It’s not just Social Media, but the Internet is just as bad if not worse. Search Naturism or Nudism on any search engine and the results more often than not, will be an adult website hijacking Naturism/Nudism to “sell” their product. This also gives Naturism a bad name.
Madison Avenue has been telling us, Sex Sells for decades. Can you really blame the resorts or clubs for just following along? How do you attract attention and “sell” or advertise your product?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending them. I disagree with using the subjects in your examples to sell their product. It completely goes against what true Naturism is. And obviously gives the wrong impressions of what we try show the world True Naturism really is.
But to the outside world, to those who are curious, but clueless about Naturism, if we show them what it’s really like, will they find boring? Or will they find it intriguing? How do we make sure they don’t find it boring? Not worth their time, effort, and money?
Yes we are sabotaging the effort to bring not only women but anyone into Naturism. The exciting part of our lifestyle can’t be shown in ads, websites, or social media posts, it has to be experienced by each person. They have to see it with their own eyes, feel it with their bare skin. Just like we all did.
How do we sell this, make or allow people to see and really start to understand what Naturism is really like? Make it exciting? We’ve been saying for decades how exciting, freeing, exhilarating true Naturism is. There are several different websites, blogs, and even vlogs that do fantastic job. But even they sometimes slip into the “sex sells” mistake.
"I've advocated for women to embrace naturism, highlighting its positive impact on body image and mental well-being while consistently challenging societal norms perpetuated by print media, entertainment, and social platforms."
Here's another idea. Arrange events that women will enjoy. High-minded concepts can only take you so far when you're trying to win people's hearts.
I think you've missed the point entirely. The author is not disputing the value of fun events such as New Year's parties or Steampunk dances, but rather the tendency to promote such gatherings with imagery that wouldn't be out of place in 1960s girly magazines.
When I first discovered Naturism it was in the pages of Health and Efficiency. I was about 12 and all I knew about it was prompted by 'saucy' postcards and ribald jokes. I saw a Pathe newsreel reporting on an INF meeting at Woburn Abbey and thought, I'd like to try that. Mum was horrified, so off to H&E I went... back then it had few photos and those it had were black and white and airbrushed cruelly - but the text was informative and I was hooked on the idea and off to the local beach I went to cavort sans trunks. Yes, it was as marvellous as the text said it was. I was hooked. So my point is that pictures do not sell naturism - the ideas behind it and the experience of being naked was what did it for me. Fighting the 'sex thing' is a negative approach - the camaraderie and, especially, honesty of naked communion is positive and inclusive. That was the positive message that sold it to me... perhaps it might work for others?
We are not only sabotaging it in overt ways such as those outlined in this article, but in subtle ways as well. Such as in even more closed environments being far too permissive of men posing in off-putting and suggestive photography hiding behind 'I'm just figuring things out' attitudes. Then ending up practically dominating said environments. The open environments are just a minefield of this crap and it's supported, both actively and passively, by far too many.
The only way to shift away from it is an entire generational shift away from how we FUNDAMENTALLY raise male children... And I just don't see that happening any time soon.
To be fair, both men and women need to change in order to create changes for the next generation, especially if it is tied to raising a child. We both need to give up old tropes and be unafraid to be different. Too many people can't change because being the same is often tied to belonging.
Men posing in off-putting and suggestive photography is frequent on the Naturist Hub which is run and endorsed by AANR. A guy sitting in a chair with his legs spread open and smiling is extremely off-putting to women.
To clarify, AANR does not run the site but is an AANR-affiliate. As an Admin on the site, we respond to all reports of suggestive photos. The pushback we get - "Guys sit like this. It's normal."
They are still posed pictures and intended to show off. They can defend it all they want, but it still sends a message, intentional or not. Pictures of naked people having fun sells the nudist lifestyle. Pictures of men showing off their genitals sells creepy guys looking for sex. Nudists may be fine with it but curious women checking in to see what it's about, are going, "See, it's a bunch of creepy men. No thanks." Guys who want to do that and then complain about the lack of women have themselves to blame. In many ways, social media has hindered the growth of nudism instead of helping it grow. It's a convenient place for creepy men to hide and pretend.
I would also like to point out that men don't listen. You have an online meet-and-greet that had a breakout room for only women. It provided a safe space for women but men complained so it got changed. Women complain about the posed pictures and instead of being sympathetic to how it makes women feel, the men push back with, "that's just how we sit." Men push back and women back down. How can anyone say nudist men respect women when they don't even respect them enough to listen to them and understand their concerns? The men who push back are the ones that worry me most. Why don't they want women to feel safe? It's one reason I voted Linda Weber for President. Female leadership and female voices are going to lead the way and I hope the Linda Weber's, Ronna Krozy's, Andee Rogers' and others forge a new path.
Women are the core of Nudism. It's time that men stepped aside and stop the competition. The thinking woman is a resource which has been suppressed for too long. Allow women to correct the horrendous mistakes of testosterone.
