What Has Skinbook Done for You Lately?

The answer is probably absolutely nothing. Skinbook is free to join, and the old adage "you get what you pay for" is apropos.

With no publication, no paid membership, no government liasons, no clubs or venues, and no real philosophy or statement of purpose, Skinbook seems to represent only itself, making a profit from advertising on the site, and selling t-shirts and other paraphernalia in their shop. Have you seen their Twitter feed? It's basically just an advertising vehicle for the Terra Cotta Inn.

You are probably already aware of the poorly researched Time Magazine article on Skinbook, which repeats the website's slogan of being the Internet's "only genuine nudist social network", completely bypassing other established organizations like AANR, TNS, Nudist Clubhouse and ClothesFree.com.

Skinbook fills a void which was allowed to grow due to the fact that AANR and TNS have long ignored the Internet as a means of social networking, preferring instead to organize real face-to-face conventions, gatherings and events. Ironically, Skinbook is now attempting to do the same, claiming that an estimated 800 "Skinbookers" will be getting together at the British resort of Brighton in July. Can the young founders of Skinbook really pull off such a large nude event with no technical, legal, organizational or criminal entanglements? Time will tell.

The problem with Skinbook is that it was founded upon shame, by people who admit to being embarrassed by their nude lifestyles and were uncomfortable on Facebook. 25 year-old co-founder Karl Maddocks also expresses some disgust for "elderly guys in sandals" at a nudist "colony". Such age discrimination is not only troubling, it's contrary to all accepted nudist and naturist philosophies. Maddocks also inferred that nudity should be primarily for the young and fit, admitting in a Times interview that "he works out regularly and that part of the joy of stripping off in his twenties is “we’re all going to look crap naked one day”.

In contrast, AANR and TNS profess that all bodies are good, all ages are welcome, and that nudists and naturists should be proud of their lifestyles.

There is also no way to know if the people you are communicating with on Skinbook are actually who they profess to be. The screening process, which appears to be completely arbitrary based upon the whims of the founders, rejects 90% of all applicants. This has to raise a red flag about the sort of people the site is attracting in the first place, but it also raises the question about how many real nudists are being shut out. A thread late last year on the ClothesFree.com forum alleges that some nudists were banned from the site, and those that managed to get an account found the site to be nothing more than a "meat market."

On another nudist forum under a subject called "Banned from Skinbook", one member alleges that Skinbook "was a much better place before all the pervs showed up." Yet another nudist forum is filled with people claiming to have been banned from Skinbook for no reason.

It is also reported that Cheri Alexander, founder of the Travelites non-landed group in South Carolina, has been banned from Skinbook. Cheri issued the following statement: “Skinbook is no longer going to be as genuine. The Admins are only now allowed to moderate photos. We can no longer moderate posts, blogs, members, nor can we remove members who are not acting appropriately."

Facebook has been struggling with privacy issues since its inception, so you can imagine the potential for misuse of personal photos and information on an amateurish site like Skinbook. Witness the very real attempt by Skinbook's administrators last year to establish a "Name and Shame" blog, exposing real people attempting to open a Skinbook account who did not meet the approval of screeners, and blackmailing them for a public apology. "Skinbook also encourages female members to “name and shame” any lecherous men."

Do you really want to place your personal photos and information in the hands of such reckless amateurs? If they simply don't like you, or disapprove of something you said or did, they can ban you, suspend you, and even expose you.

Established nudist and naturist organizations, who continually fight for nude rights, have solid network affiliations with respected nudist venues, and represent established nudist principles and philosophies, need to establish their own social networking online for members. AANR and TNS are both on Facebook but with marginal success, at best. Allowing sites like Skinbook and True Nudists to assume the mantle of representing nudism is a failure of organizational leadership, and a lack of foresight and imagination.

Instead of creating a "meat market" for those who are "nude curious", AANR and TNS could start their own joint NING account for card-carrying members only, establishing an online means where members could make new friends and promote their groups and venues to each other. More unification, less division.

I once thought that Skinbook was part of nudism's future. I now believe that such rogue nude networking sites only serve to further isolate people from engaging in real social nudism, allowing them to live as "fantasy nudists". There is no way to effectively measure just how many of Skinbook's members are only these fantasy nudists, and how many are out practicing social nudism in the real world.

Nudists and naturists deserve a real, safe online social networking site with clear and established guidelines. It's a shame that when so many people and organizations are working so hard to make nudism and naturism more acceptable in society, Skinbook gets written up in Time magazine merely because it's trendy. Nudists and naturists deserve far better than this superficial, self-serving marketing ploy known as Skinbook.

Naturism Featured in German Museum

The DDR museum in Germany displays artifacts of life under Communist rule in the GDR, an area we used to refer to as East Berlin, behind the wall. One of the exhibits is devoted to naturism, complete with dioramas of little nude people on the beach, uncensored. Visit the museum's English-version web site here.

