As a blogger writing about naturism, it is part of my research that I read the blogs and posts of other writers. The more you look for naturist blogs, the more you find, and there is a lot of very good content out there on the internet. It appears that articles written about naturism are far less likely to contain the sexualised content that permeates the primarily visual social networking sites such as Twitter and Instagram, and many of the blogs are well worth the read.
WRT the internet, if I were running a resort and had poor internet connectivity, I'd install Starlink. I cannot conceive of running any kind of business without a data connection. I'd provide a few cheap laptops and the camera would be disabled in some way. Lots of ways to do that ranging from disabling the software to scouring the lens window to make a sharp image impossible. And then a dab of bright fingernail polish over it to make people feel more secure.
Personally, I don't care if my naked body gets broadcast on the CBS Evening News. Not everyone feels that way and the market rules a business. One thing many resorts do is to require that all phones have brightly colored stickers placed over the camera lenses. Get caught with no sticker or not over all lenses? You get ejected. Not impossible to sneak around but it is enough for most people to feel secure.
Every hotel has a business center and a nudie resort should be no different. A *private* room with a couple of fixed desktop computers with substantial processing capacity fixed in place. There would also be a scanner/printer/fax and enough AV resources for a decent Zoom meeting. Because of physical privacy, no need to cover the cameras. If our guest has need of videoconferencing or a work from home option, they'd schedule it. You could also stream video to any monitor in the resort for parties and special events.
your point of the network & devices is a very valid one. if we really wish to expand our nudist tribe with more focus on young people, connectivity & allowing devices can be a deciding factor. No doubt.
The true naturist does not really care who takes pictures and how they use them. Naturist is comfortable in own skin. Youngsters are mostly perfect, no blemishes. As we age we collect battle scars including man made by operations. It would be a sad life if we were to be ashamed of our bodies no matter how it develops. There will be ALWAYS people with more imperfections and people with less imperfections than we have. We all age and grow imperfections, deposit fat and cellulite.
Another aspect may be that some people hide that they enjoy activities nude no matter if alone or if in a company. Why to hide it? My attitude is that I do not do anything I would have to hide or be ashamed of therefore I do not hide my activities without textile wrap.
At the same vein, we have one body the nature gave us to use and enjoy as much as we desire. The "as much as" depends on the mixture of hormones the nature bestow us with. O partake life by gulps and invite others to celebrate the evolution also. After we are incinerated it is just too late. Our ship sailed.
In summary: I do not engage in anything unnatural and enjoy everything natural. I am not ashamed of what I do or I would refrain from doing it and I do not care who knows and photograph my life.
im not sure where you get the idea the phones are band at landed clubs. i have been to many in NZ and have not seen this. Sure if someone is seen taking photos this would be delt with. At my club ( not far from where you live ) there is many charging cables supplied in the club house.
Not being able to use a phone could be a good reason younger people don't visit naturist venues. That's a good point you bring up. For many, a cell phone is almost like an extra appendage and won't be left behind. The policy about banning cell phones is wrong-headed. If you suspect someone is taking photos of others, confiscate their phone and take a look at the photos. I for one like to take selfies at nudist venues. That activity often makes other nudists angry.
I think this raises a great point and kind of reflects how much the world has moved on and organised naturism has failed to keep up. In actuality this is a symptom of many volunteer organisations. Older people are typically the only ones with time and inclination to contribute to these things and often they’re utterly out of touch with current trends and technology.
As to photos and consent, I have had photos posted to Twitter without consent. The nudity didn’t bother me because my personal stance is that nudity is irrelevant.
There is an element of privacy at stake here, but the privacy shouldn’t have anything to do with nudity if we’re to assert that nudity is okay.
Looking at the whole aspect of accessibility, this is where public acceptance of nudity should arguably be the primary focus of effort and attention.
For those that like to surf, kayak, cycle etc. It should be possible to do these things in a public context.
Technically in NZ and the UK such activities are possible if one has the bravado to do so.
Photos in the public domain are fairly inevitable. I think people would only refrain from taking photos out of common courtesy.
Coming full circle to your initial point, if organised naturism wants to get with the program, they need to stop acting with a police state mentality. That is, assuming nobody will obey the rules, therefore a draconian approach is needed. That in and of itself is out of step with the more modern mindset of inclusion, diversity and acceptance.
Will it take another 2-3 generations to reach the current 21st century mindset within the broader Naturist community?
Rokker's comment is based on logic; the fear of being seen/embarrassed is emotional.
But it is true that we live in a digitally connected world. When I am down south on a naturist beach I have my tablet with me, to read the daily newspaper from back home, and all those substacks I subscribe to, and some online newsmagazines. To say nothing of the ebooks from the library. So I am on my chaise on a naturist beach and doing what I do at home, plus conversations with folks who sit nearby or that i meet there, or take long walks down the beach for 90 minutes (or longer, as I get into conversations with other beachwalkers, mostly naturists but some not). And I have my phone in hand to snap a memory of pelicans or occasionally someone I chat to, for the photo frame back home on the kitchen counter.
