Springwood Naturist Club near Colchester are taking decisive steps to support the participation of women in Naturism.
On Saturday 11 or Sunday 12 July, depending on the weather, Springwood is opening its gates to women, either on their own or with their partner, to give them a chance to sample a Naturist experience. Crucially, this will be a no-pressure environment. Guests can come and take their time to figure out whether they wish to try Naturism for themselves. If they choose to join in, great. If they decide it is not for them and prefer to head off, there will be no judgement. The willingness to at least contemplate dipping your toe into Naturism is all that is needed.
This sort of initiative is much needed. In almost every country around the world, Naturist federations have a gender imbalance and whenever a minority becomes too small, it becomes difficult for them to avoid feeling like the odd one out. The imbalance then grows further. The type of constructive approach adopted by Springwood, creating a space for the smaller group to feel comfortable, is far preferable to trying to tackle the issue by suppressing the majority. The more we see these types of initiatives, the more inclusive Naturism becomes for everybody.
Springwood also recognise the root cause of these imbalances. As they say on their website:
“Advertisers are constantly telling us that we’re not good enough, not fit enough, not pretty enough. At Springwood, all that changes when you enter the world of Naturism that can help you improve your self-belief, reduces self-criticism and builds confidence. Naturism allows us to accept ourselves as we are.”
Minorities are particularly vulnerable to these sorts of pressures because, as a smaller group, the numbers needed to build confidence and self-belief are often lacking.
Details of the open day are on the Springwood website, so if you are a woman who has thought about Naturism but felt too intimidated, maybe now is the time to make contact and discover a whole new aspect of your life. After all, what do you have to lose?
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