People ask me "Who don't you wear clothes? Why are you nude?"
And I ask "Why wear clothes if not to keep warm?"

We all have breasts, a bum, a vagina. Why hide them?
I got to know Colina through Marcelo, my boyfriend. We met on the Gaucho-coast. He was working for the Naturis magazine. He invited me to get the know the naturist's club. I loved it right from the start. I felt very at ease. I took off my clothes, jumped in the lake and enjoyed the water.

Since society forces us the wear clothes, therefore I always wore clothes. As soon as I got here and felt all this freedom and nature, I didn't think twice. It was clothes off and full of enjoyment.

The Colina do Sol was designed to be a naturist village. Where people could hang out, and live, and even make a living. So there are shopping centers, markets, restaurants, ironmonger's, the Naturis magazine, the builders who built the cottages.

Some people live here and make a living from their own professions. And this was exactly what it was meant for, for people to come here, like it, live here and make a living here. There are other naturist areas in Brazil, but not naturist villages like Colina, where people live. There are weekend places, but none with permanent residents. Colina is the only one in Latin America where people can live and make a living from the place itself.

I have to get dressed to go to the university. If I go nude, I'll be thrown in jail, so I have no choice. I have to get dressed despite the heat. It's society fault.

From my very first day at university, I made no secret of being a naturist. I think it's important to be open about yourself. The more secrecy, the more discrimination. Already in the first lecture I told people I live at Colina do Sol, a naturist village in Taquara here nearby.

The greatest worry for people not used to naturism is that they will be excited by nudity, but this dosen't happen. A woman is much sexier in see-through clothes than naked. A naked woman is not such a turn on unless she spreads her legs. What ecxites people is wondering what is behind that bikini, or those lace panties. This dosen't normally happen. People don't usually get aroused. It's easier for women to hide this than for men. If it happens, if you do get aroused, you just put on a wrap or jump in the water to cool down. But it hardly ever happens. And at parties we try to wear clothes becuase of all the physical contact. Dancing, rubbing against each other makes it difficult not to be aroused. It's only natural. There's a time and place for everything.

The message is that everyone should practice naturism, becuase naturism is life, naturism is nature, it's respect for others. Regardless of whether he's thin, fat, ugly, good-looking. Everyone should be a naturist. At least try it sometime. Because a lot of of people judge naturism as something unnatural, horrible, image walking around nude! But you can't judge without knowing what it is. Of all the people that come here wanting to get to know Colina, not one didn't like it, don't enjoy the feeling of freedom here, and the contact of others that it provides. You respect one another more, look people in the eye. You embrace more, kiss more, talk more. It's wonderful. That's how people should be. Society imposes taboos on you which you have to respect. But one day you have to find out what naturism is. Naturism is great, it's very positive.

Being nude here, I don't feel embarrassed at all. As soon as I go out and wear something short or tight, I feel ashamed. It's strange, but it feels as if I'm showing off mu body. But here we don;t exhibit our bodies. Out there one exposes one's body, to achieve something. You don;t dress up for the sake of dressing up. I don't feel well in clothes, I can't bear to wear a bra. It's uncomfortable, it leaves a mark, I hate it!