Pseudonyms in nudism have always carried some controversy, historically speaking. Some argue that hiding one’s identity suggests there’s something to conceal, potentially undermining the cause. However, pseudonyms have always found their place in the movement, and in today’s digital world, privacy concerns and social media anonymity add new dimensions to the issue. I myself employ something of a pseudo-pseudonym: an alternate spelling of my real name to help preserve some search engine separation. In this week’s #UndressedThread we want to know where you stand on matters of anonymity and pseudonymity.
What's your take on pseudonyms in naturist advocacy?
Do you use your real name or a pseudonym? How does this choice affect your advocacy efforts?
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We're keen to hear your thoughts and experiences. Share below! 🪐
I use a nickname online because I enjoy the nickname. But I also have that nickname tied to my legal name in several places around the internet, so it wouldn’t be difficult to “uncover” my name if anyone cared to try.
I'm not a very impressive advocate -- I had a long post once on rec.nude about an experience with the Massachusetts legal system. But if your name is Steve Taylor, you might as well be using a pseudonym, because there are so many of us. It's pretty hard to tell us apart on the web. In fact I once worked at a company that had three of us in the same building; we had to hand-deliver incoming snail-mail to each other because the system couldn't figure it out.
Please excuse my bluntness but, I've run out of "f#@%s" to give about what others think about my choices. I'm at the age where I live to do my best, help others whenever I can and enjoy myself while doing it.
No nickname, and no hiding my face in pictures. I understand why many stay behind an online screen as others can be so judgemental and can damage careers and lives with their misunderstanding (teachers are obviously vulnerable to this but far from alone). But I had the relative luxury of being self-employed, so no bosses to answer to, and now I’m retired and have no need to worry about such things. All that said, some of my online personae are slightly obscure as they remain usernames from back when the internet restricted how many characters could be used!!
Most who use a pseudonym feel that they have something to hide, I don’t. I am also of the opinion that the use of pseudonyms can leave an impression of “shadiness”.
I have no need to use a pseudonym. I am retired and widowed, so I have no employment or societal concerns that others may have. I respect other people's beliefs in that I do not expose myself to others that might not wish to see me naked, so I expect them to respect my beliefs. I am just a normal man who appreciates the true beauty of the human body in all of its shapes and sizes.
Foe clearly legitimate links, Naked Wanderings, Irish Naturist Association, Euronat, etc. I always use my real name. If I have any doubts about the legitimacy of the site or link I use Hide-My-Email and pseudonym as a protective tool. This has more to do with IT security than any worries about being associated with naturism.
Foe clearly legitimate links, Naked Wanderings, Irish Naturist Association, Euronat, etc. I always use my real name. If I have any doubts about the legitimacy of the site or link I use Hide-My-Email and pseudonym as a protective tool. This has more to do with IT security than any worries about being associated with naturism.
In the past i worked with students, particularly vulnerable ones & being a naturist would be a non starter, so i did use a nickname & moderated what i put on line, now i'm retired i don't care, under UK law i'm doing nothing wrong.
'Optiskeptic' has been my blogging nom de plume for about 20 years. I chose it because it expressed my view of the world and keep it because it has become my writing persona. In the real world I am my name because real people have breadth and depth and that is how my friends, nudist or otherwise, know me.
I’m quite proud of my naturism (obviously) and have no desire to hide my identity, but I am not retired and also have a career outside of this newsletter (at least until we can get that paid subscription count up 😂) and do wish to preserve the googlability of my real name for clients and employers. As others have suggested here about themselves, anyone determined to connect the dots on who I am could easily do so.
I already had an X acct under my name, Linda Weber, and when I tried to combine my writing acct with naturism, it did not bode well. I use TrueBlueNude across the social media accounts to indicate what I am about and it does generate interest, which is the point. My intention was never to "hide" behind a pseudonym and I don't. I do understand it can be useful to have one in some cases. Of course there are the nefarious reasons why some people use them.
Online, I use a pseudonym for legal protective reasons related to my children. Once the need for that falls away, I'm not sure what my choice would be. 🤔 Even outside of naturism, I use pseudo-pseudonyms on social channels. I've seen too many hiring managers search for prospective employees this way. The world is a snoopy place!
Here’s an article I wrote some time ago about one of my nudist heroes and the pseudonym he used to keep his nudist influence separate from his real life influence, both of which were substantial!
As long as I’ve been writing about nudism, I’ve put my real name on my work, assuming the internet is a vast place and anyone who stumbled across my writing was probably there because they were looking for nudist resources, not because they were looking for me. So, my name is out there. I’ve recently switched to using just my first name on my blog, for similar reasons that you quoted for yourself: to separate professional and personal interests. You’ll still find my last name on any articles of mine published in the Bulletin, etc., and it’s not hard to find my personal social media accounts where my last name is shown. I guess I’m not terribly worried about it, but feel like there’s some reason to exercise caution.
Of course, it all depends upon context. When involved with my AANR colleagues, I use my name but with textile oriented strangers it's Austin or Austin75.
