Here’s to More Skin!

Last week I got back from Spain.  My daughter and I visited our exchange student and her mom, and while we were there we explored a bit of the country.  We hit a number of beaches, both in Spain and in France (which was so nearby we couldn’t resist going.)

It was my first “real” time out of the U.S.  I had been to Canada and Mexico before, and to various tropical islands, but never to Europe.  And I’ll tell ya, I loved it!  So much so that I think my daughter was offended by the number of times I pointed out all the things that were “better” in Spain than in America.

One of those things was the apparent comfort the Europeans have with their bodies.  While on the beach, I saw men, women, and children nude or partially nude, with no signs of modesty.  I’d say twenty percent of the women sunbathe topless, and I don’t just mean the young ones with perfect bodies!  The young children’s parents don’t bother putting bathing suits (or diapers) on them at all.  And I saw people of all ages changing from their clothing to bathing suits, and back, on the beach in broad daylight.

It was so refreshing to see people naked in public without it needing to be a big deal!  (I didn’t choose to participate in the topless sunbathing because my daughter would have literally moved her towel to a different part of the beach!)

I understand that recently in New York City there was a woman asserting her right to be topless on the street in broad daylight, and the police did not arrest her.  And that there is another woman who recently did it in Boston, who plans to run a whole day of protesting topless women later this summer.  Their beef is that if men can go topless, why can’t women- that it’s discrimination.

Mine is that making it illegal to be naked in public increases the shame and discomfort many of us have with our own naked bodies.  This results in being uncomfortable with nudity in general- our own, and that of others.

What are we teaching our kids when we insist on them and ourselves being covered up almost all the time?  That their/our naked bodies are so “bad” that they can’t even be seen?

What if we started to loosen up a bit in this country?  What if we adopted some of the attitudes of the Europeans when it comes to nudity and our bodies?

It seems to me, judging from what I just witnessed on vacation, that people generally feel more accepting of their own bodies and those of others when nudity is part of the culture.  That they feel less inhibited and more free. And I’d be willing to bet that this comfort translates into having a better time in bed, too.  When a man or woman is feeling sexy and free, he or she tends to have a raucously good time in the sack!  And you know what that means- more contributions to world peace!

I was complimenting my boyfriend jokingly on his progress with adopting my policy of nudity around the house.  Truly, he has become more of a nudist since meeting me, a fact which I am not upset about. 😉  And his response was something to the effect of:  “Well, I was born a nudist…”  To that I said: “Good point!  We all were.”

So, in appreciation of the lessons learned from our fellow humans the Europeans, I say: “Yes!” to more nudity, more comfort with our bodies, and better S.E.X.  Who will join me?