Women of Naturism: Lauren
Death stares, bridge jumps, and no half arsing anything down under!
We have written about naturism from the inside for over a year now. We have written about body acceptance, about trust, about what it means to exist in your own skin without apology. We have written about couples who found something together in clothes-free living and about the community that holds all of it together.
But there is a voice that has been largely missing from naturism’s public story. The voice of women. Women who are living this, navigating it, questioning it, and in some cases building it, but who remain largely invisible in how naturism talks about itself.
“Women of Naturism” exists to try to change that.
This is an ongoing series of individual profiles. Real women, real stories, told in their own words through in-depth conversations that go beyond the easy answers. Most are not ambassadors or spokespeople. They are just women with honest accounts of what clothes-free living actually looks like from their own perspectives.
We screen every participant carefully. We ask hard questions. We publish nothing without explicit approval at every stage. And we let the woman’s own voice carry the piece. Because that is the only voice that can tell her story accurately.
Say HI to Lauren! Lauren is a 36 year old Australian veterinarian, marathon runner, equestrian, and self-described “nude adventurer”. She’s someone who approaches life at full throttle, whether she’s showjumping, running a beer mile, camping with her cats and horses, or jumping off a bridge naked. She’s also fiercely independent, entirely unapologetic, and possesses an absolute refusal to tolerate nonsense.
What makes Lauren’s perspective so refreshing is her absolute directness. She doesn’t mince words about the barriers younger women face, why she advocates for strict standards around gender balance, or why she’s chosen to blaze her own trail.
Hi Lauren. Thank you for doing this Q&A with us. Tell us about yourself.
I’m an Aussie woman who likes to experience all life has to offer. I’m an extremely busy person who is incapable of half arsing anything, so I commit and fully throw myself into all the things I do. I’m an equestrian – I’ll have a go at most disciplines but showjumping and eventing is my main focus. I am a runner – my favourite event is the beer mile but will run over distances from the beer mile all the way to a marathon.
I love the outdoors and animals – I work as a veterinarian and love camping with my cats and horses and visiting the local pubs and breweries with my animals. I’m also quite keen on nude adventures having been part of world naked bike ride, nude charity swims, naked bungee jumping, several nude cruises and several nude calendars. I live life to experience everything life has to offer and to be able to tell real life stories that make people think there is no way I could have done all those things.
How long have you been practicing naturism, and how did you come to it?
My first official nude experience was 13 years ago when I visited a nude beach. I was always a fan of a cheeky nude run. I had such a wonderful time, it was one of the most positive, empowering and defining moments of my life walking along the beach realising no one cared about how my body looked. I wanted to do more, but as a young female I was hesitant to get involved with local clubs as anyone can put together a website.
That changed when my year group at uni put together a fundraising nude calendar and I got to meet members of the local club and got involved with that club while I studied. I continued visiting nude beaches when I could after graduation, then got involved in a nude charity swim and made plenty of friends in the naturist community which opened doors to all the fun events I’ve been involved in since then.
You described your first nude beach experience thirteen years ago as one of the most positive, empowering and defining moments of your life. What actually happened in that moment when you realized no one cared how your body looked? What shifted?
Walking along the beach in that moment, fully naked, feeling free and liberated and realised that not a single person was paying any attention to me. No one cared that I was naked, no one cared that I was carrying a few more kilograms than I should. That shifted my mindset incredibly to realise that no one else truly cares or judges like we think they are in our own minds and gave me confidence to go about life with confidence – a mindset I still carry today.
You were hesitant to get involved with local clubs as a young woman because anyone can put together a website. That’s a really honest and practical concern that most people don’t say out loud. How did you navigate that wariness, and what finally made you trust the community enough to get involved?
I was lucky that through a fundraising nude calendar I was involved in through my studies, the nudist club reached out to our group and their support and friendliness was what gave me the reassurance that they were genuine people. They were so supportive of us trying something nude and were really keen on encouraging any of us to explore nudity/nudism further if we were interested. I took them up on their offer and had a ball at their events while I lived in the area.
Beer mile, marathon, world naked bike ride, nude bungee jumping, nude cruises, charity swims, nude calendars… you collect experiences deliberately. Where does naturism sit in that? Is it the experience itself that draws you, or has it become something deeper than that?
