Preparing To Be Nude

[BAS]

Crud-- I suppose I had better start paying more attention to what I eat. (Kind of hard when I am eating out fairly regularly, and living at my parents' place and eating what they have. )

I thought that the doctor might have been lying. That was the one I was seeing down in Racine, and I was anything but impressed with him. I might have to try asking my new doctor and see what he says. (I am seeing him again on the 30th for a few things.)

Thanks!


B.

[MikeVDS]

Hey may not have been lying. It may be that they don't do that anymore where he's working, but others may. I don't see something like that stopping unless they found some sort of danger that greatly outweighs the benefits.

[Rocket75377]

A lot of guys ask about being nude "what if I get an erection?" Truth is it doesn't really tend to happen that much. But if it does, specifically on the playa, and one doesn't have a 'safety blanket'[...]?

So, what? Do you just go with it, and use the arousal as part of your "costume," or go into that half-bent-over-hands-covering-crotch thing you have to do at the community swimming pool? I've heard suggestions of carrying a sarong or something "just in case," but how big of a deal is it?

[MikeVDS]

What does it matter if you get an erection? That's just part of life and who you are. Society has taught to be ashamed of our sexuality, but there is no real reason you should be.

[Apollonaris Zeus]

I've heard suggestions of carrying a sarong or something "just in case," but how big of a deal is it?

A sarong! What are you kidding?

How tying it first to a anchor!

[Zhust]

When I was packing up to leave Burning Man 2005 was the first time I was publicly nude. I spent that burn wearing a bathrobe and boxer shorts the whole time -- I considered it fitting for me because it was extremely practical but also recalled Arthur Dent from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (a man from Earth who's in a completely different environment than he's used to) and The Dude from The Big Lebowski (a man who tries to live with as little resistance as possible.)

Anyway, at the time it was more of a "last chance" kind of thing. It's not like public nudity is permitted in the default world so I figured it was now or never. I felt embarrassment to the reaction of people: my best friend of 6 years commenting that my body was cute, the gay guy from 2 camps down fawning over me, and otherwise just dealing with the fact that I could not predict people's reactions beforehand.

In 2006 I stuck with the same outfit, sans boxer shorts. I got accustomed to being the "robe guy" or (as my judgmental campmates put it, "the naked guy in our camp" as I'd often just hang around nude.) There were times when I was self-conscious, but certainly not worse than my first year when I was wearing street clothes and couldn't get the time-of-day from anybody.

The thing with going nude the first time reminded me of other steps into the abyss: my worries and expectations were completely wrong. For the most part, nobody cared -- I was able to realize the quantity of apathy as acceptance with the infrequent mocking comments. I had worries of erections, too, and only once in camp did I come close but mentally mitigated it. In retrospect, I would like to have had the experience of popping a boner in public so I'd know how people react, and more importantly, how I'd react.

I guess for me it wasn't overly difficult. Over the years I've come to care less about my physical appearance -- admittedly, it's rather middle-of-the-road, so I neither get drooled over nor ridiculed. I never remember what I'm wearing, so when I was wearing nothing, it was only those rare moments that I'd giggle to myself "hey, I'm naked ... tee hee" that I was even really aware of it.

As for some of you who've said that you dislike your bodies, consider taking the trial-by-fire. Maybe for just one day, or part of a day, you can go nude. Assume the worst and do it anyway. Then you will know how bad it is.

I read an interview with a guy named Ken Eagle Feather about the Toltec religion/traditions and he said, "One way to fight fear is this: any time you come upon something and the only thing that keeps you from doing it is fear, then your decision is automatically made. You look it straight in the eye and proceed in that direction."

[Thecatman]

I'm like Starjack who commented on Feb18, 2006. I went to Abolone Cove near LA when I was 18 in 1978. I'm 48, I'm 5'6", 185lbs and out of shape, have a beer/milk gut, and don't give a rats ass what others might think if I walk or ride around BRC in my birthay suit or in a pair of shorts and no shirt. I've been to nude beaches in California, New Jersey, Florida, the Colorado River, a park in Munich and now we go to one at Lake Tahoe. So I dumped the self-connsiousness mentality long before some burners were even born. I must confess, I will look, even check out, but I won't stare at a naked woman.