Men have always been dominated by their dicks, and that means those of any sexual identity. Most of us have never from birth been exposed from to a healthy sexuality nor to the means of expressing it in functional ways. As a result, we are stuck in a sophomoric mode when encountering bare skin. We have considerable difficulty understanding one’s interest in naturism. On Facebook, for example, the gut response of one discovering my membership on a naturist page is to assume that I am interested in their dick pics.
A free beach or nudist resort should be a place of refuge from unwanted solicitations. Unfortunately, it often is not leaving my own backyard as my only safe place.
Tom, your comment keeps coming up for me. I would like to hear more from your perspective about not having been exposed to a healthy sexuality nor how to express it functionally. (I'm asking both from a position as a mother to teenage boys and also as a naturist, if you're wondering about my interest.) Do you hold hope that this can change for men?
If you look at naturist advertising, it far more often features attractive young female nudists with an occasional well built guy. This is clear all the way back to the 1930s.
I've gone around on this a few times with guys who jumped on me for my limited and weak understanding of life. Things like, not paying complements to women you don't know well. Particularly complements about appearance. Or when I suggested that the Japanese practice of "Shibari" seems (to me) a bit demeaning to the subject. Or, its okay to ask once if she's interested in visiting a club but don't try to coax and if she says no, drop it.
I don't pull judgments of things like that out of my hat. I come by them from talking to women who trust me. (One has to suspend all one's beliefs when you do that or you lose the point.) Wife, daughter, friends, a couple of textile coworkers back when I worked, other female nudists. Some women are bold and up for anything but most feel considerably more vulnerable.
Maybe gender separate naturism is the best way to introduce women? (Thinking Korean spas here.) They are inherently suspicious of any male telling them the wonders of getting naked socially with them. Make events clothing optional rather than nude mandatory? Or maybe give them a paid vacation to check out European sauna culture.
I have come to the conclusion that men have almost nothing useful to say on the subject of attracting US women to naturism. Given that most naturists are older men, I don't have lots of hope.
You're not wrong in the ratio of women to men being reversed in advertising...almost like it is advertising women's bodies to men to get them to try naturism. 😳 😉 😄 Kinda funny, lol.
Look at it from a business perspective. If a dollar of advertising could bring in two dollars worth of male patronage or a $1.25 of female patronage, where do you think they'll orient their advertising dollars? It is more profitable to focus on men.
I'm not sure how you'd advertise to specifically pull in women. Plus, advertising dollars are spent to get memberships. I suspect that social nudity's potential is far larger than clubs or other profit-making enterprises. Landed clubs will always be a thing but they are vanishing rapidly and new ones aren't springing up.
I believe free-range alternatives are the future but TNS has fallen on hard times as well.
I do think there are places for women-only events. No hate to the guys, but there are just some gatherings that do better that way.
I honestly think that advertising the current ratio men:women wouldn't work for most people. There may be well-intended reasons to have more women in some of the images, such as ensuring representation, I apologize if I laughed/wrote without saying that. The irony just struck me as funny.
Korean spas do well in many areas. But I would miss the mixed gender approach if it went that way.
IMHO, rough gender balance in ads isn't the problem.
There is advertising that implies their clientele is a bevy of bathing beauties without the bathing suits with the occasional hunky guy. Bait and switch for guys and discouraging for women.
Bare Necessities brings models onto the cruise in order to take promotional pictures. The majority are younger, fit individuals. They do have a few older people in their group. I think it would be better if they had a plan to use actual customers in their ads. Another example of mixed messaging about the kinds of people who actually go on the cruises.
It's not that straightforward, because there's a lot of value in gender balance. It's much harder to attract women than men to naturist events, so in fact it would make more sense to use a male stripper in the ads
Problem is that I doubt a male stripper would draw as many women as a female would guys. More like to bring in the gay crowd.
Just basing this on the ratio of male to female strip joints in LA. There used to be a few male strip joints targeting a female clientele but hey are long gone. (It is all private parties now.) Even Chippendale's has left for Vegas. Female joints are still going strong.
This is a tricky one because I personally believe the issue to be larger than the kind of "wink-and-nudge" images shown. I don't mind being a bit playful with imagery and (in life overall) prefer to have people fly their red flags in plain sight. There's bidirectional issues with provocative and stereotypical representations of bodies.
There are definitely branding issues that occur when images like this are used with audiences not currently engaged in naturism. When you're already involved, the picture shifts slightly if there is decent confidence in belonging already. That's why I personally don't mind a playfulness at times...provided that if you want a Bond girl, you're also including Bond. 😘
The larger issue for me is more the hidden messages in images. Many sites with families show women as the default with children. Or if a woman is shown on her own, it's in some type of overly serene setting, cooking/serving food -- oh, and always smiling of course. Not all sites, and it's a delight when there are ones that are different.
