you - Jack Frost. And you thought it was bad getting your tongue stuck to a metal pole.

When I'm scarping the freezing rain off my windshield for the fourth time in a single day, I for one am not thinking: "Boy, I'd love to strip off this parka and run around as God intended."

If I did, I'm sure I'd be introduced to God in a big hurry.

Likewise, nudist frolics are the furthest from most couple's minds first thing on a winter's morning. You usually spend the first twenty minutes of the day arguing who's going to get out of bed to turn on the furnace.

Just like there are no atheists in foxholes, there are even fewer nudists in Canada.

That's in spite of the fact it's legal to go topless in Ontario thanks to a judge who didn't believe women's chests were any different than men's.

It kind of makes you wonder who the judge hung around with.

Nonetheless, every year intrepid journalists seek out the handful of elusive Canadian nudists for a story.

And every year they come back with TV interviews, carefully filmed with strategically placed picnic baskets and beach balls.

At least, I hope they're beach balls. If not they should be seeing a doctor. Quickly.

Looking at our home-grown nudists, I always think the same thing: Why do they always look like Jerry Garcia?

There's never one who looks like Liv Tyler (or George Clooney for the ladies).

They bear more resemblance to Ma and Pa Kettle. Or those saviors of the Federal Conservative Party, the pot-smoking leadership hopefuls, the Rev. Brothers Baldasaro and Tucker.

I know nudism is about being comfortable with your body and not about looks.

I just wish they wouldn't go out of their way to prove it.

No doubt I'll get letters from nudists (an awful thought - where do they keep their pens?) saying don't knock it if you haven't tried it.

O, ye of little faith. You doubt your humble servant's worldliness?

Let me tell you about the summer of '78. I was 18 and backpacking in Greece. In my physical prime.

I went to a nude beach and sat in my bathing suit among a United Nations of nakedness.

As one of the few people in a bathing suit, I found people were staring at me.

After a short while, I got tired of being looked at as an outsider, and finally got the courage to peel it off.

And what happened? Absolutely nothing. Not a single person stared at me.

I was never so insulted in my life.

 

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Miami Nude Beach Nudity, Please Read!

There's something liberating about the antic of being naked.  The freedom.  The exhilaration.  The lack of pocket lint.  Unfortunately, for most people the notion of nudity requires some rationale - no matter how silly that rationale may be.  Streaking across a football field. Skinny-dipping in a lake.  Mooning for the camera.  Photocopying your butt.  Playing naked Twister.  Flashing a nun after sixth-period class, hoping she didn't recognize you and isn't at this instant phoning your parents.  For most people, it's all about the naughty thrill of getting caught or exposing a private part.  But not for all.  No, for many it's perfectly routine, as normal and natural as, say, kissing hands or shaking a baby.

Nude beaches are the perfect denominators for these two groups, the puritans and the pure exhibitionists, the fakirs and the non-fakers. Think of it as a big game of strip poker where everybody has crappy hands.  The thing to remember is that nude sunbathing isn't about sex or exhibitionism - we'll leave that to the nudist colonies and Courtney Love.  Nude sunbathing is about elation and free-spiritedness (and avoiding wedgies and ugly tan lines).

I've made the trek to No Clothes Land many a time.  I've dropped trou in Europe, where it's no big deal - heck, even the Royal Family has displayed a boob or two (not counting Prince Charles).  Black's Beach in San Diego is world famous for nude sun worshipping.  And, of course, here in Miami, we have Haulover Beach.

One of the misconceptions about nudity is that every human body is beautiful (Right).  The key to inoffensive nude sunbathing is to do just that - sunbathe.  Do not play volleyball in the buff.  No grilling or barbecuing.  Even if your Playgirl's Mr. January, do not perform an oil and air filter change on your auto while naked.  An watch the jogging - you could poke somebody's eye out.

Nude beachgoers often have their social cliques and routines.  They picnic and fraternize, and they love to mingle.  Zoiks.  These people who sashay up and down the beach wearing nothing but a smile and a spare tire are the same folks you find in the receiving line at a wedding wielding a business card and a can of Binaca.

When I venture to Haulover, I stick close to my blanket or hit the water.  I don’t wander about.  It’s like you want to work the room, but there’s no place to put your hands and no appropriate place to hang your Walkman.  (Plus, you feel like you’ve gone to a party and everyone’s wearing the same thing.)  Personally, I happen to like being naked. It’s never bothered me.  I often get home from work, disrobe, and sit naked on my couch eating cereal.  (Did I just cross the line of too much information?)  Some people are uncomfortable naked.  I’m not.  What I do have a problem with, however, is being ugly and naked.  Statistics show that the number of people who enjoy nude sunbathing is proportionate to those who should put something on.  Like a tarp.  Or one of those tents that they use when they’re debugging a house.  That one of the reasons why I prefer the sanctity of my blanket.  I can feign sleep (or death, if necessary) should some naked old man approach me and start to discuss today’s undertow as he squats liberally in front of me.

Sunscreen:  I’d be remiss if I didn’t stress the importance of proper protection.  Those regions that rarely see the light of day are the first to succumb to the sun’s deadly rays.  Hence, watch your behind, or your buns will be toast.  As for – how do I say this politely – garnishing your weenie, yes, your little buddy needs sunblock, but remember, you’re in public.  There a fine line between safety and pleasure when applying lotion to Mr. Happy.  I’ve seen guys go at it like they’re greasing a fire pole.  So take it easy.  Don't make things hard on yourself.

When it comes to accessories, there are certain things you should and should not bring to a nude beach.  Telescopes and binoculars are definite no-nos.  You may think of this as a ball game, but I’m sure the Red Sox would beg to differ.  Likewise with a camcorder – carrying a video camera at a nude beach is the pervert’s equivalent of driving by a schoolyard with a van full of candy.  As for ready, avoid books with titles like Justice of the Piece.  Stick to Field and Stream, Reader’s Digest or the Gideon Bible.  Sunglasses are a must.  If you’re gonna ogle, at least do it behind your Maui Jims.

As for your random beach bump-ins, there are obvious encounters. Besides bodies that you’d rather not see naked, piercings are immensely popular.  Popular, I surmise, because they’re in places that wouldn’t necessarily be exposed at Publix (unless you shop at the new one by the bay).  I’ve seen nipples that look like parachute rip cords.

And below the belt, I’ve seen piercings that made me recoil.  (Come to think of it, I’ve seen coils down there, too.)  And little napkin rings.  And something called a Prince Albert.  I’ve seen less metal at a gun show.  And shaving.  Hmmmm.  Apparently trimming the hedges has become all the rage.  Some folks go for the close cropping; others like it smooth.  I haven’t seen topiary this creative since I was at the Botanical Gardens.

Nude sunbathing can be a kick, an exciting way to liven up an otherwise dull day at the beach.  For the ladies, it means being able to wear a sundress without worrying about unsightly strap lines.  For the guys, it means there’s no need to adjust the boys: it’s a wind sock now.  For all of us it means an escape, a break from our daily worries and cares, a moment’s freedom where less is so much more – except when it comes to that sunscreen.