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Nudism, or naturism, is the practice of going nude or unclothed in social and usually mixed gender groups, specifically in cultures where this is not the norm. It sometimes occurs furtively in secluded places in countries where appearing naked in public is illegal, but enjoys widespread acceptance in other areas of the world. Those who practice nudism are called nudists or naturists. Some people believe that being naked with other people is necessarily always sexual, or that nudism is morally wrong or pornographic. Naturists generally reject these views.
Typical activities are relaxation, sunbathing and sports, but some nudists prefer also to be nude while working etc., whenever the temperature and the social situation allows it (including when one is alone).
Naturism (pronounced "nature" + "ism") should not be confused with naturalism, the study of nature.
General
Nudists believe that the human body is nothing to be ashamed of, being something that we all possess and ought to cherish. Consequently, nudists participate in various social activities in the nude.
Although the terms are used interchangeably in this article, some would draw a distinction between the terms nudism and naturism. In one view a nudist is one who sometimes chooses to go without clothes. A naturist is one who embraces a philosophy that includes more than occasional nudity, often environmentalism, vegetarianism or simply more of a closeness to nature. In another view, it is the nudist who is embraces social nudity as a philosophy and a naturist is a mere dabbler who prefers recreation to commitment to principles. Others would argue that the term naturism implies snobbery, and there is no distinction. A visit to a nude beach may entitle someone to be called a nudist, but does not make one a naturist. An alternate usage of these terms held by some North Americans is: nudist=nude indoors, naturist=nude outdoors. The nudist or naturist label is really a state of mind of the practitioner, instead of a strictly defined classification imposed by others.
Nudism is not equivalent to exhibitionism. It is people who enjoy being nude and who are not primarily interested in seeing others naked (strictly, voyeurism) or being seen naked by others. That being said, all kinds of people are attracted to the movement, for all kinds of reasons. Many naturists are convinced that increased exposure to the natural environment, made easier through nudity, can result in numerous health benefits. Sunlight has been shown to be beneficial in some skin conditions, and is required by the body to make vitamin D. However, with the increased awareness of skin cancer, wearing of sunblock/sun protection lotions is now part of the nudist culture and is one of their frequently discussed topics. Whereas nudist parents do not require their children to put on clothes before going outside at a nudist club or beach, most do require them to put on sunscreen lotion. Overall, naturists often claim that they are more relaxed and in a better state of mind when they shed their clothes.
Being around like-minded people can make interpersonal interactions, such as meeting new friends, easier and many nudist organizations are really just social clubs. Indeed, some of these clubs have stricter entrance requirements than some traditional up-scale 'country clubs' - requiring references, a sponsoring member, a trial membership, committee approval, and, due to fears about sex offenders, criminal background checks (though this is normally only done on male applicants). At the other end of the spectrum is 'unorganized' naturism in which there is nothing to join, no one to pay, and only civil, common and criminal law to serve as rules of etiquette. Many people get their first exposure to the naturist movement through this kind of informal nudism (e.g. a clothing optional beach, a friend's place in the woods, a party on the shore; skinny dipping).
Strong nudist movements exist in Germany (called FKK or Freikörperkultur - Free Body Culture), France and the Netherlands, and smaller such organizations exist in many other nations. Social nudity is practiced in many cultures, especially in the context of social bathing, sometimes with mixed sexes.
Association with sex
Many non-nudists believe that nudity in a social setting inevitably arouses lust. Most nudists disagree, saying that there is more sexual tension in the near-nude environment of a pool or a beach than at a nudist site. This belief is reflected in the nudist adage "nude, not lewd."
Most nudists and nudist organizations maintain and enforce a policy prohibiting sex in public, and it is rare to see obvious signs of sexual behavior (including staring or gawking) at most clubs and beaches. Many nudist sites describe themselves as family-oriented.
