Nude a Work Function
Today my team did an off site team building activity capped off with a spa experience and a great dinner. As a guy I had very little use for a facial or mani/pedi and elected for a much needed massage.
I had one other male co-worker with me and we spent quite a bit of time chatting while robed in the relaxation room waiting for our massage therapists. After the massages we returned to the locker room to shower and get ready for dinner. He took special care to try to cover up while dressing. Not one to be modest I dressed in front of him, but what struck me was that's I initially balked. If he was simply a friend I wouldn't have had a second thought, but because he was a colleague and the situation was out of norm I hesitated. Then I figured, it's a locker room. Authorized naked place. If he has a problem with it, then that's on him.
I type this as I sit naked in my hotel room... But I type this because my hesitation makes me wonder about my commitment to nudism. I'm mostly a home nudist with some social experiences. Are my hesitations just me begin human and conscious about other people's sensitivities or me just still walking the line between nudism and the textile world we try to exist in?
DLoco, I completely understand your feelings and hesitations. Work colleagues are a very different situation, relationship and set of feelings. I've had those same hesitations myself. But I think Global and Leo expressed it beautifully. We can be fully committed to a naked lifestyle. But I also find that Nudists tend to be very genuine, down to earth people, and as such we encourage the lifestyle but also are sensitive to others' feelings.
In my opinion, you did exactly the right thing. In the politically correct US revealing yourself as a nudist can be a career killer. Once you reveal that you are a nudist the WORD will spread throughout your office like wildfire. Sure, people may approach you to satisfy their nudist curiosities but you will still be the office oddity. Hey, here comes "Natureboy"! As an example, are you "Natureboys" friend? Response "Are you kidding?"
25 years ago, I belonged to a Houston health/ fitness club and because some male locker-room club members complained, members must have their genitals covered when changing into and out of their work-out clothes. Now, get ready for this, a member (in the male locker room) must have their genitals covered when they take a shower or when sitting in the club hot tub.
Unfortunately, in the US, we practice "Mental Masturbation" that is we are fascinated by nudity but in social circles it is taboo. As an example, some people are titillated by a "celebrity" female Kartrashian showing a portion of her nipple. But in the same breathe the Main Stream Media (MSM) portrays nudists as wacko's, perverts, etc. In some conservative areas, once you are known as a nudist, it's mother's hide your children. I think this attitude is mostly prevalent in the US and not the rest of the world.
So thank God, we have nudist beaches, resorts, and websites like TN where we can express our nudity without being fearful. But if you see a co-worker, neighbor, etc. it is still "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" with respect to work/ society.
SoloMojo. I read your post many times and I still havent worked out what your post has to do with the topic.Nudist are like textiles some are respectful to wards other some not. Naturist are more likely to protect their environment but the run of the mill nudist are just like textiles and don't give a fig about the environment and litter the same s textiles.
Nudist and naturist are just ordinary people or for that matter textiles without clothing and controlled in general by peer pressure.
Re the topic: I have never had the chance to be involved in nudity at a work function or discussed my nudist activity at ant work situation, so I can't comment on how others would react to other staff being nudist. Myself wouldn't care two hoots but would most likely discuss the lifestyle with the other person if they so wished. If not go on with work with no change from normal.. as mention respectful of other workers.
Thanks for the thoughts and advice. I did not tell him I'm a nudist, I simply went about getting dressed in the open area by my locker. I'd consider that normal locker room behavior. Other guys were in there too and were not bothering to cover up.
At the end of the day I don't think anything negative came of it. Perhaps my own lines are blurring since I'm primarily a remote/work from home employee.
I've already stopped wearing clothes... wonder if I'll start speaking my own language soon. :)
At times it is a bit sticky with work buddies. I once took a colleague to a nude beach with me. He did get nude for the fun of it with me but later blabbed all about it in the office which made the pun of the jokes for a while :)
Maybe he did you a favour. Once you have been outed as a nudist you can talk about it to others. I found that when I was outed in my village.