Ginna Nguyen
Staff Writer
Adam and Eve did it. According to all the statues, apparently David did it. And for this article, I’m encouraging you to do it too: get naked.
In today’s culture it is a tragedy that the human body — something so magnificently created — has been objectified, sexualized and dehumanized in so many ways. There is no more beautiful creation than the person of a child of God, and there is no better time in life than now to own the fact that you are beautiful.
So how exactly do you go about professing nudity in order to gain appreciation of your own reverential form of beauty and funk up your life? Well, let me tell you how.
First, paint (or pose) naked. As the models of my latest adventure express, there is something liberating and self-confidence-boosting about being comfortable and open in their natural states.
(My latest adventure has been to supplement and expand my artistic learning by drawing and painting nudes. In any other art program, this would be a requirement. Due to the conservative and small art program that exists at Pepperdine, however, I have recently decided to partake on this non-provided learning adventure via my own initiative).
I will tell you, it was and continues to be an experience that truly humbles me. I have always believed and even more so now that the reason artists are such lovers of life and lovers in general is because they are able to see true beauty in its most raw and pure form. Who knows, maybe one day it will be my specialty and people will come to Los Angeles to get their portrait done. Nude, of course.
As William Blake said, “The naked woman’s body is a portion of eternity too great for the eye of man.” And as a woman pretty confident in my own body, I offer no apology for the power of a woman’s femininity. Fyodor Dostoyevsky sums it up best: “Beauty is not only a terrible thing, it is also a mysterious thing. There, God and the devil strive for mastery, and the battleground is the heart of men.”
So, perhaps you do not have any artistic friends, but you are intrigued enough to want to feel the wind on your bare skin or dig you toes into mud or wash your body in nature’s shower. In that case, try skinny-dipping. At least once. It will make for a good story for your kids and then they will think you are cool. Or weird. Either way, it is definitely one of those things you should do just ‘cause.
So where do you go to do such a thing? Well, here are a few places that are on my to do list: the Pacific Ocean. It might be a little cold, however there is something refreshing and invigorating about jumping into a cold body of water. You can also try natural hot springs if you prefer hot to cold water. You are supposed to go into these naked anyways.
My Spring Break plans include a two-day kayak trip down the Colorado River along Black Canyon, which has several natural hot springs and a waterfall. A friend proposed a “Paddle Naked Day.” We are still contemplating that one, however, after a week of camping I am sure we will be plenty comfortable in our state au-natural.
A waterfall is definitely one that I have always wanted to try. And then jump into the pristine pool of fresh water at the bottom. Doesn’t that sound lovely? Ah, I can’t wait…
If you feel that these two great ideas are not so great for you, perhaps walking around in your underwear is more your thing. In the summertime, they are the most comfortable lounge clothes you own. Or try sleeping in your underwear. There is no feeling like taking a nice, hot shower, slipping on some clean underwear and slipping your bare skin in between soft, clean sheets and piles of warm comforters. You can even try going commando; it, too, can be a liberating experience.
Now, with all these liberating experiences there comes a tendency to forget social decorum.
Please do not forget your social decorum in your quest for self-confidence in being as pure a self as you can be. I am not encouraging that we should all start walking around naked; I very much like clothes. But, I do encourage you to step outside your confined self, and in the appropriate environment, to be as natural and beautiful as you were created to be.
02-17-2005