[Rat Bastard]

Ooooh, this is a good one.

Here's the thing. If you fat, skinny, hot or not people are going to look at you whether your naked or not. They look at you cause your different in some way from them.

The secret to being naked in public (where tolerated) is simple. You take off your clothes and start going about your day. Walking around. Taking a bike ride. Etc. It's that simple. At first you'll feel like everyone is looking at you making you feel uncomfortable. After 5 or 10 minutes you start looking at everyone else and start thinking that your making them feel uncomfortable. Then you see someone else naked and do the obligatory "what's up" nod. Now you feel like your in the club of elite risk takers. You now have the courage to reach out of your shell and have a desire to be social. This may be 20 minutes into it, maybe an hour. Once you start being social you have fun watching who looks down and who looks you in the eyes and who just looks the other way while talking to you. Before you know it, you forget your naked and wonder why someone just gave you a strange look. Then you turn around and see your mom. Just kidding. The worst thing that can happen that already hasn't been said or happened to you is a sunburn. Sunscreen everywhere. SPF 60

That's the best way I can explain it. It's kind of like explaining Burning Man to someone who has never been.

My suggestion... Who gives a fuck what people think about your body. It's yours, not theirs. You carry it around all your life, feed it, bathe it, groom it, rub it and share it with who you want. Therefore, your opinion is the only one that matters. If your pondering on going nude on a public internet forum then chances are you really want to do it. You'll be at BRC soon. You've gotten yourself that far, why stop now?

Do it and get it over with. You'll feel liberated like you never have when you do. Even if your surrounded by 35,000 conservitaves that don't have the balls!

RB

[Fat SAM]

Ha ha...the balls. That's topical!

I'm doing 100+ push ups a day and 200+ crunches. I'm going to be naked this year and I'm going to like it. If only I could fix that mexican curse thing...Hard to apply sunscreen to the junk casually, too, you know?

[gyre]

Have someone else apply it.
Or the sport coppertone has a spray bottle.

[AntiM]

Prepare to be nude:

1. Locate the release mechanisms on clothing.
2. Deploy release mechanisms.
3. You're nude.

hey, this is pretty fuckin' simple!

[Green Wood]

Can women shirtcock?

[Glittering Clitoris]

Society has taught to be ashamed of our sexuality,

Who said I was a ashamed of my sexuality?



































































































































































I'm just ashamed of YOURS!

[Bin Noddin]

Glitty Clitty, that was a good laugh. Thanks!

[mdmf007]

[quote="Green Wood"]Can women shirtcock?[/quote]
By definition, I do not believe that woman can ShirtCock?

Perhaps something else?

ShirtVag? - just doesnt ring though.

FYI - To all my fans out there, and there are many - I am sitting at JFK airport waiting a transfer Ill be back in three weeks, and it will take that long to catch up on Eplaya I am sure.

later

[Fat SAM]

Can women shirtcock?

Nope. They beaver-blouse.

[BBTPP1954]

Think of this as my personal nudity FAQ for virgins and nooBs:

1) You can be nude on the playa anytime, any place, once you're past the greeters.

2) Your nudity is no big deal. Cute bods will turn heads sometimes, but veteran burners don't give it a second thought.

3) Be nude if you want to, and by all means. Really. Or not. Man boobs? I don't care. No boobs after a radical? I don't care. Cute figure? Nice. Not cute figure? Nice. It's like Bokonon said: nice nice very nice, so many people in the same device.

4) Wear sunblock, or wear tan oil, but whatever you do, wear some kind of lotion for your skin, as it will dry out like a prune and become damaged if you don't. Comfort and Joy and other camps dispense free sunblock, if you need it. There's aloe vera at the med tent if you get really burned. They know how to deal with it. Stay out of the sun if you're an alabaster white person until you tan a bit. Burntness is what Burning Man is all about, but not your skin. I get really really brown, and I'm a white guy with red hair ancestry. Do it a bit at a time. Remember there are parts that may have never seen the sun, and they will burn very quick, and you'll be unhappy you burned them, because you'll be in pain. No alcohol will help, and if you're really sunburned, don't drink alchohol AT ALL and see the medical people at the med tent--and don't be modest about it. Sun stroke can hurt you on the playa, and kill you if you don't attend to it. People do die on the playa. It takes talent and overdoses and stupidity and/or perhaps carelessness, but it happens. Don't be a statistic, but don't also be paranoid about it, either.

