Two Nudes on a Tahitian Beach by Paul Gauguin Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) was a leading Post-Impressionist painter. His peers included Vincent van Gogh and his work influenced other famous artists such as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. It should be noted that he was hardly a model citizen. He gained notoriety for a lascivious and indulgent lifestyle. He lived in Tahiti for the first time from 1891 to 1893. There he discovered casual nudity among the natives and spent time nude himself. From those experiences, he recounted an environment where the lack of clothing desexualized women and created more equal relationships between the genders. ItRead More →

The following article was published in Canada’s Going Natural, France’s La Vie au Soleil, The Australian Naturist and New Zealand’s Go Natural. The Sarong: Destroyer of Naturist Worlds! by Stéphane Deschênes in collaboration with Michel Vaïs On a recent visit to a naturist resort in France, I was struck by the multitude of people wearing clothing away from the beach and pool (nudity was mandatory in those places). Women seemed to have a particular affinity for the sarong, also known as a wrap or pareo. But naturism is a philosophy, not just a dress code for the beach or pool. So I decided to makeRead More →

The results of the 2014 survey on Canadians’ experience and attitudes toward nudity and naturism are now available. Identifying the size of the naturist movement has always been challenging. While it is easy to count visitors/members of Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park and other clubs, that represents only a small portion of participants. That question was first answered through a 1999 survey. But are the results still relevant a decade and a half later? We wanted to update the data, determine trends, and reaffirm the original conclusions so Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park coordinated the efforts of the Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN)and the FédérationRead More →

The last Camping in Ontario convention was held in November at the The Rosseau Muskoka Resort. Our keynote speaker, Jody Urquhart, was fabulous. She entertained, inspired and motivated us. As the association’s director that lives closest to Pearson International Airport, I volunteered to drive her back. So Jody could look forward to about 2 hours trapped in a van with Linda and me. She brought a newspaper so she would have something to do during the long trip. But she began by politely asking a bit about our campground. She soon learned of Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park’s unique nature. Her curiosity was piqued andRead More →

From July 7th to 14th, British Naturism held their 7th Nudefest at Newperran Holiday Park in Newquay, U.K. During their celebration they presented this special cake to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the International Naturist Federation (INF). Of course, everyone was in their birthday suits for the occasion! A special celebration is also being held at the CHM Montalivet, the actual site where the INF was founded in 1953, from September 20th to 22nd. From Bare Oaks, Nikki and Stéphane will be attending to participate in the celebrations. A little history about the INF from the INF: Naturism has a long historyRead More →

Dear Anonymous, Since you didn’t leave any contact information, this is the only way we can respond to your concerns. Thank you for contacting Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park. We do appreciate receiving both compliments and complaints. We are sorry that you were dissatisfied because either you or someone else in your party (you are not clear in your letter about who was affected) were not allowed to walk around clothed. As you correctly pointed out, we did have a clothing-optional area during our volleyball tournament but you also found that option to be disagreeable. You should be aware that this is an unusual compromiseRead More →

Most people in North American society appear to suffer from a phobia of nudity – either their own or of seeing that of others. The problem with this fear is that is leads people to be uncomfortable with their own bodies. It results in them being ashamed, embarrassed, and even offended by their own image. The emotional reaction can negatively impact self-esteem and self-confidence. Fear of nudity has an official name – Gymnophobia. MedTerms Medical Dictionary Gymnophobia: An abnormal and persistent fear of nudity. Sufferers of this phobia experience undue anxiety even though they realize their fear is irrational. They may worry about seeing othersRead More →

From our new webpage at: http://www.bareoaks.ca/index.php/en/about-naturism/ethical-naturism.html Nudist vs Naturist Which term is used depends partially on where you are. In Europe, the term “naturist” is used almost exclusively while “nudist” is often derogatory. In the United States, most people who attend clubs call themselves nudists because they belong to the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) who uses the term “nudist”. Americans who go to free beaches tend to prefer to identify themselves as “naturists” because historically, the Naturist Society (TNS) has been the biggest defender of free beaches in the United States. In Canada, the official naturist organizations are called the Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN) andRead More →

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uo7iGK1Nwo France is often regarded by naturists as the Mecca of naturism.  While the naturist movement is generally considered to have started in Germany, the largest resorts are now found in France. The French government has a division of the tourism ministry whose purpose is only to promote naturist tourism. The naturist district in Cap d’Agde was created by the French government in the 1970’s and now attracts over 40,000 people every summer. Millions of French citizens vacation every year in naturist resorts, clubs and beaches. But as advanced as naturism is in France, it is also an example of how things can go wrongRead More →

The latest episode of the Naturist Living Show is all about how we have been, and continue to be, exploited. From the very beginning of naturism/nudism, there have been people who have exploited naturists and nudists. They go against the very core values of our movement. They objectify our bodies and sexualize our activities. They turn our philosophy into a source of personal gain. (money, sex, power, pride, etc…)  Some of them even pander to deviants but conceal themselves beneath the cloak of legitimacy that naturism provides. All too often, we have been willing participants. The exploiters use our tolerance and open-mindedness against us. TheyRead More →