January-2023-Newsletter

January 2023

We at AANR West wish you an incredibly Happy New Year! May this year bring you immense joy and success. As we look ahead to a new year, we hope that it will be filled with opportunities and optimism.

This is a time to reflect on the past year, look forward to what's ahead, and create goals for a better future. We hope that the new year brings you happiness, peace, and prosperity. Let this fresh start be an opportunity to make positive changes in your life and make this year count.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2023!

Best wishes,
AANR West Board of Directors

“Nakedness means freedom, and although dancing on a sun-kissed hillside with shorts on seems pretty similar to dancing with shorts off, there is all the difference in the world. It is as if your clothes take on the weight of your worries and concerns, they come to embody your defenses against the world, and if you can feel confident enough and safe enough, then taking them off evokes a powerful sense of liberation, of joy and freedom; and more than that of innocence and of openness to the world.”

Philip Carr-Gomm

How I went from a circumspect life to running around in my backyard in the nude.

I believe our cultural and/or religious inculcation to avoid nudity or being seen nude, or seeing others nude, runs very deep for most people. Overcoming that, assuming one wishes to, isn’t quick or easy and even if we wish to, still isn’t easy. Most people are raised to believe that being nude is only about sex or bathing or maybe at the doctor’s office so social nudity runs against a lifetime of training for most of us. My parents were Mennonites-turned-Baptists, and I was raised accordingly. Sex or nudity was a nearly forbidden topic and surely those people who were nudists could only be perverts. Because I was raised so strictly — movie theaters were places of sin and I never entered one until I was about age 17 — that I should develop a predilection for naturism seemed unlikely.

My interest in naturism did happen to begin in a rather unlikely way. Growing up under my parents’ strict rules I happily left home at 19 to embrace fun in whatever form would give me a rush. I had no taste for drugs and not much for booze, adrenaline was much better and legal. About a month after leaving home, I bought a motorcycle and went motocross racing and later became deeply involved in the new sport of hang gliding. When I was young, I’d give most things a go, dangerous or not. Read more

If you go down to the woods today.

As part of trying to be more involved in supporting naturist events, I recently went on a clothing-optional forest hike with a group of naturists, my first naked hike and a bucket list item to tick off. The hike was planned for the day after the recent local WNBR (World Naked Bike Ride) event, which was also on my bucket list, so the weekend was exceedingly productive in terms of naturist engagement and trying new things.

I asked my partner Emma if she would like to join us, and while she was less willing to walk naked with a group of people that she didn’t know, she was more than happy to walk with us as a clothed participant. The event had been advertised as clothing optional and we had no idea how many people would turn up.

The plan was to walk for 4 hours on a return trip beside the Waitawheta River. We would walk for 2 hours or so, find a spot to have lunch and then return the way we came. The weather forecast was fine with scattered showers and possible thunderstorms later in the afternoon, and while the day was overcast, it was warm and comfortable weather for hiking. The meeting point was the car park at the end of Franklin road at 10.00 am. Read more

Club Spotlight

Mira Vista Resort

Welcome to Mira Vista – America’s “newest” and “oldest” clothing-optional resort. Mira Vista opened in May of 2006 under a new name and a new policy of wholesome nude recreation on an old property with a history dating back to the 1850s.

The resort is a step back in time, starting with the main building hacienda, home to the lobby, office, dining room, gift shop, library, and Old West saloon. Fourteen guest suites in original adobe-style buildings are accented with local rock and mortar walls. The 30-acre grounds are filled with mature trees, saguaro cacti and many other native desert plants. Desert animals and birds are plentiful, and sightings are common in this largely rural area.

It’s hard to believe that this great escape from the city is just 3 miles from Interstate 10. Words and pictures can’t convey all of the special charm and character of this unique resort. Being able to enjoy it all clothes-free just adds to the level of relaxation. Mira Vista is open for today's visit. https://miravistaresort.com/

Club Spotlight

Hawaiian Naturist Park

A Clothing Optional Bed & Breakfast Venue Where All Are Welcome

Located in the tropical rainforest, it’s hard to believe that this great escape from the city is just 7 miles from Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park!

