Spanish fly

[NewAndNude]

Expatica.com article (http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=81&story_id=23360&name=Spanish+fly)

Spanish fly



My eleven year-old nephew from the US is dying to come visit me in Spain. But it’s not because he misses his uncle. Or has a passion for paella. Or feels a burning desire to view of works of Velazquez before becoming a teenager. No…he wants to come to Spain for one thing and one thing only: Nudity!

Spain is a waking, walking, wet dream for an American kid on the cusp (or in the depths!) of puberty. If you don’t believe me, then go to any street-corner newspaper stand and see for yourself. Today’s issue of El Pais will likely be flanked by a bevy of DVD’s displaying supple young maidens wearing nothing but eye-liner.

Need more proof? Watch any commercial for shampoo or baby-products on Spanish television, and you’ll be assured a gratuitous breast…or two.

Then there are the beaches. Q: What’s the difference between a Spanish beach and a nude beach? A: Three square centimeters of Lycra.

Now…you might not have noticed Spain’s delicious smorgasbord of flesh-on-display if you moved here from another European country. The British, I assume, have been desensitized after a lifetime of exposure to page 3 of The Sun and adverts from leather-corseted entrepreneurs plastered onto those charming red phone booths. And for reasons that I need not mention, my Dutch readers are even more likely to be wondering what the fuss is about.

But remember that both my nephew and I come from this US—and to an American, Spain’s liberal (and, dare I say, healthy) attitude toward the human body amounts to culture shock of the highest order. Our homeland is, after all, a place where the television broadcast of sumo wrestling is apt to trigger an avalanche of letters demanding that future bashos implement a “mandatory Bermuda shorts” policy.

And boy-oh-boy…don’t *even* get me started on Janet Jackson’s 2004 Superbowl controversy. Socially-conservative US politicians and commentators wailed that this two-nanosecond flash of a thirty-five year-old woman’s partially-obscured nipple would traumatize America’s youth for at least four generations. Indeed, it was deemed an event more psychologically damaging than that of a young Bruce Wayne watching his parents gunned-down by The Joker.

But I’ve often imagined how this event (or non-event, depending on your point-of-view) might have been discussed between a Spanish mother and her eight year-old son. It would probably go as follows:

Spanish son: Mamá! Why are those American people yelling and holding big signs?

Spanish Mother: They’re upset, cariño, because Janet Jackson showed her booby on TV.

Son: But why are they upset? We see lots of boobies on TV here? In fact, I saw yours in Benidorm last August.

Mother: I know, hijo…I know. But they’re also angry because that naughty Justin Timberlake touched it.

Son: But, Mamá…Justin Timberlake is only one man. There were five men touching a woman’s booby on that DVD for sale at the newspaper shop. You know…the one next to the Mars Bars®.

Indeed! It’s all much ado about nothing, and I’m hoping that my eleven year-old nephew realizes the same when he finally comes to visit. But if he ultimately fails to adopt Spain’s ho-hum attitude toward the human body, then at least he’ll have a lot interesting digital photos to show his friends back home.

Man! Is HE going to be a popular kid on the school playground.

Sal DeTraglia

Want to comment on this entry? Email expatblog@expatica.com

[NewAndNude]

Expatica.com article (http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=81&story_id=23360&name=Spanish+fly)

Spanish fly



My eleven year-old nephew from the US is dying to come visit me in Spain. But it’s not because he misses his uncle. Or has a passion for paella. Or feels a burning desire to view of works of Velazquez before becoming a teenager. No…he wants to come to Spain for one thing and one thing only: Nudity!

Spain is a waking, walking, wet dream for an American kid on the cusp (or in the depths!) of puberty. If you don’t believe me, then go to any street-corner newspaper stand and see for yourself. Today’s issue of El Pais will likely be flanked by a bevy of DVD’s displaying supple young maidens wearing nothing but eye-liner.

Need more proof? Watch any commercial for shampoo or baby-products on Spanish television, and you’ll be assured a gratuitous breast…or two.

Then there are the beaches. Q: What’s the difference between a Spanish beach and a nude beach? A: Three square centimeters of Lycra.

Now…you might not have noticed Spain’s delicious smorgasbord of flesh-on-display if you moved here from another European country. The British, I assume, have been desensitized after a lifetime of exposure to page 3 of The Sun and adverts from leather-corseted entrepreneurs plastered onto those charming red phone booths. And for reasons that I need not mention, my Dutch readers are even more likely to be wondering what the fuss is about.