A great topic and interesting thoughts there, Steve. It's something I hadn't even considered, mostly because, I suppose, my clothes-free life doesn't involve private naturist venues, and therefore I've never given a second thought to carrying my phone (and often my camera) along with me.
You are so right, of course - kids today are glued to their devices! And adults, too, find it a PITA to be disconnected for any significant length of time. But I'm not sure that the "no phones or cameras" rule is justified, even within naturist clubs. The thing is, members of those clubs know full well the rules! And they should know the rules around photography. It should be treated the same as any other behavioural matter within a club - flout the rules and you're out.
For me, personally, I find great freedom in being open about my clothes-free options - not looking over my shoulder every five minutes to see who might notice me naked or who might find out. But I do appreciate the concerns of those who discovered the joy of being naked later in life when they had already established themselves in a career or profession, which could be compromised if their bosses found out. In reality though, in my decades of wandering around naked in the outdoors, I've not once noticed myself being photographed without my knowledge. That's not to say I haven't been, of course, but I've never seen evidence of it having happened.
When you think about it, and apply a bit of logic, given the amount of readily available highly erotic pornography on line and elsewhere that is available to those who want to be turned on by a naked body, any photo of me sitting on a beach or wandering through a forest is going to be pretty lame by comparison, don't you think?!
I take my own pictures of me hiking and doing things nude and post them on various blogs I have. Three of my four blogs are almost entirely followed by textiles. To my knowledge, none of the pictures have ever shown up on anything but naturist sites. The truth of it is that I don't care.
If I were 40 years younger, that might be different. Pictures of young and physically fit bodies are more likely to be "borrowed" for porn sites. Again, I wouldn't care. What goes on inside other people's heads is their business. There are drawbacks to this approach.
If I worked somewhere my employer might care. If you were a teacher and some kid or parent or other educator stumbled across it, that could be a career ending event. Or an opportunity for blackmail. Even if you didn't work such a sensitive job, the reactions of others in your workplace could make you want to quit. Or maybe you find yourself rejected by your social group. Maybe your neighbors stop letting their kids play with yours. Rare instances but very real fears.
Women suffer from a double dose of this because of all the obnoxious, juvenile, and even abusive males who might take this as an opportunity to sexually harass, snicker and snigger.
Unfortunately there are a lot of hateful people in parts of America. I grew up in an area where social nudity is considered perversion. I always try to put myself in someone else's shoes before reaching a conclusion.
Yes, compatibility with their employment is certainly a concern for some. It doesn't appear to be so much of an issue with those who've been open about their clothes-free life right from the start. At least, then, you wouldn't be ending a career that may or may not have started in the first place.
I’m the same as you Rok. Never noticed anyone taking photos.
I also had you in mind when I was talking about doing normal activities in a public context.
The less I care about who sees me at the beach etc, the less it matters and it doesn’t take long to lose that looking over your shoulder mindset.
It’s almost like a mental switch in my mind that I flick from “care” to “don’t care”. Once flicked to “don’t care” it doesn’t matter who else is at the beach or what they’re doing.
I suspect the locals have figured out there’s a “nudist” in their midst. I’ve chatted to a fair few of them and the default position is couldn’t care less about the nudity.
I think the more people realise this and live it, the more acceptable nudity becomes until it’s fairly commonplace among those with the inclination. Maybe even occasionally among those who typically wouldn’t be inclined.
Exactly! And this is the thing - it's not about trying to get everyone to go without clothes - although that would be nice. It's about getting the world to see that it's perfectly acceptable for those who wish to go naked to do so. It's like, not everyone wants to dress as a goth or emo or punk or any other particular style, but society has no issues with those who wish to. Nakedness should hopefully become just as unremarkeable - and not worth photographing!
I also make no attempt to hide the fact I am a naturist. There is a general privacy issue with people taking photos but the nudity part is not part of that issue. That said I believe in nz if you are in a public space and privacy cannot be expected then it is legal to take and publish those photos. Thus as it is legal for me to be naked in a public space and I have chosen to do so then I suspect I have given tacit consent for those photos to be taken.
I personally quite happily publish photos of my daily life. Given large chunks of my life are lived without the encumbrance of clothes I will often be naked. If someone else chooses to take photos and publish them. Good luck to them, I'm sure there are as many other body variants out there as there are people.
I also in concert with other commentators would love to get to the point where no clothes is just another clothing option.
