No Shame in this Easter Nudity

Reposted from about one year ago...

Platypus Note:  The members of the Bare Platypus team respect that there are people from many different faiths who live together in this world and who also enjoy nudism.  We celebrate that. At the same time, we have never made a secret of the fact that our Christian faith is very important to us.  This post is primarily intended for our Christian brothers and sisters as we look toward the Easter holiday weekend.

“Nudity is shameful” we sometimes hear.  Especially when someone is making a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission about a glimpse of bare breast or buttocks they saw during a Super Bowl halftime show, or TV program.

Bare Platypuses know that their friends within the nudist community will disagree, but we hope those within our Christian community will disagree also.  At least when it comes to the nudity we know and read about during Easter. 

See, as Christians we believe that about 2000 years ago the very Son of God, creator of mankind and the universe, chose to come to earth and live like us before experiencing a gruesome death and resurrection that set things right again after we had messed them up big time.  During His last week on earth, Christ spent a lot of time naked, but there was nothing shameful about it. Oh no.

 

On the evening of the Last Supper, we read that Jesus stripped to very little, then proceeded to wash His disciples’ feet, using what little he had on Him to wipe them dry.  In doing so, He personally provided one of the most powerful examples in history of what it takes to be GREAT in the kingdom of the Almighty.   And that’s being least.  A servant. Stripped to the bare essentials of what we need to serve others.

Within just a few hours of that powerful demonstration, Jesus made “nakedness” a gem of honor in his everlasting crown when he allowed himself to be stripped so that his back could be whipped in preparation of redeeming Adam and Eve’s race. And while Roman soldiers tossed dice to see who would get what few clothes he owned.  Being hung on a cross---naked or in a loincloth--- was meant to make Him suffer more and to subject Him to humiliation.  But Christians recognize that we deserve the humiliation for our sins that made it necessary for Him to be there.

At the moment of Christ’s death a fabric curtain in the Temple meant to be the barrier between God and man ripped in two from top to bottom.  No shame with the destruction of a piece of cloth that wasn’t necessary anymore because of what had just happened. Finally, when Jesus arose on Easter morning, the grave clothes were left behind and He was risen.  No shame conquering those wrappings either!

On the evening of the Last Supper, we read that Jesus stripped to very little, then proceeded to wash His disciples’ feet, using what little he had on Him to wipe them dry.  In doing so, He personally provided one of the most powerful examples in history of what it takes to be GREAT in the kingdom of the Almighty.   And that’s being least.  A servant. Stripped to the bare essentials of what we need to serve others.

Within just a few hours of that powerful demonstration, Jesus made “nakedness” a gem of honor in his everlasting crown when he allowed himself to be stripped so that his back could be whipped in preparation of redeeming Adam and Eve’s race. And while Roman soldiers tossed dice to see who would get what few clothes he owned.  Being hung on a cross---naked or in a loincloth--- was meant to make Him suffer more and to subject Him to humiliation.  But Christians recognize that we deserve the humiliation for our sins that made it necessary for Him to be there.

At the moment of Christ’s death a fabric curtain in the Temple meant to be the barrier between God and man ripped in two from top to bottom.  No shame with the destruction of a piece of cloth that wasn’t necessary anymore because of what had just happened. Finally, when Jesus arose on Easter morning, the grave clothes were left behind and He was risen.  No shame conquering those wrappings either!

 

No, we have a bit too much faith to say nudity is shameful at a time like Easter.

 

 

Naked Rambler Faces 5 Years in Prison

According to the following news article Steven Gough the Naked Rambler appeared in court to provide his name as a preliminary to proceedings where he could get five years in prison for refusal to wear clothes.  Five years. Really?

In previous blog entries we have noted that we don't necessarily agree with everything Gough has done to espouse his views that there's nothing wrong with the human body.  Yet we don't think five years (or even the threat of a prison sentence that long) is warranted.

The Perils of Patience

The Bare Platypus has worked on behalf of nudity for a very long time. 

Early on (almost 20 years ago now), he will admit that he couldn't understand "radical" nude activists. You know, the ones who stage nude protests, get arrested, and bring lawsuits.  The Platypus philosophy then was, "why not work within the system?"  So he put his webbed feet to work on things like beach cleanup volunteer projects and raising money to donate to the state and federal park services during photo op presentations using big cardboard checks... stuff like that.  The Platypus pulled a suit and tie over his fur and sat down to meet with  officials very businesslike. He trotted out to state capitols too.

"You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar," the Platypus thought to himself in silent scorn of the more rebellious tactics that only seemed to give nudists a bad name.

After 20 years, he's not so sure anymore.  Because after 20 years of advocacy with a web footed handshake, not much has seemed to change for the better. 

Cape Cod National Seashore staff will smile as the fully dressed nudist volunteer in their volunteer tshirt fills bag after bag with trash that some clothed visitor probably left. But they adamantly refuse to rescind their rule against nudity on the beach or to help with getting it changed. (Admittedly, relations with staff have improved due to the tireless efforts of some very hard working volunteers.  It's just that we may be approaching diminishing returns.  How much can you do for someone who has so little interest in helping you work through the process?)

Now Fire Island Seashore and Mazo Beach in Wisconsin are facing nude closures (Fire Island) and closure during the week (Mazo).  The Platypus knows there were substantial on-the-ground efforts in those places to keep good relations. How much good did it do?  No doubt it did some good. And to the degree it didn't work, it's not for lack of effort.  It's just that it's also true that many park staff will probably never work with nudists until forced to do so.

To many in government, we can only lament "you've had your chance."  You have often demonstrated that you reward civil behavior with less and less civility.  The Platypus is too old to get himself arrested, but sooner or later it may sink in with other folks that working within the system often doesn't work.  That frustration is going to have consequences.

