We need to understand that we are the oddballs. Most people do not want nudity to be nonsexual. That means that we will never completely separate nudity from sexuality in the mind of the general public. We are taking away their fun.
We can control the content on our own blogs, forums, and social media groups. I cannot control yours and you cannot control mine. Google isn't about to tell sites what keywords they are allowed to use. You could go to porn sites and ask them to take "nudist" out of their keyword lists and they will laugh at you.
Maybe the problem isn't the sites. People who want to research nudism don't type "nudist" into the search bar. If typing "nudist" into the search bar pulls up porn, it is because the algorithm learned that people who typed that probably weren't looking for AANR or TNS. ****It learned that those people were looking for pictures of naked people.**** Nothing we can do about that. If people have purportedly nudist sites that display erections or cheesecake photography or whatever, nothing we can do about that either.
When you cannot change something, it is best to accept reality as it is and maneuver within it as best you can. We are one species of fish and the broader culture is a river. All we can do is be the change we want to see in the world, to the extent we are allowed.
I agree that we may be the minority and that we are unable to control or perhaps even influence the attitudes of the general public and you may be right about the algorithms returning the type of content that the majority wish to see.
I am not convinced that it is best to give up my philosophy because I cannot change the attitudes of others. While compromising my beliefs to "fit in" with the majority might seem the easiest option, I don't accept that it is the right path for my well-being.
I would rather be the only person swimming against the masses than swim with them and be living a lie to my true self.
We might not be able to change the reality that we face, but by continually accepting the status quo without challenging it, we give up the fight and become more isolated.
I don't believe that I am alone in my views, and that fact alone gives me the strength to continue calling out overtly sexualised content as something separate from naturism.
Acceptance isn’t saying: this is OK. Acceptance is saying: this has happened, it is part of life, and life gives you things you didn’t ask for. It means accepting the tragic element of life and still saying: I want this.
Nobody wants you to give up your philosophy. But if you aren't getting "This isn't nudism!" out to textiles, it is effort without result. Nudists already know what isn't nudism. Consumers of porn don't care.
There is never a reason to post a non-flaccid photo of one's penis on a nudist site. Just wait until your erection to subside before taking the photo. If you can't do so then don't take the photo.
I personally feel Social Media does have a places in naturism/nudism today, as it has since its inception. What we call Social Media today, didn’t exist just a few years ago. Before the World Wide Web, Social Media existed in the form of magazines, flyers, and other periodicals. While those do still exist, back then, that was about the only way to “get the word out” or show those curious, what naturism/nudism really is. Today, thanks to technology, we can “look it up” by just typing a few words into a search engine on the devices many of us have on us or near us 24/7.
And as the OP has pointed out very well, this is the issue or problem with Social Media. And to a point, was a problem even back before the Internet existed. Nudist or Naturist Magazines were found in the “Adult Sections” of newsstands or bookstores. In some of the actual Adult Magazines, the publishers did then, what some Adult Entertainment Websites do now and that is use the words Naturism/Nudism to “sell” their product, which is not Naturism/Nudism.
To me, this is the biggest problem we face when it comes to Social Media and Naturism/Nudism. When searching for Naturism/Nudism on the Net, how many of the above mentioned in the comments here, actual “real” Naturism/Nudism sites actually show up on the first or front page? Maybe one or two? If any?
If a person honestly curious about Naturism/Nudism, searches, what are we expected to think when these people open the sites that claim to be Naturist/Nudist sites, and it isn’t “real”?
I only have one real problem with Adult Entertainment Companies. I do feel they should be allowed to exist, not going to lie, I’ve used them, or visited them. Some are fun, some are actually interesting. They DO have a place in our society. I mean, we’re all sexual animals. My only real issue is that some, not all, have what I call, “Hijacked Naturism/Nudism” to sell their product. And as a true honest Nudist, this bothers me. There needs to be a separation between Adult Entertainment, and Naturism/Nudism.
