April-2023-Newsletter

April 2023

April is finally here, and with it comes a renewed sense of optimism! After a winter full of cold days and dark nights, it's like we can finally exhale - the light has returned and so has our joy.

This spring let's show gratitude for the season of renewal and redemption. Whether you live in the northern or southern hemisphere, take the time to honor the coming of spring. Enjoy the longer days and warmer weather, and watch as the world around us blooms into life.

Let's embrace this month of April hallelujahs with open arms. Don't let another moment pass without appreciating all that spring has to offer. From sun-drenched picnics to colorful flowers, celebrate with fourteen-karat gratitude the gift of springtime!

April 17 is National Haiku Day, and to celebrate, the Western Region of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR-West) has announced a Haiku writing Contest starting April 1 and running until May 30.

For those unfamiliar with the format rules, a Haiku is a short 3-line poem where the first line can only have 5 up to syllables, the second line can have a maximum of 7 syllables, and the third line can only have 5 syllables For example:

"Family starts road
Trip to nudist camp as kid
Shouts, “Are we bare yet?”

The contest is open to everyone whether or not they are members of AANR or any nudist organization. Let’s get creative! Winners will be announced on July 30 at the AANR-West convention at De Anza Springs

Follow this link to enter AANR West - Haiku Contest

WOW Campaign

The WOW Campaign is an initiative by Women in Nude Recreation (WINR) that aims to recognize, honor, and celebrate women in nudism. The campaign features women from all walks of life who have chosen a word to describe what nudism has done for them. These words include "freedom," "empowerment," "confidence," "acceptance," and many others.

The campaign showcases these women and their chosen words through a series of photographs and videos on the WINR website. The goal is to raise awareness about the benefits of nudism for women and to encourage more women to try it for themselves.

The WOW Campaign is a powerful tribute to the positive impact that nudism can have on women's lives, and it serves as a source of inspiration and encouragement for women who are interested in exploring this lifestyle. Visit their website www.womeninnuderecreation.com

Reclaiming women’s bodies from shame

When Australian photographer Ponch Hawkes went looking for artistic images of naked older women, the search results were depressing. She was only a few clicks away from “granny porn”; the only other results were “Helen Mirren – and some pics of older women in their underwear.”

Older women just aren’t portrayed in the art world, says Hawkes, 75. You may spot a few in fashion magazines, but “if you see older women in Vogue they are totally gorgeous – and they were probably totally gorgeous when they were younger too … You just don’t see women that have normal bodies.

As a result, she says, “we don’t know what the bodies of older women actually look like”. These are bodies that have been lived in: “Some women have had mastectomies, some have had pregnancies, some have stretch marks, others have scars,” she says. Read more

The Wife’s Perspective

When Phil first told me he was a naturist I wasn’t really surprised. I knew about his inclination to be nude as a kid and teenager. I knew he liked being nude at home when the kids weren’t around. The fact that he preferred being nude wasn’t a shock. The shock came when he told me he was talking with other “strangers” that preferred to be nude too and that they were Christians as well. I would have laughed had I not been so angry! I was sure there was no such thing as a Christian naturist. They must be a bunch of perverts! My curiosity got the best of me though, or maybe it was the Spirit’s prodding. I wanted to research on my own and see what these people were really like. I was confused when they seemed fairly normal. There had to be something I was missing. Read more

The Road Less Traveled

“The Road Less Traveled” has been used as titles for both songs and books. The meaning behind it is rather obvious—going places most people don’t go.

There can be a lot of valid reasons a “road” is less traveled. I believe one of the major reasons is a certain amount of fear. In your mind’s eye think of a road trip across the border into Mexico and driving through areas controlled by the drug cartel while on your way to a resort vacation. No thanks! Or how about driving on one of those very high narrow cliff roads without guardrails and thousand-foot drop-offs? I’ll definitely leave that as a road to be less traveled by me!

However, many of the “roads” in life we decide not to travel on are really far less dangerous than we imagine. One of those is the road that leads to a family-oriented naturist resort. For many, the journey on that road can seem as terrifying as the high cliff road and will surely end in disaster. But now imagine that dangerous narrow high cliff road was suddenly widened to four lanes and had steel and cement guardrails. Not so bad anymore ya think? And that road just might lead to some beautiful life experiences. Read more

By Kay Nauta

FEAR…..Has there ever been a human that has not felt fear at least a few times in their life? Why do we feel fear? Fear is not just a feeling. It’s an innate sense we use as a means for self-preservation. We fear what may harm us and we naturally choose either fight or flight to evade the harm. Millions of years ago, fear was less complicated than the fears we have today. Our ancestors feared carnivorous beasts, extreme weather, misunderstood natural phenomenon, and, at times, other humans. The fight or flight options could easily deter most threats. Our fears today are much more complicated and are results of one generation of fears being heaped upon every previous generation of fears.

We still feel fear for the same reasons our predecessors felt it, but most of our fears today are the results of opinions, beliefs, and individual preferences being imposed upon each generation as a means of control. “What I believe, you must also believe.”

Let’s use social nudity as an example. We are born naked, in our natural state. Our “caveman” ancestors knew no shame in nudity. Bodily coverings were for warmth or safety only. At some point, someone decided that public nudity was shameful, so everyone had to wear clothing to be accepted. A new fear arose; a fear of being cast out of your tribe if you chose to remain naked.