I’ll say the experience itself has drawn me in – to be able to say ‘yeah I did that. Oh and I was nude’ is cool, but like most things, what draws you in and what keeps you interested are often two different things as your relationship develops over time. The community of naturists has become like family to me, the feeling of being truly home around my people is why I keep coming back. I’m yet to meet a naturist at an organised event who isn’t an incredibly accomplished, interesting person that doesn’t add something to my life for meeting them.
I feel like at our core every naturist shares a powerful bond through simply participating in clothing optional events and understanding and abiding by the strict behavioural expectations. We share the same positive experience and space and virtually all other people who participate speak of protecting the space and culture of our gatherings.
You’re a veterinarian who camps with cats and horses and visits pubs with your animals. You’re also someone who jumps off bridges naked. How do the people in your professional and everyday life relate to that combination… and how openly do you talk about the naturist side of it?
I am an extremely open book, and will talk about my naturist experiences very openly and I feel this is incredibly important as being open lessens the ‘taboo’ associated with social nudity. Being open further reinforces the confidence and mindset that people don’t judge you for your body – rather the opposite in fact as virtually all the people I share stories of my experiences are overwhelmingly positive about it. It may be that they are not comfortable participating themselves but I’ve had that comment followed countless times by ‘but it’s so inspiring that you can do this’.
I share everything from roadside toilet stops during training runs to my naturist adventures. I hope that by talking openly to everyone I can inspire others to try it and remove some of the taboo around nudity and naturism as well as educate people that there is a difference between nudity and something sexual.
What word or label would you use to describe being clothes-free when talking to others so they can relate or understand? Do you call yourself a naturist?
I tell them as it is – going on a nude adventure.
I tend to avoid labels entirely. I don’t like being labelled ‘Lauren the vet’ or ‘Lauren the horse rider’ as I feel it takes away from all the very many aspects of myself that are interesting and combine to make me who I am.
You said upholding non-sexual naturist spaces is so important to you. That’s a value, not just a preference. Where does that come from and what does it look like in practice when that line gets tested?
I guess the feeling I get from being naked is a pure, unadulterated joy, almost a childlike joy and there’s really no space for sexualising that. Naturism is my safe space, and I’d like others to feel that way too. Many women in particular are nervous about trying naturism due to people’s inability to separate nudism from sexuality and having the space sexualised makes people uncomfortable, reinforces their concerns and stops people from having a go of joining in.
How much does the philosophy behind naturism (the body acceptance, the connection to nature, the equality argument) actually mean to you personally? Or is it just something you enjoy doing?
My initial experience was so strongly body positive so this is a major drive for me to continue participating in naturism and I’ll say I have a renewed positivity and confidence after each event I attend.
It’s not necessarily that clothed life is negative, but as time passes between each event the memory of the positivity of the naturist space fades somewhat.
Has your relationship with naturism changed over time? Did you come in thinking it was one thing and find it was something else?
Not really, and that’s one of the things I love about it. The same positivity and confidence that I took from the first experience follows me with every subsequent experience.
What has “blazing your own trail” looked like for you in this space?
My introduction into naturist events and spaces has been something I’ve done solo, without input, advice or guidance from others. Each outing or event I’attended has built on from the previous in a natural progression.
You’re single, openly naturist, and completely unapologetic about it. Eight years single, not one date, and you say your life is richer for it. Expand on that specifically. What do you mean by richer, and how does that play out?
I am so busy with my far too many hobbies, full time work running a business and living my best life I have no time for dating so I can’t answer this! I’ve been single and not been on a single date for near on 8 years now and I truly think my life is richer for being single.
Being single by choice means I have the time and freedom to invest in myself, my hobbies and relationships with my friends. It means I have the ability to take off impulsively to attend interstate events should I feel like it. I don’t have to invest time in maintaining a relationship with a partner so I can invest that time into myself and things I want to do, rather than sink a weekend watching amateur soccer games to support someone else. When I think about being with someone, I only see me compromising myself and the things I want to be doing, rather than that relationship adding something meaningful to my life.
There’s a persistent assumption that women who are comfortable with social nudity must be comfortable with sexual attention. Have you encountered that assumption and how do you deal with it?
I stare them dead in the eye and tell them that they’re wrong. Usually followed by a long educational conversation about how harmful that attitude is and how people who think that are the problem. I have a very good death stare and I’m very good at getting my point across.
Do you think naturism is actually as non-sexual as it presents itself? Be honest.
This is interesting! I think there is always some degree of sexual undertones – when a large proportion of people involved are couples, there is going to be. But it’s how that is addressed by people involved in events is key and in my experience I’ve found that anyone in the community will pull up people who are not behaving appropriately. I think having a clear separation between nudity and sexual behaviour is CRUCIAL in maintaining naturism.
