I was booked to sing in Norwich on the Saturday afternoon and sing at the Naturist Foundation on the Sunday in Kent so with it being a bit of a South east tour, John came along too. We went and stayed with John’s Aunty Pat on the Friday and it was lovely to see everyone then set off to the gig Saturday afternoon before staying in Sidcup for the gig on the Sunday.
Everyone I told about the Naturist gig asked if I was going to sing naked! Honestly I hadn’t made up my mind but I was secretly intrigued and also petrified at the same time! This was the stuff of nightmares especially for a singer! The idea of standing in front of a room of people with nothing on, I couldn’t even comprehend! I’d packed three options to wear, normal gigging attire, a sheer cat suit with diamante strategically hiding my body parts and my final option was just my smile!
When we got there it was raining so there was a mix of people fully naked and wearing waterproof weather gear. I decided to wear my sheer outfit as I thought being naked for the first time would throw off my concentration and in fact I was there to do a job, not to indulge in a new experience!
As the audience came into the marquee, the coverings came off and they happily danced along to my set, free from clothes. They really appreciated my attempt to get into the spirit of the event in my sheer costume. I asked if I could get some promotional photos and the official photographers have got some amazing pictures of me performing in front of a sea of bums which they will send to me later!
It was after singing when my dear husband decided it was time to bare all! I think by then he’d been chatting with people who were encouraging him to give it a go and if you know John he’s never been one to shy away from a challenge! So before I knew it, he was down to his lily white skin drinking his cider!
So what did I do - I joined him! I thought sod it! If you can’t strip off at a Naturist event then you never will. At first I didn’t know what to do with my hands so I clung onto my clothes trying not to think about whether people were looking at my tan lines, battle scars or dimples but as time went on I relaxed, chatted away with people, danced to the band that were on after me and just carried on as normal.
It was quite liberating to be honest! I don’t think I’ll look at my naked body in the same way ever again! Knowing that so many eyes have seen it now makes its flaws less of a big deal and it actually helps me to accept it.
Before we left the audience said I should get up on the stage and sing but this time without any clothes on - which I did to rapturous applause and was actually really good fun!
There's something about being naked in public that is a great leveller. Clothes protect more than our nudity, they protect our vulnerability and inhibitions but when you challenge that it definitely makes you a stronger more confident person in the long run. That’s one more thing I can tick off my bucket list! ‘Take me dancing naked in the rain’. I can say I’ve done that now! 😆😳😬😍
Thanks to the Naturist Foundation for taking these fabulous picture and also to everyone in the shots for giving me permission to use them on my website!