Imagine feeling the warmth of the filtered morning sunlight peering through the Ohia trees as you sip a warm cup of coffee all while clothes-free! Tropical bird songs fill the jungle! Maybe you will go for a dip in our pure rainwater pool or head to the incredible jetted lava rock showers! Enjoy our wood-burning Sauna too! Words and pictures can't convey what it's like to experience this very special place. Being able to enjoy it all nude just adds to the tranquility. HawaiianNaturistPark.com

“Being natural and matter of fact about nudity prevents your children from developing an attitude of shame or disgust about the human body. If parents are very secretive about their bodies and go to great lengths to prevent their children from ever seeing a buttock or breast, children will wonder what is so unusual, and even alarming, about human nudity.”

Dr. Lee Salk, Psychiatrist

What Being a Part of Women in Nude Recreation Means to Me

Having been a nudist since my teens, I have benefitted from being a part of a community that enjoys wholesome, non-sexual, family-friendly nudism.

I didn’t realize that being part of AANR – American Association for Nude Recreation – would open doors to friendships and relationships on a deeper level.

Within AANR, there is a committee in every region named WINR – Women in Nude Recreation. It is a committee that focuses on introducing women to nudism.

Women are in a unique situation when it comes to nudism. There are so many societal views and ideas about women and nudism that can affect trying nudism. In societies that perpetuates the myth that you must look young and have the perfect body, the message is that we are not ideal as a whole. The level of perfection that the media keeps bombarding us with is unattainable, setting us up for failure. The fashion and cosmetic industries market heavily to young girls, indoctrinating them at a young age, they can look better if they dress in their clothes or apply multitudes of cosmetic products to themselves. We have undergarments that bind and constrict our bodies so that everything stays in place with nary a jiggle. The plastic surgery industry is booming as women see the pictures of actresses and famous people and “want to look like them.” Read more

How to find others you can enjoy social nudity with.

You’ve probably heard or learned from experience that the best way to find a new and better job is through the information and referrals you get with the help of your existing social network. In just the same way you can find other people, who already - or potentially - share your interest in social nudity.

Of course, perhaps you’re satisfied with being naked in your own home - provided others you live with don’t object. If there are objections, you don’t have much choice except to look elsewhere for opportunities to be naked. But in any case, there’s so much more enjoyment to be had if you can experience a wider range of naturist activities with others who also enjoy social nudity.

Would you be satisfied pursuing your favorite hobbies or interests entirely by yourself? Probably not. Suppose you enjoy photography, hiking, arts and crafts, horseback riding, cooking, or whatever. There are usually many others out there who have interests like one or more of yours and are at a similar level of experience and expertise. Such others may be happy to pursue a particular interest with you, if convenient. Many of them probably know things about these interests you don’t and would gladly share their knowledge with you. Quite likely you can also share your own knowledge and experience with them. There’s exactly the same situation with naturism. Read more

By Kay Nauta

When we begin a new year, most of us feel that this is the time to make changes in our lives that will ensure the upcoming year will be better than the last one. And so, we make the infamous “New Year’s Resolutions.” Some of us start a new diet, some quit smoking, and some promise to be better wives or husband's employees. Whatever we feel are our shortcomings, we think we need to resolve them at the beginning of the new year.

Why do we do this? What makes us believe that we can only change our lives or habits for the better at one time of the year? What would happen if we saw every day as the same life-changing opportunity as we see January 1^st?

Making a change in our lives does not need to be a huge event that we announce to the world. It can be a small, single thing we do or don’t do that can have a huge impact on the quality of our life or others in our life. In fact, announcing our intentions of change to the world does nothing more than create stress. We then feel that we must accomplish what we have told the world we are attempting, or the world will see us as a failure. And, of course, the world is going to tell us how we should go about accomplishing our goals.

This year, try something different. Make your resolutions to improve your life on any day of the year as the need or desire arises. Keep your intentions to yourself and quietly achieve what you have resolved to do. If at first, you don’t succeed, it’s okay. The world isn’t even aware of your attempt, so you are free to re-group, re-plan and try again. No pressure except your desire to succeed. It’s not necessary to announce your intentions to anyone because when you succeed, everyone will notice what you have achieved!

Instead of making a “New Year’s Resolution,” make this a year of new resolutions. Any day, any time is the perfect time to make changes that will improve the quality of your life and those you love.

