Advertise on podcast: Naturism, Nudism and Gymnosophy for the BARE-ly Curious

Who is Naomi Gale, and why is a holistic pelvic health practitioner talking about naturism? In this solo episode of Bare-ly Curious, Naomi shares the story behind the podcast. She takes us to the morning she walked naked through the Dordogne in France to a rock above the river, wearing only her walking boots, and came back knowing she needed to speak about naturism and nudism from a woman’s point of view. Naomi has spent a decade working in holistic pelvic health as a somatic practitioner, womb massage therapist and doula. She talks about the TikTok video that went viral, the red flags on her account, and how Amazon banned and then hid her book because it had the word “vagina” in the title. The book is now re-released as Ground Floor: On Sensation, Safety and the Parts of Us We Were Taught to Ignore. She also explains why the naturist community has been far more open to this work. In this episode: The naked walk in France that started Bare-ly CuriousDiscovering the history of women in naturism through Annebella Pollen’s work thanks to Helen via Women In FocusWhy naturists are more open to conversations about the body, the pelvis and body confidenceListener comments on safety in nudist spaces and the return of gymnosophyHow to get comfortable with your naked body before you ever visit a naturist beach or clubTwo simple mirror practices from the book: drawing how your body feels, and “I am here”Photographer Francesca Woodman, self-portraits and healing body image (includes a brief mention of suicide)The monthly Ground Floor Circle, Naomi’s vagina circle, as featured in CosmopolitanWhether you’re a lifelong naturist, nudist-curious, or simply want to feel more at home in your body, this one is for you. Book: Ground Floor by Naomi Gale [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ground-Floor-sensation-safety-taught/dp/106691091X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0] Ground Floor Circle: [www.thisisnaomigale.co.uk/vagina-workshop] Support the show: [https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/galenaomi] Nomestia podcast (alternative living, van life and home education): [www.nomestia.co] If this episode resonated, please leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It really helps other people find the show. Content note: frank discussion of nudity, vulvas and the pelvis; brief mention of suicide. Follow BARE: Read the essays that go deeper on Substack → https://bare-ly-curious.beehiiv.com/ The rest of the ecosystem: nomestia (slow family travel) → nomestia.co Naomi Gale's work → thisisnaomigale.co.uk Photography → naomigalephotography.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

-Trigger Warning for this episode as this episode discusses violence against women-. No study shows that naturism reduces men's violence against women. I want to say that clearly from the start. What naturism can offer is something quieter: a place where a body is not an invitation, and where we learn what our bodies mean, and what they don't. In this episode I look at what the UK femicide data tells us. Most women killed by men are killed by a partner, an ex or a son, at home. That's about control and entitlement, not clothing. I talk about why any naturist argument that leans on covering or uncovering women risks repeating the "what were you wearing?" myth, and about the case of Lindsay Armstrong. I also look at objectification theory and how girls learn to see their own bodies from the outside. I go back through the history of gymnosophy and naturism, from Germany's life reform movement to its darker chapters, and why naturism has never really had a public language for consent. Then I get honest about naturism's own problems: unwanted photography, ogling, a male-heavy gender balance, and a recent experience at a naturist camp with my children that showed me how far there is to go. I set out what I think naturist spaces need: - image consent as a hard rule - ogling named as a breach, with clear reporting and removal - more women leading the conversation - a child consent framework that says "your body is yours" without shame I close by asking whether gymnosophy could be the fresh start women need. Content note: this episode discusses femicide, rape and suicide. If something here landed for you, please leave a rating, a review or a question. I'd love this to be a conversation, not a monologue. Sources mentioned: Femicide Census / Counting Dead Women – kareningalasmith.com Fredrickson & Roberts (1997), Objectification Theory Keon West, Goldsmiths – research on naturism and body image British Naturism – Women in Naturism campaign and Women in Focus podcast NSPCC – Talk PANTS Follow BARE: Read the essays that go deeper on Substack → https://bare-ly-curious.beehiiv.com/ The rest of the ecosystem: nomestia (slow family travel) → nomestia.co Naomi Gale's work → thisisnaomigale.co.uk Photography → naomigalephotography.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s the difference between being seen and being consumed? In this episode of Bare-ly Curious, Naomi Gale asks whether more naturist spaces, where bodies are visible, ordinary and not for sale, could change the landscape when it comes to paying to see the body (in formats such as Only Fans). We go back to gymnosophy, the “wisdom of nakedness”, and Maurice Parmelee’s 1927 book The New Gymnosophy, including his claim that nudism lets men and women “see each other as they really are”. We also look at the darker side of his thinking: his body standards and the eugenic roots of early nudism. Then to OnlyFans: who earns what, why creators join, and what need it might be meeting. Keon West’s research at Goldsmiths shows naturism improving body image, self-esteem and life satisfaction. Annebella Pollen’s history shows how naturist magazines blurred into erotica. Finally, ethical porn. Why it’s a neighbour to naturism but not a relative, and three questions for keeping naturism in its own lane. Sources: Annebella Pollen, Nudism in a Cold Climate and “Life in the buff” (Aeon). Keon West, “Naked and Unashamed” (Journal of Happiness Studies). Maurice Parmelee, The New Gymnosophy (1927). Photography: naomigalephotography.co.uk Enjoyed this? Please leave a review and subscribe wherever you listen. Follow BARE: Read the essays that go deeper on Substack → https://bare-ly-curious.beehiiv.com/ The rest of the ecosystem: nomestia (slow family travel) → nomestia.co Naomi Gale's work → thisisnaomigale.co.uk Photography → naomigalephotography.