Thanks for sharing this here. Yes, there are definitely parallels between your story and mine. I'm sure there are quite a few of us who've used modeling as a means of overcoming shame and gaining acceptance of our bodies.
In my own experience, models have seldom been booked more than a few weeks before a class, and there are usually more available models than bookings. I'm curious as to what your friend told the instructor at the university that made him so eager to have you pose.
I loved reading your comment, David. I, too, like being seen nude, but not for the reasons people might assume. Like you, I bristle at being labeled an exhibitionist. When I'm nude, I'm at my most authentic; this is 100% me, with zero pretense. This is my default state, and I like being seen as I am. I'm also more physically comfortable without the constraint of clothing or the distraction of wondering whether I'm dressed suitably. And, I firmly believe that having a human body is nothing to be ashamed of.
I recognize that I'm in a minority. Most people feel vulnerable, embarrassed, and judged when they're nude, and I understand that. But, as described in the article, I've worked through that. I am now more likely to stress or feel judged over my choice of clothing. This article focuses on modeling because that situation is the perfect context for letting myself be looked at for long periods of time. But I've long since reached a point where I also prefer to be nude among my friends and certain family members, even if they prefer to be dressed. I don't spring it on people; I broach the subject and explain my beliefs and my feelings. You'd be surprised at how many are fine with it (even appreciative, in many cases). They know me and trust me, and eventually they understand me. It often leads to them questioning their own knee-jerk reactions and assumptions about simple nudity. I've had numerous people tell me they were initially wary, but were surprised at how quickly they realized my conduct is no different than it would be if I were clothed. Those people have sometimes thanked me for challenging their preconceptions and/or causing them to question their feelings about their own bodies.
I am conscious that nudity can be triggering, especially for those who've suffered sexual abuse or think I'm somehow using them and getting off by "parading" in front of them (I do not parade; I simply exist). I respect the cultural and experiential baggage of others. I'm aware that I'm responsible for whatever vibe I'm generating, but I also know I can't control how it's received.
I think you and I are on the same page. Thank you for taking the time to comment so thoughtfully.
Thank you! I concur with your profile statement. You might be interested in my interview on Naked Age podcast (link at the bottom of this post), because much of it is about public nudity.
One photo is of my camp at Burning Man, Art Model Camp in the AEZ village. We get lots of first-timers, who are doing it to get over fears and inhibitions.
It's a great camp. I volunteered as a model there at least once during each of my 8 burns (between 2011 - 2019). I always enjoyed it, and liked the vibe... and, I received a few very nice, custom-designed, enamel pins from the camp as gifts.
Nice. Your campmate in the red shirt commented on Reddit.
I wish I'd gotten more of the pins... maybe they'd run out earlier in the week? No biggie. As you know, while playa gifts are lovely, they're not what it's all about.
Beautiful memories of the journey that is naturism and body confidence. It resonates with my own journey to feel no shame in my own skin. Thanks for an inspiring story 🙏🏻
This is a terrific story already, and there is the promise of an inspiring novel in there. Thank you for sharing your story, one that I can only wish I had emulated beginning as a young man.
I wish I had the skill to write fiction, or felt I had something significant to say in a longer format. I've tried my hand at writing an actual memoir (not just about nudity, although it certainly factors in my experiences), but it's just a bunch of episodes with no real focus. Anyway, thanks for the great comment.
My first experience being nude in front of others was as a model in an art class. I was a student at Penn State, and the class was full of freshmen. No one said anything about a robe even after I arrived, but unlike you, I was comfortable disrobing. During a break, I did the crossword puzzle in the college paper. I asked one of the students for help with a clue, and he said he couldn't talk to me because I was naked.
After graduating I posed a few times for adult classes but quit because it caused me back pain.
I'm glad getting naked was easier for you than it was for me. During what years were you modeling? The student's "I can't talk to you..." remark says a lot!
I'm not sure why my first post-puberty experiences with were so difficult. Maybe it had to do with my family, or maybe it was having been a child of the repressive 1950s, or maybe it was just me. It's certainly different for each of us, and I envy those for whom it comes naturally.
There is much here that I identify with as part of my journey as a nudist. I read this post when it first appeared but have only just got around to saying thanks for sharing.