Without the “Old Time” Social Media, I most likely wouldn’t have learned of the wonderful world of Nudism when I did. I saw normal, everyday people, doing normal, everyday things, nude. What I took away then from seeing this, was they were always happy, smiling and having fun. They looked free. Enjoying life. I didn’t think “sex”, in fact, didn’t know what sex even was at the time. I wanted to be like those people. Today, I am.
The Internet is a great and very productive tool that we as Naturists/Nudists can use to “spread the word” about honest true naturism/nudism. Finding honest true nudism sites is and will be a problem we’ll be dealing with for the foreseeable future. Can we really blame “newbies” or curious naturists/nudists for not knowing what is correct, acceptable, or okay, with all of the “misinformation” that exists?
I applaud the OP for doing his part in moderating the sites he does. I’ve had and have “blogs” geared towards actual naturism/nudism on different sites over the years. Moderating them could almost be a full time job. Blocking pictures, stories, experiences that are NOT naturism/nudism, happens more often than not. Maybe one out of ten “submissions’ I receive is approved.
It's obvious that few people will always be there who oversteps or crosses the line..It just simply means that these people have not understood as to what exactly naturism is all about or may be they have understood but are overlooking naturism principles. Or else, as you have said rightly, the line crossing may be acceptable in their definition of naturism... This will always happen as we live with huge diversity of people...
Sex and arousal ARE a natural part of the human condition. The real question is: What does the blog's readership want? What do they expect?
That is why paywalled nudist publications don't have erections or closeup dick shots. You wouldn't pay the money to join a specifically nonsexual site if you wanted those sorts of things. If one did show up, a moderator would probably quickly nix it.
Nudist sites that are free but still have a membership depend entirely on the moderators to keep the riff-raff out. In this case, the site may or may not retain a strictly nudist nature. It drifts according to what the viewership wants and what the moderators care about. They may be more inclined to let the "borderline" stuff in because they live and die by views and interactions.
And there are fake "nudist" sites that cater to the exhibitionist/voyeur crowd.
None of these have the slightest impact on the general textile community. They don't go there.
If you participate in free range nudity, there are sometimes erections; some intentional, some unintentional. Some guys don't understand nudist etiquette, some figure it doesn't apply then and there, and some are just there to flaunt it. I see guys sporting wood at the Bare to Breakers, opening night at Nude Art LA, and sometimes remote hot springs. I am neither threatened nor offended. Neither are most of the textiles present.
What irritates me in general are are the "See me? I'm naked!" shots that aren't sexually explicit but leave me wondering why they posted the photo. Often shot in a bedroom or bathroom in the mirror. Just sitting on a bed or a sofa. Or done with a selfie stick and carefully angled to get the genitals in a corner.
Where's the story? Why should I be interested? You don't need to "prove you're one of us" that way. I'll take your word for it. Use nude photos to tell a story or as an expression of artistry, not just so we know you were naked, at some point. But that's an aesthetic objection, not a moral one.
"What irritates me in general are are the "See me? I'm naked!" shots that aren't sexually explicit but leave me wondering why they posted the photo. "
Absolutely, Fred! I'm totally with you on that one! It's as though they have to pose naked in order to prove that they are part of "the crowd". Often is lamely camouflaged under the guise of doing something ordinary, like "Having a morning coffee on the patio" or "Time for a shower before bed" or some other meaningless thing that attempts to legitimize displaying their genitalia. It really is tedious crap, to be honest.
Perhaps these people are simply testing the waters and dipping their toes into the idea of being photographed naked until it becomes as unremarkable as seasoned naturists find it. Just a thought.
I would like to think so, Steve. However one of the worst culprits is someone who was on the executive of the NZNF - along with others of similar ilk. One of his pics showed him standing by a BBQ - one hand holding a pair of tongs, and the other holding his apron aside so we could see just how naked he was. Just ridiculous! There are so many others like him.
