NATURISM
Naturism may be having a moment, but for many 1970s fans, the joys of baring all never went away...
Prepare to bust out your SPF, grab your towel and get naked, because taking off your clothes is in again. But forget Gwyneth Paltrow-like poses in your birthday suit on Instagram to celebrate turning 50; this isn't about exhibitionism or showing off a gym-toned body. Instead, we're returning to a simpler time of feeling the sun on our backs, the grass under our feet and water on our skin. Yes, naturism is back.
Around 1.3 million people enjoy 'social nudity' (although British Naturism, the UK official naturists' organisation, puts the number as high as 6.75 million). And celebrities such as Esther Rantzen, Ulrika Jonsson and Kate Humble have extolled the virtues of spending time in the nude.
The pandemic appears to have driven up numbers, as workers - stuck at home with no fears of any unannounced visitors - got into the habit of wandering around starkers. During the first lockdown in 2020, British Naturism, founded in 1964, saw a dramatic growth in new members. Now businesses have got in on the act with lidos offering naked swims and restaurants putting nude dining nights on the menu.
The resurgence echoes the era when naturism first emerged after the First World War and flu pandemic, when people wanted to feel free and explore new ways of living, argues Annebella Pollen, author of naturist history Nudism in a Cold Climate.
And while it may appear that naturism is a hot new trend, many mid- and late-lifers have been enjoying it since the Seventies and Eighties. In fact, when it comes to being comfortable in their own skin, the Saga generation is frequently ahead of the curve. 'When you strip off your clothes, you strip off your cares,' says Andrew Welch, 57, spokesperson for British Naturism.
Retired teacher Vivienne Heenan and her husband Duncan, a former company director, both 74, who live in the West Midlands, met at university in 1967 and quickly fell into their clothing-free lifestyle. 'Neither of us suffered from the body shame that is passed off as "modesty", so nudity between us was normal and unremarkable from early on,' says Duncan. 'To us,our bodies are what we live in, not status symbols or shameful things to be hidden.
'Over the years, we have acquired the lumps, bumps, scars and blemishes life brings, but they have been accepted because we know what real people look like, and that the Hollywood images so many people aspire to are largely artifice.'
The couple, who first visited a naturist beach on the Isle of Wight, and later naturist beaches in the South of France, say they were following their instincts and it was once they met other naturists that they discovered their lifestyle had a name.
'We found we preferred t