Quite correct, Grahame. Having worked in the media, I've had to make myself aware of the legalities around photography. And your understanding is accurate. I've put the law regarding this on the WNBR site here: https://www.wnbr.nz/photo-policy
WRT the internet, if I were running a resort and had poor internet connectivity, I'd install Starlink. I cannot conceive of running any kind of business without a data connection. I'd provide a few cheap laptops and the camera would be disabled in some way. Lots of ways to do that ranging from disabling the software to scouring the lens window to make a sharp image impossible. And then a dab of bright fingernail polish over it to make people feel more secure.
Personally, I don't care if my naked body gets broadcast on the CBS Evening News. Not everyone feels that way and the market rules a business. One thing many resorts do is to require that all phones have brightly colored stickers placed over the camera lenses. Get caught with no sticker or not over all lenses? You get ejected. Not impossible to sneak around but it is enough for most people to feel secure.
Every hotel has a business center and a nudie resort should be no different. A *private* room with a couple of fixed desktop computers with substantial processing capacity fixed in place. There would also be a scanner/printer/fax and enough AV resources for a decent Zoom meeting. Because of physical privacy, no need to cover the cameras. If our guest has need of videoconferencing or a work from home option, they'd schedule it. You could also stream video to any monitor in the resort for parties and special events.
your point of the network & devices is a very valid one. if we really wish to expand our nudist tribe with more focus on young people, connectivity & allowing devices can be a deciding factor. No doubt.
The true naturist does not really care who takes pictures and how they use them. Naturist is comfortable in own skin. Youngsters are mostly perfect, no blemishes. As we age we collect battle scars including man made by operations. It would be a sad life if we were to be ashamed of our bodies no matter how it develops. There will be ALWAYS people with more imperfections and people with less imperfections than we have. We all age and grow imperfections, deposit fat and cellulite.
Another aspect may be that some people hide that they enjoy activities nude no matter if alone or if in a company. Why to hide it? My attitude is that I do not do anything I would have to hide or be ashamed of therefore I do not hide my activities without textile wrap.
At the same vein, we have one body the nature gave us to use and enjoy as much as we desire. The "as much as" depends on the mixture of hormones the nature bestow us with. O partake life by gulps and invite others to celebrate the evolution also. After we are incinerated it is just too late. Our ship sailed.
In summary: I do not engage in anything unnatural and enjoy everything natural. I am not ashamed of what I do or I would refrain from doing it and I do not care who knows and photograph my life.
hi Steve
im not sure where you get the idea the phones are band at landed clubs. i have been to many in NZ and have not seen this. Sure if someone is seen taking photos this would be delt with. At my club ( not far from where you live ) there is many charging cables supplied in the club house.
David, That is great news. Perhaps I should visit there soon.
you would be great to see you. cheers
Not being able to use a phone could be a good reason younger people don't visit naturist venues. That's a good point you bring up. For many, a cell phone is almost like an extra appendage and won't be left behind. The policy about banning cell phones is wrong-headed. If you suspect someone is taking photos of others, confiscate their phone and take a look at the photos. I for one like to take selfies at nudist venues. That activity often makes other nudists angry.
I think this raises a great point and kind of reflects how much the world has moved on and organised naturism has failed to keep up. In actuality this is a symptom of many volunteer organisations. Older people are typically the only ones with time and inclination to contribute to these things and often they’re utterly out of touch with current trends and technology.
As to photos and consent, I have had photos posted to Twitter without consent. The nudity didn’t bother me because my personal stance is that nudity is irrelevant.
There is an element of privacy at stake here, but the privacy shouldn’t have anything to do with nudity if we’re to assert that nudity is okay.
Looking at the whole aspect of accessibility, this is where public acceptance of nudity should arguably be the primary focus of effort and attention.
For those that like to surf, kayak, cycle etc. It should be possible to do these things in a public context.
Technically in NZ and the UK such activities are possible if one has the bravado to do so.
Photos in the public domain are fairly inevitable. I think people would only refrain from taking photos out of common courtesy.
Coming full circle to your initial point, if organised naturism wants to get with the program, they need to stop acting with a police state mentality. That is, assuming nobody will obey the rules, therefore a draconian approach is needed. That in and of itself is out of step with the more modern mindset of inclusion, diversity and acceptance.
Will it take another 2-3 generations to reach the current 21st century mindset within the broader Naturist community?
Rokker's comment is based on logic; the fear of being seen/embarrassed is emotional.
But it is true that we live in a digitally connected world. When I am down south on a naturist beach I have my tablet with me, to read the daily newspaper from back home, and all those substacks I subscribe to, and some online newsmagazines. To say nothing of the ebooks from the library. So I am on my chaise on a naturist beach and doing what I do at home, plus conversations with folks who sit nearby or that i meet there, or take long walks down the beach for 90 minutes (or longer, as I get into conversations with other beachwalkers, mostly naturists but some not). And I have my phone in hand to snap a memory of pelicans or occasionally someone I chat to, for the photo frame back home on the kitchen counter.