In your experience, why do you think women, especially younger women, are so underrepresented in naturism? What does the naturist community get wrong?
High rates of sexual assault against women in the general population. This will damage plenty of women’s desire to get naked around others. Every woman’s comfort and experience is different following assault, so there is no one size fits all answer. Again continuing the work that is already being done in promoting strictly non sexual events and having more people be open to sharing their positive experiences, particularly women.
Preconceived stereotypes of naturism just being ‘creepy old men’ or naturism being sexualised and ‘swinger’s parties’ or ‘big orgies’ (the quotes are actual comments people have made to me about naturism, multiple times). Influencing this misconception comes down to continuing the good work that is already being done by some groups organising strictly vetted, gender and age balanced events. After attending these for several years now I’ve seen many first timers attend, have a great time and mention that their experience was so different to their preconceived ideas, then become regular attendees at future events.
Events that are not age and gender balanced. These put off women that have been brave enough to try and doesn’t encourage repeat attendance.
Speaking of gender balance: you mentioned attending a male-dominated event that wasn’t fun or enjoyable. What made it feel that way, and how do you control balance without excluding people?
In a closed, organised naturist event, I have never felt unwelcome or unsafe. In open events, rarely. The stand out was a non gender balanced event which was male dominated. I didn’t feel unsafe but it just wasn’t a fun or enjoyable environment. I think this particular example reflected both age and gender imbalance which made it hard for me to share common ground with other attendees. I relayed these feelings to members of that group when I was invited to later events but they seemed aware that the gender balance may be an issue but had no desire to change anything. I’m totally okay to speak up when things aren’t ideal but I’m well aware not everyone is so comfortable or confident. I’ll give almost anything a go once, but if it isn’t great, I won’t go back again.
When it comes to controlling balance: Plain and simple, avoiding excluding some people is simply not possible and to be honest, looking at comments made on any public post about naturism, there are so many people who show an interest that I would not welcome as their comments reflect a more sexualised attitude that would damage the experience for others. I feel that naturism is bigger than an individual so if some people need to be excluded for the greater good of building safe, gender balanced spaces, so be it.
Do you think naturism has a marketing problem when it comes to younger women? Is there a version that would work better for women your age?
Absolutely! But I don’t know an easy answer to this because if I did, I’d already be implementing it! I think breaking down taboos around nudity, changing people’s pre-conceived ideas that it’s all older people or predominantly men that are involved will help to make a change. All of this comes from having people attend positive gender balanced events and sharing it with friends.
I’m sure there is a version that would work better for women my age, but I don’t have the answer as to what that is unfortunately.
When you’re naked with other people, what are you actually thinking about?
Part of why I love nude events is the way it enables me to be fully present. I’m not actually thinking about anything other than being present in and enjoying the moment fully.
Has naturism ever complicated something in your life, a relationship, a friendship, a family dynamic?
Not at all.
What do you wish someone had told you before you started?
I’ve really enjoyed blazing my own trail and learning as I go in the naturist space and have never really needed much in the way of reassurance so I don’t really wish for anything different.
If a woman your age asked you whether she should try naturism, what would you actually tell her?
Just try it. You only have to do it once, you never have to come again if you hate it. But open your mind and give it a go. Life is about getting out and doing things. Doing things that are unusual are more rewarding so just give it a go.
Lauren’s responses are just pure energy. In a world, and a community, that spends so much time overthinking body image, boundary lines, and societal expectations, she feels like a breath of fresh air. She doesn’t wait around for permission, and she certainly doesn’t waste time apologizing for who she is or how she lives.
What we found most interesting wasn’t just her fearlessness, but her quiet fierce loyalty to the spaces that make women feel safe. She reminds us that true freedom in naturism doesn’t happen by accident. It takes clear boundaries, high standards, and the courage to call things out when they aren’t right. Which is something we just wrote about in When “I Just Came To Exist Quietly” Kills Community… “And How It’s Already Happening.
At the end of the day, Lauren’s story is a reminder of what happens when you stop letting self-doubt and other people’s judgments dictate your life. You get to step into your own confidence, blaze your own trail, and have a hell of a lot of fun along the way.
As Lauren puts it, life isn’t meant to be half-arsed. It’s meant to be lived fully, unapologetically, and, whenever the occasion calls for it… nude.
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