Althouse: "And I’m still amazed by how quickly I got used to being naked in front of others, how little I cared, how little notice others took."

July 17, 2025

"And I’m still amazed by how quickly I got used to being naked in front of others, how little I cared, how little notice others took."

"I thought I would be stared at, regarded as an embarrassing old woman showing off in public. Pottering in my garden this morning, deadheading geraniums and hanging out the washing, I was itching to take off my nightie and stand there in the altogether, but I have close neighbours; even next door’s cat was giving me the side-eye. Living with my 40-year-old son, I certainly don’t intend to parade around top and bottomless indoors any time soon, but I have invited a friend to join me on Brighton’s nudist beach, which is very near where I live. Swimwear seems so unnecessary to me these days...."

Writes Elaine Kingett, in "I’m 75 and hate my body. Will my first naturist holiday help? The writer Elaine Kingett used to love her body but that changed after a heart attack, breast cancer and the death of her husband. Can a ‘clothes optional’ break in Crete kickstart a reconciliation?" (London Times).

44 comments:

Skeptical Voter said...: Well if you don't got it you may as well flaunt it.; 7/17/25, 9:15 AM
n.n said...: No. However, a denial of aesthetic facts will blind the egoistic revulsion. Out of sight? Mostly out or rather a submerged mind. This works for other Choices... uh, choices, too.; 7/17/25, 9:19 AM
RideSpaceMountain said...: Some people should be naked. Some should not. The people that should be naked often don't know it, and the people that shouldn't often do all too well but do it anyway.; 7/17/25, 9:24 AM
FormerLawClerk said...: Clicking that link to see if she's guilty or not.

Edit: I wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating crackers.; 7/17/25, 9:29 AM
Aggie said...: Well.... Just because she got used to it, doesn't mean that the rest of the people did.; 7/17/25, 9:34 AM
n.n said...: The nude body is not clothed in shame or embarrassment, but rather as an empathetic gesture of good will to others who don't share your rose-colored perception or lack the presentation. Many will try, most will come up short. In a word, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.; 7/17/25, 9:40 AM
Dude1394 said...: Why don’t we read stories of men lamenting how they hate their bodies and must run around naked to resolve their personal isssues. Guys just like to free swing, it feels good.; 7/17/25, 9:41 AM
RideSpaceMountain said...: "The people that should be naked often don't know it"

There is one place where this doesn't apply: Brazil. They know it, they love it, and they're spectacular.; 7/17/25, 9:42 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I think it's best to adopt the attitude that you look just fine. You don't have to put yourself through a physical ordeal to become comfortable with your appearance. You look fine because you look like you. Your face is *especially* you so keep your face out where everyone can see it. Hands, too, are expressive. But the rest of you? No one needs to see that, and *clothes* are more expressive of your individuality than your exposed body is. So instead of making a thing out of going naked (and subjecting yourself to have to see other people naked), just dress how you want and be comfortable and interesting/amusing or something. It's not that difficult. To think you'd go all the way to Crete and expose yourself to so much sun to make some psychological progress that you can't even carry into your regular life.; 7/17/25, 9:44 AM
Paul said...: Oh man.. I'm 70 and I don't wanna swing my junk in front of others... Now I am not adverse to young ladies doing that in front of me but.... Just a few days ago a homeless lady, maybe 40, took off her top (she had bra own) and reversed it on a street corner while I was waiting for the light to change... Now I'm in Texas and that I've never seen done!; 7/17/25, 9:46 AM
Charlie said...: Most people like the idea of nude beaches.......until they actually get a look at one, then they're against them.; 7/17/25, 9:52 AM
tim maguire said...: Years ago my wife and I were bicycling through Barcelona and we stopped by the beach to take a dip because whenever I'm near a body of water I've never been near before (in this case, the Mediterranean), I like to go swimming so I can that say I did.

We had parked our bikes and were half way to the water before we realized it was a nude beach. We stood around for a minute and then took our clothes off and hit the water. It very quickly became no big deal.; 7/17/25, 9:54 AM
n.n said...: This laissez faire attitude is obviously antagonistic to equitable inclusion by sex, age, girth, health, etc.; 7/17/25, 9:56 AM
Wince said...: Never mind the search for a liberal Joe Rogan.

