One of my first memories is at Lupin Lodge, being launched into the air by the sturdy shoulders of my dad and landing, cackling, back in the water – while trying not to drown myself by laughing under the surface. I was raised frequenting Naturist and clothing optional resorts all my life. Summers I spent a lot of time here, at Lupin Lodge, learning that sunscreen on nipples really was mandatory, swimming like a fish, and deciding that water volleyball was infinitely more fun – i.e. less athletic – than regular volleyball.

I also had the virtue of being raised in this lifestyle as a young woman. Growing into your own body is no fun for anyone as far as I can tell, and being immersed in an environment of complete acceptance was very helpful to my self-image and my confidence while going through the super-thrilling hormonal slip-and-slide known as puberty. Naturism taught me the difference between nudity and sexuality, between what is appropriate and not – these lines are so easily blurred that knowing where and when to draw a line in Sharpie has been invaluable.

Here I was allowed to be a child for as long as I wanted, because there were no lines or boundaries allowed to be crossed. I grew into myself in a protected environment, with a thousand different eyes looking out for me and making sure I was okay. Lupin has always kept an exceptionally parental eye out for their younger guests. And I learned how to set boundaries, that it could be okay to say you were uncomfortable even if the gesture itself makes nobody else uncomfortable. I learned to be true to my own boundaries and my own limits, and my own safety, emotional and otherwise.

-Written by Sierra