Naked at Lunch: The Adventures of a Reluctant Nudist by Mark Haskell Smith

Mark Haskell Smith is an incredibly witty writer, making this book endearing and entertaining to read. Smith talks about his adventures in the nudist world; he learns about the underworld of nudists, their history and their philosophy. Smith fully involves himself into the nudist community by going to resorts, cruises, libraries, clothing-optional municipalities and even hiking naked on the alps doing something called “naktivism”. Although the book was hilarious, it was also incredibly interesting and insightful. I learnt about the intricate and long-standing history of nudists, dating back to the ancient Greeks and following through today with the nudist clubs, the ‘nakations’ and ‘naktivities’ all over the world.

Throughout the years, it seems that the basic reasons for being a nudist have remained the same; the wish to live as nature intended. However, there are many other reasons some people may turn to nudism, some of these reasons include: increased body positivity, detachment from consumerism, a more profound understanding of yourself and your body, or simply because you don’t like to wear clothes. I found that whilst reading this book it made me want to experience what it may be like to hike naked on the alps or to go to a nudist beach. I believe that this is because Haskell Smith wrote this book without actually being a full-time nudist, which made it far more accessible. It, therefore, allowed me as the reader to explore this unknown world together with him and learn about the joys of living textile-free.

One aspect of the book particularly stood out to me and it is the fact that non-nudists seem to be afraid of the nudists and their movement. Associations, communities and states are constantly combatting against having clothing-optional public spaces (especially in the USA). There are ever-increasing laws against non-sexual nudity in public places all over the world, therefore criminalising the simple act of not wearing clothes. I believe that this is wrong because we ought to normalise our naked bodies, to appreciate them and to celebrate bodies in all the shapes, sizes and colours they come in. For so long we have all been taught to dislike ourselves in order to then buy into businesses that profit from our insecurities, however nudism offers a space in which all bodies are celebrated in their natural state.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. For someone who has never been interested in nudism, especially since puberty, it is incredible how Haskell Smith managed to convince me that being naked really is not as daunting as it seems to be. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading autobiographical books, to someone that may want to learn about something completely new or even someone that wants a good laugh. I hope that you guys adore this book as much as I did!