Here's the big problem with "genuine" naturist social media sites - every new one that pops up just fragments the naturist community a little more. That's a serious problem, because it limits the number of other naturists who can be followed and who one might actually meet in "real life" if they live relatively nearby or somewhere one is likely to visit. It also seriously complicates naturists cooperating to promote naturism.
I know of only a few sites (where English is the main language) that seem pretty good. There's Naturist Hub, A Naturist World, and ClothesFree.com. I'd also include British naturism. Naturists outside the UK are welcome to join. Membership costs a little more than others, and most of the active members are in the UK, but it does have good forums and an outstanding quarterly magazine. That's about it for the best sites. I also know of at least 20 sites that are inactive or have completely failed.
There are many naturist groups on Meetup, but they're mostly for limited geographic areas where in-person activities are feasible. There's some naturist discussion on Discord, but the site's user interface is awful (IMO). Haven't heard of Nude Revolution before. I'd certainly be interested in other suggestions. I think having a "paywall" shouldn't be a problem. It discourages looky-loos, and even a moderately popular site needs a source of income to be viable. TANSTAAFL.
What about social media for the general public? Many have groups specifically for naturists. Facebook alone probably has over 100 naturist groups. Some are open to anyone while others are private, but all have moderators who keep out non-naturist activity. Their content rules may be slightly less restrictive than Facebook's. Naturist conversations also occur on Facebook "pages". Twitter/X has thousands of accounts used by naturists, but few are active, and there's little moderation. Other general sites have naturist sections or active naturist accounts - mainly Reddit, MeWe, and Tumblr. But as with Twitter/X, there's much stuff that's not naturist.
Have I omitted anything important? Let's face it: there's far less naturist activity on Bluesky than almost all the others. If "federation" ever actually becomes a reality, the situation will improve significantly... but the necessary protocols are still unsettled. And there's just additional fragmentation.
Social media really is just a means to an end. It's not really "social" by living in front of a keyboard. The only real use of social media for the naturist community is to enable naturists to socialise in real life. There are plenty of websites giving information about naturism, nudism, and other forms of clothing-optional living that don't involve membership, if that's what you're after. But, as a means of gathering naturists together for real-life social events. then social media is ideal - in which case any one group really only needs to have members within a reasonable geographical radius. And that means the more, the better!
And that's the whole point of sites like Meetup - they enable real life interaction. It's not about fragmentation. It's about spreading naturism globally in the real world - not behind a phone or computer screen.
The problem in many parts of the world is that being naked in public is illegal. That creates two significant issues that the naturist community must deal with. Firstly, it means that naturists are forced into hiding and secrecy. You can only socialise in resorts, behind tall hedge-rows and locked gates, or at lonely, isolated beaches, or in your own home with the curtains drawn. And secondly, the illegality reinforces the mindset that nakedness is immoral, shameful, and inherently sexual. A possible third problem in other countries, such as here in New Zealand, where public nudity is not illegal, is that many naturists just don't realise their own rights and freedom! Instead of getting out and enjoying our stunning outback country with its forests, lakes and rivers, far too many naturists are fixated on club grounds - fearing what others will think if they are seen naked.
"Social media really is just a means to an end. It's not really "social" by living in front of a keyboard. The only real use of social media for the naturist community is to enable naturists to socialize in real life."
Actually, social media have many important "real" uses besides "real life" socializing, although that's important. For example, they can enable naturists everywhere to share ideas on naturist activities, educate potential naturists and encourage participation, learn about new opportunities, promote naturism locally - and much more. Social media are an important resource - if they're actually used.
"There are plenty of websites giving information about naturism, nudism, and other forms of clothing-optional living that don't involve membership."
