We've heard it said that a towel is the nudist's "badge" and to some extent, we suppose that's true. Nudist etiquette calls for us to carry a towel and to use it when sitting on the furniture as a courtesy and matter of hygiene.
But for many the towel goes beyond that and is an expresion of their personality. Some like theirs plush. Some always choose bright colors, while others prefer them to be subdued.
Some carry embroidered towels with monograms. Others have nudist themed towels that they take to the club or beach with phrases like, "I love my allover tan," or "Enjoy life naturally." Some want their nudist park's name and logo.
We' ve seen those who launder and use the same "lucky" towel much like the Linus character from the Peanuts cartoon carried his blanket. Others have a minimalist approach and carry little more than a small hand towel as opposed to the extra long ones that could cover two chairs.
A few nudists have novelty towels with a pillow built in, or a zippered pouch for small change. Nudists cherish the towels they received as gifts from knowing family and friends.
Guys may reach for their towel when certain infrequent, but occasional "moments" occur. Women use towels and pareo wraps to articulate their sense of fashion. And what naturist kid doesn't appreciate when mom holds open a warm towel to embrace them with after they leave the pool and enter the chilly air?
The towel helps keep sand from getting in the uncomfortable places when we sit gazing out at the ocean.
So we owe our towels many thanks and we never appreciate them as much as when we open the car trunk and realize we forgot to pack one... or not enough. That scene on the plane mid flight when mom realizes she left Kevin in the Home Alone movie seems to capture the spirit.
Towels... may our banners yet wave.
Funny thing though, we haven't noticed folks paying much attention to which side of the towel they're sitting on, here then there. Kind of defeats the purpose! ;-)
ReplyDeleteHappily, nudists are probably the cleanest people on Earth!
Good point, allnudist. I've always thought the same thing. For hygiene, there needs to be consistency in which side of the towel you choose to sit on.
ReplyDeleteFrom the *Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy*:
ReplyDelete"What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with."
A good part of Home Alone is when that kid talks about the nude beach!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the towel goes, I won't be going if I'm required to carry something for each sitting place. I understand having a towel for covering certain fabrics, but for every sitting spot its a BIG hassle. Some will argue it's unsanitary to sit bare, but with good health habits its almost impossible to get sick or leak out.
Towels should mostly be used for drying off or laying down.
For most of human evolution we were naked and didn't sit on a towel !