But remember that both my nephew and I come from this US—and to an American, Spain’s liberal (and, dare I say, healthy) attitude toward the human body amounts to culture shock of the highest order. Our homeland is, after all, a place where the television broadcast of sumo wrestling is apt to trigger an avalanche of letters demanding that future bashos implement a “mandatory Bermuda shorts” policy.

And boy-oh-boy…don’t *even* get me started on Janet Jackson’s 2004 Superbowl controversy. Socially-conservative US politicians and commentators wailed that this two-nanosecond flash of a thirty-five year-old woman’s partially-obscured nipple would traumatize America’s youth for at least four generations. Indeed, it was deemed an event more psychologically damaging than that of a young Bruce Wayne watching his parents gunned-down by The Joker.

But I’ve often imagined how this event (or non-event, depending on your point-of-view) might have been discussed between a Spanish mother and her eight year-old son. It would probably go as follows:

Spanish son: Mamá! Why are those American people yelling and holding big signs?

Spanish Mother: They’re upset, cariño, because Janet Jackson showed her booby on TV.

Son: But why are they upset? We see lots of boobies on TV here? In fact, I saw yours in Benidorm last August.

Mother: I know, hijo…I know. But they’re also angry because that naughty Justin Timberlake touched it.

Son: But, Mamá…Justin Timberlake is only one man. There were five men touching a woman’s booby on that DVD for sale at the newspaper shop. You know…the one next to the Mars Bars®.

Indeed! It’s all much ado about nothing, and I’m hoping that my eleven year-old nephew realizes the same when he finally comes to visit. But if he ultimately fails to adopt Spain’s ho-hum attitude toward the human body, then at least he’ll have a lot interesting digital photos to show his friends back home.

Man! Is HE going to be a popular kid on the school playground.

Sal DeTraglia

Want to comment on this entry? Email expatblog@expatica.com

[David77]

What a wonderful, charming, well writen post. Thank you for letting me enjoy reading it!

[Nudeinbama]

Sounds as though much more of the spanish culture could use to be rubbed off on us herein the USA.
Nudeinbama

[luvnaturism]

Terrific article. I couldn't agree more.

[DoctorSurferDude]

Your Mission....if you choose to accept, is to guide his mind towards goodness http://clothesfreeforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

He is at such a young impressionable age....the way he views women and nudity, etc. Could be made or broken in the way you handle things this summer...lots of responsibility in your basket. Will he be a man who sees women as peers with hopes and dreams and a mind, or will he be a man who sees a woman as "T & A". 11 year olds might be hard to steer, since they havn't quite developed abstract thought. So that's why it's MISSION IMPOSSIBLE....or not. Good Luck http://clothesfreeforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

....this message will self destruct in 20 seconds.

[DoctorSurferDude]

nevermind....I thought it was a first hand story.

It is for somebody....but I'm just talking to the wall right now.

[DeathKnight]

I like the interesting contrasts between US and Spain your nephew is "exposing." I wish more people here the US shared that same attitude.

[sw1sweendog]

i started my nudism in spain.i felt outta place ,being the only one wearing a bathing suit.i was stationed in rota for 9 months

[takeitontherun]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">
It is for somebody....but I'm just talking to the wall right now. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

http://clothesfreeforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif I find myself doing that too!

[NudistGuy47]

Thanks New and Nude for posting that great article. The writer expresses his opinion well. I do believe we US citizens can learn something from the Spainsh and their attitude toward nudity. I don't think te knoweldge transfer and associated attitude change toward simple nudity will occur soon, but I can hope! http://clothesfreeforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_razz.gif

[nudepete2003]

You are right . I own a nudist Complex here in Spain where nudity is accepted as part of life. You have a civil right to be nude if you wish and cannot be arrested or be in trouble for it.
There is no law of causing offense so if your neighbours were to complain about you being nude in you garden as an example, the law says hard luck, if you do not like he view look the other way. The country is not full of perves and pheodphiles and people are not bothered by nudity. Freedom is wonderful.Spanish Naturist Complex (http://www.eaglepeakspain.com)

[Gary Naturist]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by nudepete2003:
You are right . I own a nudist Complex here in Spain where nudity is accepted as part of life. You have a civil right to be nude if you wish and cannot be arrested or be in trouble for it.
There is no law of causing offense so if your neighbours were to complain about you being nude in you garden as an example, the law says hard luck, if you do not like he view look the other way. The country is not full of perves and pheodphiles and people are not bothered by nudity. Freedom is wonderful.Spanish Naturist Complex (http://www.eaglepeakspain.com) </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm surprised but delighted to hear that nudity is legal in Spain. I had thought that most Spanish-speaking countries were very negative on nudity due to the influence of the Catholic Church.

