Naturism's main challenge

It's making connections with other naturists

Since you’ve subscribed to this newsletter - or at least you’ve become aware of it and are checking it out - it’s almost certain that you’re interested in naturism. You may prefer the terms “nudism and “nudist”. In the U.S. the latter terms are somewhat more common, even though in most of the developed world, “naturism” and “naturists” are the terms of choice for the practice of social nudity and the people who enjoy it. Just as with adoption of the metric system, people in the U.S. tend to resist some things that are normal in the rest of the world. Some may feel that there are distinctions, but there’s really not much difference in the labels, and “naturism” is the term that will be used here.

But perhaps you don’t care to be labeled and don’t identify with either alternative. You may simply find it pleasurable to be naked when you have the opportunity. However that may be, there are probably more people like yourself among others you’re acquainted with in your daily life or are even aware of who occasionally enjoy being naked. Unfortunately, it’s often difficult to know who they are. Why? Simply because it’s an uncomfortable topic to bring up with others. You, as well as others who enjoy being naked, tend to be afraid of the reaction that many others have to the idea.

Naturism (or “nudism”) simply isn’t a topic that’s especially interesting, well-understood, or favorably regarded by “most” people. So naturists in the U.S. (as well as most other countries) are a small minority. Minorities of good people of any kind have little power or influence, and they’re susceptible to being ridiculed or treated poorly by most of society. That is, of course, a bad thing in general. Changing that situation as it affects naturists is the main topic to be explored in this newsletter.

Almost everyone who’s thought of themself as a naturist or merely taken an interest in social nudity is aware of this situation. So the misunderstandings about naturism aren’t surprising. But we shouldn’t succumb to feeling dispirited about this. Instead, the only way to change things is to be open about what we enjoy, in order to dispel the idea that naturists and people sympathetic to naturism are weirdos or worse. We can’t just “let George do it”. Naturists themselves need to make the case - openly and without apologies - for the value of social nudity and their interest in it. There are probably many more people like us than either the general public or most naturists are aware of. That includes people who enjoy being clothesfree, when possible, in the privacy of their own homes.

What’s the reason that most people misunderstand naturism and therefore have a negative attitude toward it? The reason is largely the understandable tendency of most prospective or active naturists to be secretive about their interest in social nudity. So it’s difficult to stress enough the importance of not being secretive about an interest in naturism or social nudity. As long as this secretiveness prevails, most other people - by far - will have little idea of what naturism is actually like and how many people actually enjoy it. But you’ve quite likely heard this sermon before.

There are several separate issues here, at least. (1) What are the risks involved in “coming out of the closet” and talking openly with others concerning what’s good about naturism and your interest in it? (2) How and with whom should you engage in a discussion about naturism with others you consider open-minded? (3) In addition to giving others a better understanding of naturism and ameliorating the stigma around it, how will discussing it openly with others make it easier and more rewarding to participate in naturism yourself?

We’ll return to these issues repeatedly in this newsletter, because there’s plenty to say about them. The first issue is particularly tricky, since so much depends on your personal situation and your relationships with others. You’re fortunate if many of the people closest to you are open-minded enough to seriously consider what you have to say about naturism. But if your personal situation includes having good friends, family, or a significant other who may react badly, or if you work at a job where being known as a naturist could affect you adversely, your concerns about discussing it openly may be well-founded. Life, unfortunately, sometimes involves making difficult choices.

The second and third issues are less problematic. There are a number of good ways to bring up the subject of naturism, and they’re mostly obvious. Without going into much detail now you could: (1) Keep naturist magazines and literature out in the open where visitors can see and ask about them; (2) Display prominently naturist or mainstream works of art containing nudity; (3) Casually mention to others when you’re planning to visit a clothing-optional beach, go naked hiking or camping in a suitable place, visit a landed or non-landed naturist clubs “just to see what it’s like”; (4) talk about how comfortable it is to sleep naked; (5) model naked for art classes and display samples of students’ work around your home; (6) offer to give interviews about naturism to local or regional news writers; etc. Best of all, if you live with others who won’t object to occasional nudity, just be naked at times in the morning or evening or when using a private spa or swimming pool. You can probably come up with similar ideas if you think a little about it.

The third issue - the direct benefits to you - is especially important. Obviously, if the people who matter to you accept your interest in social nudity - even if they don’t quite understand it themselves - you may be able to be naked more often at home and have many more opportunities to actually participate in naturist activities outside your home. Once the people who matter to you know about your interest in social nudity, they may well be inclined to mention it to others they know (unless you intentionally discourage that).

The result, then, may be that friends, relatives, and acquaintances will accept your occasional nudity - they might even become interested in naturism. If you’re lucky, they may actually be closet naturists themselves - which will significantly increase your opportunities for enjoying social nudity. Even if people don’t become interested in naturism themselves, they may know of others who are actual naturists or at least curious to learn more about it. This is a “network effect”. To the extent that naturists aren’t secretive about their enjoyment of social nudity, it becomes considerably easier to discover others who feel the same way. The more the merrier, so to speak.

That should explain the subheading at the top of this newsletter edition. The point is really quite simple. The more someone becomes aware of specific others they share a given interest with, the more likely it is that they can connect with those others. And that’s what is least likely to happen if you and others are secretive about the interest.

People who connect with each other because of shared interests reap the benefits of increased “social capital”, which is a topic that was mentioned in the first of these newsletters and will be discussed a lot in future issues.