Happy New Year!

Who is the topless woman at the Wisconsin State Capitol?

Most days around noon, you'll find Lili Luxe under the Forward statue outside the Wisconsin State Capitol.

Whether on Reddit, Facebook, or eavesdropping around downtown, Lili Luxe is creating a buzz by just sitting quietly on the steps of the Wisconsin state Capitol — sans shirt.

“I had a meltdown the Monday after [Roe v. Wade] was overturned. Everyone was just going to work like no one cares. It was just all too normal,” Luxe tells Isthmus. “So, I decided to do this.”

For two weeks straight, Luxe has spent her lunch break topless outside the Capitol — which she points out wouldn’t turn heads if she were a man. She usually strolls around the Square and then sits underneath the Forward statue at the top of State Street. Luxe has also been biking around town topless and attending outdoors events like the recent Art Fair on the Square. Sometimes she’s joined by friends. Read more

How to take better naturist pictures

We’ve been publishing blog posts for more than 6 years now, and for the last 2 years, we also dove into creating videos. The one thing that put us in newspapers around the world though were the pictures that we shared on Instagram. We never really considered this, but our concept of self-censorship was exactly what the media loved. Nudity sells, that much is sure, but full-frontal nudity is something for magazines on the top shelf. We gave mainstream media the opportunity to illustrate stories about naturism without shocking the average Joe.

We chose our coverup strategy in order to be able to use social media, and by no means do we want to force this idea upon you. It’s totally fine to take fully nude pictures, we take them too, and it’s also totally fine to not put your photos on the internet too. We live in a digitalized world and these days we have hard drives to keep our memories, so we don’t need to rely uniquely on our brains anymore. Over the years, we’ve gained quite some experience in taking naturist pictures. Experience that we like to share with you. No matter if you want to take “Naked Wanderings style” pictures or prefer to go full monty. Read more

A Naked Selfie Is Never Straightforward

As the year draws to a close, I’ve been thinking about the emancipation of Britney Spears, or more specifically, her nude selfies. Spears’s post-conservatorship photographs of her nude or almost-nude body on Instagram have prompted a reaction that I have found bemusing, the manifestation of a syndrome I call “freedom but not that kind of freedom!” There’s been a palpable sense of disappointment in some quarters, as though Spears is failing to use her newfound liberation in the ways people hoped she would. Bring in Spears’s mental health history, and there’s been a tendency to deny her capacity (“Is Britney OK?”, the concerned trollers ask). It seems that, even in 2022, to post a nude picture as a female celebrity is to invite either slut-shaming or accusations of mental instability. The suggestion is that no respectable woman in her right mind would do such a thing. Women’s naked bodies are clearly still very much up for debate. Read more

Director Bio

Judith Trainor

Judith has been a member of AANR since 2001 and is proud and honored to be the newest AANR West Board Member.

Judith Trainor originally hails from Columbus Ohio, raised as an Airforce Brat spending time in Italy, New Jersey, and England. Judith moved to the great state of California in 1975, graduating from Redlands High School and San Bernardino Valley College.

Judith has been married to Eric for 33 years with a beautiful 31-year-old daughter, Brittney. Judith retired from the Aerospace Industry as an Inspector and lab Manager in 2017.

Judith and Eric had frequented Deanza Springs Resort since 2001, eventually establishing residency by putting a house at Deanza Springs Resort in 2006. Judith has worked for Deanza Springs Resort in the office, as a bartender and currently Kitchen Manager since becoming a full-time resident in 2017.

Coming Out to a Loved One

This is an example of a conversation you could have with a loved one. Many naturists, us included, are “closeted” (to borrow popular terminology) and have moments when they are required to “come out of the closet” to their closest family and friends, at the very least. While each conversation should be from the heart and not following a script, I want to provide this sample to give just a few ideas that could then be tailored to a specific situation and person with whom you are speaking.

I recall doing this with Mrs. Phil, over three years now. I had prepared some notes to keep my thoughts in line. I was so nervous, but spoke from the heart, and maybe you know the story. If not, you can read about it in the beginning. We’ve both learned a lot more in the last few years, but most of the message remains the same.

Here is what a conversation from a Christian perspective might look like. In fact, I probably need to have this type of talk with a few people soon. Read more