I personally find that images like the latter can be more harmful to women. Women aren't fragile, we're not hand-blown glass that will break at the wrong image. We're resilient and strong. I believe it's more important to accept that the framework that embedded toxic stories about body and appearance was enabled by those wanting to enforce control than it is to believe that I need to accept my body. I see that same framework in how women are shown in limiting ways. (I don't want to say "traditional ways" because I don't believe it's anyone's tradition, not really.)
So I would sooner see something that I can identify as hyperbole and lightly mock, knowing it's not representing me in any way than to have something earnestly representing me in ways that continue to enforce systems against me.
In a nutshell, it is about a resort that left AANR over holding a "Miss G-String International" contest and advertising it. People complained it was sexualizing nudity. It is pretty clear they are advertising for the "adult" crowd and sex is a lot of the draw.
There was also a complaint about a photo of a nude woman on a motorcycle on their site. I never saw the photo or heard anyone say what was objectionable about it.
A second resort, Caliente Resorts, left AANR because their PR person went to speak at a Swingerfest meeting. From their website, they also seem to be sexually focused.
Throughout the years, we've seen quite some resorts fall into the social media trap. It's very tempting to play the "young sexy female" card, because in social media, success is measured in likes and clicks. Posts that feature pictures of Lins will also perform better than posts with pictures of just Nick. And for us, clicks are actually what get us paid although we do aim for "valuable clicks" as they ensure success in the long run. For resorts and clubs, valueable clicks are the only thing that matters. What does it mean when their posts get likes from some random dudes from around the world? They won't show up to the event. And even if they would fly in, is that the audience you want?
Another reason is that resorts often don't have the people that know how marketing works, or that they hire agencies that doen't know the fragilities of naturism. A couple of years ago, there was a big naturist resort in Mexico that brought in a professional photographer and models. They probably could not (did not want to) afford nude models, so they ended up with beautiful pictures featuring 18-year-old women in bathing suits... Given that their target audience is probably couples in their fifties or sixties, this was probably not the best move.
About the shot glasses... Sometimes the problem is just ignorance, many clubs/resorts are largely male driven and they just think that women will "find this funny too". Another reason is that resorts try to walk the thin line between non-sexual and sexual social nudity.
“Another reason is that resorts try to walk the thin line between non-sexual and sexual social nudity”
Sex sells. It even works for cheeseburgers. If I still were my 20-something self, I’d have a much bigger following, though nowhere what I’d get if I were my 20-something self and female.
True, sex sells, but it's not really a smart technique to use as a resort that promotes non-sexual family-friendly nudity. It would be like a vegetarian resort using hamburgers in their advertising...
“Naturism does not equal sex” needs to be on repeat. In recent years I’ve seen advocacy for line blurring that is intensely frustrating and really will be the thing that kills it for all of us, especially in this era of neopuritanical moral panic about mere skin. Well done, Linda.
I truly believe that women should be the voices and leaders behind naturism. The future of America is female, the future of America black and brown, The current generations of millennials and Z's, the only two generations that can replace the aging and dying population of naturists in America, want nothing to do with sex.
Naturist resorts and events using suggestive female imaging to sell naturism isn't going to help grow and keep the naturist lifestyle alive. It only caters to the the current majority population of naturists which is dominated by elderly white men, who are for the first time in nearly three centuries of American history, currently on the out with society.
I've said this before and I will say it again. Young people and women do not feel comfortable hanging out around grandpas.
The only way for naturism and nudism to survive in the future and get around the gatekeepers of the media and internet, is to start highlighting the other aspects of naturism that don't directly relate to nudity. There are a lot of other points to naturism that are currently very popular with females and the younger generations. The only reason we aren't aggressively going after these points is because of fear. Fear of alienating the current regulars in naturism.
From a business outlook it makes no sense to alienate you regulars, but it also makes no sense to not look at other markets that might be more profitable.
Making young diverse women the face, voice, and leadership of naturism. Will do wonders, I assure you.
Ever since their birth in the twentieth century, acceptance of naturists has always fluctuated with the changing moral and social climate of the times and naturists have responded according to keep up. The moral and social climate are changing now and if we don't respond accordingly, that will be the end.
Can't agree with this more, Davey! I'm not in marketing, but I also think a lot of it has to do with advertisement imagery in general. But I'm not talking about the people included, but the font, the choice in coloring, the scenery, etc. Not to promote gender norms but a lot of our understanding on what the product is for, and who it's for, is based on gender norms.
For example, if you want to target men, why do you have to go straight to a suggestive, provocative woman? That tells them something very specific about the place. Why not just show them a scene of the great, empty outdoors and that's it! It'll attract more of the recreational naturist guy and if you really want to send a clear message, then include some older naked dude fishing at a vast, still lake. Then you will be more successful weeding through the men a club does not want to attract. Similarly, if you want to attract more women, then use the same scene or use scenes with diverse women and body types that have more feminine gender norms to the lettering and colors.