Yes, there are some sites like that - especially national and regional naturist organizations in many countries. They provide good information - but also want new (paying) members to support what they do. Naturist blogs used to be good resources, but unfortunately, most have gone silent or shut down. There are only a few naturist substacks, and some want users to pay for full access. Newsletter services that don't ask readers to pay exist, but they're funded (for example) by advertising - which could be done by naturist clubs. Even non-landed clubs may want members to pay something - because they do have expenses and publicity can help them grow.
"that's the whole point of sites like Meetup - they enable real-life interaction. It's not about fragmentation. It's about spreading naturism globally in the real world"
There are many more online sites besides Meetup that facilitate real-life interaction - the sites of landed and non-landed clubs, as well as numerous Facebook naturist groups tied to specific places.
"The problem in many parts of the world is that being naked in public is illegal."
All too true. Only a few countries in the world are reasonably tolerant of public nudity in places like beaches, public parks, hiking trails, etc. Besides New Zealand there's England, Germany, Spain, France, and some smaller Western European countries. Many more naturists in other countries are needed to work on improving the situation - by persuading public officials to learn more about naturism, advocating loosening restrictive laws, and requesting more places for naturist use. And - guess what - social media are great for organizing efforts to persuade public officials. (Contact your local officials and legislators! Here's a sample letter to write!)
In the U.S. there are some, but relatively fewer, places to enjoy naturism other than private properties and landed clubs. One function of online social media is to persuade more people to learn about and try naturism where they can. Of course, private homes are a good place to start and small gatherings in private homes (in addition to family) are especially good.
I can only speak from my own experience, but my observations are that it is almost entirely men. My feeling is that women who think of nudity as a sexualised commodity have already successfully monetised their content and are selling it to groups of men online. (I know, not all women). The women who come to naturism seem to understand that social nudity is not about sex. Having said that, there are plenty of people , male, female and other, who believe that social nudity is disgusting and immoral, but these people are less likely to be on naturist social media.
I kind of had a feeling (it reminded me of the bear/man thought experiment that's running rampant), but you make a really fascinating point about monetizing that aspect of it.
This a really important question. A large majority of women say they are more frightened of meeting a man in the woods than a bear. LARGE majority.
Now imagine a textile lady who is already primed to see nudity as sexual and primed to think of a man as a threat. How is she going to react to encountering a nude man on a trail? It is a double whammy.
This is why I take great care to ensure I have a trail to myself. In the rare unexpected encounter, I do everything I can to make the encounter unthreatening and unremarkable. I suppose I could just say, "To hell with her stupid feelings. I have my rights!" That does not sit well with me nor would it soften the public's antipathy to public nudism.
Interesting things happen if it is a group of nude people or a mixed gender couple. Doesn't raise the same red flags. It would still be stupid to be aggressive about it.
Absolutely correct! A group of people who gather to socialise together without clothing (call it a club, if you like) should be seen as no more sexualised than any other special interest club - a motorcycle club, a tennis club, a book club, etc. The difficulty that naturist or other clothes-free groups have to deal with is the mindset that associates a naked person with sex - that as soon as a person sees another naked human, that image is used as a sexual turn-on. I would go so far as to suggest that it is the tradition of wearing clothes to "hide one's modesty" that is largely responsible for the absence of clothing making the naked human form into a sexual object. As one who has been brought up from childhood in an environment where being naked is commonplace, and the wearing of clothes is a matter of choice and comfort and not compulsory, I've been fortunate to have received a sexuality that isn't automatically triggered by simply seeing a naked person. I believe the same applies to those indigenous tribal groups that have not been affected by western culture - they happily go about their daily lives naked as their normal state. Clothing causes the "forbidden fruit" effect of fantasizing over what is hidden. Then the sudden absence of clothes allows that fantasy to manifest.
Hi Steve, another well written and thoughtful post. I agree very much with your definition of being a naturist. Just because we enjoy being naked with others doesn’t mean we want to see inappropriate behaviour.
We need to understand that we are the oddballs. Most people do not want nudity to be nonsexual. That means that we will never completely separate nudity from sexuality in the mind of the general public. We are taking away their fun.
