A letter to DOMAI that was published in September 2002 on the DOMAI web site. EB's letter is from a woman who works as a topless waitress but hates the work. It touches on the difference between nudity and sexuality as well as body image and respect.

 

It may seem like a contradiction, I work as a waitress in a topless club, but I have always hated the job because I found the work the dancers were doing so degrading to women. The only reason I am working there is that I have a friend working there and she helped me get in because I can make more money as a waitress there and still have hours that work with my college schedule.

I would never have thought to ever reveal myself to anyone outside of a committed relationship, although I am offered really good money every night to do so, but I always felt I had more respect for myself that to offer myself for money.

Then earlier this summer in one of my computer classes we were talking and I happened to mention where I worked. (Normally I would not so something like that because it tends to get me the attention of the wrong kind of guys.) Anyway, this girlfriend of mine began to ask me what I thought of the place and nudity in general. I told her that I felt it degraded women and that I found it disgusting. Then she asked me to take a look at a web site and read some of the articles and see what I thought.

You guessed it, it was DOMAI. I found that nude women could actually be beautiful, graceful and worth looking at, when in the form presented by DOMAI. It was a real revelation to me.

The next time we were in class, she pulled me aside and asked what I thought of the site. I told her it was beautiful. It was like a light went off in my head. It was like for the first time I really saw MYSELF as beautiful, graceful and worth looking at. Not gawked at or lusted after, but admired for beauty's sake.

She asked if I would like to see more. I told her I would. She suggested that I go with her to a naturist resort with her that weekend. I was concerned about it and she assured me that until I was ready, I could keep my swimsuit on. Still a bit reluctant I decided to go. After all, I thought to myself, if it was anything like DOMAI, it would not be like the club.

That weekend she came over and we drove down to this beach that I must have passed a hundred times, but it was surrounded by oleander plants that blocked the view. We drove back and forth through the curved path lined with the oleanders towards the beach. There was an area roped off for the cars to park right on the beach and there were even some tents and such set up around the cars. I was told by my girlfriend that she often comes up on a Friday night and camps out here all weekend.

Then I look down towards the beach. There was probably around 150 people there. All naked. I froze. To myself I began to think to myself, "No way. What have you gotten yourself into?" Then my girlfriend got out of the car and walked to the front of the car and began to undress. She was only wearing a shirt and shorts so she was naked in just a few seconds. She was beautiful. You could tell that she was always out here in the nude because she had no tan lines whatsoever. She had kind of small breasts, especially compared to the fake plastic things I see in the clubs all the time.

She yelled out to me to come on. I thought for a minute to myself and then I remembered how I felt after seeing the pictures on DOMAI and reading the articles, then I looked out at the people who were just enjoying themselves and not really caring who was looking. Just being... well, natural. Then I found myself doing what I thought I would never do. I took everything off in the car and jumped out with nothing on!

I was expecting cat calls and all sorts of things but it never happened. The only comment made, was somebody refered to me as a "cotton tail." Which my friend informed me was what nudists refer to a new comer because their rears are normally very white, having never see the sun.

All day long we enjoyed the sun and never once did I feel disgusting, dirty, shamefull or embarrassed. I could just be me. Free and beautiful.

The rest of the summer we have been down at the beach almost every weekend. I still read DOMAI, mostly before going to work each day. I really enjoy the Beauty of the Day to remind me that there is beauty in life and not everything is as ugly as in the club.

My life is very different now. I am hoping to be graduating this next year and be getting out of the club for good. Thank you for your part in helping me see a whole new world and coming to see myself in a new, fresh and beautiful light.

Thanks again, EB