5) Wear whatever you want. Really. The more artsy, the better. Be berserk about it, or not. It's your choice. Radical inclusion and radical self-expression are the norms here. It's ok. Dye whatever. Paste whatever. Whatever hair you want. Try not to contribute to moop.

6) If you're a guy, and you get a woody, think about George W Bush on the deck of the USS Enterprise, declaring 'Mission Accomplished". This is guaranteed to kill any erection. Try it sometime.

7) Take a shower or get wet somehow if you're nude, at least every other day. Use the Human Carcass Wash at PolyParadise. Wherever it is, wash ALL parts and get them clean. We'll appreciate it.

8) Don't gawk. Don't stare at naked people. Some of them are so white they can blind you. And if you get asked to leave because you're naked-- and this has NEVER happened to me before-- find some place that's more tolerant.

9) Politeness dictates that if you go nude, you must bring something along with you to set upon, if you're going to sit. Cover any area where you're going to sit with this item. Items I've used include a miniskirt, a sarong, a small towel, the cover to an old atlas, and so on. Nudists do this; bring towels with them to sit on. You should, too. Don't wipe your ass on my chair, please.

10) Consider that wearing a few sexy things is more fun sometimes than naked. Leather bustiers can be fun. PVC jocks with a removable front pouch can be fun. Drawing things around the naughty bits, various body art endearvours, and such things can be very fun. One of our friends wore a leather 15" miniskirt, high hooker boots, and a wowzer leather brassiere, and carried a whip. Yum! Another guy I saw made some chaps from red plastic, had on some red undies, and looked like a scrumptious Santa-Fag. Mrs. Claus was pretty hot, too!

Yes, I go nude when I feel like it. I feel like it maybe 50% of the time. I occasionally adorn the nudity with various fun items. Nude bike riding is also fun. People laugh because I wear a helmet and nothing else. The dangly bits get in the way, but it doesn't matter. Go ahead, get naked. It can be very liberating until you have to get rid of the dust. Shower with a friend, of course.

[Lassen Forge]

I'll go one better...

When, er, if I was working greeters (beware, mortals!) I wouldn't care if you show up there naked. Really. As long as I was OK knowing you had some way to save yer ass from frying in the sun, ya can go naked unto BRC - in fact, IMO there's kind of a holy and blessed thing about that. But enough about all that stuff.

Serious. For most of us who have been there once or more, nude ain't a big deal, as long as you know what the sunlight brings and are ready... After all - we were ALL born that way, we all see ourselves that way, and most of us have seen others in that state as well. Just know that the sun (while not as bad as at Kiwi burn, or so I am told) can cook you and kill you if you stumble stupidly about it.

If you show up nude and have no idea what the fuck the sun is like or are totally unprepared, you may wonder which minefield you stumbled into.

Bring enough sunblock (at least SPF 15-30) to do yourself through the week... even if you're base tanned to hell. After all, it;s not just yer ass yer protectin'... someone else may need it!

Hugz...
bb

bb

[helitack]

There are nude people at Burning Man?

[BBTPP1954]

You're still in BLM, Washoe County, and Nevada jurisdiction. Afterwards, the place is rented ;) and you can do what you want. I know many Greeters that are sans clothes. All the better. Still, once inside BRC, you're legally and ideologically protected.

I doubt that the BLM gives a hoot one way or the other. But if the BLM or the sheriffs have a probable cause..... they can use it. Once inside, it's nya nya nya.

[Ajax]

It's like dancing- no one cares what you are doing except you!

[stormfeather]

Has anyone ever felt this...

A really "perfect" naked human specimen, almost always looks like they have clothes on to me. I don't even notice them.

My "critical" mind doesn't get going until someone has an "imperfection", a scar or too many pounds or an unusual shape. Then all of the sudden I notice they are nude.
It is almost like they have a shirt tail hanging out or their shirt is mis-buttoned.

