Skin

To the Wellcome exhibition "Skin", guided by Andrew Welch of British Naturism.

An unusual event this, maybe unprecedented in London (though not elsewhere). The Wellcome had invited BN to guide one of their Perspectives evenings, and it was their suggestion to have it clothing optional. The musuem is just around the corner for me, and their (medicine-themed) exhibitions are always excellent.

Participants were sent an info sheet which advised bringing a robe in case of emergency exit, but on the night almost everyone left theirs in the changing room. That's it really, naturists aren't going to be at all bothered if they have to stand on the Euston road while the emergency services arrived. I think we would have been more worried about our Oyster cards melting inside the building.

The tour was fully booked, and had 25+ punters, of whom at least 20 took the clothing optional option. Mostly older men, it has to be said.

Andrew Welch was entertaining enough, though I would have preferred slightly more on the relationship of the position of naturism to the exhibits gathered, rather than a general manifesto. As the show of hands poll indicated, almost all of the group didn't need convincing of the benefits of social nudity.

Another guide, Malcolm if memory serves, posed a slightly more rebellious view. He's the sort that goes for (naked) walks in the Dales on his tod rather than pile in to (BN-publicised : bit of a dig there?) mass nude weekends at Alton Towers.

There's maybe a debate, or perhaps a spectrum of positions here. Naturism-as-hobby vs nude as the manner of doing something else (with or without other naked people).

With social nudity potentially of the brink of acceptance, there are fewer and fewer reasons to "DO" naturism as a hobby, and perhaps in succeeding in its campaigning, BN is eventually going to make itself redundant. Still, some London swims would be a definite advance, so for now it's got plenty to be getting on with.