Fremont Solstice Parade

The Fremont parade has always been one of the highlights of my summer and a great way to kick off the summer solstice. (Though it still usually includes overcast skies and rain...come on we’re still from Washington you know!) This year was my third time attending the parade, however, this year I participated in a different fashion. Every year the parade starts off with mass of beautifully painted individuals riding their bicycles excitedly through the streets.  Some are part of a larger group ensemble such as the Batman series (Batman, Joker, Robing, etc.) or The Avengers, while others choose to pain themselves as individual creations. Whatever a person decides to go as, each individual adds a special flavor to the overall radiance that the parade displays. After watching in awe these past two years, I finally decided this year would be my year; I would be a bicyclist!

Typically, when people first hear about the Fremont bicyclist they react with shock. “Why would anybody want to ride around the streets naked,” they inquire? Time and time again, people who have not experienced the parade first hand already have preconceived notions and opinions on a situation they do not fully comprehend. Well let me divulge my opinion on the parade, now both as an observer and a participant.

Yes, the Fremont bicyclists do ride naked, but if you focus solely on that nominal notion, you are missing the entire point of the ride. For me, the ride signifies something we could all do with a little more of – acceptance.  Never before have I stood in a place surrounded by so many strangers and felt so comfortable in my own skin. The bicyclists are one of the most genuine, accepting groups I have found. They do not discriminate against the individual. Regardless of your shape, size, ethnicity, or gender all are welcomed one and the same. I stood their naked, surrounded by a room packed full of other naked people, and yet it was not in the least bit unsettling. Actually, it was quite the opposite. To reveal yourself in such a manner is highly liberating. For the first time I was able to bare myself to the world and say, “Look, this is who I am.” I am imperfect. I am human. I have flaws. Yet despite all my imperfections I can still stand here proudly and show that I have pride and love for myself.

How often in today’s world can people look in the mirror and find beauty within themselves? That’s right, not very often. We are governed by media and society on who we should be, how we should look, and the ways in which we should conduct ourselves. We constantly tell ourselves we should not accept societies’ conception of beauty, yet we’re always beating ourselves up over this idealized, unrealistic self-image. Who really defines beauty in the first place?

 When you can find beauty in yourself, you show that beauty to the world. When you can learn to accept and love yourself, you more readily accept and love others. To change your conception of beauty is a wonderful thing. We are all beings sharing this world in which we live. I like to think the human race is comprised of imperfect perfections. We are all different, but our differences are what make us who we are. We are more beautiful because of our differences, not our similarities. To compare ones self to another is in essence to disregard the glorious characteristics that make each of us special. We all have something unique to offer up that no other person on this planet has to offer, so why not embrace completely who you are and spend your life loving yourself, rather than picking yourself apart for the things that really are what make you special.

The Fremont parade, and especially the bicyclists, helps solidify these ideas in me.  I found more open love and acceptance in a room full of naked people than I’ve ever found in a room full of clothed ones. The Fremont parade to me signifies love, acceptance, and the purist forms of joy, all which should be experienced through a loving relationship with yourself, others, and the world around you. If we could all celebrate what makes us different and embrace our bodies in the way the bicyclists showed me, I think our world, and our expectations of ourselves would all benefit immensely in the end. 

To see a video of the bicyclist check them out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3zDT6nzKN4

Also, if you're interested in more solstice pics check out Matthew's site at: http://www.mcsheehy.com/People/Fremont-Summer-Solstice-Parade/23621485_mpFfvn#!i=1911317538&k=Sgtt8xP