It is weird that I should be critical of others, when I am most critical of myself.

I strongly support it for everyone who chooses to be nude, at the beach, home, work, BM, wwherever you can! I think (others) naked bodies are beautiful, even "different" ones, less than perfect ones, however, I probably won't be nude at the burn in public.

I hated my body in my teens and 20's . I am short -- 5' and round and hobbit-like. I come from Hobbit stock, everyone in my family is built like this and carries/struggles with their weight. (I even have furry Hobbit toes!)
I was athletic through my late 30's, hiked, did aerobics, weights, rode a bicycle 2500-3500 miles for over 5 years (those were the official bicycle club miles, not even the bike as transportation miles) a year and still thought I was not okay. I was still round and pudgy and always on weight watchers.

When I'd get some kind of injury (heel spurs from running) the trainer told me to lose weight. I weighed 125 pounds. and was at 15% body fat.

Now I'm 49, and have gained a huge amount of weight in the last 10 years- I'm less active- two babies, a car accident, a couple slipped cervical discs, heel spurs, cube farm job, etc, etc, etc, and a thyroid which quit working 2 years before the doctor would give me meds (they changed the numbers for Hypothyroidism diagnosis 2-3 years ago). I don't like my body and would be happy to just go back to having the old sorta pudgy one, when I was more active. Due to my current in-active lifestyle, I am embarrssed to even say what I now weigh. I could lose at least 100 pounds.

I walk, don't eat junk food, don't put cream in my coffee or even eat sugar, and eat a low carb diet. My one vice is a couple of beers, or a rum and diet coke 2 or 3x a week.

I will probably be dressed as a colorful, sparkly, sexy, but fully clothed earth muffin of a lady when we meet on the playa. On one hand it is stupid to think I can hide my fat by wearing clothes, but I'm not really comfortable being naked except among friends who know me, and love me for who I am, not my physical self. At a public nude beach I'm the one wearing a sarong.

I am really afraid of people's judgments (or rude comments) at BM (I am a virgin this year). I've heard so many people, doctors, authorities, the media say that you just have to watch what you eat and exercise and that will do it, and everyone who is fat are just slobs, and it is their own fault. Along with age, fat is the last thing okay to discriminate against other for.

Many do not realize that for some of us that are predisposed to fatness, it is a herculean, lifetime struggle to keep the weight off and work on our own body acceptance. I still feel horribly guilty about (not being nude, naked, starkers) but how I look.

As I have gotten older I have embraced doing things that I was reluctant to try when younger. I specialize in crazy costuming- spend a lot of time dressed as a pirate wench (at ren faire and local raids) Participate in Cacophony Society stunts and recently a friendly barjacking dressed as a school-girl gone bad. My weight will not prevent me from attending Burning Man either..

Maybe the burn is where I will gain some acceptance of my nude self, of just how I am today, it is something I can work on. That would be nice. But I'm trying not to have expectations.

[plowman]

I've thought about it as well. I usuallygo around BRC in a pair of shorts or my kilt and a pair of sandels. I'm thin, except for a beer belly which looks kind of funny on a thin man. But I don't care! I like to be comortable and for me the less clothing the more comfortable. especially in the heat of the day. I work in the sun every day so my arms are really taned, the rest of me gets pretty brown also, with one exception. I think the main reason I haven't been completely nude on the playa is the fear of blinding people with the glare from my white ass as I walk by.

[Tiahaar]

Along with age, fat is the last thing okay to discriminate against others for.

No no its tattoos especially <gasp> ones visible even fully clothed
So yes be naked, decorate your skin, be creative and do it with 'tude. Also body paint is wonderous to mask blinding bright behinds

[plowman]

How about a big bright smiley face. And whenever I bend over it will look like I'm sticking my tounge out!!

[philosopher]

Maybe the burn is where I will gain some acceptance of my nude self, of just how I am today, it is something I can work on. That would be nice. But I'm trying not to have expectations.

Might I respectfully suggest that you not work on this acceptance thing, but rather play at it? At least for me, letting go of clothing was also a letting go of an unnecessary and unhelpful kind of taking myself seriously.