Sex no longer sells like it used to. Diversity and belonging, charity, sustainability, and recreation do. I see these things in advertisements everywhere, for men and women. It's time to get creative and get with the times.
The third example might be legitimate. If women feel they don't measure up, then they need to work on figuring out why they feel they do not measure up?
The ominous music playing in the background is interesting.
Typical feminist blaming men for women feeling they are not included.
Women objectify themselves. They do not need men to do that.
The premise of this article is the same tired feminist trope.
Hi Shawn - I appreciate the dialogue. While it's true that women should strive for self-empowerment and self-acceptance, it's also important to acknowledge the societal influences and pressures that can contribute to feelings of inadequacy. How do you "measure up" with the artificial standards constantly perpetuated on TV and the media? Likewise, People Magazine hawks "The Sexiest Man Alive" which begs the question - What man could measure up to a Hollywood actor who has an entire staff carefully crafting their look and style?
The intention behind the article was not to blame men or perpetuate stereotypes, but rather to shed light on the broader societal issues at hand. I did acknowledge that many men do understand the issues women face regarding social nudity. Addressing these issues requires a collective effort from both men and women, however, men have the most influence in recognizing bad actors in the naturist world and dealing with them, then woman have.
It is true that some women objectify themselves, but that is not the crux of the issue at hand here.
Thank you for reading my article. Reading educates us on subjects we agree or disagree on. Education is knowledge and that is the start of making meaningful change that benefits us all, in the naturism world as well as the clothed.
It's deeply concerning to see such a dismissive and misogynistic response. Blaming women for their insecurities and suggesting they "need to work on" their feelings of inadequacy is not only unfair but damaging. Women's self-worth should not be determined by societal standards or for the approval of men. Reducing complex issues of objectification and exclusion to a simplistic "feminist trope" ignores the systemic barriers and biases that women face every day and is, quite frankly, embarrassing. As men, we need to show empathy, understanding, and genuine dialogue rather than resorting to tired stereotypes and victim-blaming.
Very Nicely written article with thoughts concerning about the impact on women who are willing to embrace naturism.
Though the mix messages will definitely damage the Naturism movement overall, I feel that it's very difficult to completely eradicate this tendency. Unfortunately this tendency is a part of society & will remain there, though we naturists continue to try our best to atleast minimise such ill tendencies..
Hey appreciating your insight here Linda. Considering becoming an AANR member and moving over to Hawaii for a while. How is the club there along these lines?
Hi Charles. Thanks for the kind words. There are two AANR-affiliated businesses on the island of Hawaii - Hawaiian Naturist Park and SwimFree Hawaii. As far as another "clubs" people are split between all the islands so it is difficult to start a "social" or "non-landed" club. Hawaii is also introducing some troubling legislation regarding nudity so any unofficial beaches like Polo Beach, Little Beach, and Kehena are "use at your own risk." If you would like more information about joining AANR, I have included the link here - https://www.aanr.com/join-aanr/
Heard ya there and you’re welcome. Could active members of the nudist community over in Hawaii start getting engaged and involved in community volunteer efforts in some of the state parks or with organizations who have a camaraderie with the DLNR in order to start growing relationships and personalizing connections more deeply in their community as a strategy to improve their social standing and also because it may be very rewarding to do so? Just some ideas percolating from reading these sorts of stories recently. Thanks for all the information shares. 🥰
Yes! We have troubling legislation coming out of Hawaii currently as well as some news about Little Beach on Maui. If you are on social media, Planet Nude has an blog on Little Beach which may be informative for you.
Why are clubs using sexually suggestive stock photos in their advertising? They could just ask for volunteers from their club to pose for photos that actually show what naturism is about. Is it laziness, or do they secretly want to use the more suggestive stock photo because they know that sex sells?
Jeff - I think it is two-fold. Many naturists are willing to be nude, but do not feel comfortable about having pictures taken and used for promotion or on social media. This is especially true for women. I have a difficult time getting women to pose for photographs. As far as the stock photos, I am not sure if the person running the accounts realizes how some of the images come across. If the acct manager is a male, he may think that the pictures are fine because they appeal to men, which are the major utilizers of naturism. I worked with AANR to get them to eschew using young, thin women and men in their brochures. I told them it sent the wrong message and the kinds of people it was attracting were not the people who would join AANR. I got a lot of pushback but I did not relent. We must be authentic and send the right message or we are guilty of the same treatment we accuse society of.
It’s not just Social Media, but the Internet is just as bad if not worse. Search Naturism or Nudism on any search engine and the results more often than not, will be an adult website hijacking Naturism/Nudism to “sell” their product. This also gives Naturism a bad name.
Madison Avenue has been telling us, Sex Sells for decades. Can you really blame the resorts or clubs for just following along? How do you attract attention and “sell” or advertise your product?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending them. I disagree with using the subjects in your examples to sell their product. It completely goes against what true Naturism is. And obviously gives the wrong impressions of what we try show the world True Naturism really is.