The possibility of spontaneous erection is a concern often cited by men who are apprehensive of nudism, but nudists do not generally consider this to be a reason for avoiding their sites and activities. Erections are rare, they say, because the nudist environment is non-sexual. Further, some nudists suggest that fear of getting an erection is itself a factor that can prevent spontaneous erections.
Should an erection occur, nudists do not consider it a reason for males to be ashamed of their bodies, or to desperately attempt to cover an erection by hand. Nudists describe themselves as generally understanding and polite people who know that any male could potentially have an erection at any time. There is a balance, they say, between flaunting it and being ashamed. They generally will not tolerate a grown man wandering around for no obvious reason while simultaneously having an erection. Because policies vary from place to place, nudists suggest that those who have concerns should discuss them with management.
A male bathing nude in a swimming pool, hot tub, calm lake, or other still waters for the first time may be surprised to see his penis floating vertically in the water. However, other nudists will not mistake this for an erection.
Involvement in naturism has not been shown to be harmful and may even be beneficial to childhood psychological development (see for example Federation of Canadian Naturists FAQ). Of course parents always need to be vigilant to guard their children from sexual predators. This applies equally to naturists as it does for non-naturists.
Desmond Morris, social anthropologist and author of The Naked Ape, suggests that "If you perform nudity in public you destroy its value as an erotic action." However, some fringe groups and gatherings (such as Swingstock) are more like sex clubs and not considered by some to be examples of true nudism.
There is an alternative movement known as Progressive Nudism which rejects the chaste atmosphere of "traditional" naturist establishments and argues that in some social situations nudism between adults should be a celebration of complete sexual freedom. Progressive Nudists enjoy naturism for the sake of being naked - not for the sake of sex - just like traditional nudists do, but unlike traditionalists they do not have tortured anxieties around human sexuality and sexual feelings. Progressives cite the decline in young people turning to traditional "old-fashioned" naturism as evidence that they have refused to adopt restrictive edicts and outdated codes of behaviour which had made naturism become a self-justifying and introverted inhibitor of it's own development. Progressive Nudist views expressed in publications such as Starkers Magazine and espoused at certain venues like Starkers Nightclub (the names are apparently coincidental) are that only when there is no shame associated with sex - as in the rest of nature - and human sexuality is celebrated can the true naturist utopia be attained.
Manners
Nudists will wear clothes if the weather demands it. Naturists are generally accepting people, the general idea being simply doing things nude that one would normally do clothed. However, the traditional nudist culture has its own rules of etiquette.
Some Nudists consider it essential to sit on a towel whenever sitting on a chair, bench, or anything else where others might sit, and they consider it very poor etiquette to do otherwise. Likewise, sitting on someone else's towel is also a breach of etiquette. For privacy reasons, there is a prohibition on photography without consent at nudist venues. Other rules may include a prohibition on pets, weapons, loud music, etc. These policies vary between nudist sites, and nudists recommend that new visitors make themselves aware of the specific rules prior to a visit.
Some nudist organizations do not allow people with body piercings on their premises. (Presumably this rule refers to the foreign objects in the piercings, not to the piercings themselves.) Most, however, accept people of all sizes, shapes and types including those with surgical scars, tattoos or interestingly trimmed (or absence of) hair. Many nudist organizations do not allow unaccompanied men, see e.g. [1], whereas most nudist organizations not only allow but encourage unaccompanied women to join them. That this is hypocritical of a subculture which promotes acceptance is a topic often debated. Some nudist organizations, to avoid discriminating based on gender, enforce a policy of gender balance, meaning that they will allow neither a high male-to-female ratio nor a high female-to-male ratio.
