Lady Godiva Day

July 10th is Lady Godiva Day.  In my opinion it should be a public holiday, but it isn’t.  As second best, it should be celebrated by all naturists / nudists and other civil libertarians.  I have included the day in my blog post about the “Naturist Calendar.”  Let me explain why.

Lady Godiva was an actual historical person who, according to legend, on July 10th in the year 1040, rode naked through the streets of Coventry, England in order to convince her husband to abolish abusive taxes he had levied.  Historians argue whether this is fact, an embellishment of a somewhat different event or a complete fiction.  Well of course historians argue about it, historians argue about everything.  Each has a theory and is willing to expound it while denigrating any competing theories.  However, they all agree that Lady Godiva (“Godgyfu” was the original Anglo-Saxon form of the name) was a real person, the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia.

All social and political movements need heroes and icons.  Who would be better as a heroine and icon for naturism than Lady Godiva?  Who indeed?  Lady Godiva is the very image of non-sexualized public nudity.  Competing versions of the Godiva legend say that the Lady herself asked the people of Coventry not to violate her modesty or that the officials of the town ordered all of the people to be indoors with their doors and shutters fastened.  But both versions, and others, are mere speculation.  No one knows the actual circumstances of Lady Godiva’s ride.

The legend also tells that the sole person to violate Lady Godiva’s modesty was a nasty little chap named Tom, the original “Peeping Tom,” who was struck blind in divine retribution.  I like this little detail.  I like it a lot.  Whether it is true is entirely beside the point;  it reflects the opinion of the people of the era in which it was written.  That is: (1) Lady Godiva’s public nudity was innocent, was done for the public good and was inoffensive to God,  (2) Peeping Tom represents the minority of one who took prurient interest in her nudity and  (3) God struck Tom blind in divine retribution.  This is a perfect example of the Garter motto in action:  "Honi soit qui mal y pense" or "shame on him who thinks evil of it."   Indeed!  Shame on any person who automatically connects innocent nudity with prurience. 

As far as I am concerned the story of Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom records what was beyond doubt public opinion at the time: that innocent public nudity was neither a civil nor a religious crime and that God’s approval of innocent public nudity went so far as to punish prurience.  At least that is the way I see it.

I consider that Lady Godiva’s ride qualifies her to be the Patron Saint of Naturism, and that her Saint’s Day, July 10, should be suitably celebrated by naturists everywhere.  No, you don’t have to be a Catholic, or a Christian, or even a religious person of any variety to see it this way.  When I speak of “saints” I do not refer to religious figures with supernatural powers.  I speak of real human beings who stand up for or who exemplify principles that should be important to civil society.  For Lady Godiva the issue was unfair taxation.  For us, the principle issue is whether public nudity should be accepted for what it is, an innocent wardrobe choice, rather than for what latter day morality zealots – the Peeping Toms of our times – claim it to be, immoral.  To that sorry latter group I say “Honi soit qui mal y pense.”