Here's an interesting article about German nostalgia for the GDR, with a mention of nudist clubs.

Absolute Naturism

I recently heard someone refer to "absolute naturism".

I did a cursory Google search and only came across a soft core porn fiction piece about a futuristic society in which being unclothed is the norm.

Many nudists and naturists already adopt the motto "nude when possible, clothed when necessary", so what would constitute being an "absolute" nudist or naturist?

Perhaps the best source of understanding what it's like to be a full-time nudist living in an nudist community is at The Nude Life, although the postings there are rather few and far between. The blog is maintained by a couple who moved permanently to Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Florida. Just recently they wrote:

We took the decision when we moved here that we were not going to make choices and arrange our lives so as to suit other people’s wishes or desires. Living the nude life is what we want to do, and so we are doing it. We aren’t going to spend the rest of our lives, which we expect to be happy and many, living in the textile world just to suit the social mores of the textile world.

In nudism, there are many references to the "textile world", as if those who choose to live life unclothed are somehow exiled on a different planet. In order to become an "absolute" nudist, does it entail putting family, friends and the rest of society in the rear-view mirror?

Perhaps it does.

Perhaps our society is so deeply invested in clothing, and a culture of body shame, that a person who rejects clothing cannot fully integrate into the everyday life.

If you watch "Mad Men" on AMC, you know that one of the advertising people is a gay man, hiding behind his "beard" girlfriend and pretending to be as macho as the other boys. Since the series takes place in the early 1960s, it was a time when homosexuals were not accepted in the workplace, and any mention of "fags" or "queers" elicits giggles and a general resentment. But times change, and in the last episode a new employee from Europe had no misgivings about announcing in front of everyone that he likes boys, not women. Time will tell if the firm will find a way to get rid of the gay man, but he has become a friend of Peggy, the only woman to crack the "boys club" in the ad world, so he has a strong ally.

In addition, the only presence of African-Americans in the show is as servants, or elevator operators.

In America today, gay men and woman have achieved much in the way of equal opportunity, as have people of varying ethnic origins. There is still a long way to go, but the fact that the country is on the brink of electing its first African-American President means that progressive-minded people are prevailing in the culture wars.

Yet, despite a wider acceptance of people based upon their skin color, ethnic origin or sexual preference, nudists and naturists still live in the closet. I know I do.

I would certainly be an "absolute" if given the opportunity. I've always hated clothes and would not miss them for a minute, except for the times when they are needed for warmth, or protection. I am nude at home as much as possible, but when I am at home working during the day I really like to open the blinds and let in the natural light, so I reluctantly get dressed.

It's odd that we make celebrities out of people in the pornography business. The names of Hugh Hefner, Linda Lovelace, Larry Flynt, Ron Jeremy, Traci Lords and Jenna Jameson are all well-known. Soon to open at your local theatre will be "Zack and Miri Make a Porno", marking a point in our culture where pornography is so widespread and accessible, that a mainstream comedy film can take on the subject matter. Comedy is only funny when there is a commonality in the material so recognizable that people immediately understand and react. Just about everyone in America has now seen explicit pornography, and many see it on a daily basis.

So what am I getting at here?

Ron Jeremy and Larry Flynt are absolute pornographers. There is no doubt about the identification. Congressman Barney Frank is an absolute gay man, everyone knows his sexuality. Ellen DeGeneres is an absolute lesbian. They are not only known for their lifestyles, they are identified by them.

So can you name an absolute naturist?

The folks who write The Nude Life are anonymous. While they are living the nude life, they are still basically in hiding. nakedjen is really not a naturist or nudist - she basically just likes to throw off her clothes at the drop of a hat. Earth Friend Gen comes pretty close, but many consider her to be a kook. Same with Stephen Gough, who spends more time in jail than he does nude.

I think an absolute nudist or naturist is someone who is not ashamed to tell anyone about his or her chosen lifestyle, someone who is willing to lay it all on the line for the cause. It's not just about living without clothing, it has to be about living without fear, and integrating with society.

When you look at the board members of the Naturist Action Committee, I believe you are looking at absolute naturists. People like Bob Morton, Bill Schroer, Kath Rooney, Morley Schloss, Judy Williams, Mark Storey, Jonathan Shopiro, Allen Baylis, Virginia Schnee, Lee Baxandall and Nicky Lee, who are proud enough of their naturism that they are willing to expose their bodies and their identities for all the world to see, and are strong enough to maintain ties to the "textile world".

My sincere hope is that someday I can be in the position to become an absolute naturist. To me, it's not about merely living the nude life and running away from the rest of society, it's about having the fire in the belly to confront one's own identity, share it with others, and ultimately make a difference.

I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but I'm going to try.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked