Friday, July 18, 2008
In a society where only the prettiest of faces makes it onto television, and in a country where billions of dollars are spent on plastic surgery to fix the most minor flaw, Lake Edun stands apart from the rest. Here, at this all-nude lake on the outskirts of south Topeka, men aren’t judged by the size of their members and women with breasts that hang from their bodies like tube socks full of sand can feel proud of who they are.
Director of the lake, Webb Garlinghouse, said people came to the park to become more comfortable with their bodies, whether they are perfect or not.
“They have a better body concept,” Garlinghouse said, “People come out here with all kinds of body flaws and they are comfortable.”
Lake Edun has been operating for 25 years and is open year-round. Webb said an average weekend usually brought 25 to 75 people to the park.
While the lake has sand volleyball courts, hiking trails and canoes for its members, the one ingredient the naturalistic facility lacks is new blood. Webb said that there has been a gradual decrease of college students in the last 20 years, mainly because younger people are becoming more concerned about their body images and are afraid to show their imperfections to the world.
“How sick is this is that you go to a gym class and you don’t take a shower because some other guy might be looking at you,” Garlinghouse said. “To me this illustrates a grave sickness on our society.”
Mike, a middle aged man who traveled all the way from Nebraska to go to Lake Edun, said he thought the media had made it difficult for younger people to be proud of who they really were.
“We want to look at the beautiful people, but we don’t think we can participate,” Mike said.
Garlinghouse said another major concern among young people was the fear of pedophiles at nudist resorts. He said that Lake Edun did background checks on everybody who becomes a member.
Another fear among men is they are afraid of becoming embarrassed if they happen to get aroused when they are nude, Webb said it isn’t much of a problem.
“Usually the first time men come out here they are too nervous to get a woody,” Garlinghouse said, “If it happens it is no big deal, they can just cover it up with a towel or they can go jump in a lake.”
Most of the people who go to Lake Edud regularly eventually end up becoming friends. Many members said the different backgrounds among the people at the lake kept them coming back. Lake Edun had residents come in wheelchairs, and even a blind woman made it out to the park.
“I think it can be a very growing experience and a healthy experience if they allow it to be,” Garlinghouse said.
- Edited by Rebekah Scaperlanda
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Comments
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
every one is welcome. Especially men under the age of 22. Or young boy's of legal age. When you aren't hot enough to be eye candy then you are safe.
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
sure dblww2, sure. Whatever you want to believe. This is a free country.
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
I did make errors in the 1st line it should have been you may have been out to the lake,but when I went to proof read it would not let me change any mistakes.John S.
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
yes!
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
To me, being nude is being the same person but in a sensually charged ambience that is very pleasurable. Indeed I prefer being with my family and other sociable mixed gender naturists in clubs and resorts for all of our recreation or relaxation. My personal best was three weeks vacation at a resort in France , with everything except sandals put away for the entire duration. The strangeness of shirt and shorts to depart there was almost as strange as becoming a naturist many years before. As regards sex-life; being nude together promotes an appreciation of the pleasure that can be given one to another. At your first naturist experience, you may feel apprehensive and worried that people will be staring at you. But a visit to naturistmingle.com is much different than you would experience anywhere else. At there, you will not find people trying to undress you with their eyes, from afar or near, because there is nothing left for the imagination to remove. You will not find people throwing outdated, lewd or offensive pickup lines at you.
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
AS a person who attends Lake Edun on a regular basis I am disturbed by not only this article but by the posting of loki8025, this is not what Lake Edun is about. We do not look for young men under 22, we are a family facility, not a place only interested in young males. Should the person who posted this statement ever have attended Lake Edun he would know this.