I too got naked when left at home here in England on my own when young and loved how free I felt when nude, especially outside. My family were not nudists. As a kid my family took us to the Isle of Wight for a break at the same time as one of the festivals there around when the Woodstock one took place, they had not known that the festival was taking place at the same time. The IOW festivals between '68 and '70 apparently had between 150,000 and 600,000 attending them, which is more than the resident population. One day while walking along some cliffs we saw lots of nude festival goers on a beach, several miles from the festival. This was my first encounter in real life with social nudity, like you I knew then that I wanted to be as at ease with public nudity as they were. Instead we went through the textile ritual of the 'towel dance' while changing(!!!) at the beach. Thankfully I enjoyed social nudism a few years after that for the first time and am still loving it, towel dancing is a think of the distant past too!
I made it to my first nude beach while in my late teens, it felt so right to swim and sunbathe naked. I had a few spells at life modelling too, it was a way of socialising while nude when living in a big city where nudity was rare. Plus, I was possibly better at staying still for 20-30 mins than drawing or painting. I gained an art exam qualification at school when 16, but my printing was way better than the other parts of the course. So posing nude was probably the best way for me to spend time in studios, from the first few seconds I found it very easy to do. Some classes insisted that we wear robes during breaks from posing too, others had no problem with models remaining naked while drinking a coffee with the artists. Occasionally I went for a coffee or drink afterwards with some of the class, if they invited me. It didn't matter at all that I'd been naked in front of them for the previous hour or three. Some were curious about me being a nudist and nudism more generally, after I'd explained why I found it comfortable being naked at the studios. Its a shame in a way that you never got to chat with the artists outside of the 'work' environment. I teamed up with a female model after we'd met a few times in an an office that one college provided us with to use as a changing room. We were posing for different classes but we knew that there was a demand for multiple models to pose, rather like I guess you did with the other model featured with you here in a photo. When I worked with her we stayed nude during breaks far more often than when I was alone, possibly something to do with the artists feeling more at ease with me being naked alongside a nude woman. I'm guessing, as we never asked the question.
Like you I then took my improving ease with being nude among clothed people at the classes into the public sphere by participating in WNBRs etc . While not all of the naked riders may think of themselves as nudists, participating in them was probably the last big step that I took in fully 'outing' myself as a nudist. A step that I have no regrets about taking, life is much simpler when people understand that I want to be naked. When you ride them naked you're very likely to be filmed and/or photographed by onlookers. so you can't deny that you were there!
I hope that your article encourages others to take a journey along this route of opening up more about liking to be clothes-free.
Thanks for the article, it made me sit down and think through certain stages of my ever increasing enjoyment of nudism as the years have passed. The novelty of being naked has long since disappeared, but the 'need' to be naked gets realised much more frequently now.
Hi, Nick. To borrow a Britishism, I'm chuffed to know that my tale got you thinking and writing about your own. Thanks very much for your wonderful reply; to call it a "comment" seems inadequate. Your story could stand alone as a post on your own profile, or possibly as a "note" on a re-stack of my piece. I think it deserves better than to be buried in the comments section here.
There are indeed some real similarities our stories, and I enjoyed reading yours. I hadn't heard the term "towel dance" before, and it made me laugh; I'll be using that!
Thanks. It started life as a comment, but I don't know when to shut up! I live 5 mins walk away from the main town beaches, towel dancing is a very regular summertime spectator sport there, a longer 45-60 minute walk gets you to a nude beach, where you might occasionally see dancing, but it is likely to be very blatantly naked dancing. The more serious year round sea-swimming groups have moved on from towels to 'changing robes', think small tent, particularly the 'toilet tent' sort. But, please don't let on to them that that is what we refer to them as.
Thank you! A wonderful and slightly parallel journey through body acceptance. I too discovered being alive on a nude beach at 17 however, have only more recently in my late 50s been considering becoming a life drawing model for the first time. In my University days I had a lot of life drawing classes where I was drawing but looked with admiration and terror at the prospect of being nude and seen by people I may know. I am also aware of how arduous the poses can be and the strength it takes and since I have always been muscular and thin, am wondering if I have left it too late to begin with my body beginning to age. Bravo for your long career, but more importantly you comfort with nudity.
Thanks for sharing this here. Yes, there are definitely parallels between your story and mine. I'm sure there are quite a few of us who've used modeling as a means of overcoming shame and gaining acceptance of our bodies.
In my own experience, models have seldom been booked more than a few weeks before a class, and there are usually more available models than bookings. I'm curious as to what your friend told the instructor at the university that made him so eager to have you pose.