We need a search for good-looking nudists.; 7/17/25, 10:00 AM
Anthony said...: Why would you hate your body? What did it ever do to you?

Either do something to make it better or quit whining.; 7/17/25, 10:09 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Probably TMI but here goes. Nudity is no big deal

My parents were nudists and often went to nude beaches on weekends and even for a while owned a cabin at a nudist resort in the Santa Cruz mountains area. Tan Oaks. That was pretty neat...swimming pool and lots of fun for the kids. I was 8 yrs old to graduating in high school (class of 68...yeah I'm old.)

As kids we didn't care one way or not if people were naked. We saw naked people all the time and got used to the fact that there are all sorts of bodies. Nice looking, athletic, fat.... to those tanned, cracked, sagging and wrinkled like old luggage. No one really cared.

As kids (and even now)...there is nothing more sublime than swimming naked and that was the kids greatest entertainment. And something I enjoy to today when appropriate. Not gonna jump into the Holiday Inn pool naked (yikes!)

To dispel a misconception...at the nudist resort, people were not nude 100% of the time. We were required to wear something (underwear especially for sanitary reasons) at the restaurant, gift shop or in other public places. Mind your P's and Q's in public too or you were evicted from the resort. Don't annoy others or make unwanted advances. Don't be drunk or otherwise high in public spaces. You could do what you wanted in your own space. Most of the nudity was just sunbathing...which the wrinkled luggage people really didn't need to do anymore :-( We all didn't know or think about sun damage and skin cancer then.

As we got older, teen years and it became awkward. Parents went by themselves on their "weekends" away and left us with other family to go to the beach or lake. Which was fine. Who wants to spend time with your parents and a bunch of other naked OLDIES?

Then came the 60's when hippies discovered nudity and it was a big deal. To everyone else. It was just normal to me. Not ground breaking or rebelling. Just naked people in all shapes and sizes.; 7/17/25, 10:21 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Sorry that was too long. Delete if you feel it is clogging up the comments.; 7/17/25, 10:22 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I've seen a lot of naked people in life drawing classes. In that situation, you're *supposed* to stare.; 7/17/25, 10:28 AM
Tom T. said...: It's never the people that you'd want to see.; 7/17/25, 10:37 AM
RideSpaceMountain said...: Tom T. said, "It's never the people that you'd want to see."

...It is at Ipanema Beach and Bertioga, brother. Buy a ticket. Take the ride.; 7/17/25, 10:45 AM
Roger Sweeny said...: I hope I look that good at her age. Wait, that's this September!; 7/17/25, 10:54 AM
Randomizer said...: The woman is 75 years old and leading a retreat in Spain. Her body is doing a great job. After heart and breast cancer surgery by the NHS, her chest may resemble the bride of Frankenstein. That could put anyone off.

She is unhappy, but trying new things. That's good. A naturist retreat won't fix her up. Volunteering at an eldercare facility would do more for her perspective.; 7/17/25, 11:05 AM
Tim Sisk said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/17/25, 11:05 AM
Tim Sisk said...: There's a whole world out there there that I will never understand.; 7/17/25, 11:07 AM
rhhardin said...: Nudity very quickly is just your live-in gf with no clothes on. That effect would extend to strangers probably even faster.; 7/17/25, 11:12 AM
Anthony said...: I should admit that I've been using the locker room and showers at whatever gym I've worked out at nearly my entire adult life and at the UW (Washington) the shower area was one big room with lots of shower heads. Thus, I have seen and chatted with several colleagues while both of us were buck-nekkid.; 7/17/25, 11:24 AM
rhhardin said...: For that matter, Playboy etc sold a new magazine every month because the old issue had become uninteresting. So even poses intended to have sexual appeal became unappealing.; 7/17/25, 11:35 AM
n.n said...: A nude beach is analogous to the closest, but with a more diverse audience.

Walk like a slut.; 7/17/25, 11:37 AM
Lazarus said...: As they say in Crete: "Malakas!"

But you go, girl! Who cares what the Cretins think!; 7/17/25, 12:45 PM
John henry said...: On my ship we had one head in the after berthing compartment for 150 or so guys. 5-6 shower heads.

At sea water would be on for 20 minutes so you might have 50-75 guys trying to take a shower at once.

Interesting in the best of times.

