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Teaching kids respect for the 'nude you'

Youth camp this week in Virginia teaches kids to boldly lead in the nude IF COPPERTONE was starting its suntan lotion business today, it couldn't use its most famous ad. The classic magazine and billboard ad showed a girl looking embarrassed as her dog playfully tugged her bathing suit down, displaying a portion of her pale bottom.

MIKE ZITZ •   Michael Zitz's archive •   E-mail Michael Zitz

Date published: 6/22/2003

By MICHAEL ZITZ

Today, what's the least bit embarrassing about that?

Today, the girl's dog would probably be running after her with clothes, whimpering and begging her to please put them on.

Today, girls pay $100 for low-cut jeans that intentionally and proudly display their "plumber's cracks," which are being called "the new cleavage."

Thank you, Christina Aguilera.

Not that I'm complaining.

The Coppertone girl and Christina merely come to mind because the American Association for Nude Recreation is holding a youth leadership camp this week at White Tail Park, near Suffolk.

Yes, that's right, White Tail Park.

The Virginia nudist leadership camp is for 11- to 15-year-olds.

This is a good thing for America, because today's nude young people are our nude leaders of the future.

According to an article this week in The New York Times, 13- and 14-year-olds sat around a fire at a recent nudist youth leadership camp in Lutz, Fla., making s'mores and singing "This Land is Your Land," with a modified ending that went, "This land was made nude and free."

Some seem to be taken aback by this, worried that there's something perverse about kids running around nude in an environment supervised by adults-- as opposed to running around nude because someone's parents are away for the weekend.

But I'd be willing to bet that a nude camp for kids is just as boring as any other camp for kids --aside from the mosquito bites and sun burns being more exciting than usual.

Here's part of the Web page pitch for the Virginia camp, one of three across the nation:

"You are not a little kid anymore and at youth camp we do not treat you like one. You are growing and changing.

"You need to understand your body YOU WILL

"You have new skills to learn YOU WILL

"It's time to take care of yourself YOU WILL"

In July, there also will be a leadership camp in Florida for college-age kids, called "Nude U." It's promoted this way:

The "Ivy League" for college nudists Where "Show your leadership" means something.

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Date published: 6/22/2003