Hey beautiful,
I woke this morning with thoughts and feelings about naturism, erotic expression and feminism flowing through my mind. I daresay I think about these topics more than the average person, but recently, the quiet lull in my brain has become an insatiable drum beating loudly without intermission leaving me no choice but to express…
When I originally launched Get Naked With Joy (my blog and all of the connected social media platforms) I didn’t understand what my intention was, it just felt right. I was doing the same thing I am now; expressing myself by tapping into my vulnerability in an effort to unearth and in fact unleash my strength. Getting naked and sharing my vulnerability with the world has not been without its challenges but I have no regrets. It has been deeply transformative.
What started as a truly personal journey (taking naked self portraits daily) rapidly became very public. My blog seemed to strike a chord within the hearts and souls of people from all walks of life. People who were already on a similar path. People who were standing at the edge of a mental forest desperately searching for a path. A path that would liberate them from their:
fear. shame. body hatred.
People who wanted needed a path to slay their imagined ugliness. Complete strangers from around the world began reaching out to me. Sending me words of encouragement and support. But more importantly, many of them also shared their stories with me. They were searching for something within and through their search, they found me.
As I continued to share my personal path, my message became clear. Or so it seemed. But as I expressed my most naked self (emotionally, spiritually, and yes, physically) I once again began feeling societal constraints. I felt trapped in a certain persona. A persona shaped by my followers. A few of my Twitter posts have sparked such outrage that a handful of my female followers actually blocked me!
One of the women who blocked me out right told me that I could not be a nudist public figure and also express my sensuality. She said it wasn’t in line with being a feminist. This woman, this total stranger shared some incredibly strong opinions about how I live my life and more importantly, what aspects of myself I share with the world. Being told by another woman that I am not a feminist because I share my nakedness without masking my sensuality was…shocking. It made me feel a deep sense of sadness. I want to live in a world where women empower each other…rather than shame and judge one another.
However, as I dug deeper, I realized her expression was a gift. She helped me understand the resistance some people feel when they witness a truly liberated woman. These self portraits illustrate how it feels to be trapped in the expression of a narrow version of myself. I am bold. I express myself freely in my life…but somehow I allowed the online community and its strong opinions to shape my expression. In doing so, I ultimately allowed complete strangers…people I’ve never met and many whom I’ve never spoken to directly, to influence how I live my life and what I express…F*ck that!
A handful of my online followers/conenctions reached out to me personally. They took the time to get to know me. The real me and, once they had a deeper understanding of who I am as a daughter, sister, friend, mother, grandmother and more importantly, who I am as a woman…They chose to continue to stand behind me (@BlondeGiraffe immediately comes to mind). They chose to open their minds and accept that I am, simply put, a naked person. I enjoy being naked on all levels. I enjoy sharing my vulnerability. My strength. I enjoy sharing my passion for life and I also enjoy sharing my pleasure (Ahem. @SmutLisa ). Because truthfully, life without pleasure is…well…life without pleasure is boring af!
Like Nick, co-founder of Naked Wanderings said in response to one of my recent comments, “What would life be like without a bit of risk?” Sharing my most vulnerable self can definitely be a tad on the risky side but it’s totally worth the risk. I hope you continue on this journey with me and in doing so, I hope you find your personal path to:
Liberation. Abundance. Body acceptance. Self love. Passion. Purpose.
And yes, I also hope you find your personal path to experiencing simple moments of unadulterated pleasure in your life.
My own mother does not approve of me. She has never read my blog though she knows it exists. She sees my nakedness as provocative and unnecessary at best…She does not understand me but that’s okay. I don’t need anyone’s permission to be me. I am who I am.
From my liberated heart to yours, Joy
Your nude pictures get me aroused.
Am I allowed to say this?
A couple of nudists on Patreon say they don’t want to hear from people who get aroused by their photos.
To me, being aroused by a mature woman feeling comfortable and confident in a natural setting makes perfect sense. It is more natural than getting aroused by hardcore porn… I don’t know that it’s necessary to state your arousal. If you see a woman in a coffee shop being herself, do you walk up yo her and tell her you’re aroused by her? But it doesn’t bother me per se…
I wrote several paragraphs in response to your blog, and then I realized you probably don’t want to hear criticism. I saved it … if you actually care, feel free to comment with you contact info and I will send it to you.
I am curious, do you have an opinion about this movie? http://your-daily-escape.com/2020/08/02/professor-marston-and-the-wonder-women-movie/
I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet…
💯💯
💞
I loved this one, this post is truly personal but relatable for some of us (if not all). As I said other times, many think they hold the key to the absolute truth of whatever topic you’d like to cover or ways you live your life: you can only be a nudist/naturist if…, you cannot be a feminist if that…, you are a bad mom if that other thing…, etc. You, me, everyone must compose our lives from the pieces we find useful around, creating and following our own plans, not others. Love.
Thank you Ivan. So true, everyone feels like they know what’s right for others…
What is Feminism today? Many believe in equal rights but Feminism meaning is just a word & moment that doesn’t follow. In reality Feminist=Female+Supremacy.
What Is Feminism ?- What Do People Think About Feminism Today?