I loved reading your comment, David. I, too, like being seen nude, but not for the reasons people might assume. Like you, I bristle at being labeled an exhibitionist. When I'm nude, I'm at my most authentic; this is 100% me, with zero pretense. This is my default state, and I like being seen as I am. I'm also more physically comfortable without the constraint of clothing or the distraction of wondering whether I'm dressed suitably. And, I firmly believe that having a human body is nothing to be ashamed of.
I recognize that I'm in a minority. Most people feel vulnerable, embarrassed, and judged when they're nude, and I understand that. But, as described in the article, I've worked through that. I am now more likely to stress or feel judged over my choice of clothing. This article focuses on modeling because that situation is the perfect context for letting myself be looked at for long periods of time. But I've long since reached a point where I also prefer to be nude among my friends and certain family members, even if they prefer to be dressed. I don't spring it on people; I broach the subject and explain my beliefs and my feelings. You'd be surprised at how many are fine with it (even appreciative, in many cases). They know me and trust me, and eventually they understand me. It often leads to them questioning their own knee-jerk reactions and assumptions about simple nudity. I've had numerous people tell me they were initially wary, but were surprised at how quickly they realized my conduct is no different than it would be if I were clothed. Those people have sometimes thanked me for challenging their preconceptions and/or causing them to question their feelings about their own bodies.
I am conscious that nudity can be triggering, especially for those who've suffered sexual abuse or think I'm somehow using them and getting off by "parading" in front of them (I do not parade; I simply exist). I respect the cultural and experiential baggage of others. I'm aware that I'm responsible for whatever vibe I'm generating, but I also know I can't control how it's received.
I think you and I are on the same page. Thank you for taking the time to comment so thoughtfully.
Thanks for sharing about your work as a model. I enjoyed your article.
I appreciate the comment. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it.
Thanks for sharing your amazing journey. I hope it inspires others to follow your path.
That is absolutely neat! What an interesting journey!
Thank you! I concur with your profile statement. You might be interested in my interview on Naked Age podcast (link at the bottom of this post), because much of it is about public nudity.
One photo is of my camp at Burning Man, Art Model Camp in the AEZ village. We get lots of first-timers, who are doing it to get over fears and inhibitions.
It's a great camp. I volunteered as a model there at least once during each of my 8 burns (between 2011 - 2019). I always enjoyed it, and liked the vibe... and, I received a few very nice, custom-designed, enamel pins from the camp as gifts.
Thanks. We make a pin every year. I'm the second sketcher from the left in that picture.
Nice. Your campmate in the red shirt commented on Reddit.
I wish I'd gotten more of the pins... maybe they'd run out earlier in the week? No biggie. As you know, while playa gifts are lovely, they're not what it's all about.
Beautiful memories of the journey that is naturism and body confidence. It resonates with my own journey to feel no shame in my own skin. Thanks for an inspiring story 🙏🏻
This is a terrific story already, and there is the promise of an inspiring novel in there. Thank you for sharing your story, one that I can only wish I had emulated beginning as a young man.
I wish I had the skill to write fiction, or felt I had something significant to say in a longer format. I've tried my hand at writing an actual memoir (not just about nudity, although it certainly factors in my experiences), but it's just a bunch of episodes with no real focus. Anyway, thanks for the great comment.
My first experience being nude in front of others was as a model in an art class. I was a student at Penn State, and the class was full of freshmen. No one said anything about a robe even after I arrived, but unlike you, I was comfortable disrobing. During a break, I did the crossword puzzle in the college paper. I asked one of the students for help with a clue, and he said he couldn't talk to me because I was naked.
After graduating I posed a few times for adult classes but quit because it caused me back pain.
I'm glad getting naked was easier for you than it was for me. During what years were you modeling? The student's "I can't talk to you..." remark says a lot!
I'm not sure why my first post-puberty experiences with were so difficult. Maybe it had to do with my family, or maybe it was having been a child of the repressive 1950s, or maybe it was just me. It's certainly different for each of us, and I envy those for whom it comes naturally.
1980 to 81 at school, and 81 after I graduated.
Outstanding! I have to ask, was the New York production in question “Oh! Calcutta!”? That ran for quite a long time!
There is much here that I identify with as part of my journey as a nudist. I read this post when it first appeared but have only just got around to saying thanks for sharing.