As our sense of self-awareness grew, so did our prejudices, beliefs, and sense of belonging. We felt the need to fit in, to be loved and accepted. More rules, more beliefs, more reasons for fear.

Our world today is so full of people with different cultures, beliefs, religions, and opinions that have been progressing, mutating, and carrying forward for so long that we have a multitude of fears that are no longer even tangible. We fear because we fear because that is what we are taught to do.

Did you know that every negative human emotion, thought and action stems from fear? Hate, anger, greed, depression, disease, and prejudice all begins with fear. But what are we really afraid of? Death? Pain? Not being loved? Being hungry? Going to prison? There are countless fears, and we all have different fears for different reasons.

So, how can we overcome our fears and live a happier life? A recent post on Facebook by a group called “Expansion of Consciousness” stated, “A lot of bad things are going to happen to you. First off, you’re going to die.” Okay, you’re probably thinking, “Yikes, death is the biggest fear of all!” And for most of us, death is a scary thing. But if you look at the bigger picture and realize that death really IS the worst thing that can happen and every living thing that has ever lived has also died, you can see that there really is NOTHING” to fear. Death is merely a part of life.

If you live your life being true to your own beliefs, likes, and dislikes, love and accept yourself and never stop improving yourself, you’re still going to die, but you will be able to live a happy life and cast away your fears. If you are true to yourself, you will love and respect yourself, and others will too. The need to be accepted and fit in with the whole world will disappear. The right people will see you and love you and you will fit in with them. It doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks. No matter what you do in your life, you will never be able to please everyone, so make sure you please yourself first. Everything else will fall into place.

Franklin D. Roosevelt stated in his 1933 inaugural address, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” Live fearlessly, love yourself, and enjoy every moment of every day. And if it fits, forget about that crazy ancestor who decided we all need to wear clothes and enjoy every moment NAKED!

Women pose naked in Albany to take back control of their bodies after pregnancy, cancer, sexual assault

Women find empowerment by going nude in public.(ABC Great Southern: Briana Fiore)

Dozens of women removed their clothes and posed naked in the main street of a Western Australian country town on Sunday, demanding autonomy over their bodies after centuries of sexualization and abuse of their gender.

Women from all over WA traveled to Albany, 420 kilometers southeast of Perth, to take part in a form of political art expression.

Women pose in the Albany Town Hall, but organizers say the shoot is about so much more than just nudity.

It involved them being photographed without their clothes in the town hall and on the main street.

The initiative was part of the region's 10-day Pride Festival and coincided with International Women's Day celebrations. Read more

Promoting Naturism to Women

If you find this article inspiring then you may find that ANW is the perfect place for you. The internet has in general failed to allow people to fully appreciate and understand naturism, and is particularly unwelcoming to genuine naturist women. ANW wants to help change this and offers single women, couples, and families a pester-free environment to share and enjoy naturism, as well as men who have been the traditional advocates of naturism on the internet.

The ANW community as a whole is welcoming and respectful and individuals are protective of themselves, ANW, and naturism.

Our commitment to naturism goes beyond ANW and while the public continues to misunderstand naturism we will continue to share articles like this one to encourage new people to enjoy this wonderful life choice. Girls! Girls! Girls! Read more

Director Bio

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Gary Holden

My early years on a dairy farm on the eastern shore of Maryland gave me a strong foundation in hard work and dedication. After completing my education, I joined the US Army and served for 8 years. During this time in the military, I learned important leadership skills and developed a strong sense of camaraderie with my fellow soldiers.

After leaving the military, I continued to live an active lifestyle and discovered my love for nudism. For me, being a nudist means embracing a lifestyle of freedom and self-expression. I believe that being a nudist allows people to connect more deeply with themselves and with others.

In 2011, I joined the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) and quickly became an active member. I attended numerous events and gatherings, locally, and made many lasting friendships within the nudist community.

In July 2021, I was elected to the AANR Western Region board of directors. As a board member, I focused on expanding the organization's social media presence to reach a wider audience and promote the benefits of nudism. I believe that social media is a powerful tool for raising awareness about the nudist lifestyle and connecting people who share this interest.

My dedication to promoting the nudist lifestyle and extensive experience in the military has given me the knowledge I need to assist the AANR community. I continue to work tirelessly to promote acceptance and understanding of the nudist lifestyle and to help others discover the many benefits of this way of life.

Women and Naturism

When did you first understand that being naked in front of people was ‘not a nice thing to do’? Were you just a toddler? Was this something your parents really felt strongly about, did they tell you off, that you had committed some terrible crime? Were you made to feel ashamed?

Sadly, I believe this may be an all too common scenario. To those little toddlers, running around on a beach, naked as the day they were born (yes, I think that is significant!), being in that state is just about as normal as it gets. It is generally through social conditioning that we are taught that this is unacceptable behavior. Trying to uncover the truth behind this conditioning is the difficult part. Admittedly, certainly in the Northern Hemisphere, clothing of some description was ultimately seen as a necessity during colder months. From there, perhaps a very lucrative industry sprang up and the people making lots of money from this would have been very reluctant to relinquish the income and encourage people to shed their clothes. Read more