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Naturism and gymnosophy, a movement of healing, nature cure and body freedom, and women were at its heart. So why were they written out? I explore Ida Hofmann and the Monte Verità colony, Blanche DeVries and her New York yoga institute, Helen Sorensen and England's first gymnosophist group in 1922, and how Gerald Gardner became the "father of Wicca" while women healers were called witches. Drawing on Witches, Midwives and Nurses, I ask why healing work has always been risky for women. I also ask why British naturism is shrinking while the wellness industry booms. This is early, open research. Share what you know. Follow BARE: Read the essays that go deeper on Substack → https://bare-ly-curious.beehiiv.com/ The rest of the ecosystem: nomestia (slow family travel) → nomestia.co Naomi Gale's work → thisisnaomigale.co.uk Photography → naomigalephotography.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If naturism is about being naked, why do clothes matter so much? In this episode of BARE-ly Curious I look at the long-running split between completists, who say total nudity is non-negotiable, and moderates, who make room for clothing when the situation calls for it. Then I bring it back to a question the rules rarely ask: where do children's choices fit? I start with where my own naturism journey stands right now. It's ten degrees and raining on the Isle of Skye, so it's saunas and cold loch dips, with plans for spring nudism across Europe in the van. I also share where my MA in Irish mythology and folklore is taking me, towards the naked body in narrative. We look at the story of Mis, who is won over by a man lying bare rather than one carrying weapons, and at the Sheela-na-gig carvings set into church walls. From there we get into the history, drawing on Annebella Pollen's Nudism in a Cold Climate: Completists vs moderates, and why history sided with the moderatesC.E. Norwood's case for clothing within nudismThe burlesque link: why partial covering sexualises the body and matter-of-fact nakedness doesn't (with Andrea Friedman on the striptease)Health & Efficiency magazine and the "nudist bible" lineageThe 1930s "happy mean"Loincloths as practical everyday dress across culturesThe eugenics undercurrent in early nudism, and why we need to be critical rather than nostalgicVulva sunning: what the evidence says, and a gentler way to do it Finally, I share what happened at a French nudist camp when my children were shamed for wearing bikini bottoms on the water slides. I talk about my conversation with a lifelong completist, and about management who wouldn't commit either way, despite a policy that says no child can be told to remove clothing. I ask what bodily autonomy means for children in naturist spaces today, and why nuance might be what opens naturism and gymnosophy up to a new generation. 00:00 Welcome to Bare-ly Curious 00:57 Naturism plans: Isle of Skye, saunas and van life across Europe 03:20 Myth and the naked body: Mis and the Sheela-na-gig 06:43 Children, choice and the gap in the rules 07:52 The dress debate: completists vs moderates 10:14 The burlesque link: why covering sexualises 12:26 Health & Efficiency and total nudity 13:46 The "happy mean" 16:05 Loincloth culture 18:18 The eugenics undercurrent 20:42 Vulva sunning 22:45 When two camps collide 24:08 The pool slide: my children, a completist and camp management 32:36 Closing thoughts Enjoyed this episode? Leave a five-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. A comment earns extra points. You can also find me on Beehiiv. Follow BARE: Read the essays that go deeper on Substack → https://bare-ly-curious.beehiiv.com/ The rest of the ecosystem: nomestia (slow family travel) → nomestia.co Naomi Gale's work → thisisnaomigale.co.uk Photography → naomigalephotography.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode of Barely Curious, Naomi Gale explains why she's launching a new podcast about naturism, nudism and gymnosophy, and what a life-changing ten days at a nudist camp had to do with it. She breaks down the real difference between nudism and naturism, traces naturism's roots back to the 1920s wellness movement, and introduces gymnosophy: a little-known term she believes deserves a comeback. Drawing on Annebella Pollen's "Nudism in a Cold Climate" and her own decade of work in pelvic and somatic health, Naomi looks at why society still treats nudity as either a joke or a taboo, and why she thinks that needs to change. She also shares personal experiences of being shamed for going topless on UK beaches, and reflects on body image, body dysmorphia, and what it means to reclaim a more honest relationship with the body. Follow BARE: Read the essays that go deeper on Substack → https://bare-ly-curious.beehiiv.com/ The rest of the ecosystem: nomestia (slow family travel) → nomestia.co Naomi Gale's work → thisisnaomigale.co.uk Photography → naomigalephotography.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.