(I should turn this into a series)
"I don't even own a swimsuit."
Look, I understand the feeling of frustration that comes from being in a situation where you're forced to wear clothes when you'd rather be nude. Believe me, I get that feeling a lot (the most recent time being today). Mostly at home, when I feel like I should have the right to be comfortable. And outdoors, when I'm surrounded by nature. But I don't hate clothing. I actually appreciate and enjoy fashion. I'm just still more comfortable naked.
And I get it. Recreational swimming is among those activities where clothing is the most unnecessary - and a nuisance. I prefer swimming naked. But the worst part isn't even the swimming, it's after. Nothing dries faster than skin. It amazes me the way textiles force themselves to linger in wet clothing (even swimsuits take time to dry, especially while still being worn), not even comfortable enough to sit naked beneath a towel for fifteen minutes before changing into dry clothes. They might even put their dry clothes on over top of their wet swimsuits! It's insane. And, in my opinion, torture.
But that's being in wet clothes outside of the water. Now, if I had to wear normal clothes in the water - like the historical, full-bodied "bathing costume" - yeah, I'd be outraged, too. Hell, if I even had to wear what constitutes a typical men's swimsuit in this country - those bulky, knee-length board shorts - I might even become one of those insufferable nudists who refuses to swim in/own a swimsuit. But there are other options. Women have it better than men, with their skimpy, skin-tight bikinis, and Europeans have it better than Americans, with briefs being accepted (even expected) swimming attire for men.
I wear swim briefs, too, whenever I can get away with it. This works best at natural watering holes where rules are lax and people may be more spread out, as opposed to pools that charge for entry and post up all sorts of guidelines. But even when I go to a pool that has an explicit "no Speedos" policy (yeah, this exists), I have a pair of swim shorts that's about as skimpy as you can get while still appearing as "shorts" and not a brief. It was hard to find, and expensive, and I still don't like it as much as my swim briefs. But it's a pretty satisfactory compromise.
Ideal scenario? I like to visit the lake, by myself (or in tolerant company), so I can swim nude. But here's the catch. Most nudists don't live in isolated nudist paradises. Even if we visit them from time to time, we still live largely in the textile world. We also have textile friends and family. For a nudist to say "I don't own a swimsuit", they're really saying one of two things (assuming they're not averse to swimming). Either they're an isolated loner, with no friends or family who have ever requested their company on a summer trip to the pool. Or they're the type of insufferable nudist that is so adamant about their nudism, that they would rather stay home alone (or go off on their own), while the people who love them are out having fun together - without them.
So, as a nudist, I get the frustration with having to wear clothes. But for all that nudists say how utterly pointless swimsuits are, they are actually my number one favorite form of clothing, and the one I least resent having to wear. Why? Not only because it's the closest I can get to being naked around people outside of the nudist lifestyle (so, like, the best compromise between being undressed but still hanging out with your non-nudist friends and family), but because it's the closest textiles come to social nude recreation without even realizing it. And seeing those people - textiles - behaving almost as nudists do, lounging and recreating with the bare minimum of their bodies covered, and not even making a fuss of it (for the most part), is great! Is there some hypocrisy involved that could be frustrating for a nudist to dwell on? Sure. But we don't live in a perfect world, and I think it's a pretty great compromise.
At the end of the day, I'd rather swim in good company with 5% of my body covered, than exclude myself from the people I love in order to expose that last 5%. But here's the most important factor: I can do both. I can take all the opportunities I find (and believe me, I do) to go skinny dipping alone or with the few people I know who get nudism, and STILL go out with the family to the pool on the weekend and have fun in the sun. It's the best of both worlds. But I couldn't do that if I didn't own a swimsuit.
