Women in Focus

Naturism is not something that is typically associated with women of Middle Eastern origin, on account of the social expectations from that part of the world making female body autonomy a challenge, let alone body acceptance. But for some the combination of academic education, cultural migration, and an innate sense of what is right creates a mind open to the possibility. Dr. Vian Aziz was born and raised in Iraq and through a series of moves she brought her young family to the UK in 2010, where she settled in Cardiff and works as a gynaecologist. Following her postgraduate study for a professional certificate in psychosexual counselling, she re-evaluated her own body perceptions leading her to not just try naturism, but to become an outspoken advocate for it. In this episode she tells her story to Helen.

You can read Vian's written Women in Focus interview here.

Links for Dr Vian Aziz:

Contact Women in Focus: womeninfocus@bn.org.uk

Is most of the current naturist content online created by older people for older people, with a world view of naturism that younger people simply can't relate to? Nick and Lins certainly believe so, which is why ‪Naked Wanderings‬ was born.

In this episode Helen speaks to Lins who, along with her partner Nick, are a naturist couple from Belgium who formed Naked Wanderings eight years a go, and have since found themselves as the naked voice of a generation. Together they explore what naturism really is around the globe, and show it to the online world through their blogs and videos. Helen and Lins talk about this, as well as the Everybody festival, the pressures that the corporate world place upon womens' appearance, the positive impact that the social media age has had on body issues, and much more.

You can read Lins' written Women in Focus interview here.

Links for Lins and Naked Wanderings:

Contact Women in Focus: womeninfocus@bn.org.uk

Helen interviews Karie Jane, businesswoman and proprietor of the Beverley Hills Hotel and Resort in Costa Calma, Fuerteventura. Karie took over the villa after her marriage ended and turned it into a clothing optional hotel. She now lives and works there full time, offering a unique naturist holiday destination. She talks to Helen about the ladies only holidays that she runs supported by BN, which are both for seasoned naturist women looking for something a little different as well as to allow any woman a safe and relaxing way to experience naturism for the first time.

You can read Karie's written Women in Focus interview here.

Links for Karie Jane:

Contact Women in Focus: womeninfocus@bn.org.uk

Helen interviews Anne Nisbet and has a chat with Lins. Anne Nisbet is British Naturism's International Director, and has recently retired from the UK Health Security Agency, where she specialised in radiation protection. Her job saw her travelling the world on business and whilst on a trip to Helsinki she stumbled across a ladies only sauna and realised that social nudity felt completely natural. She now uses her skills to represent British Naturism to the International Naturist Federation (INF).
Helen also met Lins from Naked Wanderings at the Everybody festival and in this special episode she has a short chat with her as well. Lins will feature in a full interview in the future.

You can read Anne's written Women in Focus interview here.

Links for Anne Nisbet:

Contact Women in Focus: womeninfocus@bn.org.uk

Helen interviews Samantha Graham. She is a 34 year old naturist from Ontario, Canada. She is the Trailer and Sunroom Sales Manager at Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park near Toronto, and she runs their social media accounts. She is also the editor and producer of The Naturist Living Show podcast, hosted by Stéphane Deschênes. Sam has always preferred to be clothes-free even as a child, but it was in 2017 when she was seeking a different and freeing experience that she went looking for a nude beach and learned that Bare Oaks was only a short drive away. She booked in for three nights and it completely changed her life.
Read Sam's written Women in Focus interview here.

Links for Samantha Graham:

Contact Women in Focus: womeninfocus@bn.org.uk

Helen interviews Sam Hawcroft. Sam is the owner and publisher of H&E Naturist magazine. She talks about the long history of the magazine, and the various forms it has taken under the different editors over the last 100 plus years. It was through being a proof reader for H&E in the noughties which led Sam to discover naturism in the first place. She also discusses the online behaviour of men, and the issues surrounding body acceptance in mainstream women's magazines.
Read Sam's written Women in Focus interview here.

Links for Sam Hawcroft:

Contact Women in Focus: womeninfocus@bn.org.uk

Helen interviews Stephanie McManus, a nurse from New Zealand and naked healing practitioner. After a nude photoshoot, which Steph did in an effort to confront her own body image in the wake of an eating disorder, she discovered what it meant to her to be without clothes. It transformed her life and she describes nudity as her medicine, and she now wants to bring her revelations to as many people as she can. Careful with the language she uses, Steph says nudity can be a 'healing tool', and avoids referring to any label that she feels could alienate the very people that it will help the most.
Read Steph's written Women in Focus interview here.

Links for Steph McManus:

Contact Women in Focus: womeninfocus@bn.org.uk

Helen interviews Sue May, a passionate naturism advocate and BN volunteer from Hampshire. Sue was a single naturist woman for some time, and met her current partner, Andrew, through mutual naturist friends. Indeed it wasn't until their first official date that they saw each other dressed for the first time. Sue is a keen swimmer and has represented the UK as part of the team at the international naked swimming gala, where the team came third in 2023.
Read Sue's written Women in Focus interview here.

Links for Sue May:

Contact Women in Focus: womeninfocus@bn.org.uk