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
In a time when our children are having so much trouble with body image, why do we have a college student with questionable english skills, an editor with just about as much skill with the english laungauge and a board member of a naturalist foundation(there are NO DIRECTORS) trying in vain to commute to the readers what the foundation is all about.They have mislead and misinformed. All they have to say is that the foundation does not discriminate. We welcome all body shapes, ages, and sizes to our circle of friends. We commune with nature in a natural setting in a natural way, discarding all the trappings of modern day society. There is no competetion for being the best dressed, best looking, or richest. We accept all as they come with the imperfections that life has given them. We are not looking for only the young and sexy but we are looking deeper than the outside shell to the spirit and beauty of the inner soul. We do not seek to make our foundation a sexy place to go but a place of solace and acceptance. In the busy fast paced society that we now live in too much attention is given to the sexual aspect and not enough emphasis on the human aspect.We welcome all types of humans, the young(families are welcome), the handicapped(who struggle with body acceptance every day),the older adults (who have the trophies of a life well lived in their wrinkles).We hope to help them cope with a world so out of shape that every remark, look, and comment is made sexual. We hope to show by example the acceptance of all types of humans. We offer a break from the outside world to calm down and see what more there is to life than sex and money.
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
Oh and by the way dblww2, I do know "Webbs Lake". Since it was not only myself but many other of my friends that made that place into what it is now. We are the ones that cut the trees(yes naked sometimes. There are limits) and made the beach and camp areas. Before it was a massive suburb. So I know all about this Lake Edun.
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
Okay here goes.You may have been to Lake Edun and even helped cut trees and brush,but you do not seem to understand the naturists concept,or you would have never printed the comments about "woody's,or womens breast.We as Naturists are more accepting of people as to who they are not not what they look like no matter young or old.We do still have many young people come to visit and they fit right in with us oldies.If you live long enough you will no longer have a perfect body either.We have had young families at the Lake with thier children,and they are always a joy to see and we are very protective of them as we are of all people.If someone decides to be offensive or rude to people they will be warned when the board finds out it happened.we will address it as a board and see if a warning or if we need to uninvite them.While we are as sexual as anyone we do not allow any activities that are inapropriate for others to witness.Many people ask what do we do at the Lake???We do the same things anyone does at a Lake only sans clothing.Fishing,sunbathing,grilling,relaxing,or you can get in a boat and go out around the Lake.We also have hiking trails. Your article did not show the true nature of those that go there,and I doubt you would be willing to get an interview with the board members,and write it as stated without the untrue and ugly comments that we find offensive and so untrue of us. We have no Directer as you stated,but a Board,nor do we have Residents.We do have members and visiters.I really do not think you can call it a Park either. If you and your editer really knew what the proper way to write an interview was just maybe the article would not be attacked as you stated.Why would we not say your wrong in the way it was written.It is and that is Fact.
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
As for LOKI!You seem to have a problem that maybe professional help is needed for.Have you been to the Lake Edun?If you have been and felt you were Eyecandy as you so elequently put it.(Yes I am saracastic about that)Once again we do not discriminate against people that behave.If you were harassed or others were rude to you maybe you should have said something at the time.Once again age makes no difference.We do not invite any one age group or for that matter any one sex,but welcome all who can behave without offending others that do really understand nudism/naturism. John S.
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
It seems to me that everyone has issues here. What is the deal with the extra long retorts? loki, shame on you. you go out there. you are just being old and cranky. If it is not a big deal then why the big long explanation? this is 2008 people. If you do not want to be nude that is fine. if so, this is a wicked cool place to go to.No one cares what you look like or how old you are. This whole " Naturism" thing. Jeez man! How about no labels like "nudism" save that bull for the west coast. It is those types of labels that scare people away and make others biased. I am not a "nudist"or naturist or whateverist. I like to get naked and swim on a hot day out at Webbs. I am not ashamed of my body and neither should anyone else, no matter what. I would know I have been there since the beginning AND SO HAVE YOU LOKI! I am going to invite your mom out and scar you for life!!! She will come and you know it!!! ;)
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
Hello, I intend on visiting Lake Edun this summer, it sounds like a wonderful place. Being nude with nature is a beautiful thing. I hope many come visit Lake Edun and enjoy the freedom of being clothes free and most of all being yourself without worrying about what others think about you, what you have on, status, race, size, looks... just to enjoy the souls of other humans. To me theres nothing better than boots and a walking stick on a long trail, its going to be great, hope to see some of you!!! Peace and Grace!!
Nudist park helps promote positive body image
Lake Edun near Topeka, Kansas
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