Interview with a Nudist - Cooper

On this blog we will be starting a series of interviews with Nudists and clothes free practitioners. We want to find out how they got started in the practice and what drives then to continue. Today we interview Cooper who is a male Nudist in the U.S.A.

D.H.:  Hello Cooper. I’m glad you could be with us today.

Cooper: I’m happy to be here:

D.H. Ok Let’s get right into it. Do you call yourself a Nudist, Naturist, either is fine or neither works for you?

Cooper: Either is fine.

D.H.  Did you have a religious prohibition against nudity before you became a nudist eg. were you told that it is a sin to show yourself without clothes?

Cooper: No, I did not have any religious affiliation.

D.H.  Before you became a nudist, were you ever told that the only person to see you naked was your spouse or your doctor etc.?

Cooper: No.

D.H.  How long have you been practicing nudism?

Cooper: 22 years.

D.H.  What did you think about nudism before you tried it?

Cooper: I didn’t think about it at all.

D.H.  What do you like about nudism?

Cooper: Feels natural and puts you closer to nature in my opinion. It also allows you to see people

without labels.

D.H.  List 5 ways that nudism has benefitted you.

Cooper: 1.Helped me remove judging from my character

2. Has allowed me to accept people and their physique as they are. Not as attractive

Or unattractive, but just human.

3. Allowed me to meet some of the most natural and humble people.

4. Game me the opportunity to explore nature in a natural state.

5. Made me see the world in a more natural state and appreciate it.

D.H.  Do you consider yourself a home nudist, closet nudist, recreational nudist or full -time nudist?

Cooper: Recreational nudist.

D.H.  Do you go around naked at home?

Cooper: Yes.

D.H.  Relate to us your first experience going socially nude…sights, sounds, who you were with,

feelings/emotions etc.

Cooper:  I went to Haulover Beach in Miami, FL alone. I felt anxiety at first but it quickly disappeared when I entered the nude area of the beach. It was a great experience but I started to feel anxious again when members of the the gay community started to pay more attention to me than I expected. I just moved to an area I didn’t get much attention and the anxiety went away. The attention of the gay community continues to be an area that gives me anxiety from time to time.

D.H.  Relate how nudism has helped you overcome these common barriers to the practice of Nudism.

a. Body Image - When invited to try naturism, many persons respond that they are too self-

conscious about their own body or that they need to lose weight etc. first.

Cooper: This has never been an issue with me since I’ve always had a fit physique.

b. Sexual Objectification – People’s bodies are constantly being sexualized in advertising, the

media, movies, television and magazines. When a person is naked, (or nearly naked), it’s often a

“sexy” image being used to capture the attention of the opposite sex. Naked People are

portrayed as an object that represents society’s idea of what a sexy person should look like in

order to serve the pleasure of the opposite sex

Cooper: I never viewed the nude body as being sexual unless it is put in a sexual situation.

b. Modesty and Slut Shaming - Images of sexy naked models are everywhere. But if a person

gets naked on their own terms in society, a lot of times they will be shamed, harassed and

bullied.

Cooper: This never was my mindset. People will be biased according to their beliefs and the

influence media has on them.

c. Rape Culture and Victim Blaming -Rape culture is a culture in which sexual violence, rape,

abuse and harassment are prevalent and, to varying degrees, considered normal and / or

acceptable behaviour. Victim blaming is when victims of rape / sexual violence / harassment

are blamed for what happened to them.

Cooper: Although I believe people should be aware of their environment and the consequences of

their actions in that environment, I don’t believe people should be victimized if they are

attacked in any situation.

d. Fear of Sexual Harassment

Cooper: This is something that I deal with every so often from the gay community and the sexually

promiscuous heterosexual community, i.e. swingers and the like. Those incidents give me

pause being nude in certain situations. I evaluate each situation separately and do not

evaluate the occurrences in a blanket type evaluation.

D.H.  Are you a member of a Nudist/ Naturist organization?

No.

D.H.  Have you ever visited a Nudist/Naturist facility?

Yes

D.H.  Have you ever gone to another country specifically to experience the Naturist/Nudist facilities

and offerings there?

Cooper: I have visited another country’s nude facilities but that was not the prevailing factor for the

reason of the visit.

D.H.  What advice would you give to a person who is new to Nudism?

Cooper: Have your values intact prior to your first public experience. Unfortunately there are people who follow nudists with the mentality to extort a sexual experience from them. They are not nudists, they are sexual predators and will pretend to befriend you for a possible sexual experience. Be clear when you tell them your nudist values and what you will not tolerate.