NothingToDread.com

The Secret Life of Elle is one of those blogs that I don't read on a daily basis, but I do drop in on a fairly regular basis. Elle describes The Secret Life of Elle as a glimpse into her life and into her mind. Pictures that Elle says reflect the random disarray of her life accompany most posts at the site. While not pornographic in any sense of the word, Elle is nude or partially nude in almost all the photos.

...this blog gives me confidence. It allows me to explore my sexuality, It lets me recreate myself on a daily basis. It's a constant, always waiting to hear my thoughts, and dreams, and rants, and anything at all. Its one space where I can truly be me. And in a world were I feel lost and insecure and so incredibly scared about my future and where things are going. It gives me comfort.

The Secret Life of Elle
The Big Picture
March 21, 2007

Unfortunately Elle is having second thoughts about how the confidence and self discovery she gains from her harmless foray into cyberspace can ultimately have repercussions on her future.

Anyways, what if at some point in my life they are brought into the harsh light of day. Am I willing to stand under that scrutiny? Honestly, I'd rather not. Things have an ugly way of being taken out of context, and that thought scares me. I don't want these pictures to kill my future. [It's] probably nothing, there will probably never be a point where any of this comes to bear.

The Secret Life of Elle
The Big Picture
March 21, 2007

I'd like to think that Elle is overreacting. There's nothing wrong with anything she posts at The Secret Life of Elle. Sadly that has no bearing on the attitudes of those who have nothing better to do with their lives than scandalize the freedom of youth, and would enjoy nothing more than to make her life hell. I can't say that she's wrong for having concerns, but it would be nice if a few of you stopped by The Secret Life of Elle and showed her some support.

(Please note: I had a typo in most of the links to The Secret Life of Elle. I apologize to anyone who tried to access those links and ended up at an error page. The links to The Secret Life of Elle have been corrected - DreadFree)

On Sunday, Nudiarist tossed his two cents into the debate surrounding Tom's use of certain photographs at his Terra Cotta Inn blog.

Tom likes to use these "candid" nude or topfree beach photos from Europe on his posts. Like Dreadfree, I don't have anything against a nice photo of a nude pretty girl, I think the female body is perhaps the most beautiful object on the planet, but the people who shoot these beach photos are not interested in nudism, they are voyeurs, "Peeping-Toms", and the use of these surreptitious photos should be something to be discouraged in the nudist community...

...Tom and his wife actually seem to me to be more representative of real nudists - in their photos they are always smiling and proud of their lifestyle. Those are the photos I like, when it's obvious that the people in the photos know that the shutter is being clicked.

Diary of a Nudist

That in a nutshell expresses the idea that I've been trying convey in paragraph after paragraph since this discussion began.

Also on Sunday Tom responded to one of my comment at his blog, saying in part:

I agree, nudists are mainly couples. You don't have to be married to be a couple. For instance one of the couples that checked in today is a Marine stationed in San Diego and they are early 20's. (not married) We have 6 people here today in their 20's.

Yes, 20 somethings are single, but many are in relationships. They do vacation together as couples which is why we get all ages here.

Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn Blog

Those of you who have read my articles about early experiences with social nudism know that I am still more than a little sore about being rejected by several Southern California nudist clubs. Some of what I've had to say about Tom and his policies regarding singles (Especially males) has been clouded by that lingering sense of rejection. Tom is correct in saying that young people do form couples, and they do travel together, and those travels can lead to nude and clothing optional vacations. Note to Tom: I'm not trying to start an argument about your policy regarding single males. I do understand your position. I'm merely confessing a bias that may color some of my arguments.

Overall, my last exchange with Tom resulted in an understanding of sorts. Tom does attract a younger crowd than other resorts. After looking at his rates, I can only imagine that has more to do with his prices than it does with the photos displayed on his website. The rates displayed at http://sunnyfun.com/Rates/rates.html are a couple of years old, but I can attest to the fact that they are better than what I paid at a nearby property during the same time frame. Also, we've been holding Tom to an unfair standard. http://terracottainn.blogspot.com is a commercial site. It is a commercial for his property, and his goal is to attract eyeballs. That doesn't make Tom a bad person; it makes him a businessman.

I too hate the idiots up on the beaches. But that is an American phenomenon. At Cap D'Agde in France, Bikini beach in San Tropez, Spain, etc. lots of people have cameras at the beach. It is no different that going to an American textile beach seeing the young people with cameras.

People in Europe take nude and topless pictures at the beach all the time because they have no [repercussions] if your picture appears nude on the internet unless you are someone famous.

Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn Blog

Tom and I will continue to disagree on this point. True, my experience with European beaches is limited to a portion of the continent that, despite its international reputation, is less tolerant than the areas described by Tom. We may take cameras to the beach, but most of our photography is limited to members of our own party. Showing too great an interest in someone's wife, sister, girlfriend, or mere acquaintance, could result in violence. That may explain why most of the females pictured are a) unaware of the camera's presence, and b) not accompanied by a male. Courtesy is an international phenomenon. It's generally considered rude to make someone the sole focus a photograph without first obtaining permission.

Tom is in the unenviable position of needing to keep his content fresh so that he can attract new eyeballs to the phone number displayed in his article. I can't speak for all nudists, but I am not a communist. I will not begrudge a man the right to make an honest dollar. The only thing better than a photo is a naked photo. What's better than a naked photo? A photo of naked young women! Tom's problem is that he needs photos that he can legally use to promote his site. I'm not sure about the provenance of the pictures Tom has been using, or where they fall into the fair use scheme of things, but my guess is that he's avoiding Creative Commons licensed work that prohibits commercial use. Using Tom's argument that the young ladies pictured do not enjoy a right to privacy under the circumstances depicted, I can see why Tom has chosen to feature them on his site. I may not like the pictures, but I can't argue with his logic.

To make a long story short, it's time for me to move on to another subject and stop holding Tom's blog to the same standard that I would hold a non-commercial site. I can only hope that in the future we'll see Tom use more photos of young women who are smiling for the camera.

Earlier, I indirectly referenced a couple of nudist blogs including that hosted by the owner of a popular clothing optional resort. Chances are you already know that I was referring to the promotional blog maintained by Terra Cotta Inn owner Tom Mulhall. I don't know Tom, and I've never stayed at his inn. I've tried booking rooms at the Terra Cotta a couple of times, but they were booked solid. I'm sure he's a great guy, and there's no doubt in my mind that he runs a class operation. His blog just rubs me the wrong way.

Usually it's the promotional slant that gets under my skin, but lately he's been spicing up the site with nude beach photos featuring very attractive young women (NSFW Examples: Here, here, here, here and here). I don't normally object to beautiful young women, but I do object to misinformation and the implication that these particular young women are representative of the average participant in the nudist lifestyle. While most of us work hard to convince women who are considering nude recreation that their bodies are the norm despite any perceived imperfections, the photos that Tom has chosen to feature lately perpetuate the myth that only the young and beautiful need participate.

Look, I don't object to the nude photos. I simply believe that the photos of Tom and his wife Mary Clare promote social nudism more effectively than pictures of naked college girls and topless carnival babes.