Right now I'm fine with everyone knowing who I am. The only concern I had in the past ended when I retired. My wife is nudist friendly (she doesn't consider herself nudist) and often attends nudist events. My children all know. Any textile friend that asks knows. I don't judge anyone using a pseudonym, we all have the freedom to express ourselves however we want.
I use my real first and last names in situations where full disclosure is an important part of the message. If I'm being interviewed for a podcast, or blogging about the value of coming out as a nudist, then use of a pseudonym would indeed "undermine the cause."
However, I use a few different pseudonyms for various purposes and for various reasons. My longest-standing presence online is a photo-sharing site where I've posted my nude images since 2006. I certainly wasn't ready to use my real name when I created that account, but now I'm stuck with a vaguely sexy moniker that I would not choose today.
On most profiles I've created more recently, I use my first name. Those accounts include some posts with links to places where I've used my surname, so it wouldn't take much effort to find it. For example:
I am too, advanced in my age to worry about what others believe, and think the more family and friends know the better off I am. I respect others in what they believe, and hope that my association in naturalism does not offend them. I have to admit the joy and feeling that I receive to be a nudist, has been long overdue
when I'm online I always use a screen name for any site I visit unless I have to register my given name to register a software license or some other legal online document. This is so search engines don't find me but use my given name when in person.
I use a nickname although for different reasons. My surname contains a word that is often picked up and removed by content filters. It also often draws inappropriate comments and suggestions that detract from the content of my work. I had to change my work email to exclude my surname (contrary to the workplace policy for email format) as my business emails were getting diverted to the spam folders of customers for no other reason than my surname. As a child, name-calling and teasing were a regular feature of school life. Kids are cruel.
Writing about naturism, something that many people have wildly inaccurate perceptions of, the added distraction around my surname is not something I wish to explain or endure.
There was a time in my life when I considered changing my name to reduce the issues around it, but I felt that would be giving in to the bullies. I am not ashamed of my name or who I am, I am just annoyed at how others often react to it.
I do not use a pseudonym for any other reason and am happy to show my face in profile images and photos.
I've been cultivating an online persona as "Stuffed Olive" (or some variation). I recently changed my name on here to the pseudonym to tie this account to my other socials. I'm on Reddit, Mastodon, Bluesky, Discord, Playstation Network, and Twitch as "StuffedOlive" or "aStuffedOlive".
i tend to use initials in various configurations now. I have used pseudonyms a couple of places but as I get older I care less about who finds me because, frankly, there are very few people whoi care enough to try and find me.
I have used a pseudonym on the internet for far longer than I've been out as a naturist. I'm incredibly open about my nudism in the real world, so I have no real reason to use on online for naturist reasons, but I do have reason to use one online in general. There is a lot out there to protect yourself from and 90% of it has nothing at all to do woth whether you're naked or not.
I have a nickname I acquired along the way but always feel it is important for people to know I am the same person they have gotten to know, like, and respect in everyday life. I am only 5 years into social naturism and refuse to let media and ignorance be the only lens by which people view this wonderful, loving, and accepting lifestyle.
And what ''community'' would that be. I've been a nudist for over 35 years and have met thousands of nudists in the US and overseas of all races and backgrounds but obviously you have already socially ''classified'' me,. What is you're experience, who made you judge, jury, executioner....
No. You have classified yourself as a gatekeeper. The only definition of nudist that matters is someone who enjoys social nudity for reasons other than sexuality. It isn't a religion or a dogma. Personal security in a hostile world matters.
Declaring someone not a “true” anything due to a petty and arbitrary criterion is gatekeeping. By community, I mean the nudist/naturist community, primarily in the US that continually has insipid gatekeeping conversations about who is truly nudist or not, when all that matters is if you enjoy being nude in non-sexual situations, the basic established definition for US nudism a century ago. I’ve seen it in the 22 years I’ve been in online nudist spaces where people are called into question if they are anonymous online, don’t leave their house, don’t tell anyone, don’t take photos, don’t post photos, post photos that aren’t full frontal, have tattoos, and on and on.
You made a declaration that was judge and jury. I just pointed it out.
I use no nickname. But I have shared my interest in naturism with only three non-naturists (two family members). I am probably inconsistent in that way.
I'm proud to use my real name but to be honest, I have only done so since I retired. No judgement about the personal decisions people make about this. What's really important is that on this forum. we get to hear their experiences and sincere, heartfelt opinions.
I had to comment so I could see what name I use here. So it’s funny, but I had posted on a non-nudist site and was getting harassed so I took my full name off of here, even though I originally used it when writing for PN. But in N magazine I’ve used my full name.
