There has recently been some discussion online about the terms that nudists and naturists use to describe themselves, and perhaps more importantly how we stop others from hijacking those terms for a more sexualised use.
Many will argue that we shouldn’t use labels at all, that they are too restrictive and prone to variations in interpretation and misuse.
Many nudists and naturists understand that there is a spectrum of activities enjoyed by those who embrace nudity.
While my personal preference is non-sexual social nudity, I accept that others have every right to pursue their own naked journey however they want. I believe that sex between consenting adults is a perfectly natural and healthy activity. I have no objection to whatever consenting adults get up to but where I differ from some people, is that I believe sex is something personal and private rather than something to be displayed in public.
I don’t think that there is anything wrong with human nudity. We are all born naked, and it is the natural state of every living thing on the planet. I believe that we are the only species to demonstrate that we are ashamed of our natural bodies.
Sexualised nudity is not part of my naturism.
I may be living in a small echo chamber, but many of the friends and connections that I have online, in other words, my tribe, seem to feel the same way.
In the online world, the term nudist and increasingly the term naturist appears to have been co-opted by sections of the community looking for more sexualised connections and I fear that it is becoming too late to reclaim those terms.
The major complaint that non-sexual naturists have with the sexualisation of terms like nudist and naturist is one of broader public perception, and the constant fight to normalise nudity.
Naturist organisations and nudist facilities go to great pains to promote nudity as an antidote to many of life’s struggles and are constantly battling the misunderstanding that social nudity is dirty or wrong.
The belief that naturist parks and venues are places of sexual debauchery and deviant behaviour still persists amongst a largely ill-informed public. Traditional media often do nothing to correct this misunderstanding. Double-entendre headlines and sniggering remarks when reporting about naturist events all reinforce the idea that nudity is an oddity rather than a valid choice for many people. To be fair, some recent media articles have been remarkably balanced and supportive, but these seem to be the exception rather than the rule.
Society might tolerate some people choosing to wear nothing as a valid clothing choice, but the public are unlikely to accept open displays of sexual behaviour.
Great headway is being made in combatting public misconceptions about social nudity however these advances can be undone in an instant by people being sexually explicit in the name of nudism.
Overtly sexual displays at events such as the 2024 Toronto and San Francisco Pride parades cancel out the work that organised naturist groups do in trying to sell social nudity as a wholesome healthy alternative.
Is it appropriate for naturists to draw a stronger line between supporting our LGBTQ and sex-positive friends and attending their events, which can often push the boundaries of public displays of sexuality?
Perhaps even more damaging is the constant online depiction of sexualised content under the guise of nudism or naturism.
There is very little that naturists upset by the hijacking of the labels we use can do to stop others from using the terms nudist or naturist for their own purposes. I have seen some call out the errant posts as not representative of naturism, but their comments seem to fall on deaf ears.
Perhaps we could misuse the terms other groups use and see how they feel when the glove is on the other foot. I expect it would have little or no effect. While I find the idea tempting, it does seem a little petty, and to be honest, I can’t think of any terms that are suitable for retaliatory misuse.
Society seems unable to disconnect nudity or naturism from a perception of sex, so maybe we should stop trying.
Maybe it is time that we embrace the positive aspects of our lifestyle, and consider a new term to identify ourselves. One of the biggest positives that naturists know and newcomers to the philosophy soon realise, is the reduction or elimination of body shame amongst our tribe.
Is it time to ditch the traditional labels of naturist or nudist and consider calling ourselves something different like Body Confident or Shame Free?
If we do adopt another label, how long before that term is stolen and misused by people too lazy or too ashamed to admit to their own lifestyle choices?
I just wish that people would stop using the terms naturist or nudist while they (often men) post images of themselves aroused or exposed, with an invitation to be used by others, or (often women) invite you to visit their pay-per-view site. These are not examples of naturism.
The belligerent pedant in me doesn’t believe that I should have to change how I identify just because others seem unable or unwilling to understand basic definitions.
I like the term naturist. It accurately describes the philosophy by which I try to live. Naturism is well-defined and is about living in harmony with nature, emphasising self-respect and respect for others. Nudity is just one aspect of the philosophy.
I support people of all gender identities and kinks to embrace their true selves, and I applaud you all for doing what makes you happy. Just stop calling it naturism.
Hey, kinksters, leave our words alone!
Thank you for reading. Have a comfortable day.
Concur, though I'm going to keep trying to defend and define the word nudism.
There are also a good number of people online who try to hide their sexual motivations as non-sexual nudism, which is a real problem. People should be honest about who they are and what they want instead of using us as a mask.
Never let them co-opt your words. That's a psychological attack used against numerous positive groups in the USA.
I've started thinking that the roots of our movement is:
- naked means human.
- Unashamed of our natural state.
- sun club, especially since research supports us here