Monday, April 16, 2012

Naked Nirvana

So you know how clothes are itchy and binding? And how they make people JUDGE each other on such stupid domains as 'style' and 'income'  (judgment?  heck, who needs THAT?) ? (none of which have ANY merit with me, by the way)  They really are the staples of cliques. We can't really TRULY know each other for WHO WE ARE rather than WHAT WE HAVE if we are all tangled up in what people are wearing, right?

NWDT logo designed by Joris Ammerlaan
Well this is true metaphorically, as well as literally.

Let me e'splain...


I mentioned the itchy binding thing, yeah? See... I think I was 4 when I gave up nightgowns (or any pajamas) because blankets pulled one way and pajamas another and it was just to much conflicting action in the darned bed. Far better to just deal with my skin that moved with me...

Of course I'd given up swimsuits two years earlier—have you WORN wet pants? Can you BLAME ME?

"I like a little air around my privates!"
And see... I have never been SIZED like the clothes my friends bought off the racks... I was taller... wore larger sizes which initially could be EXPLAINED by being taller, but which made me feel fat nonetheless... It was normal teen logic, but it still sucked. But fashion NEVER flattered me. It was always just an obstacle to be gotten around in the least embarrassing way possible.

But REALLY, this is more to to with really just liking some air around my privates. JK Rowling was channeling me when she wrote Archie, the character if Goblet of Fire so set against pants... Air. Water. Wind. It all FEELS GOOD on the skin! (But NOT through fabric)

As a teen I also strongly advocated that TAN fat looked better than PALE fat, so I was obliged to wear as little as possible all summer... And through college I traumatized first my dorm mates then my sorority by solidly REFUSING to sleep in anything. It's possible I considered it my duty to squash any prudishness they'd arrived at college with...

So I've been naked a long long time.


Join the group hug?
But I find this is helpful when I edged out into the writing world. I'm USED to people staring and wondering where on EARTH I got the cajones to do what I do. Blogging, in particular, I think is more gratifying if you do it naked. Be as YOU as you can possibly be, and it is far more sustainable. Nobody will EVER be horrified on finding the real you, because you've never hidden who you are. You are making friends on a real playing field and if people like you, you can trust it is YOU they like and not some strange costume you've worn because it is the style of the day.


So while I would LOVE all of you to literally get naked with me... the Naked World Domination Tour could use you. What I really think you need to get on board for is being Naked in your writing. Give up the fear. Don't hide. Let it all hang out in as YOU of a way as you can. Your audience can only find you if you stop hiding behind those pesky mumus and tent dresses.

24 comments:

Old Kitty said...

Down with pants!! Pants are evil!

NAKED Rules! Ok! :-)

Take care
x

PR said...

Oh I want ion on that hug! :)

Karen Baldwin said...

Revealing the real me is tough. I'd probably scare everyone away.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

In the privacy of my own home I can do the naked.
Although I did blog about naked today.

Anonymous said...

I admit I have blogged naked! There, I said it.

Donna K. Weaver said...

Yeah. Naked rules as long as I'm covered in my nakedness. At my age I consider wearing clothing to be a service to society.

Jessica Salyer said...

I completely agree with Anna. :)

Patti said...

You and naked came up this weekend...

Ya know, I think in a lot of ways naked can be good. In the privacy of my own home, pants are highly overrated. I often lose my pants. I'm typically content in underwears and a tank top. And a blanket.

And I'm 100% with you on sleeping naked. My legs get strangled by pants at night. YUCK.

But I think there are times when clothes are good. Say, when it's -5million degrees outside. Or cold and windy. Or when running. My girly bits bounce and that's no fun. Or skating. Ice burn is painful enough thru clothes.

But naked = good. I've been slowly teaching the hubby you don't have to get dressed in the bathroom after showering. He's learning... VERY slowly...

CA Heaven said...

Wet swim wear is definitely annoying. But not sure if I would enjoy naked skiing >:)

Cold As Heaven

Maurice Mitchell said...

I approve of Naked World Domination, but pant are a necessary evil for men. Too many flying parts to hold down. New follower from A-Z
@Old Kitty. Down with pants? Unintentional hilarious pun?
- Maurice Mitchell
The Geek Twins | Film Sketchr
@thegeektwins | @mauricem1972

Hart Johnson said...

Ah, yes... the ice and snow DO call for a bit of compromise... though I have seen naked skiers... but only a very specific time of year...

Welcome to my new friends!!!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Don't forget shoes. I hate wearing shoes or socks and live for the summer when it's warm enough I can run around without either.

~Sia McKye~ said...

Lol! I'm with you on non-binding things to wear (still hubs will buy me cute underwear sets 1/2 of the set is never worn and lingerie-I like short cotton Ts to sleep in). Don't go around naked very much but close-I have kids. But living where I do, I have to tell you, yes, I have been outside naked--who's going to see me? The coyotes? My horses? Lol!

As far as being the naked me, I am who I am and I don't pretend to be anything other than that. I do the same in my writing.

Sia McKye OVER COFFEE

Tracy Moore said...

Fantastic post! I am all for being the real you at all times. I used to censor myself to the point of not being recognizable to myself...it was horrible in so many ways. I didn't like who I had become and the people who liked me didn't even know me...therefore the relationships just weren't real. I've recently become naked... in life (being fully me) and in my writing and it is so wonderful! Wouldn't trade it for anything.

cleemckenzie said...

Naked works for me. I just hate to scare others, so mostly as a courtesy to friends and relatives I keep most of the parts covered.

Thanks for the laugh. Here's to the success of your Naked World Domination Tour.

Empty Nest Insider said...

I appreciate your right to bare...everything! Personally, I'm too pale, veiny and jiggly. My doctor even told me I look better with my clothes on! Glad Alex sent me over! Julie

Johanna Garth said...

I would totally join you on your quest for worldwide nudity if I wasn't always so darned COLD!

Helena said...

Hey, I'm all for comfortable clothes and naked comfort too, but between the nippy weather and cellulite, I might keep playing chicken....

Sarah Ahiers said...

Definitely a great post! And the other night i was forced to wear PJs in bed (due to the coldsnap) and they kept getting twisted and it was NOT FUN

Tracy said...

Hey, I would love to live in a nudist colony...as long as it were at the beach; what a waste of money to spend it on clothes! Great blog and it truly made me smile this evening!

Patti said...

I just realized... The lovely picture of man booty would make a fabulous FB timeline picture....

Unknown said...

I'm always naked when I'm writing, which is why I get so little done :)

---Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2012
Amlokiblogs

Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge

JCS said...

Great message today about being authentic, honest and letting it all hang out. Cheers to being Naked!!!

Tina said...

I've always been a fan of naked. I'm Swedish! What do you expect? It's just my body, which is the vehicle I use to get myself from place to place. Sometimes that vehicle is humming along at optimum condition, sometimes it's not. But it's not ME. I'm just in it.
Naked in writing? I try to do that. My blog is mostly personal stories since it's just my work-out gym, flexing and building my writing muscles. I enjoy finding new blogs with various weekly prompts to respond to. This horrifies my best friend. She's very much into being anonymous on the net. My take is that whatever we ever write, be it an email, a post, a fb update, or a comment on someone's blog, somebody can find it. In cyberspace we are naked whether we admit it or not. Of course fire-walls and virus protection is important, but if you think that you can write something and only certain chosen people will ever see it, you need to give that up right now.
How did my comment turn into a ranting post??? Probably too many popsicles and far too little napping...
Tina @ Life is Good
Co-Host of the April A to Z Challenge
Twitter: @AprilA2Z #atozchallenge