Bare Truths:
Exploring the Gender Gap in Naturism.
Recently, I have seen a number of posts and comments bemoaning the lack of women in naturism. While there are women practising naturism, it seems that they are less visible than many would like.
There are a few high-profile women with significant contributions to naturism, but most naturist spaces, especially online, seem to lack female representation.
There are plenty of women online with sexualised profiles, mislabelled as naturists, peddling their images for cash, but to misquote Obi-Wan Kenobi, these are not the naturists you are looking for.
There are theories, suggestions, excuses and reasons as to why more women don’t appear to embrace naturism.
From a male perspective, is it possible that the reason more women don’t engage in naturism online is men, or more specifically, men's reactions and comments whenever a woman displays any hint of naturist tendencies?
I have heard or read many stories from women about poor experiences when they have tried nudity at parks or beaches. Being ogled at or having their space invaded by unwanted or leering men seems to be a common complaint. Most women have experienced objectification in many areas of their lives, but just because they have, doesn’t make it ok.
Often, women have to spend time thinking and worrying about their safety in situations where men give no thought to the matter. Simple things like walking home late at night, going for a jog in the local park or even getting into an elevator can cause anxiety and worry. Given the track record of assaults on women by men, many women are rightfully wary of putting themselves in a vulnerable position.
Asking women to take off their clothes and relax with others now seems a bit more unreasonable.
New female profiles on many naturist sites seem to get bombarded with greetings and friend requests as soon as their profile appears, which must be somewhat overwhelming.
Add to that, the propensity for the popular and open online naturist spaces to be heavily populated by often faceless images with penises in various states of arousal, and for many the naturist world appears less inclusive or inviting. Admittedly, many of these images may not be posted for the attention of women, but perhaps for the attention of other men. Whatever the intention of the posts, the fact remains that for women dipping their toes into the pool of naturism, they are often assaulted with a barrage of overt male posturing.
On the matter of posting images, it may be that many people want to post naked pictures of themselves during normal activity, yet lack someone else to take the photo. This often results in images that are taken at arms length (too close), focus on the genitals rather than the activity, or are at an angle that distorts the subject. This distortion is possibly caused by putting the camera on the ground rather than at eye level. We don't view the world from the ground, so apart from a few artistic examples, these photos often look odd.
A little bit of time and effort to position the camera higher up and further away and to set up a remote or timed shutter release, something most phones and cameras are capable of, would yield much more natural results.
This assumes, of course, that the original intent is promoting naturism rather than advertising the merits of your penis for others to look at in awe. I suspect that many images in online posts are thinly disguised for the latter purpose. Just a heads-up guys, for seasoned naturists, most penises are unremarkable.
If you are posting naked pictures of yourself to entice others, the fact that your door is not being beaten down with hordes of people overwhelmed by the majesty of your manhood might suggest that it isn’t as impressive as you think.
Advertisers have long been using scantily clad females to sell products and there are numerous online accounts peddling female sexualised content. Despite that, society struggles with female nudity. A topless woman walking down the street gets a disapproving response from authorities and risks arrest, whereas a topless male in the same circumstances is largely ignored.
Society uses sexualised femininity to sell products, and it may come as a surprise to many men that most women are not constantly in a state of undress or arousal, waiting for the next bloke to whisk them away in unbridled lust.
I am sure that there are women who enjoy sitting outside in the fresh air with the sun and breeze on their naked skin. I guess that they just don't need to go online and chat about it or share images of themselves. For those women, their private nudity is enough. They can enjoy the positives of the nude experience without the barrage of wolf whistles and cat calls that the online community brings.
Rather than speculate as to why women aren’t more engaged in naturism, we could simply ask them. The problem here is that we already have, and they have already told us the answer. We just weren’t listening.
Women are unlikely to frequent spaces where they don’t feel safe.
As men, it is our conduct and attitude that keep many women away from naturism. By objectifying others or sexualising things, our behaviour prevents many people from considering naturism.
Before you all shout, “Not all men!”, I agree. Not all men are guilty of such poor behaviour, but we are often guilty of not calling out poor behaviour in others when we see it. We have to do better.
Personally, my naturism is about my comfort. This may seem selfish, but I don't need a gender balance to make me feel better. If suddenly every other nudist decided that clothing was a better option, I would still be naked at home.
Do I wish that there were more women visible in naturism? Absolutely, but more specifically, I wish there were more people taking part in naturism.
Safe spaces require that we appreciate and respect the vulnerability of others and grace it with our own. - Christen Killick
Thank you for reading. Have a comfortable day.
Naturism:
Good for the environment, great for the soul.
A cogent and sensible discussion as always, Steve, and rehearsing many of the “why no women?” discussion points - though almost always made by men because …. there’re no women!
The one argument never heard whenever there is a perceived lack of a particular group in an activity (be that naturism, juggling, skydiving, anything) is that maybe that group just doesn’t want to.
Could it simply be that going naked appeals to something in the male psyche but doesn’t appeal to the female psyche? Does there have to be a deeper reason, especially one that sets parts of society against each other?
A debate we’ve had in the UK is whether the countryside is racist, because non-white people don’t go hiking. No one has suggested that perhaps, as a social group, they don’t enjoy hiking, there has to be a flaw in society keeping them out.
The same might be said of women, ethnic groups, young people, choristers or flower-arrangers when it comes to naturism.
"If you are posting naked pictures of yourself to entice others, the fact that your door is not being beaten down with hordes of people overwhelmed by the majesty of your manhood might suggest that it isn’t as impressive as you think."
This is probably my favourite paragraph in your piece, Steve! It never ceases to amaze me how so many men who purport to be seasoned naturists - even some who have been on the NZNF Executive - can't resist a man-spread shot of the family jewels or an arm's length selfie that must include the obligatory penis shot. Naturism claims to be a non-sexual philosophy, but to many men it clearly is sexual. I'm constantly removing or declining pics of penises in various states of arousal from Hauraki Naturally's various platforms. It really is frustrating!
The obvious lack of women on naturist online sites has been an ongoing question for me, and you seem to have reached the same conclusion that I've come to - mostly the barrage of unwanted attention.
I have a theory about that. and my theory has been reinforced by my attendance at Kiwiburn for the last two years. At Kiwiburn nudity is commonplace - both with males and females, as well as kids. Nobody feels unsafe because there is an understanding of consent and it is well understood amongst the 2,000 or more participants in the festival. But it's NOT a nudist or naturist festival. There is no emphasis on nudity - everyone is free to wear or not wear whatever they like. And that's what attracted me to attend, as it's closely aligned with Hauraki Naturally's clothing-freedom advocacy.
So that was a light-bulb moment for me. I believe that naturist and nudist venues - both physical places and online spaces - are bombarded by men because they are sought out by men thinking they will gain some sexual gratification. Men are visual creatures and a naturist place will certainly provide plenty of visual material of naked bodies. I imagine most naturist men will deny that applies to them, but I suspect that, even subconsciously, that is the case.
I'm now focusing on events that have a special interest other than nudity, and removing nudity as the focus. In fact all our activities are now clothing-optional. People are free to partake in activities in whatever clothing they choose - or be naked if they choose. Not everyone has to be naked to make it normal and acceptable.