August is Nudist History Month
AANR designates August as a time to celebrate and share the rich history of the nudist movement
Summer is a time for nudism. June, widely celebrated as Pride Month, kicks off a season filled with World Naked Bike Rides (WNBRs) and Skinny Dips. July is notable for Nude Recreation Week, National Nude Day, and International Skinny Dip Day. However, August, besides traditionally being the month of the national AANR convention, has historically been a quieter month for nudist events of this sort. As a result, this year, the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) has declared August as Nudist History Month, inviting everyone to celebrate the rich history of nudism.
AANR’s initiative aims to highlight the importance of understanding and sharing the history of the nudism and naturism movements. By exploring the past, the 94-year-old organization believes we can better appreciate the culture and values that underpin the modern naturist community.
Here at Planet Nude, we are thrilled to support AANR’s declaration. Sharing the history of the nudist movement is a cornerstone of our editorial mission. In honor of Nudist History Month, we will be re-sharing some of our favorite past articles on nudist history and early nudist pre-history. These pieces offer a glimpse into the events, people, and philosophies that have shaped naturism over the decades. We also plan to publish more historical content than usual throughout August to celebrate and educate our readers about this fascinating aspect of our culture.
Supporting nudist history
In addition to our editorial efforts, Planet Nude is making a financial donation to the Western Nudist Research Library (WNRL). We encourage our readers to support the libraries that are part of the Nudist Research Library Consortium, which includes WNRL, the American Nudist Research Library (ANRL), and the Naturist Education Foundation Research Library (NEFRL). Unfortunately, donation links are not currently available for the two other affiliate libraries: the AANR Northwest Archive, and the Federation of Canadian Naturists Research Library. However, you can support AANR-NW through regional membership, or make a donation to FCN.
These institutions preserve invaluable records and artifacts, ensuring the legacy of nudism is accessible for future generations. For those interested in contributing, you can join or donate to these libraries through their respective websites:
Join us in this month-long celebration, and stay tuned to Planet Nude for a wealth of historical insights and stories that highlight the vibrant past of nudism. To start, we’re excited to re-share several past articles and podcasts below, offering a look at the events and people who have shaped naturism over the years.
Please enjoy and share these stories as we celebrate Nudist History Month together. 🪐
I find myself frequently wondering what “Nudist History” will look like 50 years from now. Will it be a lamented tale of what could have been? Will it be written from the viewpoint of the fundamentalists that successfully destroyed it completely, being looked back on with disdain and disgust? Will it be a joyful account of the pioneers (THAT’S US BY THE WAY) that paved the way to a future of increased nudism, social acceptance and unparalleled diversity, love and togetherness amongst the naked masses? Who’s to say. At this juncture, I feel any of those could happen and it could happen fast… but it all depends on US. It depends on us being outspoken. It depends on us being political. It depends on us being accepting. It depends on us embracing our fellow nudists that come from walks of life that are still, sadly, being constantly attacked. It depends on us CHANGING. No more sitting comfortably behind closed nudist doors. No more sitting around believing that the evils of the world coming after transgender or lgbtqia+ or women aren’t also coming after the comfortably privileged. No more pretending that nudism can survive by hiding and waiting out the latest ‘political changes’.
No more.
The history that has come before us is chock full of those that put their lives, jobs, families and other things on the line so that many of us could flourish today… but our flourishing is fading. It is quickly coming to an end, and if we want a future that can become a history that we can be proud of, we have to do something about it.
But will we?
Planet Nude is doing a great job of contributing to my knowledge of the history of nudism. Thank you.