We can control the content on our own blogs, forums, and social media groups. I cannot control yours and you cannot control mine. Google isn't about to tell sites what keywords they are allowed to use. You could go to porn sites and ask them to take "nudist" out of their keyword lists and they will laugh at you.
Maybe the problem isn't the sites. People who want to research nudism don't type "nudist" into the search bar. If typing "nudist" into the search bar pulls up porn, it is because the algorithm learned that people who typed that probably weren't looking for AANR or TNS. ****It learned that those people were looking for pictures of naked people.**** Nothing we can do about that. If people have purportedly nudist sites that display erections or cheesecake photography or whatever, nothing we can do about that either.
When you cannot change something, it is best to accept reality as it is and maneuver within it as best you can. We are one species of fish and the broader culture is a river. All we can do is be the change we want to see in the world, to the extent we are allowed.
I agree that we may be the minority and that we are unable to control or perhaps even influence the attitudes of the general public and you may be right about the algorithms returning the type of content that the majority wish to see.
I am not convinced that it is best to give up my philosophy because I cannot change the attitudes of others. While compromising my beliefs to "fit in" with the majority might seem the easiest option, I don't accept that it is the right path for my well-being.
I would rather be the only person swimming against the masses than swim with them and be living a lie to my true self.
We might not be able to change the reality that we face, but by continually accepting the status quo without challenging it, we give up the fight and become more isolated.
I don't believe that I am alone in my views, and that fact alone gives me the strength to continue calling out overtly sexualised content as something separate from naturism.
Acceptance isn’t saying: this is OK. Acceptance is saying: this has happened, it is part of life, and life gives you things you didn’t ask for. It means accepting the tragic element of life and still saying: I want this.
Nobody wants you to give up your philosophy. But if you aren't getting "This isn't nudism!" out to textiles, it is effort without result. Nudists already know what isn't nudism. Consumers of porn don't care.
There is never a reason to post a non-flaccid photo of one's penis on a nudist site. Just wait until your erection to subside before taking the photo. If you can't do so then don't take the photo.
I personally feel Social Media does have a places in naturism/nudism today, as it has since its inception. What we call Social Media today, didn’t exist just a few years ago. Before the World Wide Web, Social Media existed in the form of magazines, flyers, and other periodicals. While those do still exist, back then, that was about the only way to “get the word out” or show those curious, what naturism/nudism really is. Today, thanks to technology, we can “look it up” by just typing a few words into a search engine on the devices many of us have on us or near us 24/7.
And as the OP has pointed out very well, this is the issue or problem with Social Media. And to a point, was a problem even back before the Internet existed. Nudist or Naturist Magazines were found in the “Adult Sections” of newsstands or bookstores. In some of the actual Adult Magazines, the publishers did then, what some Adult Entertainment Websites do now and that is use the words Naturism/Nudism to “sell” their product, which is not Naturism/Nudism.
To me, this is the biggest problem we face when it comes to Social Media and Naturism/Nudism. When searching for Naturism/Nudism on the Net, how many of the above mentioned in the comments here, actual “real” Naturism/Nudism sites actually show up on the first or front page? Maybe one or two? If any?
If a person honestly curious about Naturism/Nudism, searches, what are we expected to think when these people open the sites that claim to be Naturist/Nudist sites, and it isn’t “real”?
I only have one real problem with Adult Entertainment Companies. I do feel they should be allowed to exist, not going to lie, I’ve used them, or visited them. Some are fun, some are actually interesting. They DO have a place in our society. I mean, we’re all sexual animals. My only real issue is that some, not all, have what I call, “Hijacked Naturism/Nudism” to sell their product. And as a true honest Nudist, this bothers me. There needs to be a separation between Adult Entertainment, and Naturism/Nudism.