Some nudist resorts, clubs, or beaches require full nudity at all times (with exceptions, such as when a woman is experiencing menstruation, or certain days/hours for new visitors and cold weather). Most have this policy only for the swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, hot tub bath, etc., with clothing optional elsewhere. Recently, to avoid any possible litigation, some privately owned resorts and clubs in the USA forbid bringing any minor children from other families without written permission in advance. A few even exclude children of divorced parents without the written consent of the other ex-spouse (unless they can prove full custody). Of course, this does not apply to public beaches. If a visitor encourages another visitor to be nude, this may give rise to suspicion that nudity is desired for visual satisfaction, which may be considered inappropriate.
Many nudists feel it is inappropriate for males to openly display a spontaneous erection. However, some believe it should be included as a part of "body acceptance" — a key philosophy of nudists. This has been the subject of endless debate on nudist/naturist Internet forums. If an erection does occur, nudists recommend covering up with a towel, turning over (if lying down), sitting down, going for a swim, or otherwise minimizing the erection's presence until the penis is no longer erect. For some activities (e.g. water skiing or dancing) this may not be immediately practical or even possible, and typical nudist etiquette suggests it then be ignored by everyone. Public nude beaches tend to be less strict on this issue than private nudist resorts and adult only Progressive Nudism clubs would not be bothered at all. Also, nudists are generally more tolerant of spontaneous erection in pre and post-pubescent boys than in older teens and men.
Naturist terminology
Nudists sometimes refer to people who do not practice nudity as textiles. Clothing optional or C.O. usually refers to a facility that allows and encourages nudity but tolerates the wearing of clothes, whereas a nudist facility usually insists on complete nudity where practicable (to ensure that no one feels inappropriately dressed). Topfree refers to an area that allows uncovered female breasts, also known as topless (topfree being used since topless has a negative connotation in some parts of the world). A free beach is not so much one without an admission cost, but one in which people can be entirely free of their clothes. A landed organization is one that owns the real estate it is situated on. Non-landed or travel clubs meet regularly at different locations such as nudist resorts, bowling alleys, or swimming pools rented for the purpose. A smoothie is a person who shaves off much of his/her body hair. (See Acomoclitic)
History of nudism
Genetic studies of the human body louse, which requires clothes to survive, suggests that humans started wearing garments 72,000 years ago +/- 42,000 years. This estimate matches that of the first appearance of physical evidence of clothing-making tools. The species Homo sapiens itself has existed for 200,000 or more years, so the 'natural' condition of humans is nude.
Informal nudism has always been practiced. Ancient cultures (the Greeks and the Romans for example) sometimes had quite different attitudes toward the unclothed human body than is common today. In fact, the word "gymnasium" comes from the Greek word "gymnos," meaning "nude," because athletics in Greece was routinely practiced naked by its participants.
Nudity taboos are often a holdover from a practical need for body covering, as with temperate or desert cultures, where people initially wear clothing in public by habit because of practical reasons, until it becomes ingrained in the culture itself that this is a requirement.
Objections against being nude are often religiously motivated, even when they start out as a cultural taboo as in the previous paragraph. Some peoples have started wearing clothes only after missionaries argued that it is more civilized. However, there are many devout nudists who attend services regularly and argue that they do not need to shed their morals with their clothes. Also there is a Christian sect that practiced religious nudism, the Adamites.
The first known organized club for nudists, Freilichtpark (Free-Light Park), was opened near Hamburg in 1903 by Paul Zimmerman. At about the same time, another German, Dr. Heinrich Pudor, wrote a book titled Nacktcultur, which discussed the benefits of nudity in co-education and advocated participating in sports while being free of cumbersome clothing. The nudist movement gained prominence in Germany in the 1920s, but was suppressed during the Nazi Gleichschaltung after Adolf Hitler came to power. After the war, East Germans enjoyed nudism as one the few freedoms they had under the communist government. It quickly rebounded in the West also, and today, united Germany has many clubs, parks and beaches for nudism. Vacationing in Mediterranean France at the Cap d'Agde resort also became popular for Germans when it opened in the late 1960's
In the United States, German immigrant Kurt Barthel organized the first nudist event in 1929, just outside of New York City (NYC). Social nudism in the form of private clubs and campgrounds began appearing in the 1930s. In October 1931, a Baptist minister named Ilsley Boone began the American Sunbathing Association (ASA). Boone led a family atmosphere by prohibiting alcohol at all member clubs. This eventually resulted in a dispute, together with his desire to open a new club closer to NYC than what others had wanted. Boone then left the ASA to form another organization on his own. Elsewhere, a 1935 advertisement claims Sea Island Sanctuary, South Carolina, was the "largest and oldest" year round resort where nudism could be practiced. Nudism first began appearing on the US and Canadian west coast about 1939. Kaniksu Ranch, about 45 miles (70 km) north of Spokane, Washington, opened the same year. In 1995, the ASA renamed itself, becoming the American Association of Nude Recreation (AANR).
