Let me start by saying that this discussion is not going to be about the practice of running nude through crowds of people (although if you're going to do this, at least wear a mask!), but about going x number of days without getting dressed - something that is facilitated by the isolationist nature of social distancing in our current pandemic-focused, quarantine-heavy culture. Conversations in the online nudist community over the past few months have brushed on the suggestion that many people cooped up at home are discovering for the first time the comfort and convenience of casual nudity, as well as the opportunity for those already familiar with this practice to engage in it much more frequently than they have previously been able.
Not for the first time the topic has come up on Reddit of how long individual nudists have been able to maintain their "streak" of remaining nude for so many days without having to get dressed. It so happens that I have not had the need to wear clothes for over four months now. How is this possible? I work from home. We've not had guests in the house, that would require me to get dressed. My partner and I have agreed that it's safer if only one of us leaves the house, and since she has to leave the house for work, she's agreed to pick up the groceries.
Truth be told, I have a knack for social isolation, given that I'm fairly asocial and introverted by nature. Which is not to say that I don't miss spending time with friends and family, but under the circumstances, better safe than sorry. I acknowledge that I am privileged to have the opportunity to avoid so many risks, and not everyone can be as safe. Still, it would be foolish of me not to take advantage of that privilege, and it concerns me how cavalier some others in society appear to be behaving, with regards to the possibility of transmitting infection (even when you may not realize that you're sick).
Is it awesome being able to go weeks, even months, without thinking about having to get dressed? Absolutely! I'm also lucky enough to have a yard, so I can get outside and enjoy the hot summer weather. But what I've learned from this experience is that streaks don't really matter. What matters is being able to spend so much time nude, not how long you can go before you have to cover up. After so many days, it's just a number. And at what number would you be satisfied? There's always somebody else who's gone for longer. Like retirees who live on the grounds of a nudist camp.
The truth is, I haven't been 100% exposed 100% of the last four months. But where do you draw the line? Is it "covering up" if you sleep under a blanket at night? Are you not nude if you put on shoes before walking on the treadmill? What if you wrap a towel around your waist to grab the mail or greet somebody through the door? If you can be nude 95% of the time (and damn near nude the other 5%), isn't this more important than maintaining an unbroken chain of time without covering anything up? It's the quality of the experience, and not the quantity that counts.
On only a handful of occasions in the last 100+ days, I've gotten dressed - truly dressed. But only briefly. And, most importantly, it was voluntary (mainly for photoshoots). I don't always hate the experience of wearing clothes - they can be fun, and practical. Sometimes it's more the obligation that bothers me (and the resulting implication that nudity is bad or wrong). It would be great if we could live in a culture where people were free from the textile mandate to get dressed. In this world, I would be dressed more than I am now, but naked far more than I am under normal circumstances. The ideal balance would be somewhere in the middle - not necessarily naked all the time, but more naked than dressed.
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