Without the “Old Time” Social Media, I most likely wouldn’t have learned of the wonderful world of Nudism when I did. I saw normal, everyday people, doing normal, everyday things, nude. What I took away then from seeing this, was they were always happy, smiling and having fun. They looked free. Enjoying life. I didn’t think “sex”, in fact, didn’t know what sex even was at the time. I wanted to be like those people. Today, I am.
The Internet is a great and very productive tool that we as Naturists/Nudists can use to “spread the word” about honest true naturism/nudism. Finding honest true nudism sites is and will be a problem we’ll be dealing with for the foreseeable future. Can we really blame “newbies” or curious naturists/nudists for not knowing what is correct, acceptable, or okay, with all of the “misinformation” that exists?
I applaud the OP for doing his part in moderating the sites he does. I’ve had and have “blogs” geared towards actual naturism/nudism on different sites over the years. Moderating them could almost be a full time job. Blocking pictures, stories, experiences that are NOT naturism/nudism, happens more often than not. Maybe one out of ten “submissions’ I receive is approved.
Education is the key, but the struggle continues.
It's obvious that few people will always be there who oversteps or crosses the line..It just simply means that these people have not understood as to what exactly naturism is all about or may be they have understood but are overlooking naturism principles. Or else, as you have said rightly, the line crossing may be acceptable in their definition of naturism... This will always happen as we live with huge diversity of people...
Sex and arousal ARE a natural part of the human condition. The real question is: What does the blog's readership want? What do they expect?
That is why paywalled nudist publications don't have erections or closeup dick shots. You wouldn't pay the money to join a specifically nonsexual site if you wanted those sorts of things. If one did show up, a moderator would probably quickly nix it.
Nudist sites that are free but still have a membership depend entirely on the moderators to keep the riff-raff out. In this case, the site may or may not retain a strictly nudist nature. It drifts according to what the viewership wants and what the moderators care about. They may be more inclined to let the "borderline" stuff in because they live and die by views and interactions.
And there are fake "nudist" sites that cater to the exhibitionist/voyeur crowd.
None of these have the slightest impact on the general textile community. They don't go there.
If you participate in free range nudity, there are sometimes erections; some intentional, some unintentional. Some guys don't understand nudist etiquette, some figure it doesn't apply then and there, and some are just there to flaunt it. I see guys sporting wood at the Bare to Breakers, opening night at Nude Art LA, and sometimes remote hot springs. I am neither threatened nor offended. Neither are most of the textiles present.
What irritates me in general are are the "See me? I'm naked!" shots that aren't sexually explicit but leave me wondering why they posted the photo. Often shot in a bedroom or bathroom in the mirror. Just sitting on a bed or a sofa. Or done with a selfie stick and carefully angled to get the genitals in a corner.
Where's the story? Why should I be interested? You don't need to "prove you're one of us" that way. I'll take your word for it. Use nude photos to tell a story or as an expression of artistry, not just so we know you were naked, at some point. But that's an aesthetic objection, not a moral one.
"What irritates me in general are are the "See me? I'm naked!" shots that aren't sexually explicit but leave me wondering why they posted the photo. "
Absolutely, Fred! I'm totally with you on that one! It's as though they have to pose naked in order to prove that they are part of "the crowd". Often is lamely camouflaged under the guise of doing something ordinary, like "Having a morning coffee on the patio" or "Time for a shower before bed" or some other meaningless thing that attempts to legitimize displaying their genitalia. It really is tedious crap, to be honest.
Perhaps these people are simply testing the waters and dipping their toes into the idea of being photographed naked until it becomes as unremarkable as seasoned naturists find it. Just a thought.
I would like to think so, Steve. However one of the worst culprits is someone who was on the executive of the NZNF - along with others of similar ilk. One of his pics showed him standing by a BBQ - one hand holding a pair of tongs, and the other holding his apron aside so we could see just how naked he was. Just ridiculous! There are so many others like him.
I totally agree! A good article.