But to the outside world, to those who are curious, but clueless about Naturism, if we show them what it’s really like, will they find boring? Or will they find it intriguing? How do we make sure they don’t find it boring? Not worth their time, effort, and money?
Yes we are sabotaging the effort to bring not only women but anyone into Naturism. The exciting part of our lifestyle can’t be shown in ads, websites, or social media posts, it has to be experienced by each person. They have to see it with their own eyes, feel it with their bare skin. Just like we all did.
How do we sell this, make or allow people to see and really start to understand what Naturism is really like? Make it exciting? We’ve been saying for decades how exciting, freeing, exhilarating true Naturism is. There are several different websites, blogs, and even vlogs that do fantastic job. But even they sometimes slip into the “sex sells” mistake.
So how do we fix this?
Very well said..
"I've advocated for women to embrace naturism, highlighting its positive impact on body image and mental well-being while consistently challenging societal norms perpetuated by print media, entertainment, and social platforms."
Here's another idea. Arrange events that women will enjoy. High-minded concepts can only take you so far when you're trying to win people's hearts.
I think you've missed the point entirely. The author is not disputing the value of fun events such as New Year's parties or Steampunk dances, but rather the tendency to promote such gatherings with imagery that wouldn't be out of place in 1960s girly magazines.
When I first discovered Naturism it was in the pages of Health and Efficiency. I was about 12 and all I knew about it was prompted by 'saucy' postcards and ribald jokes. I saw a Pathe newsreel reporting on an INF meeting at Woburn Abbey and thought, I'd like to try that. Mum was horrified, so off to H&E I went... back then it had few photos and those it had were black and white and airbrushed cruelly - but the text was informative and I was hooked on the idea and off to the local beach I went to cavort sans trunks. Yes, it was as marvellous as the text said it was. I was hooked. So my point is that pictures do not sell naturism - the ideas behind it and the experience of being naked was what did it for me. Fighting the 'sex thing' is a negative approach - the camaraderie and, especially, honesty of naked communion is positive and inclusive. That was the positive message that sold it to me... perhaps it might work for others?
We are not only sabotaging it in overt ways such as those outlined in this article, but in subtle ways as well. Such as in even more closed environments being far too permissive of men posing in off-putting and suggestive photography hiding behind 'I'm just figuring things out' attitudes. Then ending up practically dominating said environments. The open environments are just a minefield of this crap and it's supported, both actively and passively, by far too many.
The only way to shift away from it is an entire generational shift away from how we FUNDAMENTALLY raise male children... And I just don't see that happening any time soon.
To be fair, both men and women need to change in order to create changes for the next generation, especially if it is tied to raising a child. We both need to give up old tropes and be unafraid to be different. Too many people can't change because being the same is often tied to belonging.
Men posing in off-putting and suggestive photography is frequent on the Naturist Hub which is run and endorsed by AANR. A guy sitting in a chair with his legs spread open and smiling is extremely off-putting to women.
To clarify, AANR does not run the site but is an AANR-affiliate. As an Admin on the site, we respond to all reports of suggestive photos. The pushback we get - "Guys sit like this. It's normal."
They are still posed pictures and intended to show off. They can defend it all they want, but it still sends a message, intentional or not. Pictures of naked people having fun sells the nudist lifestyle. Pictures of men showing off their genitals sells creepy guys looking for sex. Nudists may be fine with it but curious women checking in to see what it's about, are going, "See, it's a bunch of creepy men. No thanks." Guys who want to do that and then complain about the lack of women have themselves to blame. In many ways, social media has hindered the growth of nudism instead of helping it grow. It's a convenient place for creepy men to hide and pretend.
No argument there.
I would also like to point out that men don't listen. You have an online meet-and-greet that had a breakout room for only women. It provided a safe space for women but men complained so it got changed. Women complain about the posed pictures and instead of being sympathetic to how it makes women feel, the men push back with, "that's just how we sit." Men push back and women back down. How can anyone say nudist men respect women when they don't even respect them enough to listen to them and understand their concerns? The men who push back are the ones that worry me most. Why don't they want women to feel safe? It's one reason I voted Linda Weber for President. Female leadership and female voices are going to lead the way and I hope the Linda Weber's, Ronna Krozy's, Andee Rogers' and others forge a new path.
Guys don't sit like that and it's NOT normal. That's gaslight ING, pure and simple.
Women are the core of Nudism. It's time that men stepped aside and stop the competition. The thinking woman is a resource which has been suppressed for too long. Allow women to correct the horrendous mistakes of testosterone.
Men have always been dominated by their dicks, and that means those of any sexual identity. Most of us have never from birth been exposed from to a healthy sexuality nor to the means of expressing it in functional ways. As a result, we are stuck in a sophomoric mode when encountering bare skin. We have considerable difficulty understanding one’s interest in naturism. On Facebook, for example, the gut response of one discovering my membership on a naturist page is to assume that I am interested in their dick pics.
