Interview of Anna and Steve, from England

It’s been a long time since we’ve welcomed a naturist couple to be featured on Nude & Happy. Today, we are going to the UK and more precisely to England to meet Anna and Steve, the wonderful family founder of A Naturist World.

Anna, thank you very much for having accepted to be featured on this series of naturist couple’s interviews. Let’s go right to naturism, was there a first naturist who introduced the other to naturism?

Yes, Steve was the first and introduced me to naturism.

How did this discovery happen?

Steve was looking to face some issues he had carried about his body for many years and saw naturism as part of the cure, and then learnt to appreciate it for its own merits. He approached the subject early on in our relationship explaining how positive it had been for him and how very natural and extraordinarily normal it is.

What was your reaction, Anna, when Steve explained he was a naturist?

We were already very comfortable being casually naked around the house and garden, the only thing that concerned me was that it was not voyeuristic or exhibitionist in nature. My faith in the character of Steve made it easy to believe that it wasn’t. When he asked me to join, I was nervous. I had never even been topless before and had not been comfortable with nudity even in private circumstances before meeting Steve. It was low-key, if I changed my mind on the day or never wanted to do it again then that was going to be fine. I was in control.

Do any of you happen to practice naturism without your significant other?

We tend to be together, but there have been many times when I will stay on the beach while Steve collects the boys from school or picks up lunch and then re-joins me. I love to have a sleep or get lost in a book and simply enjoy the warmth of the sun on my body.

When you’re together, where do you practice naturism?

Basically if we have the opportunity and the temperature is supportive of our needs, we will be naked. If one of us has to be off doing something that involves clothes, the other is lucky to be able to continue enjoying naturism wherever we may be. While we lived in Spain, we only dressed for school pick-ups and shopping. In the UK we do not force the issue. If we are cold then we will wear what it takes to warm up, that may simply be a pair of socks.

What effect(s) has naturism on your relationship?

We had both been in negative relationships before meeting each other. We both wanted our relationship to be based on complete honesty from the start, being comfortable with each other was part of that. If we had not taken part in social nudity, we would certainly have been casually naked around our home. It brings us closer, helps remove barriers and breaks down emotional as well as physical walls. I believe it encourages a more realistic appreciation of each other’s bodies, as it removes the embarrassment and titillating aspects of nudity. There is no doubt that it boosts the confidence we feel in our relationship. It is almost impossible to imagine not being a naturist couple and not bringing up our children with the same values and comfort with themselves. We really don’t know how a family could function efficiently with a need to hide their bodies from each other.

Has the lock down had any effect of your naturism practice?

Yes. Living in Spain during early lockdowns the rules were pretty severe. Beaches were closed and you could not travel away from the village where you lived, no hiking, no bike riding, etc. We remained naked all day at home and we were lucky to have land and a swimming pool. The boys would occasionally dress for video calls to school. Moving back to the UK, we had a severe blow when the hottest period of the year coincided with our sons being isolated due to Covid in their classes. The sun was blazing down, beaches were around the corner and we had to stay with them at home.

Are you sharing that you are naturists with your friends and families, and what is their reaction?

Yes. Some simply accept it like you have told them you own a hat, others ask a few questions, some say that they couldn’t imagine doing it themselves. The truth is that many more people have enjoyed some sort of naturist adventure than we realise and it isn’t particularly shocking for most people. If we consider that only 1% of people are shocked by naturism and will consider you some sort of lunatic or pervert – then what holds us back is the fear that the next person we tell will be one of that 1%.

Would you advise naturists to be open with their naturism to others?

Yes. We have to be more honest about our naturism. Hiding it makes it appear something that we feel guilty and ashamed of. The more we talk about it the more it will become acceptable and understood. Naturism should not carry a stigma but while we act like it does we encourage it to be misjudged. There are people in certain cultures that are understandably concerned but by carefully vocalising your thoughts and feelings about naturism to others you can be part of creating a wave of change. We all have to look after ourselves so sensible precautions may need to be taken at times. For most of us, it is simply paranoia that holds us back and placing ourselves in a slightly uncomfortable zone for a few minutes, but isn’t that what most of us did when we first tried naturism and look at how easy and wonderful that turned out to be.

What benefits do you see and experience in naturism as a couple?

Like breathing, drinking and eating it is a basic natural instinct. It has been an integral part in our relationship from day one and with our sons being born at home it was how they were introduced to the world. We would not be the same couple or family without it. It isn’t about holidays, travel or beach trips, it isn’t really about the sun and physical comfort. It is about being real with each other. If all of society could learn to appreciate this then the world would be a better place.

What advice would you give to other couples whose only one member, or none, is a naturist? 

Don’t over think it and don’t force it. The reason we like the term naturist is that it is a reminder that being naked is natural. It really is something you don’t need to work on. Don’t look for excuses just go for it. For a couple with one member who is a naturist the other cannot be brow beaten into it. But if you are the person saying “no” then consider your reasons – could it be that the reason you are against the idea may be the actual reason you should give it ago. For example, if you feel that you do not have a good enough body, then the confidence that naturism will give you will teach you that you have. For a couple that are both new to naturism, ensure that you are both happy, then just do it. If you are unfortunate enough to have a bad experience, sadly a very small minority exist who will always be attempting to ruin other peoples day, the don’t let it put you off. There are unpleasant people everywhere but coming across an unpleasant person at a supermarket won’t put you off shopping.

Do you have any final comments to add about living naturism as a couple?

Our passion for naturism and its misuse on the internet and its misunderstanding in society lead to us starting to promote naturism on the internet through various social media in 2016, we created our own blog site as A Naturist Family in 2018 and in 2020 we moved our blogs onto the social media site www.anaturistworld.com, because we realised that we didn’t want to promote ourselves as naturists but to encourage others to be naturists. Naturism is an amazing thing to introduce to your life, although as we believe it is a natural part of life, the true term should be re-introduce. At ANW we have a genuine and respectful community that are not just great examples of naturism but also great examples of humanity.

Thank you very much Anna and Steve. It has been great to hear from you and your experience with naturism. I encourage readers to join A Naturist World, meet great naturists and discover more about the wonderful world of naturism. You can also join Anna and Steve on twitter @ANaturistWorld.

Strip Nude, Stay Nude, Live Nude and Share the Nude Love!

If you are a naturist couple and would like to be featured on Nude & Happy, go read the post Naturism explained by naturist couples and leave you name and email so we can contact you and interview you. Thank you so much!