I too got naked when left at home here in England on my own when young and loved how free I felt when nude, especially outside. My family were not nudists. As a kid my family took us to the Isle of Wight for a break at the same time as one of the festivals there around when the Woodstock one took place, they had not known that the festival was taking place at the same time. The IOW festivals between '68 and '70 apparently had between 150,000 and 600,000 attending them, which is more than the resident population. One day while walking along some cliffs we saw lots of nude festival goers on a beach, several miles from the festival. This was my first encounter in real life with social nudity, like you I knew then that I wanted to be as at ease with public nudity as they were. Instead we went through the textile ritual of the 'towel dance' while changing(!!!) at the beach. Thankfully I enjoyed social nudism a few years after that for the first time and am still loving it, towel dancing is a think of the distant past too!
I made it to my first nude beach while in my late teens, it felt so right to swim and sunbathe naked. I had a few spells at life modelling too, it was a way of socialising while nude when living in a big city where nudity was rare. Plus, I was possibly better at staying still for 20-30 mins than drawing or painting. I gained an art exam qualification at school when 16, but my printing was way better than the other parts of the course. So posing nude was probably the best way for me to spend time in studios, from the first few seconds I found it very easy to do. Some classes insisted that we wear robes during breaks from posing too, others had no problem with models remaining naked while drinking a coffee with the artists. Occasionally I went for a coffee or drink afterwards with some of the class, if they invited me. It didn't matter at all that I'd been naked in front of them for the previous hour or three. Some were curious about me being a nudist and nudism more generally, after I'd explained why I found it comfortable being naked at the studios. Its a shame in a way that you never got to chat with the artists outside of the 'work' environment. I teamed up with a female model after we'd met a few times in an an office that one college provided us with to use as a changing room. We were posing for different classes but we knew that there was a demand for multiple models to pose, rather like I guess you did with the other model featured with you here in a photo. When I worked with her we stayed nude during breaks far more often than when I was alone, possibly something to do with the artists feeling more at ease with me being naked alongside a nude woman. I'm guessing, as we never asked the question.
Like you I then took my improving ease with being nude among clothed people at the classes into the public sphere by participating in WNBRs etc . While not all of the naked riders may think of themselves as nudists, participating in them was probably the last big step that I took in fully 'outing' myself as a nudist. A step that I have no regrets about taking, life is much simpler when people understand that I want to be naked. When you ride them naked you're very likely to be filmed and/or photographed by onlookers. so you can't deny that you were there!
I hope that your article encourages others to take a journey along this route of opening up more about liking to be clothes-free.
Thanks for the article, it made me sit down and think through certain stages of my ever increasing enjoyment of nudism as the years have passed. The novelty of being naked has long since disappeared, but the 'need' to be naked gets realised much more frequently now.
Thanks again.
Hi, Nick. To borrow a Britishism, I'm chuffed to know that my tale got you thinking and writing about your own. Thanks very much for your wonderful reply; to call it a "comment" seems inadequate. Your story could stand alone as a post on your own profile, or possibly as a "note" on a re-stack of my piece. I think it deserves better than to be buried in the comments section here.
There are indeed some real similarities our stories, and I enjoyed reading yours. I hadn't heard the term "towel dance" before, and it made me laugh; I'll be using that!
Thanks again. Stay naked!
Thanks. It started life as a comment, but I don't know when to shut up! I live 5 mins walk away from the main town beaches, towel dancing is a very regular summertime spectator sport there, a longer 45-60 minute walk gets you to a nude beach, where you might occasionally see dancing, but it is likely to be very blatantly naked dancing. The more serious year round sea-swimming groups have moved on from towels to 'changing robes', think small tent, particularly the 'toilet tent' sort. But, please don't let on to them that that is what we refer to them as.
I model here in Central Florida. I appreciate reading about other male models and their experiences. Thank you.
Thank you! A wonderful and slightly parallel journey through body acceptance. I too discovered being alive on a nude beach at 17 however, have only more recently in my late 50s been considering becoming a life drawing model for the first time. In my University days I had a lot of life drawing classes where I was drawing but looked with admiration and terror at the prospect of being nude and seen by people I may know. I am also aware of how arduous the poses can be and the strength it takes and since I have always been muscular and thin, am wondering if I have left it too late to begin with my body beginning to age. Bravo for your long career, but more importantly you comfort with nudity.