Land of the free, home of the brave

At 21 years old, Amanda Case went nude and never turned back. Her love affair with nudism started three years ago, when the Ball State University student ventured to a nudist camp with her boyfriend (now husband) for the first time.

Today, she and her husband are leaders in a revolution for young nudists. They lead the Midwest division of Vita Nuda, a national nudist group for people ages 18-35. The organization is tied directly to AANR, but aims to attract a population that is dying off in the nudist realm.

“They found that they were losing people in their late teens to early 20s, when people become confused about their bodies,” Case says. “We’re getting young people back and getting them involved like the generations above us have done.”

Vita Nuda’s website encourages viewers to “join the Nudist Revolution.” Photos show young men and women on the beach, hula hooping, eating sushi, all in the buff, and a pop-up message urges visitors to “please respect the nudists.” The site addresses touchy questions honestly: “Doesn’t seeing all that nakedness ruin your sex life?”
They consider themselves the young adult movement within the larger movement of nudism.

Case helped organize the first big meeting in the Midwest last year, which included a meet-and-greet in the pool, drinks around a bonfire, and a movie night. This year, they’re amping it up, adding a water volleyball tournament, body painting, and a yoga session to the schedule. 

So what’s the appeal to all this?

“Being young certainly is a time of learning, a time of freedom, a time of maybe having less inhibition,” Bauer says. “A lot of people who try it fall in love with it.”

Bauer estimates that Fern Hills has about 40 members between the ages of 15 and 27.
“Is it a huge college hangout? Absolutely not,” he says. “Would we like to welcome more people? We certainly would. If you just want to chill out and get a sun tan, read your textbook, that’s fine.”