Home page of Buff-a-teers, a nudist travel club web site.SPECIAL

Cybernudists use Internet to promote the naked truth

Web posted August 8, 1998

 Nudist Web sites

By Linton Weeks
The Washington Post

A wise woman named Rose once explained to me why winter is better than summer. When it's cold, she opined, you can throw on as much clothing as you need to stay warm. But when it gets really hot, you can't take off enough clothes to be comfortable -- without getting arrested.

Unless, of course, you're hanging out in a nudist camp. If ever there was an argument for nakedness, it's August. Should you opt for a clothing-optional experience, the Web is buff with suggestions.

Cybernude is undergoing some reconstruction and, the cybernudists write, ``We hope you'll bare with us....'' But if you're looking for a funny list of things you shouldn't do au naturel, this is the place. Beekeeping, chain sawing and stringing barbed wire, for example. At this spot you'll also find activist information, answers to frequently asked questions and a section on beach etiquette.

The Trade Association of Nude Recreation will point you to 10 U.S. resorts-in-the-raw. In a photo illustrating Avalon in West Virginia, three folks dine formally on soup and white wine. The table is covered; the guests are not. At Hidden Valley Resort in Georgia, visitors are encouraged to ``dress up'' for Saturday night dances. Boots should be enough. Guests are discouraged, however, from wearing inappropriate body jewelry that is ``not conducive to an image we wish to portray to guests and their children.'' Fig leaf brooches, perhaps?

``Be Nude Not Lewd'' is one motto of the Commonwealth of Virginia Naturists. Others include ``Be Nude, Be Natural, Be Happy'' and ``God Didn't Make Any Ugly Bodies.'' This is the spot where body-acceptance advocates get naked. During the cool months, the group gathers for house parties and potluck dinners.

Another gang that eats food in the nude is the Buffateers of Tucson, Ariz. Members convene for mixers, trips to ``landed'' resorts (meaning nudist colonies that own their own property) and other social outings. Every week the group seeks out a fabulous smorgasbord at a Tucson restaurant. That, they claim, is how they got their name, ``from the buffets we are known to frequent.'' Yeah, right.

As you might imagine, naked people come in all shapes and sizes and persuasions. Several sites extol the virtues of being a disrobed Christian.

At the home of the Christian Naturists of Reno, Nev., Pastor Mark L. Markeson writes that early Christians were baptized in the altogether. The page of personals is also enlightening. Here's a sample: ``Mid-Michigan 46 yr old single white Christian male, physicist/engineer with 3 kids; Seeking anyone for correspondence about coming to terms with being a Spirit-filled naturist. I write limericks, do cross-country hiking/skiing, play chess, and pray. Best book: Romans; esp. Chapter 8.''

On Greg's Christian Nudist/Naturist Web site, Greg Cook of Portsmouth, Va., explains that Christianity led him to nudity but that his wife is not as comfortable with the leafless lifestyle as he is. He says he won't go to a nude beach or resort until she decides to go with him. The site is one link in the Christian Naturist Web ring.

Many of the sites, religious and secular, emphasize that social nudity is not designed to be titillating. Cybernude, for instance, warns that ``If you are looking for erotica, you will be very disappointed.'' After spending a lot of time among the online nudists, hearing their stories, seeing their pictures, you may be disappointed anyway. And you may understand why a little bit of cloth, strategically placed, can be a most blessed thing and why God gave us the silkworm.

GETTING THERE:

Cybernude at www.cybernude.com

Trade Association of Nude Recreation at www.tanr.com

Commonwealth of Virginia Naturists at members.aol.com/cvnnude1/page1/index.htm/index.htm

Buffateers at members.aol.com/BUFFATEERS/homepage.html

Christian Naturists at home.vistapnt.com/markm

Greg's Christian Nudist/Naturist Web site at www.vabch.com/gcook/gymno

Linton Weeks can be reached at weeksl@washpost.com