Why NOT dressing up for dinner – A case for more nudity and less clothing

By
Marc
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1
1492
It was a cool spring evening and I was cooking in the best suit I have, my birthday one. As I was finishing, my wife asked me if I were to put on some clothing for dinner. I looked at her puzzled.
 
– But why, did I ask?
 
– Well because it’s chilly and I prefer when you dress up for diner, she answered.

Dressing up

As I did not want to stir an argument, I grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, and had a joyful family dinner. Yet, the story does not end here. This “incident” reminded me of many discussions we had about dressing up for lunches and dinners. So, I went to web search engines and entered “why dressing up for dinner”. Astonishing 28,5 million results! If we set aside the dinners spent outside home, plenty of articles were apologetic around dressing up for dinner. Among the reasons:
  • When I look good, people may compliment me on my outfit.
  • When dressed up, I feel it may be a special moment.
  • The way I dress makes a difference the way I feel.
  • There’s a time to be casual and there’s a time to dress up.
  • It’s just the way it is.
Now, to be a little provocative, let’s think the naturist way:
  • When I am naked, people may compliment me on my relaxed composure
  • When I am naked, I feel it may be a special moment,
  • The way I am naked makes a difference the way I feel.
  • There’s a time to be naked and there’s a time to get dressed.
  • Naked? It’s just the way it is.

Clothing may make you feel good, look good and be good. Being naked does the same for most naturists. It makes them feel good, look good and be good. At least, I do not have clothes to hide under and I do accept all my visible flaws. I am who I am, without the barrier created by clothes.

Going out

Then comes the case of dining out. People like to dress to go to the restaurant for instance. It’s pleasant to get dressed up. To wear this special dress, pants or pair of shoes with which you will sparkle. Some restaurants have in fact a dress code prohibiting too casual clothing. Patrons need to look as best as they can.

Dressing up creates a sort of peacock effect. You look good to feel good and show others how good you are. As with the 28.5 million results I mentioned above, some people will dress up for every lunch or dinner, including in the premises of their own home, “for respect of self and others”. Some will always appear at the breakfast table, shaved, showered and dressed up.

Differences and respect

As a respectful naturist, I acknowledge differences. I just prefer being open and naked. Will this make me less respectful to myself and to others? In my naturist view no. I feel very good when naked and I love being with like-minded people. I also feel very good when dressed-up for special occasions. There’s no conflict in this. However, when temperatures are high enough to be comfortably naked, I chose nudity. If this was not the case for many naturists, the nude restaurants that opened in Paris or London would not be successful. You can dress up or undress to have lunch or dinner. It’s a matter of comfort and respect for other naturists.

Of course, this is almost a lost case as many textilists are not ready to accept nudists in the same space. The reverse is also true. Many nudists are not comfortable if nudity is not totally shared by everybody. Therefore the common denominator becomes clothing. However, I believe it should not be. The common denominator should be respect and comfort. Nudity should be one of the clothing options. By pushing the boundaries, we continue to unweave the sexualization of the body.

Nudism is a way of life, a lifestyle, and somehow can become a philosophy. It’s moving beyond what you look like to who you are. And the path from the what to the who is a narrow one. The What is forced upon us by society, with its conventions. The Who is a choice we consciously make. And a bare body is a conscious choice. So with that, do we need clothes to have dinner? No! But, it’s a personal opinion. What is yours?

Get Naked, Stay Naked, Live Naked and Share the Naked Love!

Photo by Jordan Arnold on Unsplash

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