In Canada, individuals around the country became interested in nudism, skinny dipping, or physical culture in the early part of the 20th century. After 1940 they had their own Canadian magazine, Sunbathing & Health, which occasionally carried local news. Canadians had scattered groups in several cities during the 1930s and 1940s, and some of these groups attracted enough interest to form clubs on private land; the most significant clubs were the Van Tans in Vancouver and the Sun Air Club in Ontario. Canadians who served in the military during the war met like-minded souls from across the country, and often visited clubs while in Europe. They formed a ready pool of recruits for postwar organizers. A few years later the wave of postwar immigration brought many Europeans with their own extensive experience, and they not only swelled the ranks of membership, but often formed their own clubs, helping to expand nudism from coast to coast. Most of these clubs were united under the Canadian Sunbathing Association, which affiliated with the American Sunbathing Association in 1954. Several disagreements between eastern and western members of CSA resulted in the breakup of CSA into the Western Canadian Sunbathing Association (WCSA) and Eastern Canadian Sunbathing Association (ECSA) in 1960. The ECSA endured much in fighting over the next decade and a half leading to its official demise in 1978. The WCSA continues to exist today as the Western Canadian Association for Nude Recreation (WCANR), a region of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) which itself was formerly known as the ASA.
In 1977 the Fédération québécoise de naturisme (FQN) was founded in Québec. In 1986 the Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN) was formed with the support of the FQN. The FQN and FCN joined together to be the official Canadian representatives in the International Naturist Federation (INF).
Major nudist organizations
Public outdoor nudist areas
Free Beaches Australia has a comprehensive listing of clothing optional beaches.
- Bredene, tram stop Bredene Renbaan (Hippodroom): sandy beach (the only nude beach of the country, since 2001)
- All beaches in Denmark are clothing-optional unless marked otherwise.
- The Scandinavian Naturist Portal This Naturist Portal covers naturism in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
- Many excellent naturist resorts exist at the Atlantic coast, e.g. Euronat, La Jenny
- Cap d'Agde, Quartier Naturiste (Nudist Quarter): sandy beach, several swimming pools, but also nude shopping, etc. [4], map
- Île du Levant - Héliopolis
- Saint Martin
- Nudist Beaches in France
- Topfree is tolerated (and common) on almost all beaches
- Apart from urban areas and official baths, nude bathing is sometimes tolerated in Germany: unofficial nudist areas exist at most lakes and rivers, and other sites, such as abandoned rock quarries.
- Many designated FKK areas exist at the seaside, at lakes and in baths, especially in the former East Germany, where nudism remains more widespread than in the west.
- Families especially like to spend their leisure time in naturist areas; sauna bathing is generally practiced in the nude.
- Even in cities there are nudist areas, e.g. the Schönfeldwiese in the Englischer Garten in Munich, near the city centre; also, the western part of Feldmochinger See, in the northwestern suburb, the peninsula in Lake Feringasee in the Northeast and the Flaucher at the river Isar south of the city center of Munich.
- nacktbaden.de is a very comprehensive and regularly actualized German index of nudist areas.
