Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Georgina.

  • And I'm Neil.

  • Neil, this may sound a bit personal, but have you ever taken your clothes off?

  • Well, yes, every day when I have a shower.

  • Of course. I mean in public, have you ever been naked in public?

  • No! Stripping off or getting naked publicly, is not my idea of fun.

  • Who would enjoy doing that?

  • Well, naturists would.

  • That's what we call people who think not wearing clothes outdoors is a healthy way to live, and it makes them feel good.

  • We might also call them nudists, because they are nude.

  • Right, so naturists feel being naked is natural.

  • It's not about them being interested in nature?

  • Not necessarily, but we are going to discuss why being naked in nature might be good for us.

  • But how about a question first, Neil?

  • The act of swimming naked is informally called skinny dipping.

  • The world's largest skinny dip took place in Ireland in 2018.

  • But do you know how many naked swimmers went into the sea?

  • Was it approximately a) 250 people, b) 2,500 people,

  • or, c) 25,000 people?

  • I'd have to guess and say that only 250 people would be brave enough to run into the cold sea, naked!

  • Well, as always, I'll reveal the answer later.

  • So, the idea of getting naked might fill you with dread,

  • it might seem embarrassing, but some people do sunbathe naked on the beach

  • or in their garden or they go to naturist holiday parks.

  • But naked rambling, walking naked in the countryside,

  • might be taking it one step further.

  • However, it's something Donna Price, a volunteer at British Naturism, is keen to advocate or publicly support.

  • Here she is speaking on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour program,

  • explaining why.

  • We enjoy the feeling of being actually at one with nature.

  • If you haven't actually tried being naked in nature,

  • naked outdoors, when you can feel the skin... the warmth air all over your skin,

  • it's such a lovely feeling.

  • There is a great feeling of liberation and freedom once you actually try naturism,

  • and I would never advocate for someone to actually go out for a naked walk as the first thing they ever did.

  • I just would not do that!

  • You've got to be comfortable in your own skin so you do it at home,

  • you know, in your own garden, maybe, if you can, get comfortable with yourself,

  • actually start to feel that being naked feels normal, which, I mean, to me, it does.

  • So, for Donna, naked rambling means she has a connection with nature,

  • she feels part of it and it makes her feel good.

  • That's the feeling of being at one with nature.

  • But couldn't you do that with your clothes on?

  • Well, she also mentions there's a feeling of freedom and liberation.

  • That's being freed from something, here, it's freed from your clothes.

  • Donna also told the Woman's Hour program that going for a naked walk shouldn't be the first thing you attempt to do.

  • You need to feel relaxed and confident with your actions first,

  • or what we sometimes say is 'comfortable in your own skin'.

  • Yes, she says we need to get to feel that nakedness is normal.

  • I suppose we were all born naked and it's not something to be ashamed of.

  • And, in the UK at least, it's generally not against the law to be naked in public.

  • I'm still not convinced, but according to Donna Price,

  • this freedom of expression is quite well received when she's out walking.

  • Here she is speaking on the BBC's Woman's Hour program again.

  • A majority of the responses that you actually encounter,

  • if you do encounter the public, the general public,

  • are actually very encouraging.

  • They're not shock horror, majority of the time, I can guarantee that.

  • A lot of people say just "good morning" and carry on,

  • some of them actually say, "Gosh, you're braver than I am!"

  • If it's a bit chilly.

  • A lot of them would just say, "I really wish I could do that"

  • and usually we just say, "You can!"

  • So, the people Donna encounters or meets seem to support what she' s doing.

  • She says, "It's not shock horror!"

  • This is usually said as an informal way of actually saying something is not surprising,

  • not shocking!

  • Well, shock horror, Neil, I won't be taking my clothes off anytime soon.

  • It's too cold anyway and I don't want to be bitten by all those bugs you get in the countryside.

  • But it's good to hear that people are open-minded to the idea.

  • Yes, good luck to anyone who wants to give it a try and

  • well done to those brave people who took part in the world's biggest skinny dip – a mass naked swim.

  • Earlier, Georgina, you asked me how many people took part in the event in Ireland in 2018.

  • I did and you said?

  • I said about 250 people went for a dip. Was I right?

  • No, Neil.

  • According to Guinness World Records,

  • 2,505 women took part in the largest charity skinny dip in Wicklow in Ireland.

  • Well, well done to them and skinny dipping was one of the items of vocabulary we discussed today.

  • This is an informal way of describing the act of swimming naked.

  • We've also been discussing naturists,

  • people who think not wearing clothes outdoors is a healthy way to live,

  • and it makes them feel good.

  • The act of doing this is called naturism.

  • And when you advocate something, like naturism for example,

  • you publicly support it.

  • Being at one with nature means having a connection with the natural world that makes you feel good.

  • And liberation means being freed from something.

  • And when we say shock horror, we actually mean the opposite

  • and mean something is not shocking or surprising.

  • We're being sarcastic, I guess.

  • It's not like you to be sarcastic, Neil!

  • But shock horror, we're out of time now.

  • We only get 6 minutes and that's the naked truth!

  • Thanks for listening and goodbye.

  • Goodbye.

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Georgina.

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it