COLUMN: Nudity offers liberation

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by Vikki Otero

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I was bound by all the common standards of modesty and decency we face every day, and nudity or near-nudity was restricted to the shower or certain moments of intimacy.

In my mind, these were the only times I could be naked or nearly so. Rice, however, has changed all that.

Events at Rice have given me the opportunity to bare it all and feel comfortable doing so.

Since I have heard a lot of talk about the negative aspects of Rice's tolerance of this kind of exhibitionism, I feel it is my duty to let everyone know how being naked at Rice has made me feel liberated, comfortable.

Indeed, I have benefitted tremendously from these experiences, and I feel everyone else can as well.

It began last weekend with an event called Night of Decadence.

NOD was something I had heard of and had read a little about, but I really wasn't sure exactly what to expect.

All I knew was that I was supposed to go wearing very little clothing, preferably a costume along the lines of the Disney theme. I was all for that, so a friend and I went as the scantily-clad chipmunks, Chip and Dale (I was Dale).

It really felt great to be able to walk outside in beautiful weather wearing almost no clothing and have no one look at me funny or judge me based on what I was wearing.

The dance was even better than I expected. It was exactly what it proclaimed itself to be -- a night of sheer decadence.

And it was great. People are often afraid to admit it, but we all know that decadence is fun.

More people would be decadent far more often if they weren't afraid of being judged or weren't bound by arbitrary social constructs that have been set up to define what is acceptable behavior and what isn't.

Rice, for one night, removes the barriers and lets us do anything.

We can dance with and kiss strangers without anyone making assumptions.

We can be free, free from the labels and boundaries thrust upon us in everyday life, free to engage in harmless yet decadent activity.

Perhaps even at NOD we are not truly free, but nevertheless freer than we usually are.

Of course, along with this kind of freedom comes a great amount of responsibility.

Of course, it is foolish and irresponsible to engage in dangerous activities such as sex with strangers or excessive drinking, and even at NOD we need to remain aware of that.

Of course, it is always wrong to force anyone into sex or to take advantage of someone who has been drinking.

But we are intelligent college students, and we know these things. That is why it is good to have this kind of freedom if only once a year.

The liberated and free feeling that NOD gave me stayed with me after the party. For the few days afterward, when people asked me if I had a good time, my response was, "It doesn't get any better than NOD. "

Then I ran Club 13 on Halloween. Anyone who has run across a college campus covered with shaving cream is really missing out on a wonderful feeling.

I am quite serious about how outstanding an experience this run was for me.

I hadn't been planning on screaming and yelling as I ran, but I found myself unable not to. I quite earnestly yelled, "Join us!" at passersby because I felt so great that I wanted everyone to share this feeling.

Unlike NOD, there is nothing sexual about Club 13. It really is difficult to feel sexual excitement when you are surrounded by 200 naked people.

Nudity is really underrated in this world.

The free and liberated feeling one gets from running or walking around naked on a beautiful evening is absolutely unmatchable.

NOD gives this freedom a sexual twist which is exciting for some, but for those who are not into that, Club 13 lets you be naked without feeling sexually vulnerable.

The freedom to engage in "forbidden" activity without rules or stigma is something everyone needs once in a while, and as long as no one gets hurt, there is nothing wrong with it.

Rice gives its students freedom and credit for intelligence with such policies as the Honor Code, and I think we are fortunate that once in a while we are allowed this kind of freedom with our bodies as well.

I think everyone should take advantage of these opportunities for freedom while we are still in a place where we can have them.

Vikki Otero is a Will Rice College junior and assistant copy editor.

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the November 10, 1995 issue.

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