- Naturism is practised widely in the Greek Islands, although strictly speaking legal only in a relatively few designated locations.
The most significant places:
Smaller ones: Egerszalók, Látóképi-tó, Dunaszekcsö, Omszki-tó, Lupa-tavak (Budakalász), Debreceni-tó (Nyékládháza), Nemesbük, Mindszent, Szalkszentmárton etc.
- Most nudist beaches in Jamaica are actually private beaches owned by large resorts. One exception is Firefly Beach in Negril which is a nudist beach that is open to the general public.
- Nudist Resorts in Jamaica
- Zipolite, Oaxaca: Zipolite beach has been nudist for more than 3 decades now. Nudism in Zipolite is tolerated, since mexican law only condemns "immorality" and thus, the issue ends up being a matter of the judge's criterium. This beach is clearly the best place to practice nudism in the country, since the quantity of nudists and the long tradition make it safe for nudists. Other places in the country might not be so safe.
- Almere, Zilverstrand
- Callantsoog, sandy beach 1.5 km to the south - the oldest official nude beach of the country, dating from 1973
- Delft, Grote Plas, northeast side (map)
- Rijswijk, Wilhelmina Park, south side (map)
- Scheveningen, The Hague, sandy beach 1 km to the north
- Zandvoort, sandy beach 2 km to the south
- for more, see [9], [10]; beach locations are defined by km-pole numbers, indicated on wooden poles every 250 m. See map (zip-file) with beach from Den Helder to Hoek van Holland, showing these numbers and also public transport info.
- Municipalities with a beach (usually including quiet parts) tend to have a nudist beach; even if the municipality does not like it, it designates a quiet part as such in order to be able to forbid nudity on the rest of the beach.
Locations are unofficial, nudism is tolerated in Slovakia. They are mostly in rural locations or at opposite side of official beaches:
- Bratislava - Rusovce
- Bratislava - Zlaté Piesky
- Dunajská Lužná - Nové Košariská
- Geča (Košice)
- Harčáš (Komárno)
- Liptovská Mara
- Zelená Voda (Nové Mesto nad Váhom)
- Senec - štrkovisko u Slnečných jazier
- Šútovo
- ...
- www.naturizmus.sk covers naturism in Slovakia
- Sandy Bay in Cape Town is the only legal nude beach in South Africa
- Morfa Dyffryn, Gwynedd
- Budleigh Salterton, Devon
- Studland Bay, Dorset - most famous UK nudist beach, now officially approved (after years of controversy) by landowner the National Trust
- Slapton Sands, Devon
- Blackgang Beach, near Blackgang Chine, Isle of Wight
- Brighton, East Sussex
- Birling Gap, East Sussex
- Fairlight Glen, East Sussex
- Leysdown East Beach, Kent
- St Osyth, Essex
- Corton Beach, Suffolk
- Holkham Beach, Norfolk
- Cleat's Shore, Isle of Arran
- Portsmouth Beach (Eastney radar station), Hampshire
- Hippie Hollow Park, on the shore of Lake Travis northwest of Austin, Texas, traditionally used for nude swimming since the formation of the lake in the late 1940s. The park was officially placed under management by Travis County in the mid-1980s and remains officially clothing-optional.
Miscellaneous
There are two places in the US with nudist youth camps: Lake Como, Florida and Shangri-La, Arizona.
A camp at White Tail Park, Southampton County, Virginia may be discontinued: even though the camps are strictly non-sexual, in 2004 the commonwealth law of Virginia, enforced by Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, banned nudist youth camps unless a parent, grandparent or legal guardian is present, citing dangers from sexual predators. [12]
The ACLU, the park, three boys, ages 11, 15 and 17, and two girls, 10 and 12, and their parents (three couples) have challenged the new law on June 29, 2004, arguing that it violates the constitutional right to privacy [13].
Pasco County, Florida has seven nudist resorts.
See also
External links
See also: Major nudist organizations section of this article.
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