Helen talks to Lins from 'Naked Wanderings'
Lins, and her partner Nick a 30-something naturist couple who full time travel around the world in search of the best places to get naked and to learn more about naturism and nudism.
Q: What got you into naturism/nudism?
A: My parents were not naturists or didn't do anything socially nude (that I know of), but nudity was very common in our home. The bathroom door was always open and I was raised not to have any shame about my body. But the real first steps into naturism were in a spa in Belgium, just like in Germany and The Netherlands, these are clothes free and for many Belgians this is a first step into social nudity.
Q: Is there a difference between the two labels?
A: Personally, I don't care about the labels. And that's partly because of our travels. In Europe, naturism is the commonly accepted term and nudism has a bit of an undertone, which leans towards exhibitionism. But in the USA and most parts of Latin America, nudism is the common term and naturism is more about hugging trees. So for me, it doesn't matter and we use both terms loosely on our blog (just because we need to give it a name). As long as you understand and respect the values, you can call yourself whatever you want.
Q: How does it impact your life on a day-to-day basis?
A: For me, a lot, because our blog and everything around it is my full time job. I'm basically a professional naturist (there are worse jobs... 🙂 ). Although I obviously spend a lot of time with clothes as well, a large part of my daily life has something to do with naturism.
Q: What challenges do women face in naturism?
A: A lot has to do with culture. Women are generally expected to be more modest than men. Women are also expected to seduce men, which is a lot easier with clothes than naked. Then there's harassment. On one hand there is the sexualization of the female body by men, and on the other there is the jealousy and slut shaming by other women. And then there are, of course, the beauty standards. So many women feel bad about their bodies and spend hours per day trying to hide their flaws. Just putting it all out there becomes a very daunting thought.
Q: How can we encourage more women to try it?
A: I think by putting the focus less on the nudity. Today, naturism is largely "the thing where you get naked among others". If we can change that to "the thing that makes you feel good about yourself" or "the thing that takes all your stress away" or "the thing that makes you feel more confident as a woman", it will attract many more women.
Q: How can women help in desexualising nudity?
A: That is a really tough one, because it's mostly female nudity that is being sexualized. On the other hand, change might come from within. I think that it's important that women stick together to fight sexualization. Whenever someone gives a sexual comment on a nude body, that several women at once say that it's not ok. Especially on the internet, I feel that the few female "promoters of naturism" often stand alone. Whenever someone gets a "nice tits" comment, a handful of men will reply, but rarely another woman.
Q: How can we encourage body positivity and acceptance?
A: By repeating it over and over again and by being an example. Regular women who are proud of their bodies are the only ones who will be able to convince other regular women.
Q: What advice would you offer to women curious about naturism?
A: Naturism is one of the easiest things to try. It's not dangerous, it's not unhealthy, and it's not permanent. It's not like getting a tattoo. if you try naturism and you don't like it, just put your clothes back on and you're not a naturist anymore. That's the advice I regularly give. And also to try it with other women. Getting into naturism with your partner is great as long as you're on the same wavelength about it. But trying naturism with female friends is probably better because you understand each other's fears and doubts. You can hold each other's hand and give valuable advice.
Q: What drives your passion in promoting naturism?
A: It became our life and I wouldn't want to have it any other way. I want others to experience this as well. When we ask other naturists about their regrets, the answer is almost unanimous that they wish they had tried it sooner. Today is the best time to try naturism. Yesterday would have been even better.
Lins was featured on episode 12 of the Women in Focus podcast. You can listen to her episode here.
