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Nudism

(Redirected from Naturism)

Nudism, or naturism, is the practice of going nude or unclothed in social and usually mixed gender groups. 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 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 should not be confused with naturalism, the study of nature.

Contents
1 General
2 Naturist terminology
3 History of nudism
4 Major nudist organizations
5 Public outdoor nudist areas
6 Miscellaneous
7 See also
8 External links

General

Nudists believe that the human body is nothing to be ashamed of, being something that we all possess and ought to cherish.

Although the terms are used interchangeably in this article, some would draw a distinction between the terms nudism and naturism. In this 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. 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. Changing and showering in a locker room probably does not qualify for either. Doing housework in the nude might. Many nudists do so casually at home. A common thought of nudists is being "always naked under my clothes." The nudist or naturist label is really a state of mind of the practitioner, instead of a strictly defined classification imposed by others.

Most nudists and nudist organizations maintain and try to enforce a no sex in public policy, (nude, not lewd) and it is rare to see obvious signs of sexual behaviour at most sites. These are the stereotypical family-oriented clubs and beaches. 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 most to be examples of true nudism.

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. Some nudist organizations do not allow unaccompanied men, see e.g. [1].

Nudism is not equivalent to exhibitionism. It is people who enjoy being nude and who are not primarily interested in seeing others naked 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. 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 big 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 etc. 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 (eg. a clothing optional beach, a friend's place in the woods, a party on the shore).

Nudists often use sun protection lotions and will wear clothes if the weather demands it. Naturists are generally accepting people, the general idea is simply doing things nude one would normally do clothed. Manners are the key.

Strong nudist movements exist in Germany (there 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.

Naturist terminology

Nudists sometimes refer to people who don't 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). 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 much of his/her body hair off.

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.

Objections against being nude are often religiously motivated. Some peoples have started wearing clothes only after missionaries argued that that is more civilized. However, there are many devout nudists who attend services regularly and argue that they do not need shed their morals with their clothes.

The first known organized club for nudists, Freilichtpark (Free-Light Park), was opened near Hamburg in 1903. The nudist movement gained prominence in Germany in the 1920s, but was suppressed during the Nazi Gleichschaltung after Adolf Hitler came to power. Social nudism in the form of private clubs and campgrounds first appeared in the United States in the 1930s. In Canada it first appeared in British Columbia about 1939 and in Ontario nine years later.

Major nudist organizations

Worldwide: International Naturist Federation/Federation Naturiste Internationale (INF/FNI) with member regional organizations in 30 countries.

Canada: the Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN) and La Fédération Québécoise de Naturisme (FQN) are the two national nudist organizations.

Netherlands: has the Naturisten Federatie Nederland (NFN)

Spain: has the Federación Espańola de Naturismo (FEN)

United Kingdom: the national organisation is British Naturism, formerly known as CCBN (Central Council for British Naturism).

United States: the American Association of Nude Recreation (AANR) and The Naturist Society (TNS) are the two major nudist organizations.

Public outdoor nudist areas

Austria:

  • Vienna, Donauinsel [2] [3] (artificial island in the Danube quite close to the city centre)

Belgium:

  • Bredene, tram stop Bredene Renbaan (Hippodroom): sandy beach (the only nude beach of the country, since 2001).

Brazil:

Canada:

  • Ontario All areas of Ontario, unless otherwise specified by town or city by-laws, allow both males and females to be topless in public.
  • Hanlans Point , a sandy beach just a 15 minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto, Ontario.
  • Wreck Beach is the second largest clothing optional beach in North America with over 100,000 visitors each year. It is located in Vancouver, British Columbia on the north arm of the Fraser River.
  • Oka, Quebec , about 40km from Montreal.

Denmark:

  • All beaches in Denmark are clothing-optional unless marked otherwise.

France:

Germany:

  • Munich, part of the Englischer Garten, near the city centre. Also, the western part of Feldmochinger See, in the northwestern suburbs.
  • Most beaches have designated FKK areas

Hungary:

The most significant places:

  • Délegyháza - 30 km south from Budapest ([5])
  • Szeged-Kiskundorozsma , Sziksósfürdö (aka "Sziki") ([6])
  • Balatonberény ([7])
  • Balatonakarattya ([8])

Smaller ones: Egerszalók , Látóképi-tó , Dunaszekcsö , Omszki-tó , Lupa-tavak (Budakalász ), Debreceni-tó (Nyékládháza ), Nemesbük , Mindszent , Szalkszentmárton etc.

Netherlands:

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.

Spain:

  • Formentera
  • In Barcelona there is no rule against public nudism, but if someone is walking in the streets naked, the police will invite them to get dressed.

United Kingdom:

United States:

  • Gunnison Beach, at Sandy Hook National Park , New Jersey (near Highlands; one hour ferry-ride from Manhattan). Biggest legal nude beach on the East Coast.
  • Haulover Beach , in Miami-Dade County, Florida (between Sunny Isles Beach, Florida and Bal Harbour). Most popular nude beach in North America.
  • 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.
  • Black's Beach, in San Diego, California, north of La Jolla and south of Torrey Pines State Park, perhaps the largest nude beach in the United States. Access from La Jolla, Torrey Pines State Park, and trails down the hillside by the glider port near the Salk Institute. Part of Black's Beach is within the State Park, and part within the city of San Diego. While technically illegal in the city, the ordinance against nude sunbathing is ignored and not enforced.

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 state 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. [11]

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 [12].

Pasco County, Florida has seven nudist resorts.

See also

Amersfoort, Gennep, Nude beach, Nudity, Nudity in sport, Skyclad, List of nudists

Compare Modesty.

External links

See also: Major nudist organizations section of this article.


Last updated: 10-24-2004 05:10:45