Here's the big problem with "genuine" naturist social media sites - every new one that pops up just fragments the naturist community a little more. That's a serious problem, because it limits the number of other naturists who can be followed and who one might actually meet in "real life" if they live relatively nearby or somewhere one is likely to visit. It also seriously complicates naturists cooperating to promote naturism.
I know of only a few sites (where English is the main language) that seem pretty good. There's Naturist Hub, A Naturist World, and ClothesFree.com. I'd also include British naturism. Naturists outside the UK are welcome to join. Membership costs a little more than others, and most of the active members are in the UK, but it does have good forums and an outstanding quarterly magazine. That's about it for the best sites. I also know of at least 20 sites that are inactive or have completely failed.
There are many naturist groups on Meetup, but they're mostly for limited geographic areas where in-person activities are feasible. There's some naturist discussion on Discord, but the site's user interface is awful (IMO). Haven't heard of Nude Revolution before. I'd certainly be interested in other suggestions. I think having a "paywall" shouldn't be a problem. It discourages looky-loos, and even a moderately popular site needs a source of income to be viable. TANSTAAFL.
What about social media for the general public? Many have groups specifically for naturists. Facebook alone probably has over 100 naturist groups. Some are open to anyone while others are private, but all have moderators who keep out non-naturist activity. Their content rules may be slightly less restrictive than Facebook's. Naturist conversations also occur on Facebook "pages". Twitter/X has thousands of accounts used by naturists, but few are active, and there's little moderation. Other general sites have naturist sections or active naturist accounts - mainly Reddit, MeWe, and Tumblr. But as with Twitter/X, there's much stuff that's not naturist.
Have I omitted anything important? Let's face it: there's far less naturist activity on Bluesky than almost all the others. If "federation" ever actually becomes a reality, the situation will improve significantly... but the necessary protocols are still unsettled. And there's just additional fragmentation.
Social media really is just a means to an end. It's not really "social" by living in front of a keyboard. The only real use of social media for the naturist community is to enable naturists to socialise in real life. There are plenty of websites giving information about naturism, nudism, and other forms of clothing-optional living that don't involve membership, if that's what you're after. But, as a means of gathering naturists together for real-life social events. then social media is ideal - in which case any one group really only needs to have members within a reasonable geographical radius. And that means the more, the better!
And that's the whole point of sites like Meetup - they enable real life interaction. It's not about fragmentation. It's about spreading naturism globally in the real world - not behind a phone or computer screen.
The problem in many parts of the world is that being naked in public is illegal. That creates two significant issues that the naturist community must deal with. Firstly, it means that naturists are forced into hiding and secrecy. You can only socialise in resorts, behind tall hedge-rows and locked gates, or at lonely, isolated beaches, or in your own home with the curtains drawn. And secondly, the illegality reinforces the mindset that nakedness is immoral, shameful, and inherently sexual. A possible third problem in other countries, such as here in New Zealand, where public nudity is not illegal, is that many naturists just don't realise their own rights and freedom! Instead of getting out and enjoying our stunning outback country with its forests, lakes and rivers, far too many naturists are fixated on club grounds - fearing what others will think if they are seen naked.
"Social media really is just a means to an end. It's not really "social" by living in front of a keyboard. The only real use of social media for the naturist community is to enable naturists to socialize in real life."
Actually, social media have many important "real" uses besides "real life" socializing, although that's important. For example, they can enable naturists everywhere to share ideas on naturist activities, educate potential naturists and encourage participation, learn about new opportunities, promote naturism locally - and much more. Social media are an important resource - if they're actually used.
"There are plenty of websites giving information about naturism, nudism, and other forms of clothing-optional living that don't involve membership."
Yes, there are some sites like that - especially national and regional naturist organizations in many countries. They provide good information - but also want new (paying) members to support what they do. Naturist blogs used to be good resources, but unfortunately, most have gone silent or shut down. There are only a few naturist substacks, and some want users to pay for full access. Newsletter services that don't ask readers to pay exist, but they're funded (for example) by advertising - which could be done by naturist clubs. Even non-landed clubs may want members to pay something - because they do have expenses and publicity can help them grow.
