Women of Naturism: Maria – Part 2

I had to break free from this cultural norm, which was difficult.

In part 1 of our conversation with Maria, we met a woman from Costa Rica who came to naturism not through curiosity or a friend’s invitation but through love and fear. A husband who taught her to see her own body differently. A diagnosis that made them decide to stop waiting. A French couple named Valerie and Roland who welcomed two nervous strangers and gave them exactly what they needed.

If you haven’t read part 1, we’d encourage you to start there. Maria’s story builds on itself in a way that rewards the full picture of her life.

In this second part of our conversation, we go deeper. We talk about what it feels like to carry something meaningful in a culture that cannot hold it. We talk about the moments in naturist spaces that have stayed with her and the ones that have unsettled her. We talk about why she decided to share her story at all, even anonymously, from a country where this story cannot yet be told out loud.

This is still her story. Still in her own words. Still entirely real.

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You mentioned the naturist community is mostly made up of older people. How does that generation gap affect your experience, if at all?

Yes, I find it remarkable that the majority of people in the community are older adults. It’s something I truly admire because we often assume that younger generations are more open or willing to break with tradition, but in this case, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The older population appears confident and “free”; they interact, relaxed, and happy. For example, because the places we visit are usually leisure spaces, they’re always seen playing and genuinely enjoying themselves.

I now also think that having people of similar ages talking can strengthen the bond and encourage continued participation. In my case, it would help me improve my interactions, since there would be more common ground for socializing.

What mistakes does the naturist community make? What would you change about it if you could?

I would change the rules for entering clubs; for example, those we’ve visited usually only allow couples , not individuals . I understand this can be a difficult issue, however, if we’re talking about naturism, we’re judging people based on their individuality.

However, if this is to be allowed, it is important to ensure that the dynamics in social spaces occur under the same conditions of agreement and respect among the participants.

Do you talk openly about naturism in your daily life? And, considering your specific cultural context, how do you handle this topic? Has naturism complicated any aspect of your life… a romantic relationship, a friendship, or a family dynamic?

Yes, my family and friends know I’ve visited nudist beaches or use to be nude at home when weather allow it, sleep nude etc. For example, but they don’t know the background or the reason behind it because they find it embarrassing to talk about it. They often make comments like, “I wouldn’t feel comfortable in a place like that !” or “What about you people who go to those places?” using a derogatory or mocking tone.

I think this behavior stems from a lack of information and no access to places where it’s possible. Personally, their reaction sometimes makes me uncomfortable because changing their way of thinking about the topic isn’t easy. That’s why I sometimes avoid talking about it and try to understand that it’s just something personal to me, something I’ve learned to live with and enjoy.

By this, I mean that I had to break free from this cultural norm, which was difficult, and I also had to confront myself.

You have learned to live with the derogatory and mocking comments and sometimes avoid the topic entirely. What does it feel like to love something deeply and be unable to share it honestly with the people closest to you?

Well, this is undoubtedly difficult. People believe that walking naked is vulgar and many times, they make mocking comments about it. For example, a few days ago we were sleeping, it was around 8:00 a.m. and someone was pushing the door. We almost died of fright, but when we looked out it was my neighbor (the little one) trying to enter to say hello. When we told the story to a relative, his first question was: “And you were naked”?

And the truth is that it was… But that was not the purpose of telling them the anecdote, they sometimes tried to make us feel as freaks, or perverts.

When these things happen, they do generate some disappointment, but it is also curious when I hear these same people talk about the changes in their body and how bad their clothes fit them. This only makes me think that at least I have worked in a healthier way the perception of myself. This makes me see that each person has their own mental messes related to self-image and self-acceptance. I at least walk in search of doing better and better, I walk in search of taking care of and loving me and my body.

There’s a persistent idea that women who are comfortable with social nudity are also comfortable receiving sexual attention. Have you witnessed this firsthand? How do you deal with this assumption, and what do you think motivates it? Do you think naturism is really as averse to sex as it’s portrayed?

Answering this question presents two sides to the same coin. Yes, there are women who are comfortable with social nudity and receiving sexual attention, which is evident in how they seek eye contact or in their body language. The truth is, there are also men who exhibit the same behavior, and I don’t disagree with that, as long as the other person’s intentions are respected and the behavior doesn’t create an uncomfortable or disrespectful atmosphere. This behavior might be motivated by the pleasure the social response brings, reinforcing a sense of self-esteem and acceptance. Likewise, you can find a woman or a man who is comfortable being socially naked, and that’s simply it: a person who feels comfortable, who is enjoying the moment, who is relaxed, and isn’t necessarily seeking sexual attention.

But this concept or situation applies in any context, whether or not there is clothing involved, so I don’t consider it to be specific to an environment where there is nudity.

So I don’t consider naturism to be really so far removed from sexuality, because by our nature in our interactions with other people, we always seek to please, to get along, and in some cases this causes attraction which leads to a change in interests, for example, a mischievous look, a casual touch of the skin, a more confident approach.