A free beach or nudist resort should be a place of refuge from unwanted solicitations. Unfortunately, it often is not leaving my own backyard as my only safe place.
Last sentence should read : “Unfortunately, it often leaves my own backyard as my only safe place.”
Tom, your comment keeps coming up for me. I would like to hear more from your perspective about not having been exposed to a healthy sexuality nor how to express it functionally. (I'm asking both from a position as a mother to teenage boys and also as a naturist, if you're wondering about my interest.) Do you hold hope that this can change for men?
If you look at naturist advertising, it far more often features attractive young female nudists with an occasional well built guy. This is clear all the way back to the 1930s.
I've gone around on this a few times with guys who jumped on me for my limited and weak understanding of life. Things like, not paying complements to women you don't know well. Particularly complements about appearance. Or when I suggested that the Japanese practice of "Shibari" seems (to me) a bit demeaning to the subject. Or, its okay to ask once if she's interested in visiting a club but don't try to coax and if she says no, drop it.
I don't pull judgments of things like that out of my hat. I come by them from talking to women who trust me. (One has to suspend all one's beliefs when you do that or you lose the point.) Wife, daughter, friends, a couple of textile coworkers back when I worked, other female nudists. Some women are bold and up for anything but most feel considerably more vulnerable.
Maybe gender separate naturism is the best way to introduce women? (Thinking Korean spas here.) They are inherently suspicious of any male telling them the wonders of getting naked socially with them. Make events clothing optional rather than nude mandatory? Or maybe give them a paid vacation to check out European sauna culture.
I have come to the conclusion that men have almost nothing useful to say on the subject of attracting US women to naturism. Given that most naturists are older men, I don't have lots of hope.
You're not wrong in the ratio of women to men being reversed in advertising...almost like it is advertising women's bodies to men to get them to try naturism. 😳 😉 😄 Kinda funny, lol.
Look at it from a business perspective. If a dollar of advertising could bring in two dollars worth of male patronage or a $1.25 of female patronage, where do you think they'll orient their advertising dollars? It is more profitable to focus on men.
I'm not sure how you'd advertise to specifically pull in women. Plus, advertising dollars are spent to get memberships. I suspect that social nudity's potential is far larger than clubs or other profit-making enterprises. Landed clubs will always be a thing but they are vanishing rapidly and new ones aren't springing up.
I believe free-range alternatives are the future but TNS has fallen on hard times as well.
I do think there are places for women-only events. No hate to the guys, but there are just some gatherings that do better that way.
I honestly think that advertising the current ratio men:women wouldn't work for most people. There may be well-intended reasons to have more women in some of the images, such as ensuring representation, I apologize if I laughed/wrote without saying that. The irony just struck me as funny.
Korean spas do well in many areas. But I would miss the mixed gender approach if it went that way.
IMHO, rough gender balance in ads isn't the problem.
There is advertising that implies their clientele is a bevy of bathing beauties without the bathing suits with the occasional hunky guy. Bait and switch for guys and discouraging for women.
A slight tangent: have you noticed that the nude couple on the beach in Bare Necessities Tour and Travel ads have recently aged +/- 35 years?
I haven't seen those ads. Maybe they have realized who their customer actually are and what they are looking for.
Bare Necessities brings models onto the cruise in order to take promotional pictures. The majority are younger, fit individuals. They do have a few older people in their group. I think it would be better if they had a plan to use actual customers in their ads. Another example of mixed messaging about the kinds of people who actually go on the cruises.
It's not that straightforward, because there's a lot of value in gender balance. It's much harder to attract women than men to naturist events, so in fact it would make more sense to use a male stripper in the ads
Problem is that I doubt a male stripper would draw as many women as a female would guys. More like to bring in the gay crowd.
Just basing this on the ratio of male to female strip joints in LA. There used to be a few male strip joints targeting a female clientele but hey are long gone. (It is all private parties now.) Even Chippendale's has left for Vegas. Female joints are still going strong.
This is a tricky one because I personally believe the issue to be larger than the kind of "wink-and-nudge" images shown. I don't mind being a bit playful with imagery and (in life overall) prefer to have people fly their red flags in plain sight. There's bidirectional issues with provocative and stereotypical representations of bodies.
There are definitely branding issues that occur when images like this are used with audiences not currently engaged in naturism. When you're already involved, the picture shifts slightly if there is decent confidence in belonging already. That's why I personally don't mind a playfulness at times...provided that if you want a Bond girl, you're also including Bond. 😘
The larger issue for me is more the hidden messages in images. Many sites with families show women as the default with children. Or if a woman is shown on her own, it's in some type of overly serene setting, cooking/serving food -- oh, and always smiling of course. Not all sites, and it's a delight when there are ones that are different.
