Great article about confusing messages about nudity and children

This is an excellent article That was written by a columnist in a British newspaper.

"Why do we give children such confusing messages about their bodies?

"Last week, during one of the hottest Easter holidays on record in the UK, my three children and I went to the local park.

It was sweltering, and after an hour or so of running about with a football, my daughter, Phoebe, who has just turned 11, had turned into a sweaty, par-boiled lobster and desperately wanted to take her T-shirt off to cool down. But she didn’t.

When I asked her why on earth not, she said in an exasperated voice, as if I didn’t understand anything, ‘Mum, I can’t take my top off in a park. People will stare and point!’...

Where boys often take their tops off in the hot summer months, many girls, even as young and totally undeveloped as my younger daughter, already feel that they ‘shouldn’t’ expose their top halves in public. Because their nakedness is somehow . . . wrong.

To realise that my own daughter already feels this way came as a real shock to me. I was raised by parents who never shied away from stripping off and jumping in a mountain lake or sunbathing topless on the beach, and I was never even aware of my own nakedness as a pre-pubescent girl. Naked or not — it made no difference to me. I felt totally free, and happy...

...they have picked up on the message from outside our home that showing naked flesh in public is something unthinkable, even for children...

They, like millions of children in Britain, have been indoctrinated with the idea that nakedness is rude, naughty or shameful — and that it’s always, always connected with sex...

A naked child has become, for many, a potential sex abuse incident, rather than the beautiful, pure thing it is, despite the reality, which is that — mercifully — abuse by paedophiles is far less prevalent than the furore that surrounds them would imply.

None of my friends swam or sunbathed topless. Instead, they hid themselves away, squeezing their pubescent breasts into bikinis whose purpose was, paradoxically, to make the wearer look sexier than if they had nothing on at all. It seemed that wearing sexy swimwear was OK, but to be naked and natural wasn’t. Which I found very confusing.

And to be honest, I still do. Beaches this summer will be full of toddlers wearing bikini tops. One mum I know impressed upon her daughter: ‘It’s to keep your boobies covered up.’ Her what?! She’s three years old!
'Public nudity is a crime here, and yet pornography and hypersexual advertising is everywhere in the UK and North America'...

Most damaging in all of this is the bizarre paradox that this whispering, blushing shunning of nakedness comes hand in hand with our culture’s obsession with sex and sexuality.

As a scientist friend of mine, and father of one, put it: ‘Public nudity is a crime here, and yet pornography and hypersexual advertising is everywhere in the UK and North America.

‘The ever-present appearance of sex and sexual messages in our culture and media goes along with fear and horror at actual nudity — and causes all kinds of problems for people’s sexual activity and self-confidence.’

When nudity is considered unacceptable, but highly-charged sexual messages in advertising and pop videos are not, is it any surprise that so many children are growing up with a confused attitude to their bodies, or feeling ashamed to take their tops off in a park when they’re hot?

What’s even more extraordinary is that violence and bad language are tolerated far more liberally than nudity on television and in films, especially in the U.S. and UK...

The message our children pick up is that blasting each other to pieces and using foul, aggressive, threatening language is fine and dandy, but showing a nipple? Perish the thought!

Compare this to other countries, where nudity is seen as part of life, and where children are raised without ever thinking to question it. One former classmate, who is Spanish and has a two-year-old daughter, commented: ‘Kids run around naked in Spain on beaches and in parks in the good weather and it’s totally normal.’...

For the full article: Click here


Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional Resort and Spa, Palm Springs, CA
Call 800-786-6938 for info or reservations
Visit our website by clicking: http://sunnyfun.com
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We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

97% of Taxpayers say It was a big waste of money for state to fight San Onofre nude beach

One truism about politics is taxpayers usually have much more common sense then appointed government workers who normally just feed off of the taxpayers backs.

Last year a California parks department director got a bee in her bonnet because San Onofre nude beach was very popular (it had been used as a nude beach for over 30 years) and she wanted it to be shut down. She said thee was high crime there. It was determined that there were 150 documented complaints in a 10 year period or one every 24 days. Plus, the crimes were mainly in the parking lot and not by nudists. Too bad they didn't compare the crime statistics to textile beaches. I bet textile beaches have more complaints filed.

The Orange County register newspaper on 5/30/08 had a poll:

What do you think of the nude beach? Here was the result:

The state should shut it down 287 votes
I'll be heading down to take my clothes off 2854 votes
Doesn't bother me, but I wouldn't do it 535 votes
I've nude sunbathed in Europe, but would hesitate in the U.S. 91 votes
Total Votes: 3767

Only 7.6% of people taking the poll wanted the beach shut down. Click here to see original poll

However, the California state parks department went ahead and wasted $42,000 of taxpayers money getting the San Onofre nude beach shut down. they completely ignored the wishes and desires of the citizens as seen in that poll.

So the Orange Country Register this Nov 25th, 2009 conducted another poll asking readers was it worth wasting (oops they said spending) $42,000 on this fight to shut down the beach. Do you know what? Taxpayers again show common sense. 97% said NO!