It is far more complex than that imho Nanveet. 💗
Many people don’t see or understand the nuances of being all of those things that you, me, and others are. They classify and label us using the simplistic views of society without understanding the depth of your beliefs. There are no dichotomies or hypocrites in your id. You are pure, honest, and true to yourself and the people around you. If they cannot understand it then it is to their own myopic peril.
Joy you are you. For three plus years I have followed you roads. As a old man who had my formative yers in the 60’s in LA. You are a very simple but complex human. You show th good bad and the ugly and hopefully everyone can use you as mirror to see that we all have those traits. Keep being you and your journey will always be blessed.
Thanks so much Russ! Hope you are well!
Oh Joy, I commend, respect and honor your thoughts, expression and openness to share not only your deepest thoughts, feelings but your sensuality and sexuality as well. It’s definitely obvious that you are excited and extremely confident and comfortable with your body. I’ve been a nudist for many many years as a married man and as a single man…People used to always say omg it’s all sexual and orgies….Now let’s be honest yes I’ve meet some awesome people from a variety of personalities, perspectives and lifestyles. Yes I’ve been a swinger and meet many alike..But to accept your body and be soooooo comfortable with your own skin was the paramount excitement and joy being a nudist.
Joy continue to explore, Express and share your thoughts, beautiful body and your sensuality and sexuality freely and embrace the like minded people whom enjoy, digest and openly embrace You.
Joy your a beautiful blessing and a beautiful women. Peace and Love my sister and friend!
Wesley
Thank you Wesley for sharing so openly! I deeply appreciate your kind words of support! 💗
Hi Joy, you are by far the most complex woman I have ever encountered. So deep in so many ways but child-like in others. Be you, there is only one Joy. Blessings
Thanks Michael
This saddens me but it’s not that much of a shock to see how people behave themselves. I’ve noticed that when people are behind a keyboard, they can be anyone they want to be and behave anyway they desire. Why wouldn’t they? What’s going to happen to them? I get a lot of unnecessary attention and I’m nowhere close to being as open and vulnerable as you are. It’s truly inspiring to see you be so confident, but I know it can be physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting to deal with everyone’s outbursts of childishness. In my 40 years in this earth, there is one thing I have learned that everyone should apply to every social interaction regardless of medium, and that is “seek first to understand” (thanks Stephen Covey). You have no idea what the person you’re interacting with has been through. You have no idea their day, weeks, or lifelong struggles have been, and you cannot give judgment on someone else life or choices. We should, as caring human beings, actually listen to what others are saying, imagine yourself from their perspective, and at a very minimum try to understand what makes them think and be the way they are. Parents can be extremely shortsighted and unaccepting of the choices their children make, and are more quickly to pass judgment because they expect you to be just like them, think like them, and act like them. However, in my opinion, parents should be there to unconditionally love their children, give guidance when asked, but most importantly parents should provide children the knowledge to think independently and make the wisest decisions for any circumstances that comes in their lives. I’m a strong believer in sensuality and sensual nudity (hence my blog name), and find it quite healthy individually and for couples. So, I say this to you Joy: You keep doing what you’re doing because it brings you joy and happiness, gives you a way to express your true self, and because who really fucking cares what people say. They have no idea what life has thrown at you, and women should be thankful there’s someone like you who’s courageous enough to say fuck society, if you can’t love me for who I am, then you’re not worthy of my love and friendship. Okay, rant over. 😘
My father will never understand the nudist lifestyle. I love the way you express yourself. You have encouraged me to be more open about myself. Thank you
You are most welcome!
really beautiful photo.s Joy love you
😘
I’d like to have some more followers of my work, but I absolutely don’t want the large following you have for just this reason. It’s the Batman conundrum: You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. To some people. I’m glad you take what I agree is the right approach by being who you want to be, not what others want you to be.
Such a thoughtful reflection thank you for sharing. I mostly receive incredibly positive feedback it’s just that the negative feedback tends to drown out the positive… because it’s so shockingly intense. I need to work on feeling the positive feedback…
Have you ever wondered why many movie stars, pop stars and recent presidents seem so shallow?
Not because they are, but because we want them to be. Before we decide whether we like someone or not, we try to understand them. We match them to certain patterns we know and which we find important.
That’s often not that hard in real life, that’s why we’re able to have complicated relationships. But people we don’t know, like movie stars or bloggers, we prefer to be more straightforward in their ideals and intentions.
Which brings us to you. You are complex. You promote non-sexual nudity and sensuality. And then there’s the artsy factor in your photos (artists are really hard to understand). This makes it hard for people to get a grip on you. And then it’s easier to become a hater than a lover…
Such a lovely and thoughtful provoking comment thank you. I have been labeled an “erotic conundrum”…I struggle to express just one aspect of myself. I appreciate your continued support and hope you and Lins are staying safe!
You are genuine. Definitely refreshing.
Awe, thank you for your kind and thoughtful words of support! I appreciate you! 🙏
Joy, you bring so much pleasure to so many of us. Please continue to share your nakedness, we love it so very much
You keep being you. You do it better than anyone else could