I personally find that images like the latter can be more harmful to women. Women aren't fragile, we're not hand-blown glass that will break at the wrong image. We're resilient and strong. I believe it's more important to accept that the framework that embedded toxic stories about body and appearance was enabled by those wanting to enforce control than it is to believe that I need to accept my body. I see that same framework in how women are shown in limiting ways. (I don't want to say "traditional ways" because I don't believe it's anyone's tradition, not really.)
So I would sooner see something that I can identify as hyperbole and lightly mock, knowing it's not representing me in any way than to have something earnestly representing me in ways that continue to enforce systems against me.
Here’s something interesting:
https://www.adweek.com/creativity/rogue-resorts-racy-ad-has-nudists-flustered-13745/
Looks good, but behind a pay wall.
In a nutshell, it is about a resort that left AANR over holding a "Miss G-String International" contest and advertising it. People complained it was sexualizing nudity. It is pretty clear they are advertising for the "adult" crowd and sex is a lot of the draw.
https://paradiselakesresort.com/upcoming-events
There was also a complaint about a photo of a nude woman on a motorcycle on their site. I never saw the photo or heard anyone say what was objectionable about it.
A second resort, Caliente Resorts, left AANR because their PR person went to speak at a Swingerfest meeting. From their website, they also seem to be sexually focused.
https://calienteresorts.com/
They both use female sexuality to attract men. I have yet to see a site that does the reverse. or is gender balanced in its sex appeal.
Throughout the years, we've seen quite some resorts fall into the social media trap. It's very tempting to play the "young sexy female" card, because in social media, success is measured in likes and clicks. Posts that feature pictures of Lins will also perform better than posts with pictures of just Nick. And for us, clicks are actually what get us paid although we do aim for "valuable clicks" as they ensure success in the long run. For resorts and clubs, valueable clicks are the only thing that matters. What does it mean when their posts get likes from some random dudes from around the world? They won't show up to the event. And even if they would fly in, is that the audience you want?
Another reason is that resorts often don't have the people that know how marketing works, or that they hire agencies that doen't know the fragilities of naturism. A couple of years ago, there was a big naturist resort in Mexico that brought in a professional photographer and models. They probably could not (did not want to) afford nude models, so they ended up with beautiful pictures featuring 18-year-old women in bathing suits... Given that their target audience is probably couples in their fifties or sixties, this was probably not the best move.
About the shot glasses... Sometimes the problem is just ignorance, many clubs/resorts are largely male driven and they just think that women will "find this funny too". Another reason is that resorts try to walk the thin line between non-sexual and sexual social nudity.
“Another reason is that resorts try to walk the thin line between non-sexual and sexual social nudity”
Sex sells. It even works for cheeseburgers. If I still were my 20-something self, I’d have a much bigger following, though nowhere what I’d get if I were my 20-something self and female.
True, sex sells, but it's not really a smart technique to use as a resort that promotes non-sexual family-friendly nudity. It would be like a vegetarian resort using hamburgers in their advertising...
My experience with businesses is that they have no soul. Or if they did, they sold it to the bottom line.
“Naturism does not equal sex” needs to be on repeat. In recent years I’ve seen advocacy for line blurring that is intensely frustrating and really will be the thing that kills it for all of us, especially in this era of neopuritanical moral panic about mere skin. Well done, Linda.
I truly believe that women should be the voices and leaders behind naturism. The future of America is female, the future of America black and brown, The current generations of millennials and Z's, the only two generations that can replace the aging and dying population of naturists in America, want nothing to do with sex.
Naturist resorts and events using suggestive female imaging to sell naturism isn't going to help grow and keep the naturist lifestyle alive. It only caters to the the current majority population of naturists which is dominated by elderly white men, who are for the first time in nearly three centuries of American history, currently on the out with society.
I've said this before and I will say it again. Young people and women do not feel comfortable hanging out around grandpas.
The only way for naturism and nudism to survive in the future and get around the gatekeepers of the media and internet, is to start highlighting the other aspects of naturism that don't directly relate to nudity. There are a lot of other points to naturism that are currently very popular with females and the younger generations. The only reason we aren't aggressively going after these points is because of fear. Fear of alienating the current regulars in naturism.
From a business outlook it makes no sense to alienate you regulars, but it also makes no sense to not look at other markets that might be more profitable.
Making young diverse women the face, voice, and leadership of naturism. Will do wonders, I assure you.
Ever since their birth in the twentieth century, acceptance of naturists has always fluctuated with the changing moral and social climate of the times and naturists have responded according to keep up. The moral and social climate are changing now and if we don't respond accordingly, that will be the end.
Can't agree with this more, Davey! I'm not in marketing, but I also think a lot of it has to do with advertisement imagery in general. But I'm not talking about the people included, but the font, the choice in coloring, the scenery, etc. Not to promote gender norms but a lot of our understanding on what the product is for, and who it's for, is based on gender norms.