Here's the poll results as of when I write this. This poll is still open and people can still vote.

"State spends over $40,000 to fight nudists
Was it worth spending $42,000 on this fight against public nudity?
Yes. I feel the money was well spent. 2 %

No. The state is already cash-strapped. 97 %

Not sure. 1 %

Total Votes: 449"

To see and vote on the poll click here

Too bad our government seems to NEVER listen to the citizens with common sense. They always seem to listen just to extremists. And too bad we can't vot out of office political hacks and appointees.

Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
Sunny Palm Springs, CA
800-786-6938
http://sunnyfun.com
http://twitter.com/nudist_resorts

Kate Winslet upset about nude fur photo shoot

When I saw this headline, I though Kate Winslet was pulling a Miley Cyress saying she was "tricked" into exposing too much skin. Once I read it though, Kate Winslet is not mad about the nudity (which is how it should be). She is mad that she was tricked into posing with real furs when she was told they were faux furs.

First, Kate is to be commended for being so mature about public nudity. It is no big deal and she has the right attitude.

Next, I find it reprehensible that a photographer would purposely dupe anyone into wearing a real fur that is anti fur. That is like serving a real hot dog to a vegetarian and saying it is a tofu dog.

Finally, I don't understand why people still wear fur. There is no reason for it. It is just plain cruel.

Here's the story:

"Quickies: Winslet's Fur Fury Over Butt-Nekkid Vanity Fair Pic


The next time Kate Winslet is asked to strike a come-hither pose in nothing but stockings and high heels while sprawled on a wooly throw, she might want to check the label to find out the pelt's origins. The anti-fur actress has found herself in a -- warning, bad pun ahead -- hairy situation over her Catherine Deneuve-inspired derriere shot in the pages of December's Vanity Fair. Seems she was told the fur she was lounging on sans clothes was faux, only to learn later it was genuine, PETA-riling silver fox. "She thought it was false," her rep tells the London Daily Mail. "There was apparently false fur there and real fur there, and she definitely understood it was false.

...The magazine, which already defended the "furious" actress over airbrushing allegations, has offered a mild mea culpa over the fur kerfuffle. "Although there were both real and fake furs on set, the fur used in the photograph is real," a mag mouthpiece said in a statement..."PETA has heard from countless celebrities that sneaky stylists at photo shoots can be rather coy when it comes to fur and whether it's real or not," says the up-with-animals group. "So it seems Kate was duped -- and with so many convincing fakes out there nowadays, it is easy to mistake real animal skins for the fakes."

For the full story click here

If you have always wanted to try topless or nude sunbathing, give us The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa a call at 800-786-6938.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

Nude Beach not approved at a New Zealand resort community

The city council at the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand realizes that topless and nude sunbathing is a major tourist draw, has approved nude sunbathing and created a legal nude beach there.

The city council at another resort community, rejected a topless and nude beach. Why, the mayor thinks people look better in bathing suits.

Listen major, your job is not to govern based on your own closed minded views, but what the citizens want. If you were Moslem, I bet you would want everyone to dress up in a Burkini like the picture above.

I for one am tired of politians imposing their own closed minded views thinking that they know best. Hmmm, sort of sounds like the McCain/Palin ticket doesn't it?

Here's the story:

"Sunbathers on Caroline Bay will need to stay covered up

PUBLIC nudity on Caroline Bay will not be an issue this summer.


While togs may soon be optional on the Kapiti Coast, they are definitely required on Caroline Bay, according to the police and Timaru District bylaw.

..Timaru mayor Janie Annear did not believe nude sunbathing would be a drawcard for the city.

Instead of enhancing a Riviera of the South image it was likely to put people off.

Nude bathing was unlikely to be aesthetically pleasing - clothes helped most people look better.

"I've always thought you should leave a lot to the imagination. Reality is never as exciting as illusion."

She said nudity was really a private thing...

Mrs Annear said that in 2007 the council went over the bylaws to consolidate them and decided that togs were appropriate at Caroline Bay.

"We didn't believe the public had the intestinal fortitude to cope with any more."

...Mid-South Canterbury area controller Dave Gaskin was unaware of any complaints of public nudity. If nudity offended, the police would respond.

Former Timaru woman Kaye Hannam is a member of the New Zealand Naturist Federation and editor of its magazine, Gonatural.

...Ms Hannam believed a great acceptance of naturism was healthy and the Kapiti situation indicated that "simple" nudity was not an offence.

Naturism was not about voyeurism or beauty but acceptance of people in their natural state, she said."

The major doesn't think it would be a drawing card. US the US as an example, Haulover nude beach is the most popular beach in Miami. Our resort has the 2nd highest occupancy rate of all hotels in Palm Springs. We also have one of the highest repeat guest rates in the whole travel industry at almost 80% repeat guests. Wholesome nude recreation is very popular.

For the full article click here

And if you want to go topless or nude sunbathing in a nice safe resort, give us The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa a call at 800-786-6938. Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!