Just 10 Days Left to Vote in our Poll

Be sure to cast your ballot if you have not yet voted in our poll about when you became a nudist!'

Tell us if you've been a nudist from birth... or even if you're not a nudist yet.  We'll discuss results, and what they may mean, soon after the poll closes.  Be heard.  Stay naked.

The Coppertone Girl Revisited

Just about one year ago the Bare Platypus included a post about The Vanishing Coppertone Girl . In that selection, we lamented that the cartoon graphic of a little girl having her swimsuit pulled down to reveal her fully bare bottom in the familiar advertisement had been replaced by a girl revealing less and less skin.  We noted that the end cap display now included a picture of a girl wearing a sundress with the little dog running alongside of her.  Our post tracked the slow morphing from "nude to prude" for this product mascot.

The mascot has morphed again.

Now, both the display and product bottles themselves depict the familiar dog tugging down the hem of the little girl's sun dress as if to add an emphasis of modesty.  Remember when moms gave a tug on their daughter's dress or skirt to pull it below the knee? Toto (or whatever the dog's name) seems to be doing it too.

The Platypuses live South of the Mason-Dixon line so we see suncare products promoted throughout the year.  We saw the latest version of Ms. Coppertone the other day and had to sigh once again.  To recap:  Our culture now rejects sun exposure and the more innocent nudity presented by a cartoon drawing... a drawing that was perfectly acceptable when Eisenhower was in the White House.

Does this cultural shift mean anything for nudism?  We think it does!

NAKED OR NUDE?

It's Saturday morning, and what better post could we make than talking about the most appropriate words to use to describe our unclothed form? 

NUDE - Many within  our "community" choose this word.  It is, after all, the root of the word nudist.  They also believe, and we understand, that the word carries the connotation of having some class, as well as conveying that our state is non-sexual.  Think nude statuary, or nude fine art prints and you get the idea. NUDE also does not seem to imply the degree of vulnerability that some other words do. Despite all these advantages, the Platypuses can't say we reach for this word from the shelf all that often.

NAKED - This word has many advantages.  First, it's descriptive.  If you  say you went swimming naked, everyone else knows what you're talking about.  Second, we note that the word is used in the Bible to describe how Adam and Eve walked around in that garden: NAKED and not ashamed. Naked in that passage from Genesis doesn't imply that there was anything lacking or especially vulnerable about the couple, but phrases like "cold, helpless, and naked" or "I feel naked without my cell phone" have come to change how some view the word.  We like it and it still commands attention when spoken.

NEKKID - As a great comedian often said, NAKED is when you have no clothes on. NEKKID is when you have no clothes on and you're up to something.

BARE - It's one of our favorite words.  In fact, it's part of our name BARE PLATYPUS. Therein lies something about the word... it seems to go best when paired with another word, e.g. BARE bottom, BARE bum, BARE naked, etc.  Of course, you can use it in the oft cited "BARE with us" slogan.  Put the word with a graphic of a cartoon butt and you have a winning combination.

NAKEY or NAKIE - are ways little kids sometimes refer to romping around with nothing on.   As such, it adds a touch of fun, impishness, and innocence to the whole thing. The Rugrats once used the word dozens of times in a single episode.

UNCLOTHED or UNDRESSED-  Very matter-of-fact, generic words to describe nudity.  The only problem we have with them is that they seem to imply that clothing or being dressed is the default state... maybe even that things should be clothed or dressed soon to rectify the deficiency.  What would you do about unwashed dishes or unfinished business?

AU NATURALE - This is probably the most polite way of saying "naked" but it may be too polite.  Some people don't know what you mean when you say or write it.  It turns into a euphemism of sorts.  Still, when writing a long article and you don't want to type nude for the 100th time, it's an alternative.  It also implies, of course, being natural about one's nudity.

IN THE ALTOGETHER - This phrase takes nudity even one more step removed from raw words such as NAKED.  It's even less understood if you don't wish to unsettle the children dear.  So it can get lost in conversation along with words like gymnosophist or Abyssinian or other foreign phrases like "tout nu" and "cul nu."

How about it Platypus readers?  What's your favorite word to describe our favorite way to be?  Why?  Do you have any other term(s) you use?  Tell us about it in the comments below.

Celebrating the Anniversary of Bare Platypus

Exactly one year ago, we hatched the Bare Platypus.  Since that time, we have written blog posts on a variety of topics. 

We averaged one post every three days (actually a little bit better than that);

We introduced a feature called Walter of the Week, an award which we bestowed on recipients each Tuesday in honor of Walter Bishop of the series Fringe.  It recognized persons who did something to advance the "cause" of nudity;

We ran a few polls, notably asking where people most like to get bare and asking, "When did you become a nudist?"

We have picked up 37 regular followers to the blog;

We have welcomed visitors from many, many nations;

We shared personal anecdotes;

We treated readers to Platypus cartoons of our mascots;

We rendered some advice;

We got some advice from our readers in return;

We've had over 63,000 visits;

We look forward to much more in the future.

Naked Headlines

Here are some random headlines and stories about nudity this morning:

Naked Rambler Arrested for Nudity Again

The Naked Truth About Sonoma State

Naked Man Drives Van into River after High Speed Chase

World Naked Bike Ride in Melbourne, 2013

Sunday Morning Naked Time

It's Sunday morning in the Platypus household.  Soon we will be headed to church and a day filled with various social meetings and projects.

But for right now it's Naked Time.  Time to just sit with a cup of coffee, make a blog post, and... Be.  Be bare naked without doing much of anything. We encourage you to do that once in a while too.