It has always seemed to me that the people who are compulsively clothed were wearing not just their clothes, but a badge of neurosis on their sleeve as well.

And the ones who overtly won't accept a naked person--well, if you can't see the psychotic overcoat they're sweltering in, you're just not paying attention.

[mdmf007]

I feel comfortable with myself nude, what I hate explaining is about my scars. I have given a lot of my body in the line of work and have 1200+ stitches to show for it over 15 years. (not all at one mind you)

but on the other hand - im there for me, and do it anyways. Besides you get boozeahol more when naked.

later

[ultraaman]

[b]On being nude[/b]

I'm quite comfortable now being nude but that was not always so. My prob before was that I associated being naked with something sexual so I always got hard. That and I thought I was a scrawny ugly nerd and couldn't imagine why anyone would want to see me naked. It was that way into my mid-20's and it made me so self conscious that I couldn't even have sex unless it was at night and all the lights were off

Anyway, that got old so I started by desenticizing myself. First step was when I got out of the shower I'd take care of everything else I had to do - brush teeth, hair, etc - before I got dressed. Then got to where I slept in the nude. Then got to where I was nude around the house and then running around the backyard (yes, it was fenced in). That entire process took about 3 years I guess.

Now it's no big deal for me. I've been nude hiking, camping, belong to a nude swimming club, do the Bay to Breakers run in the buff, have had movie nights with friends, bunch of stuff. I don't go nude as often as I used to but I think that's because I think of being nude as just another state of being and not separate from being clothed.

Have I gotten hard when hanging with others? Yup. I've felt it stirring a few times but I just think about fat nuns on trampolines and that does the trick for me. There have been a few times when there's no stopping it tho. When it's happened I try to sit hunched over with my elbows on my knees or lay on my stomach or the old stand by - I cup my hands over it until it goes down.

When it comes to being around others, I don't care what they look like. My preference when I'm nude is to be around someone who feels the same about me no matter what they have on. Hell, wear a burka for all I care.

By the way, the advice from BBTPP1954 is right on the money.

[ultraaman]

[b]On food allergies[/b]

Allergy tests really only work on environmental conditions and yes, the test is quite painful but the information is very useful. While it is possible to have a histamine response to food, most food allergies are related to your intestines which is why the skin test is usually pointless. The only real way to find out is to make an effort to cut Product X out of your diet completely for at least 3 months then purposefully reintroduce it and pay close attention to any reaction.

I have a bad reaction to monosodium glutamate (MSG). Stomach cramps, headache, lethargy. I try to avoid it as much as possible (basically no Chinese food). It's also in a lot of pre-seasoned food. I just have to read the packaging. I do that anyway cuz I have to watch my regular sodium intake so I'm used to it.

When it comes to soda, I have one piece of advice - DON'T DRINK IT! At least not the way most people drink it. If you want some, keep it to no more than 10-12 ounces and make sure to eat something with protein a the same time. It will help with digestion. Here's why you should avoid soda:
A) The acid eats away the lining of your stomach which interferes with a whole bunch of things
B) The carbonation causes intestinal stress by forcing the body to sap oxygen from the blood in order to break down that fizz we all love. This in turn lowers the available oxygen that you body has for normal usage. I'm not talking about a death nell, but it can get up to about 5-6% of total oxygen which can make difference in normal seditary people.
C) Regular soda? High fructose corn syrup is not recognized by the body as a food source. Unless you are already in a high anabolic state, such as during or right after a sport, the liver not only doesn't produce any glucose to digest the stuff but if soda is the only think in your gut, the liver actually makes LESS glucose than normal. What's this mean? You are drinking liquid fat, plain and simple.
D) Prefer diet soda? Aspertame (Nutrasweet), which is in all but a few diet sodas, is derived from part of the ingredients in formaldehyde.

[flipper]

[quote="mdmf007"][quote="Green Wood"]Can women shirtcock?[/quote]
By definition, I do not believe that woman can ShirtCock?

Perhaps something else?

ShirtVag? - just doesnt ring though.

later[/quote]

I think that's known as a Sharon Stone

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103772/trivia