My name is Melanie, and I am a student at a large state university—a place that has quite a reputation as a party school. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I am masquerading as a student to get some interesting perspectives on college life in the millennial age. I am really a writer/blogger working for an alternative newspaper. My editor approached me with the concept and offered to pay all expenses if I would be willing to go undercover to experience college life firsthand. I was admittedly rather hesitant since I am a rather modest person with limited experience in the world of parties and sex, but I agreed when he told me that the project might lead to a book project and possibly an independent art film. It seemed like a promising way to take my career to a new level, and so I accepted the challenge. I vowed to push myself to explore experiences I might otherwise have avoided, and, in the end, I surprised myself with a newfound sense of courage and adventure. Here is a chapter in my series titled "Coed Confidante".
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Until a few weeks ago, I had always considered myself to be a relatively modest girl. I had only dated a few guys in high school, and only a couple of them had ever managed to get my clothes off. Since I started this Coed Confidante project, however, I must admit that my horizons have been expanded and some of my long-standing inhibitions have started to melt away. My editor had been hoping for this outcome, and so far he has been pleased with the articles I have written for the project. As for me, I have started to enjoy my confident new lifestyle and I have surprised myself with my willingness to take on assignments that have led me to bare my inner emotions-as well as my body—in the pursuit of human interest stories.
That being said, I was still more than a bit unnerved when I got a call from my editor with a lead on a new story. He had seen a classified ad in the Help Wanted section of an alternative newspaper seeking a waitress at a clothing optional resort over in the next town, and he figured it would be a great set-up for my next assignment. The resort was less than 35 minutes from campus, he argued, so I could easily get there after classes or on a day off. When he heard the hesitation in my voice, he quickly reminded me that I had already done the skinny dip sorority initiation thing and the nude swim team thing. With those experiences under my belt, he continued, taking a job at a nudist resort would probably not be much of a stretch for me. He told me to think about it for a couple of days before I decide.
That evening, I poked around on the Internet to do some research on the resort. The photos I found made it look like a very respectable and somewhat upscale resort, and I found a ton of reviews from people who claimed it was one of the better clothing optional resorts in the country. That helped to raise my confidence a bit, so I decided to explore the option.
I knew immediately that I would only go if I could get a good friend to join me—someone who would give me advice I could trust. I also felt it was best to have someone with me in case I encountered an uncomfortable situation or felt pressured to do something against my will. My first choice was Jason, my new friend from the fraternity that partners with my sorority house, but he had another commitment on the Saturday I had picked out to visit the resort. My next choice was Kelly, one of my best friends from high school. I picked up my phone and gave her a call.
"Kelly!" I said enthusiastically when she picked up. "It's Melanie."
"I saw your name on the caller ID, and I admit I was a bit surprised," Kelly replied. "What's it been? Three months since we last talked?"
"Probably longer than that," I apologized. "Sorry I am such a shitty communicator."
"So what's up?" Kelly said with a laugh. "Do you need money or something? Did you get into an accident?"
"No, I am all good. In fact, I am really starting to settle in to the college scene. I actually called with a request. Let me warn you in advance, though—you are going to think I am making this up."
"I'm listening," Kelly said in a quizzical voice. "What is this wild request?"
"I am thinking of going to a clothing optional resort on Saturday, and I am afraid to go alone," I replied. "You're the first person I thought of who might have the guts to go with me."
"You're right. I do think you are making this up," Kelly laughed. "Of all the people I know who might tell me that they wanted to walk around naked in broad daylight in front of a crowd of strangers, you would probably be the last one on my list. What in the hell are you talking about?"
I spent the next fifteen minutes explaining my Coed Confidante project and some of the experiences I have had over the past few weeks. I assured her that I was no longer the painfully shy girl that she knew in high school, and I told her that the thought of visiting a nudist resort was not quite as daunting as it might have been before. We talked for almost an hour and got caught up on all of the news in our lives, and then I steered her back again to the purpose of my call. After offering up some lame excuses, she finally admitted that she was free on Saturday and that she would agree to join me. I told her I would pick her up early on Saturday morning.
The drive took about forty minutes and after a couple of missed turns, we found the small road that led into the resort. We had to stop at a security gate where an attendant looked at our ID cards. I explained that I was answering a classified ad for a waitress position, and he waved us through with directions to find the main office.
Once in the resort office, I began to relax a bit since every one working behind the counter was dressed, at least for the most part. There were a couple of girls sitting topless behind their computer screens wearing only wrap-around skirts, but they were not all bare-assed naked like I expected them to be. I introduced myself and Kelly to the receptionist and explained that I was there to inquire about the waitress position. She told me the restaurant and bar manager was a man named Chris and that she would call him to let him know I was here. She suggested that we sit at a table overlooking the pool area and we heard her put out a call to him on a walkie-talkie as we located an open table. As we gazed out over the pool area, all of my worst fears instantly came rushing back. Unlike the office staff, every single person out there was completely and unequivocally nude. There were no topless sunbathers here. There were no women wearing thongs or guys in those so-called banana hammocks. There was no one exercising the "optional" part of the "clothing optional" label. Just a sea of naked people of all sizes and ages walking around or swimming in the buff.
"This is not exactly what I was expecting," I said quietly as my eyes continued to take in the gallery of flesh in front of me. "This boggles my mind."
