Hello!
Whether you’re just curious as to what this nude stuff is all about, or maybe you’ve tried it and have some questions, we hope we can help. If you’re like most of us your introduction to this strange idea of ‘nudism’ came from grainy black and white photos of bare people playing volleyball. Or perhaps from the internet with pics of beautiful models basking ‘naturally’ on a page full of ads for porno sites. Let’s explore a bit and see what we find.
The first thing to keep in mind is that, other than being naked, nudists are people just like everyone else with the same feelings and interests, differences and personalities. We do tend to be a bit more open minded, probably because we know what it’s like to be judged unfairly based on stereotypes. That said, we also tend to be rather prudish in some ways. You will find little ‘improper’ behaviour in a socially nude situation. As they say; Be nude, not rude.
Enough of all that, time to move on. Shall we do this in a Q&A format? Ok, lets.
Q: What’s the difference between a nudist and a naturist?
A: Not much, though some would argue. A naturist is generally more into nudity in an outdoorsy setting while a nudist is happy to be nude just about anywhere. That’s simplified but good enough for now. The term ‘clothes free’ is gaining in popularity recently since some people don’t care to be labled ‘nudist’, along with the percieved negative ideas related to the word.
Q: What does ‘Textile” mean?
A: ‘Textile’ is a term referring to the community of those who cover their bodies with clothing most of the time, as opposed to ‘nudists/naturists’ who prefer not to. It is convenient, descriptive, and non-derogatory.
Q: What’s the difference between ‘nudist’ and ‘clothing optional’?
A: Used in descriptions of campgrounds or resorts, ‘nudist’ usually means that full nudity is expected most of the time. ‘Clothing optional’ indicates that nudity is allowed but not required, and may be restricted as to times and places. When booking into a resort be very sure about what you’re getting. It would be a shame to travel a great distance only to find out that you can be nude only at the pool, after 11:00 pm.
Q: Why do people want to be naked?
A: Why not? It’s fun! The breeze, the water, the sand. Grass under your feet (or whatever), it simply feels good! Our skin is a sensory organ, capable of discerning subtle nuances of feeling ranging from temperature to texture. We cover ourselves with clothing and smother most of this ability to percieve and enjoy that which Nature offers for our pleasure. Everything is different nude. Our bodies move and wiggle and bounce differently, our whole world feels brand new. It has to be experienced to be understood.
Q: I was raised to keep my ‘privates’ covered, how could I possibly let someone see me?
A: Nudists don’t view the body as a thing of shame. We all learned body shame from somewhere, you know where you learned yours. Nudists are simply folks that have realized that we learned wrong. Our society equates skin with sex, sex with sin, and sin with evil. Nudists are better able to separate skin from sex. Isn’t it ironic that by covering only ‘private’ parts that those parts become the focus of attention, creating sexual (evil) thoughts. Even more ironic is that by uncovering those parts they lose their mystery and become just another part of a body.
Q: I’m easily aroused, what if I have a ‘physical’ reaction to all those naked bodies?
A: Don’t worry, you probably won’t. It’s an extremely rare sight but if it happens, just wrap in a towel or something. As long as you don’t deliberately create the situation or run around waving it in peoples faces (so to speak) it’s no big thing. Ah, bad choice of words; change that to ‘it just isn’t important’…
Q: It’s beginning to sound like naturists are a bunch of sexless zombies, it that true?
A: Hardly. It’s just that there is a time and a place for everything and a social gathering of nudists is not bar time at a meet-market. Picture it more like a community picnic and behave accordingly.
Q: My body is less than perfect, will I be embarassed to be seen?
A: Maybe, for a few minutes. You may be concious of every wiggle, jiggle, wart and wrinkle. Until you are comfortable enough to look around a bit and realize that (1) no one is paying any attention to you and (2) most of them are nothing special to look at either (from a Textile point of view) and (3) nobody cares. They’re just folks, out for some sun and a nice day. After a little while you may feel at ease enough to move around a bit, maybe even talk to people (Hmm, what do I do with my eyes? What do I look at while talking to them?) and have some perceptions shattered. Why, these are just people like you, who enjoy being naked and nobody cares a lick about appearances! This will cause serious damage to your Textile view of the world. Imagine that: basing your opinion of someone on who they are, not how they look…
Q: I am young and buff, will I feel out place?
A: Nah. All sorts of people are attracted to the nude lifestyle. Some groups or locations may cater more to a particular clientele, but generally speaking we’re a pretty mixed lot. Fat, skinny, old, young, kids, and, yes, Beautiful People. It’s fair to say that nudists pay less attention to bodies than to the person inside them, but that’s not to say that we’re totally unaware of the standard forms of beauty when we see them. So yeah, pretty’s still pretty, but it’s just not particularly important. If part of your nudist experience is the feeling of being admired, go for it. Just understand that you’re the frosting on the brownie, and most of us are here because we love the brownie. But yeah, frosting’s nice too. You are welcome.
Q: Speaking of kids, how do they fit in?
A: Good question. Kids are natural nudists, it’s we parents who put clothes on them. That said, how a particular kid reacts to social nudity depends on their background, age and personality. Generally speaking, the younger they are the easier it is for them. Elementary school age through high school is tougher if they’ve not been raised with nudity. Ideas and attitudes become fixed, insecurities, hormones and sexuality, what a mess. Personal experience with our kids and friends’ kids, ages 12 through 18 at first exposure was just fine. A little bit of oh-my-god-everybody’s-naked at first, quickly becoming just fine to them. A lot of kids don’t mind being around nudity but prefer to remain clothed. No problem. Don’t push it.
Q: What about women and nudity, the body thing?
A: That’s a whole separate issue. Women have been taught that their physical image is a huge part of who they are. Generally speaking, it seems that most women, once having experienced the nudist lifestyle, find a sense of freedom and comfort they couldn’t have imagined. I’ll leave that to my wife, Angie, to go into more detail later. She’s been there, done it.
Q: What about legality? Can I be accused of being a sex offender or something?
A: You can look up local statutes and ask questions wherever you may be going, but you’ll have a hard time getting a solid answer. And you sure aren’t going to get one here! Different localities interept and enforce laws in a lot of different ways. For the most part you shoudn’t have a problem in public places where nudity is traditional, but no promises. A lot of laws tie nudity to specific body parts or behaviour. One state law I know of prohibits exposure of the female breast below the nipple! Go figure. Private establishments have these things covered, and you pay for it. Fair enough. So, be careful, ask ahead, and mostly try not to offend those poor souls who just don’t get it! Internet around and you’ll find all sorts of sites giving this kind of advice. Explore and adventure, you’ll never regret it!
- Steve
