There are a lot of reasons to try naturism and many benefits to living your life according to the ideals of the naturist philosophy. Having said that, and despite the very best intentions of some high-profile naturists, I fear that the naturist movement is doomed to irrelevance, or mediocre acceptance at best.
The reason is diversity.
I don’t mean the diversity of gender or ethnicity, or the diversity of age or social status, all things about which naturism claims to be inclusive. I'm talking about the diversity of people’s ideas about naturism.
At the time of writing this, I have identified as a naturist for 15 years, and I have developed and refined my own idea of what naturism is and what it isn’t. My definition is just that, my definition. It may share many similarities with the definitions that others use, and for those of us with the same outlook, we find connections, primarily in online spaces, and occasionally in real-world settings.
My naturism is mostly in and around my home, but in warmer months will be at beaches and isolated nature spots, or more recognised locations for social nudism.
My naturism is environmental.
We recycle. We try to avoid buying single-use plastics; in fact, we try to avoid buying plastic at all. We buy milk in reusable glass bottles, we buy shampoo and conditioner in bars rather than liquid in bottles. I use a safety razor, with a single replaceable blade rather than expensive throw-away plastic-laden cartridges. Where there is a wooden, metal, glass or fabric option, we favour that over plastic.
While I recognise that clothing is a necessity for broader social engagement, and I can appreciate a well-dressed person, clothing and clothing styles are just not important to me. My clothing choices are cotton or linen whenever possible over polyester or nylon, and I am beginning to embrace bamboo and flax-based fabrics. I am a reluctant clothes shopper and really don't enjoy the process at all.
I have not worn or owned pyjamas for over 45 years. I prefer going commando day-to-day, and I don’t own any swimming trunks. All my swimming in rivers and the ocean is natural. Such is my dislike for swimwear, I don’t swim at municipal or public pools.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that my clothing choices are as environmentally friendly as I can be. I don't waste money on unnecessary items, and I try to wear as little as possible so as to lower my impact from washing clothes with the associated chemicals and microfibres. I have turned my back on fast fashion due to the increasing environmental costs associated with its production and disposal.
For what it’s worth, my naturism is non-sexual. That is not to say that I am not a sexual person. I have a healthy sexual relationship with my partner, but that side of our life is kept private and behind closed doors.
Many of you reading this so far may be nodding in agreement, and your naturism may be broadly similar.
There are, however, a large number of people who might consider themselves naturists or nudists, who simply enjoy the feeling of being naked. The ethical or environmental considerations may be of no consequence to them.
There will be others for whom naturism is a secret or perilous activity. In many societies, simple nudity is so frowned upon that well-being, jobs, and even lives can be at risk.
There will be some who advocate for topless equality in a world where there is an almost universal disparity between the rights of men and women. That so many people accept the injustice without giving it a second thought is a testament to how ingrained the sexualisation of the female body has become. Some are so passionate about this single issue that topless equality is their primary focus, and they really don’t care about nudists or naturists beyond this single issue.
There will be others who prefer a more sexual and free-loving approach to their naturism. Some claim that sexuality is natural and should be celebrated rather than hidden away, perhaps not an unreasonable supposition, but not to everyone's taste. Each to their own, and I’m not here to criticise or judge, but that is not my naturism.
Others will involve nudity as part of cosplay or role-play with other consenting members of niche groups. These sessions may or may not involve sexual activity, the costumes and fantasy are the prime motivation.
In real life, there are a multitude of different experiences, expectations and beliefs that contribute to each person's personality. We may or may not like aspects of their lives, if we are even aware of them, but we try to get on with most people despite our differences.
Move things online, and it gets a lot more tribal.
All of a sudden, websites that try to cater to a broad group of people are criticised for not being broad enough.
Naturists who find a home on open social media sites complain that other niche communities are ruining the site, not aware that these sites are not naturist sites, and are open to a multitude of special interest groups.
Free sites created by naturists are often co-opted by people or bots using the term nudist to look for sexual connections or to try and sell memberships to paid content sites.
Sites that put their content behind a paywall to try and filter out these opportunistic chancers are criticised for putting barriers in place to genuine naturists.
Sites that require registration or verification, rather than paid membership, are often criticised for being too restrictive to those who are unwilling to reveal themselves as naturists. That is not to say that there aren’t many valid reasons people may be reluctant to go through a verification process, but my personal experience has been that it’s not a big deal. I accept that I have less to lose by putting my head above the parapet as I live in a country where simple nudity is not illegal, and my job is not in jeopardy should my naturist activities be revealed to my employer. My age, gender and ethnicity may also give me less reason to feel at risk.
Often, the longer we identify as naturists, the less of an issue things like verification become, but for many new to the idea of social nudity, the thought of standing up and being counted is uncomfortable.
Our online communities are becoming judgmental, fragmented and isolated rather than welcoming and inclusive. It seems the more people who join a site, the more complaints there are about how their community is being tainted. Tainted by others pushing the boundaries, or being held back by those looking to restrict more extreme ideas.
While we are often comfortable with our own definitions of naturism, someone else’s definition might be slightly different, and perhaps even different enough to give us reason not to want to engage with that person, and barriers are created.
I’m not sure what the answer is, or if indeed there is an answer. The diversity of ideas and expectations around naturism and nudism are so varied that there seems to be no one-size-fits-all solution.
Maybe what we have is as good as it gets. Perhaps we simply need to continue searching for those whose philosophy mirrors our own, and stick together in our tribal groups. If that is the future of online naturist communities, then I don’t hold much hope for the resilience of naturism in the face of increasing objections and hostility.
A fragmented self cannot connect deeply with others—it is too busy surviving.
- bell hooks
Thank you for reading. Have a comfortable day.
Thank you to Kevin and Corin from OurNaturistLife whose recent article triggered the thought process behind this rant.
A well thought-out and expounded piece as usual, Steve. Nudism/naturism is what we want it to be, all those varieties you lay out; giving oneself a label has always left one open to another’s different understanding of that label, so adopting it is always a risk.
As nudism/naturism is not a protected characteristic or copyrighted title we’re stuck with the confusion if we choose to adopt the label.
For another perspective - policeman is a label worn all over the world, but people’s views of it vary wildly depending where they are! So we’re not alone with our label confusion.
I shall carry on avoiding any labels whenever I can, and wish everyone else well in their self-description.
Great article. "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."
I think what's key in this statement is that that gender balance is important. Because a perceived gender imbalance also prevents potential new naturists from taking part. If a woman only sees men participating, she may be very reluctant to join. We as men all need to do better to support those safe spaces for them.
Nice work!