Nudity in the Park

Sometimes you see advertisements for "music in the park", or "movies in the park", or things like that. I thought it would be fun if they had clothing optional days. I mean, I think public parks should be clothing optional by default - to provide "nude in nature" opportunities as a community service. But this would be an acceptable compromise. The same goes for pools and water parks.

I deliberately left my tripod at home, because I wasn't planning on taking any pictures (I had built up enough of a backlog at that point and didn't want to add to the workload), but then we ended up coming to this park and I regretted not having my tripod with me. So I had to get creative. That's why there are leaves in the foreground - I spent a lot of time finding a spot where I could perch my phone in the branches of a tree. It's a neat effect, though.

It occurs to me that I haven't done much of this - getting naked out in the woods - this summer. I must be spoiled by my yard.

Now, if nudism were permitted in this park, I'd be content to go naked and not engage in any "illicit" sexual activities - just as I would behave in a nudist environment. I don't think enough of a distinction is made between exhibitionism in the sense of getting naughty outdoors and in public places where such activity is taboo, and exhibitionism in the sense of wanting to be seen by other people. When I go out in the woods and get frisky, I'm enjoying the sexual charge of being outdoors and in a place where such activities are not usually expected. The act isn't "public" in the sense of being performed in front of others, but only in the sense of being performed in a public place. There is the risk of being caught, but I don't actually want to get caught - the act is still functionally private.

I don't necessarily believe we should be allowed to engage in sexual activities anywhere and in front of anyone (with or without their "consent" to view such activities), I just think that if somebody is sneaking around and being naughty, that's harmless fun and not a public menace. In other words, it's not public indecency if nobody sees you - i.e., it's not a crime as long as you don't get caught. The thing about nudist environments is that they permit nudity, while still restricting open displays of sexuality. So when I'm in a nudist environment, I can be naked, but I'm not going to do anything sexual, because that would be inappropriate. But in regular textile society, nudity is just as taboo as sexuality - so if I'm sneaking around in the park being nude, I'm doing it "privately" and not in a specifically nudist capacity. As such, there's nothing stopping me from taking the next step and entering some sexy fun into the equation.

Lol, my camera fell off the log. You can watch the 2nd half @ XTube. -_^

I just wanted to explain why, for someone who enjoys both nudism and exhibitionism (again, not in the sense of "flashing" unsuspecting bystanders, but just getting naughty outdoors and in public places), they can enjoy both consecutively (or even simultaneously), while not necessarily conflating the two. It's like a Venn diagram. Nudity and sexuality are two separate concepts (as nudists will make sure you understand). But what nudists are reluctant to admit is that sometimes they can be combined. It's just a matter of having the maturity and the understanding to know in what contexts this is okay, and in what contexts it is not. Which is why I can be a nudist and behave like a nudist when it is necessary to do so, and then go out and be an exhibitionist in other situations without shame. It would be easier to just keep them always separated - and it is undoubtedly for the benefit of those who have difficulty with details that nudists promote this view - but this does not reflect reality. And if you have the mental acuity to know the difference, life is a whole lot more fun when you allow yourself to enjoy their combination. Responsibly.

Allow me to illustrate (because I love making diagrams):

Allegedly, textile society believes that all nudity is sexual. At least, this is the view that nudists argue against. Certainly, compared to nudists, textiles are rarely exposed to nudity in non-sexual contexts. In order to justify the non-sexuality of their lifestyle, though, sometimes nudists go too far in distancing nudity from sexuality ("de-sexualizing" nudity), almost as if to argue that nudity is never sexual. Presumably, in this view, we get naked during sex to facilitate the unification of our genitals, and that the nudity itself should never be seen as erotic. Well, I don't agree with this view, and I feel that it is unnecessarily restrictive. Nudity is not intrinsically sexual - I have seen more than my fair share of "unsexy" nudity - but it can be. And it's awesome when it is. I have no desire to give that up, even if I could change this aspect of my psychology.