For example, if you want to target men, why do you have to go straight to a suggestive, provocative woman? That tells them something very specific about the place. Why not just show them a scene of the great, empty outdoors and that's it! It'll attract more of the recreational naturist guy and if you really want to send a clear message, then include some older naked dude fishing at a vast, still lake. Then you will be more successful weeding through the men a club does not want to attract. Similarly, if you want to attract more women, then use the same scene or use scenes with diverse women and body types that have more feminine gender norms to the lettering and colors.
Sex no longer sells like it used to. Diversity and belonging, charity, sustainability, and recreation do. I see these things in advertisements everywhere, for men and women. It's time to get creative and get with the times.
The third example might be legitimate. If women feel they don't measure up, then they need to work on figuring out why they feel they do not measure up?
The ominous music playing in the background is interesting.
Typical feminist blaming men for women feeling they are not included.
Women objectify themselves. They do not need men to do that.
The premise of this article is the same tired feminist trope.
Hi Shawn - I appreciate the dialogue. While it's true that women should strive for self-empowerment and self-acceptance, it's also important to acknowledge the societal influences and pressures that can contribute to feelings of inadequacy. How do you "measure up" with the artificial standards constantly perpetuated on TV and the media? Likewise, People Magazine hawks "The Sexiest Man Alive" which begs the question - What man could measure up to a Hollywood actor who has an entire staff carefully crafting their look and style?
The intention behind the article was not to blame men or perpetuate stereotypes, but rather to shed light on the broader societal issues at hand. I did acknowledge that many men do understand the issues women face regarding social nudity. Addressing these issues requires a collective effort from both men and women, however, men have the most influence in recognizing bad actors in the naturist world and dealing with them, then woman have.
It is true that some women objectify themselves, but that is not the crux of the issue at hand here.
Thank you for reading my article. Reading educates us on subjects we agree or disagree on. Education is knowledge and that is the start of making meaningful change that benefits us all, in the naturism world as well as the clothed.
It's deeply concerning to see such a dismissive and misogynistic response. Blaming women for their insecurities and suggesting they "need to work on" their feelings of inadequacy is not only unfair but damaging. Women's self-worth should not be determined by societal standards or for the approval of men. Reducing complex issues of objectification and exclusion to a simplistic "feminist trope" ignores the systemic barriers and biases that women face every day and is, quite frankly, embarrassing. As men, we need to show empathy, understanding, and genuine dialogue rather than resorting to tired stereotypes and victim-blaming.
Your opinions are dated and out of touch with the general sentiment of Modern Men.
Examples?
9 Chickweed Lane Comic Strip for August 02, 2009 https://www.gocomics.com/9chickweedlane/2009/08/02
Very Nicely written article with thoughts concerning about the impact on women who are willing to embrace naturism.
Though the mix messages will definitely damage the Naturism movement overall, I feel that it's very difficult to completely eradicate this tendency. Unfortunately this tendency is a part of society & will remain there, though we naturists continue to try our best to atleast minimise such ill tendencies..
Hey appreciating your insight here Linda. Considering becoming an AANR member and moving over to Hawaii for a while. How is the club there along these lines?
Hi Charles. Thanks for the kind words. There are two AANR-affiliated businesses on the island of Hawaii - Hawaiian Naturist Park and SwimFree Hawaii. As far as another "clubs" people are split between all the islands so it is difficult to start a "social" or "non-landed" club. Hawaii is also introducing some troubling legislation regarding nudity so any unofficial beaches like Polo Beach, Little Beach, and Kehena are "use at your own risk." If you would like more information about joining AANR, I have included the link here - https://www.aanr.com/join-aanr/
Heard ya there and you’re welcome. Could active members of the nudist community over in Hawaii start getting engaged and involved in community volunteer efforts in some of the state parks or with organizations who have a camaraderie with the DLNR in order to start growing relationships and personalizing connections more deeply in their community as a strategy to improve their social standing and also because it may be very rewarding to do so? Just some ideas percolating from reading these sorts of stories recently. Thanks for all the information shares. 🥰
Yes! We have troubling legislation coming out of Hawaii currently as well as some news about Little Beach on Maui. If you are on social media, Planet Nude has an blog on Little Beach which may be informative for you.
Why are clubs using sexually suggestive stock photos in their advertising? They could just ask for volunteers from their club to pose for photos that actually show what naturism is about. Is it laziness, or do they secretly want to use the more suggestive stock photo because they know that sex sells?
Jeff - I think it is two-fold. Many naturists are willing to be nude, but do not feel comfortable about having pictures taken and used for promotion or on social media. This is especially true for women. I have a difficult time getting women to pose for photographs. As far as the stock photos, I am not sure if the person running the accounts realizes how some of the images come across. If the acct manager is a male, he may think that the pictures are fine because they appeal to men, which are the major utilizers of naturism. I worked with AANR to get them to eschew using young, thin women and men in their brochures. I told them it sent the wrong message and the kinds of people it was attracting were not the people who would join AANR. I got a lot of pushback but I did not relent. We must be authentic and send the right message or we are guilty of the same treatment we accuse society of.