The naked rambler’s brother installed our staircase. He was fully clothed when he did it. Public nudity is not a family trait.
The naked rambler is a chap who has been in prison for 2 and a half years for breaching an ASBO ordering him to cover up in public.
While I was reading about him, I noticed that the 3-year-old was starkers, standing on the window sill, waving to the passers-by. I wondered if I was being irresponsible leaving him there.
When I finally retrieved my son, I looked out of the window and noted that my husband has nearly completed the installation of the outside bath. We wear swimming costumes in the outdoor bath. We do this to protect our pot-smoking, heavy drinking, swearing neighbours who peer over our fence, from the obscenity that is our bodies.
Speaking of swimming costumes, I went to the pool the other day in an attempt to shift some of the baby weight (the baby starts school in September). While in the changing rooms, two teenage girls shamed one of their ‘friends’ due to some perceived imperfection with her body. The shamed girl shuffled into a tiny cubicle. In disgust, I stood there naked aside from the towel I was using to dry my arms, and I stared the bullies down: “this is what a human looks like”, my eyes challenged them. They more than understood.
The incident reminded me of a conversation I once had with the naked rambler’s brother’s girlfriend. She was in the female changing room at the local baths, showering naked. A mother with her 7-year-old son asked if perhaps my naked friend could keep her swimming costume on while showering so as not to upset the little boy. My friend declined.
Are our continental friends more comfortable with their bodies than us Brits? Perhaps. Maybe it’s more an age thing.
I wonder what 20 somethings do think about nudity these days. They have grown up surrounded by music videos verging on porn, by actual porn, by being told that boys fail at school because girls’ skirts are too short, that it’s OK to breastfeed in public. No it isn’t. Yes it is. No it isn’t.
That they live in a free country.
That they can dress how they please.
And that being naked in public is most likely a step too far, whether you are rambling or not. Isn’t it?
Cogito Ergo Mum 
The title to this blog post wins my title of the year 🙂 I have to say, I think the naked tourists in Malaysia are just idiots (it doesn’t take much to at least try and understand the culture of the country you are in), but I do despair at all the fuss made over nipples in this country. There have been some brilliant posts, tweets etc recently pointing out that male and female nipples are pretty much the same and yet it’s totally fine for one set to be seen in public but not the other…unless, of course, it’s for sexual reasons and to sell something. I particularly despair of the fuss made about breastfeeding in public.
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Nipples definitely should have had more of a mention in this post! We do make such a big fuss over them, don’t we? Weird. And yep – the breast feeding thing drives me potty. Have a lovely weekend, however you choose to dress.
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My children were pathologically unable to ignore any water no matter how shallow and would always strip off and plunge in (very cool in the Highlands of Scotland). Nudity is not a big problem for them but how sad that it is for so many folk and even sadder that ‘how’ one’s body looks is the cause of so much angst or envy or religious constraint. Good luck to the Naked Rambler.
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Oohj i love a skinny dip. Good luck indeed, naked rambler. The world is utterly bonkers. Fully clothed, but bonkers.
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Loved this. Your German friend’s comment made me snort-laugh (very undignified). Don’t even get me started on breastfeeding in public, I’ll never stop…
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It was a funny moment in my life. Breastfeeding in public – why oh why oh why does that remain so controversial? Crazy!
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Yes, Europeans are far more comfortable with nudity than most people in Britain or Australia. Yes, people do have different levels of nudity where they feel comfortable. Yes, you should feel comfortable with your own body. Being naked does not have to be sexual. I say head out there in the English summer, when the kids are asleep and have a naked soak in the tub – go on… 😉
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Ooh, you know what. I just might. But I don’t think I’d dare post a picture of it…some parts of my brain are so liberal, and other bits are utter prudes. Can’t think why…….
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