About 100 people left their inhibitions at home and stripped off to dine “au naturel” at the annual nudist festival at Zipolite Beach, Oaxaca, last weekend.

Seated at tables in front of the glistening Pacific Ocean, the diners enjoyed music, each other’s company, the temperate climate and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, according to a report by the newspaper El Universal.

They barely noticed that almost everyone showed up for the event in their birthday suit, the report said.

“To take one’s clothes off is to leave prejudices behind,” a man identified only as Fabián told El Universal.

Seated next to his wife Sofía at a table shared with two other unclad couples, he said that stripping is to “free oneself” and bid farewell to any stress, problems and worries one might have.

Sofía explained that she and her husband have been active nudists for 12 of the 15 years they’ve been together.

Another diner, José, declared that, “once you remove your clothes and experience that freedom, the sea, the beach, there’s no turning back.”

He said that although he and his wife have been part of the nudist community for just a year, he had actually been interested in the practice since he was a child. After he suggested the idea to his wife, José explained, they decided it was something they would like to try.

“The first thing I did was nude yoga,” he said, adding that his wife was initially less comfortable than he was about being naked in the company of strangers.

However, Iliana shed her shyness soon enough, telling El Universal that nudism “is to recognize your body and be fine with it – being naked is to accept yourself.”

Nodding in agreement, Fabián said: “We’re used to being what we wear; the brand of the watch or the jewelry we use. Being naked, there’s none of that: this is what you are and there’s no judgment. . .”

The “clothing optional” dinner was one of several activities held at the fifth annual nudist festival at Zipolite, which is the only beach in Mexico where being in the buff is legal.

Other activities included nude yoga, volleyball and cycling, body painting, musical performances and a talent night. Approximately 6,000 people attended the festival that concluded Sunday, of whom around 30% were foreigners.

Source: El Universal (sp)