Based on your experience, why do you think women, especially younger women, are so underrepresented in naturism?

I think it’s due to shame; their low participation is related to a social stigma: “I must be pretty, always look pretty, and hide or minimize physical defects.” Under this concept, nudity exposes you, leaves you vulnerable.

I do sports, I swim, at least twice a week, and after class, the men and women go to their respective locker rooms. In the showers, it’s common to see the girls washing over their swimsuits, soaping their bodies by putting their hands between their breasts and vulvas without exposing them. Personally, it makes me laugh because I think that leaving your swimsuit on isn’t practical, and it’s certainly not a way to properly clean your body. They rarely lower the straps of their tops, and when they do, they stand facing the wall, with their backs to the others, to “hide” themselves, as if showing anything on their bodies were something strange: “Breasts, just like all the other girls here have .”

In part 1, you described the first time you truly confronted your own nudity. Not in a naturist space but with a sexual partner before your husband. The anxiety, the questions running through your mind about how you would be seen and whether you would be accepted. Looking back at that version of yourself, what do you want to say to her?

Even though time doesn’t turn back, everything is part of the process. I might look me in the eye and say: you are fine.

Of course, this is not as simple as it sounds, it is something that must be worked on, every day, every moment, because the truth is that it is always easier to sabotage yourself than to believe, grow, build. Looking in the mirror, smiling at yourself, taking time to do something that fulfills you and makes you feel good are activities that allow you to trust, but not in another person, trust in yourself.

It allows you to recognize and admit yourself as the woman you are: adorable, beautiful.

What would you have liked someone to tell you before starting… something that would have been truly helpful, rather than just reassuring?

I think I would have liked to know that when visiting a place where everyone was going to be naked, I would find people of different colors, shapes, and sizes. This would have minimized my fear of only finding women with 90-60-90 measurements, as in my case. That was what was socially expected, allowed, and liked.

You live a part of your life that the people around you cannot fully know. You protect it carefully. No social media, a pseudonym, anonymous photos. And yet here you are, sharing your story with strangers in a far off country. What made you say yes and do this… even anonymously?

I think that one always faces different challenges and this one effectively became one because, as mentioned, I am protective of my life and I guard myself against the other.

So, on impulse I made the decision to do it and building these answers without knowing it have led me to organize my thoughts, I didn’t know that I could talk so much about naturism. I didn’t know that I had so many memories or experiences about it.

My husband laughs and says that he is going to make me write more often. He says that in this way he has learned things that he did not know I thought, felt or remembered.

Although it is anonymously, it is me. It is I who writes and feels each of the words exposed here. I am the one who tells another person how my experience has been and I feel happy about that.

If a woman in Costa Rica asked you if she should try naturism, what would you really tell her?

Go and do it, don’t be stupid!

I would tell her that there is nothing better than living life naked! There is nothing better than feeling the sand brush against your body and feeling the sea water slide over every part of your body in a warm , pleasant way.

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We never planned to publish an anonymous profile in this series. Our intention from the beginning was named women, faces included, stories told in the open. Maria changed that for us.

She came to us from a country where this conversation cannot happen out loud. She lives carefully, quietly, and with full awareness of what it would cost if the wrong people found out. And yet she said yes. She answered every question with honesty and care.

And then she did something we didn’t ask her to do. She and her husband set aside time for a photo shoot. Their first intentional one together. She told us afterward: “I want to tell you that I loved the experience. It was beautiful. These pictures steal my heart.” She had never posted a photo online until Part 1.

We were not expecting that. We were not expecting any of this.

Her husband now knows things about her he didn’t know before she wrote these words. She told us so herself. That one detail has stayed with us more than almost anything else in this entire conversation. That the act of telling her story to strangers gave her a language to share something with the person closest to her that she hadn’t found before.

That is why this series exists. Not just for the women who are ready to be seen. But for the ones who are finding their way there… quietly, carefully, and entirely on their own terms.

Thank you Maria. Genuinely. We hope we get the opportunity to meet you and your husband in person one day.

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Are you a woman with a story to tell?

Women of Naturism is an ongoing series and we are always looking for new voices. There is no single profile of the woman we are looking for. She might be young or not so young. She might be deeply embedded in the naturist community or she might experience clothes-free living entirely on her own terms. She might be ready to share her name and photos or she might need the protection of anonymity. All of that is a conversation we are willing to have.

What we are looking for is honesty. A real account of what this life actually looks like from where you are living it.

If that sounds like you, we would love to hear from you. Reach out to us directly at OurNaturistLife.com contact page. Everything is confidential unless you decide otherwise. Nothing is published without your explicit approval at every stage.

Every woman’s story deserves to be told. Even the ones that cannot yet be told out loud.

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We hope you enjoy our articles and interviews with other naturists around the world. You can always subscribe here in Substack or over on our website, ournaturistlife.com. Or you can buy us a spark or a subscription through Ko-fi. We truly appreciate it.

Kevin and Corin