In a rough sea it was not uncommon for the ship to roll and a bunch of soapy guys wind up in a pile in the corner.

John Henry; 7/17/25, 12:51 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Note to self- "Stay away from the beaches of Crete."; 7/17/25, 1:04 PM
Earnest Prole said...: Whether you’re seventy-five or twenty-five it’s good to remember the attention strangers pay to you is exponentially smaller than what you imagine.; 7/17/25, 1:06 PM
RideSpaceMountain said...: @John henry, it's stories like yours that make me thankful I never joined the Navy. Interservice jocularity aside, a "bunch of soapy guys winding up in a pile in the corner" sounds just so incredibly naval.; 7/17/25, 1:06 PM
Kai Akker said...: That was terrific. She sounded great.; 7/17/25, 1:37 PM
rhhardin said...: Armstrong and Getty interviewed Merissa Mayer, VP of search at Google at the time before she branched out and ruined HP, doing a boring description of Google search capabilities, apparently against what it had been sold as to A&G. A&G finally asked why Meridda Mayer nude doesn't turn up anything. recording. One of life's amusing moments.; 7/17/25, 1:50 PM
rhhardin said...: Merissa not Meridda. touch typing; 7/17/25, 1:51 PM
lonejustice said...: My wife and I spent two weeks this past January on some of the beautiful bay beaches in Oaxaca, Mexico, to escape the snow, cold and ice of the Midwest. A few times we ventured over to Zipolite because of their great restaurants. The beach there was clothing optional. My limited experience is that the only people walking around naked were old fat people who really should be wearing something, and gay men. That was pretty much it.; 7/17/25, 1:54 PM
bobby said...: Depending on where I am, I like to have a little bit of cloth in between me and the fishies, or me and the cacti.; 7/17/25, 1:56 PM
Iman said...: Armstrong and Getty… Jack Armstrong has definitely worn out his welcome in our household. A fellow that sounds like Curly Howard’s “Moe, Larry, CHEESE!!!” jacked up on too much coffee and Adderall at 6:00AM and keeps interrupting his partner Getty and the newsreader should find a new line of work. IMHO.; 7/17/25, 2:24 PM
Iman said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/17/25, 2:35 PM
Jamie said...: Whether you’re seventy-five or twenty-five it’s good to remember the attention strangers pay to you is exponentially smaller than what you imagine.

If everybody's naked, then no one is, to paraphrase Syndrome from The Incredibles. I don't hate my body, nor do I fetishize it (any more - when I was in my 20s, it was a little of both our either depending on my mood). I haven't been to a nude or topless beach since I was about 26 and probably won't ever go again, but it's no nevermind to me if people I find either very attractive or not at all attractive want to.

I think it might be different if only one person is naked - that's a surefire way to stand out, for good or ill. But it's cheating. If you want to be noticed, try harder, under the existing set of rules, don't simply change the rules for yourself alone.

Oh, and DBQ, great story, and (by my lights anyway) not a word too long!; 7/17/25, 3:10 PM
Old and slow said...: When my parents were in their 80s they used to take a two week holiday from their three month holiday in Ireland go to Sitges south of Barcelona. It is a gay holiday destination and my father always complained that there was nothing but naked old people and gay young men on the beach. My mother had no complaints. They loved it there and won every bridge tournament at the local club.; 7/17/25, 3:37 PM
John henry said...: Ride space mountain

I spent 7-1/2 years in the navy and was not a happy sailor most of the time. Winding up in a dog pile of naked soapy guys was not that much fun. For one thing, getting thrown around like that hurts!

But it gave me a lot of stories and sea stories to entertain and/or bore people with.

And it gave me life and professional skills that have served me well over the 50 years since I got out.

Plus the VA medical and education benefits.

Joining the navy is one of the 10 best things I've done in my life.

John Henry; 7/17/25, 4:28 PM
mikee said...: Hippie Hollow, a small bay on Lake Travis outside Austin, TX, has been a nude beach for just about ever. And all that time it has been known as a nude beach for old wrinkled hippies and dopehead crones and other less than fit geriatric patients. Go figure. I've never been to see, and now that I'm categorically qualified to join that group of ancient skin waggers, I have absolutely no desire. Plus, my back patio is private enough should I ever need to hang out while hanging out.; 7/17/25, 8:41 PM