"that's the whole point of sites like Meetup - they enable real-life interaction. It's not about fragmentation. It's about spreading naturism globally in the real world"
There are many more online sites besides Meetup that facilitate real-life interaction - the sites of landed and non-landed clubs, as well as numerous Facebook naturist groups tied to specific places.
"The problem in many parts of the world is that being naked in public is illegal."
All too true. Only a few countries in the world are reasonably tolerant of public nudity in places like beaches, public parks, hiking trails, etc. Besides New Zealand there's England, Germany, Spain, France, and some smaller Western European countries. Many more naturists in other countries are needed to work on improving the situation - by persuading public officials to learn more about naturism, advocating loosening restrictive laws, and requesting more places for naturist use. And - guess what - social media are great for organizing efforts to persuade public officials. (Contact your local officials and legislators! Here's a sample letter to write!)
In the U.S. there are some, but relatively fewer, places to enjoy naturism other than private properties and landed clubs. One function of online social media is to persuade more people to learn about and try naturism where they can. Of course, private homes are a good place to start and small gatherings in private homes (in addition to family) are especially good.
Curious about the gender split on who pushes the boundaries....
I can only speak from my own experience, but my observations are that it is almost entirely men. My feeling is that women who think of nudity as a sexualised commodity have already successfully monetised their content and are selling it to groups of men online. (I know, not all women). The women who come to naturism seem to understand that social nudity is not about sex. Having said that, there are plenty of people , male, female and other, who believe that social nudity is disgusting and immoral, but these people are less likely to be on naturist social media.
I kind of had a feeling (it reminded me of the bear/man thought experiment that's running rampant), but you make a really fascinating point about monetizing that aspect of it.
This a really important question. A large majority of women say they are more frightened of meeting a man in the woods than a bear. LARGE majority.
Now imagine a textile lady who is already primed to see nudity as sexual and primed to think of a man as a threat. How is she going to react to encountering a nude man on a trail? It is a double whammy.
This is why I take great care to ensure I have a trail to myself. In the rare unexpected encounter, I do everything I can to make the encounter unthreatening and unremarkable. I suppose I could just say, "To hell with her stupid feelings. I have my rights!" That does not sit well with me nor would it soften the public's antipathy to public nudism.
Interesting things happen if it is a group of nude people or a mixed gender couple. Doesn't raise the same red flags. It would still be stupid to be aggressive about it.
Absolutely correct! A group of people who gather to socialise together without clothing (call it a club, if you like) should be seen as no more sexualised than any other special interest club - a motorcycle club, a tennis club, a book club, etc. The difficulty that naturist or other clothes-free groups have to deal with is the mindset that associates a naked person with sex - that as soon as a person sees another naked human, that image is used as a sexual turn-on. I would go so far as to suggest that it is the tradition of wearing clothes to "hide one's modesty" that is largely responsible for the absence of clothing making the naked human form into a sexual object. As one who has been brought up from childhood in an environment where being naked is commonplace, and the wearing of clothes is a matter of choice and comfort and not compulsory, I've been fortunate to have received a sexuality that isn't automatically triggered by simply seeing a naked person. I believe the same applies to those indigenous tribal groups that have not been affected by western culture - they happily go about their daily lives naked as their normal state. Clothing causes the "forbidden fruit" effect of fantasizing over what is hidden. Then the sudden absence of clothes allows that fantasy to manifest.
I agree100%. Well written.
Thank you.
Hi Steve, another well written and thoughtful post. I agree very much with your definition of being a naturist. Just because we enjoy being naked with others doesn’t mean we want to see inappropriate behaviour.
Outstanding post - accurate definition of naturists
Well said!
Very well said agree 100 percent