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 →

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 →