This is the most enlightened law that I have heard of re nudity.

Can you provide more info on the law? When did nudity become legal? Or is it just that the law has never mentioned nudity as being illegal?

Could someone go nude on public transit without a problem? Or cycle nude on local streets? Are there local ordinances controlling nudity?

Gary

[missouriboy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The country (Spain) is not full of perves and pheodphiles </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I don't believe America is either. Rather, it's full of worrywarts who think it is, and who think perves and pedophiles are caused by nudity... http://clothesfreeforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

[shãybare]

How true, MoBoy. Why America is so hung up on simple nudity, I don't know. The statistics concerning nudity seem to be ignored and tossed if they do not coincide with the Religious Right. It is very disturbing to me.

[hw]

Shay and Moboy..you would have enjoyed the site in our front house recently. Our grandson who is seven years old, and a bunch of neighbor kids were playing with the water hose and squirt guns. They were having the time of their lives! One little boy who is about three years old, and always naked outside, took his clothes off. Our grandson decided to join the little boy and took his clothes off too.

I happened to look out the window and see this and thought, Wow ! ! How nice it must be to be so free! I was laughing, called nudeM, over to see the kids playing then I spotted a mother, heading my way.

There were several girls playing here also...the one who was complaining? Fifteen year old! The little girls didn't care...it was the older girl who thought it was bad.
She didn't mind the 3 year old..it was the 7 year old she thought was disgusting.

Hmmm...what a world huh? http://clothesfreeforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

[Gary Naturist]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jason Lee:
In Spain Nudism is another of your Rights. At this time there is freedom of nudism in any public area in Spain and no authorization is required. Beaches, rivers, lakes, open fields, tracks, roads, streets, squares, parks, etc. Are public areas in Spain. According to the current legislation, nudism cannot be limited, nor sanctioned and even less so forbidden.
http://www.ociototal.com/naturismo/docs/legal_fen_english.pdf
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Does it every happen that someone is nude in a public place other than their own property or a beach? Can you describe the circumstances?

Gary

[nudenwv]

thanks for sharing that with us. different cultures accept nudity as a way of life. this culture in the u.s. has a lot of catching up to do.

[shãybare]

http://clothesfreeforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_cool.gif
hw, Innocence is lost and Guilt is taught.

[Bob S.]

"Laura Lopez (clothes free member) lives in Spain ask Laura."

But Jason, you posted such a convincing message that we supposed came from first hand knowledge. Why should we ask someone else if you were the primary source?

Bob S.

[Jason Lee]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bob S.:
"Laura Lopez (clothes free member) lives in Spain ask Laura."

But Jason, you posted such a convincing message that we supposed came from first hand knowledge. Why should we ask someone else if you were the primary source?

Bob S. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

because I got my information from a web site ok
Spanish Federation of Naturism http://www.ociototal.com/naturismo/introe.html

[Kari P]

I hope that the total freedom of clothing or nudity in Spain is true, as nudepete2003 says: "I own a nudist Complex here in Spain where nudity is accepted as part of life. You have a civil right to be nude if you wish and cannot be arrested or be in trouble for it." But still I have some suspicion, and thus I would like to see what other Spanishmen/women say.

It's true that also in Finland, and in most European countries, there is no law that forbids public nudity in itself. But there are still laws that can be used and are used against nudity. As long as so many Finns, including police officers and judges, take simple nudity without lewd conduct as a sexual offence, it is effectively banned and punishable by Finnish law. We Finnish naturists would not like to test the interpretation of the law by walking naked on a street, because we know we would lose the case. How's it then in Spain? Is there still a law that could be used against simple non-sexual nudity in public places?

[Bob S.]

"because I got my information from a web site ok"

OK, Jason.

Bob S.