Undress For Dinner – Naturists to take over Eighth Day Café
After the successful naked bike ride through Manchester last week, another naturism inspired event is taking place in one of the cities favourite cafes this weekend.
SANS Naturism are taking over Eight Day Café for the day, the vegetarian café and shop popular for its vegan food and homeopathic medicines.
In an exclusive interview with MyBest5, head organiser Jez Orme said he was pleased to get a venue such as Eighth Day on board.
He said: “Getting a venue onboard is usually the biggest obstacle because naturism can be misunderstood.
“But the Eighth Day have been extremely responsive and helpful. I asked them to take their time to check that all of their staff were happy to accommodate us, and a few days later they said they'd be delighted to work with us.
“They've since helped us advertise the event on their blog and Twitter, and have said how much they are looking forward to the dinner later this month, so my fingers are crossed for a strong future relationship with the Eighth Day.”
Known more for their swimming events and for taking part in naked bike rides in both Manchester and Brighton, Orme said it was important to offer a more diverse range of events to get more people involved.
“At our swims, we have an attendance of 25-30 people, and have had a great relationship with the leisure centre over the past two years.
“Well, swimming isn't for everybody, so we thought we'd do something a little different.”
A full time student, Orme began SANS after finding naturism himself whilst on holiday in Spain, where he swam naked off the south coast.
The 23-year-old said: “Since discovering naturism for myself, SANS has become my hobby - my distraction from studying!
“Why am I so passionate? That's not a simple question to answer. For as long as I can remember, I believed that there was nothing shameful about the human body.
“However, it wasn't until the age of 19, when I'd finally found the courage to try out naturism for myself.
“I've heard nudism referred to as ‘comfortablism’, which sums up the philosophy perfectly. Swimming is the perfect example of when wearing clothes just doesn't make sense. Thanks to British Naturism, and their youth group, Young British Naturists, I found the opportunities to get involved in the more social aspects of naturism.”
Many naturism groups stand for the fight against un-environmental organisations and negative body image, and SANS is no different.
“I soon realised how politicised naturism can be, but how it can also be a political tool for good.
“Airbrushed and rigorously Photoshopped photographs have been shown to negatively influence body-image, creating completely unattainable expectations of how we should look.
“The over-sexualisation of the human body in perfume or car advertisements is believed to negatively impact upon interpersonal relationships.
“There is an increasing amount of research into these issues. These are the results of multibillion pound industries, but naturism can certainly have a good go at combating these problems.
“That said, our events themselves certainly aren't politicised! They're fun and light-hearted social events, where we try to avoid politics.”
SANS Naturism, derived from the French word meaning ‘without’, is above all an informal social group that embodies the philosophy of naturism as opposed to a political outlet.
Whilst urban naturism is on the upswing, it is important for Orme to clearly distinguish SANS from mere nudism ideals.
“I took the initiative in response to the obvious demand for ‘urban naturism’; many current naturist events are expensive, due to elevated overheads, are inaccessible because of their location, or simply don't cater all that well for Generation Y.
“In my opinion, it's also important to make the distinction between simple ‘nudism’ and the bigger ideas of ‘naturism’, which implies greater social and environmental responsibility: urban naturism means that people can get to these activities by public transport, instead of relying on cars.
“And there's less risk of an event being ruined by the British weather. What's more, we have no bureaucratic membership system: you turn up, pay your share, and enjoy the event.
The event itself at Eighth Day Café is a ‘clothing optional’ event, with less pressure to fully divulge into the world of public nudity.
Orme concluded: “There aren't many occasions you'll get the freedom to do this sort of thing in central Manchester!
“Since very early on, we've taken the “clothing-optional” approach in order to be more inclusive. Let's be clear: clothes have their purposes, and you don't have to spend 24 hours a day without clothes to enjoy the benefits of naturism.
“But ‘clothing-optional’ also means that, if you're new to naturism, you can join us and not feel pressured. We're lucky to have a really diverse group, including one with a good range of ages - people from all sorts of backgrounds and professions. We're all just a bunch of lovely people who enjoy the freedom and the non-judgemental atmosphere that naturism creates.
“And if you still need convincing, join us for the great food, drinks and music!”
SANS Naturism will be taking over The Eighth Day Café in Manchester on 21st June with Un-Dress for Dinner. For more information on the group, click HERE.