A great topic and interesting thoughts there, Steve. It's something I hadn't even considered, mostly because, I suppose, my clothes-free life doesn't involve private naturist venues, and therefore I've never given a second thought to carrying my phone (and often my camera) along with me.
You are so right, of course - kids today are glued to their devices! And adults, too, find it a PITA to be disconnected for any significant length of time. But I'm not sure that the "no phones or cameras" rule is justified, even within naturist clubs. The thing is, members of those clubs know full well the rules! And they should know the rules around photography. It should be treated the same as any other behavioural matter within a club - flout the rules and you're out.
For me, personally, I find great freedom in being open about my clothes-free options - not looking over my shoulder every five minutes to see who might notice me naked or who might find out. But I do appreciate the concerns of those who discovered the joy of being naked later in life when they had already established themselves in a career or profession, which could be compromised if their bosses found out. In reality though, in my decades of wandering around naked in the outdoors, I've not once noticed myself being photographed without my knowledge. That's not to say I haven't been, of course, but I've never seen evidence of it having happened.
When you think about it, and apply a bit of logic, given the amount of readily available highly erotic pornography on line and elsewhere that is available to those who want to be turned on by a naked body, any photo of me sitting on a beach or wandering through a forest is going to be pretty lame by comparison, don't you think?!
I take my own pictures of me hiking and doing things nude and post them on various blogs I have. Three of my four blogs are almost entirely followed by textiles. To my knowledge, none of the pictures have ever shown up on anything but naturist sites. The truth of it is that I don't care.
If I were 40 years younger, that might be different. Pictures of young and physically fit bodies are more likely to be "borrowed" for porn sites. Again, I wouldn't care. What goes on inside other people's heads is their business. There are drawbacks to this approach.
If I worked somewhere my employer might care. If you were a teacher and some kid or parent or other educator stumbled across it, that could be a career ending event. Or an opportunity for blackmail. Even if you didn't work such a sensitive job, the reactions of others in your workplace could make you want to quit. Or maybe you find yourself rejected by your social group. Maybe your neighbors stop letting their kids play with yours. Rare instances but very real fears.
Women suffer from a double dose of this because of all the obnoxious, juvenile, and even abusive males who might take this as an opportunity to sexually harass, snicker and snigger.
Unfortunately there are a lot of hateful people in parts of America. I grew up in an area where social nudity is considered perversion. I always try to put myself in someone else's shoes before reaching a conclusion.
Yes, compatibility with their employment is certainly a concern for some. It doesn't appear to be so much of an issue with those who've been open about their clothes-free life right from the start. At least, then, you wouldn't be ending a career that may or may not have started in the first place.
https://youtu.be/5j-6ryk3gaY
Funny thing . . . I left a comment on that video a month ago and it still says "0 comments".
They go thru regularly and delete comments. I suspect most comments do not support their views.
I’m the same as you Rok. Never noticed anyone taking photos.
I also had you in mind when I was talking about doing normal activities in a public context.
The less I care about who sees me at the beach etc, the less it matters and it doesn’t take long to lose that looking over your shoulder mindset.
It’s almost like a mental switch in my mind that I flick from “care” to “don’t care”. Once flicked to “don’t care” it doesn’t matter who else is at the beach or what they’re doing.
I suspect the locals have figured out there’s a “nudist” in their midst. I’ve chatted to a fair few of them and the default position is couldn’t care less about the nudity.
I think the more people realise this and live it, the more acceptable nudity becomes until it’s fairly commonplace among those with the inclination. Maybe even occasionally among those who typically wouldn’t be inclined.
Monkey see, monkey do.
Exactly! And this is the thing - it's not about trying to get everyone to go without clothes - although that would be nice. It's about getting the world to see that it's perfectly acceptable for those who wish to go naked to do so. It's like, not everyone wants to dress as a goth or emo or punk or any other particular style, but society has no issues with those who wish to. Nakedness should hopefully become just as unremarkeable - and not worth photographing!
I also make no attempt to hide the fact I am a naturist. There is a general privacy issue with people taking photos but the nudity part is not part of that issue. That said I believe in nz if you are in a public space and privacy cannot be expected then it is legal to take and publish those photos. Thus as it is legal for me to be naked in a public space and I have chosen to do so then I suspect I have given tacit consent for those photos to be taken.
I personally quite happily publish photos of my daily life. Given large chunks of my life are lived without the encumbrance of clothes I will often be naked. If someone else chooses to take photos and publish them. Good luck to them, I'm sure there are as many other body variants out there as there are people.
I also in concert with other commentators would love to get to the point where no clothes is just another clothing option.
Quite correct, Grahame. Having worked in the media, I've had to make myself aware of the legalities around photography. And your understanding is accurate. I've put the law regarding this on the WNBR site here: https://www.wnbr.nz/photo-policy