I try to keep a fairly consistent pseudonym over nudist/naturist sites, and social media. I find it makes it easier for people to know who they're talking with. At this point, I probably would keep the pseudonym, regardless of professional or other concerns, because it's how others know it's me, for years now. I wouldn't mind using my first name only, but on some sites, like NaturistHub, others can use the same name, which may cause some confusion.
one thing few have addressed is the incentive to use a pseudonym to help counter Big Data/data aggregation that rolls up all our interests, all our activities, into a data profile that Google et al can market to target us for social, political, commercial, and other reasons. I use a pseudonym in non-naturist sites and occasions, and alternate email addresses, for that reason, as well as to avoid the repercussions of my naturist interests in certain other facets of my life.
I used to use a pseudonym for my online accounts and then that just kinda fell off years ago. My first name is technically short for my longer, legal first name (which just about nobody could guess what that would be) so I have that as a little bit of a legal protection. But my work, my friends, most of my family all use my current pseudonym, or nickname, that I use here. But I don't run Planet Nude haha or Naturist Hub or write in H&E or other places, so I don't feel like it would be that easy to find me in naturist spaces but who knows these days. I don't, however, mention it at my work with coworkers or clients because my personal life is none of their business. However, I work in STEM fields so I don't think it would really jeopardize my position or make me less of anything professionally. I feel like if someone found out, and confronted me, I would just own it and make it normal and that's that. Hopefully that's how it'll go!
I use a pseud when publishing stuff read by the general public and my real name when the audience is entirely nudists.
I know people who have been harassed online because of their nudist activities and one who received direct personal harassment. (This is far greater risk for a woman unless she comes from a place of great security.)
Ordinary people often don't use their real names online because they've been victims of crime or they are gay or they own a gun or even that they are Jewish or Muslim. It is the same thing. Not everyone is retired or self employed or even in a secure setting.
If you would do anything controversial, there is always the risk of cancel culture. Both the right and left love to do it. Easy to say you don't care but the reality is that most people do care. There is no point in complaining that others aren't brave enough.
I don't think it has any effect at all on what I'm saying or what people take from it. The "non de plum" is as old as writing.
In my eyes, online, it really depends on the situation and the subject I’m involved in. Unfortunately, the lifestyle we’re all here to discuss, is not well known, or more correctly, understood. I’ve used this term for years. Nudist Ignorant. Nudist Ignorant isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It just means you don’t understand what nudism really is. What it really means to be a nudist. There are people that think they know, or honestly believe it’s something it isn’t.
Let’s face it, the majority of people alive today, are Nudist Ignorant. And we interact with these people daily. I have several online hobbies I participate in. I have a presence on YouTube that has nothing to do with nudism. I’m interested in collecting certain items. And various other “hobbies” that have no tie-ins to nudism. As I’d expect a lot of you do also. In some, I use my real name. In others a pseudonym that ties into that subject. Most of those were started years ago, some as a joke or to be humorous or actually because it was unique and hopefully folks would remember who wrote, commented, or posted.
While it may not be the best way to handle the situation, there are times I don’t want my “online presence” to tie-in to my personal life. Career reasons, family reasons, and personal reasons. Do I really care that a potential employer know I collect toy cars? No not really. Do I care that they know my favorite auto is XYZ? Maybe. What if that person hates XYZ and loves ABC? I know, I know, not a big deal, just an example.
But what if my spouse, who is also a nudist, career can be damaged or even hurt by “finding out” she and or her husband is a nudist by someone who is “Nudist Ignorant”? They believe nudism to be something it isn’t. That she and I are involved in something they “feel” will damage their reputation as a company or organization, and she is not hired, or let go because of this ignorance?
My spouse currently sits on the Board of Directors of a local charity. She’s actually the President this year. She also sits on the board of the school of “her specialty” at the university she graduated from. Not to mention her current job, part of an executive leadership team for the company, all of which could be jeopardized if it came out that she participates in a lifestyle most of the world just doesn’t understand?
Frankly I’m upset that we, a loving couple, can’t share our family friendly, healthy, and fun lifestyle with anyone who we know and interact with. Just because they are nudist ignorant. I also know, it’s possible that our nudist lifestyle may not harm our lives. But it could. We lost a good, long time friend when they discovered she and I visited a nude beach. Not a great loss, but enough of an example to me anyway, that we need to be careful of the Nudist Ignorant. So yes, I use a pseudonym.
The most annoying thing about the fake names is when people show up to a hike or whatever, you can figure out who most people are and then there's "oh, you must be Blue Unicorn69"
I said "Other" because it depends. On social media I use pseudonyms for everything, naturist-related or not. But for real "advocacy," like signing petitions and such, I use my real name. I also mostly use the same pseudonyms across platforms. I have separate sign-ons for my naturist and non-naturist social media accounts, but they're connected to the same email address, so it wouldn't take much digging to figure out who I am if someone really wanted to know.
Amongst the trustworthy, I use my proper name. On the Wild West Web, I use a pseudonym. There is no shame in family friendly nudism, but there are circumstances where pragmatic realism is called for. I have and have had family members in public life, in government, commerce, entertainment and society. Some of them have been subject to hounding by paparazzi, stalking by psychopathic deviants and harmful rumor mongering in gossip columns. Nude photos have appeared in supermarket tabloids. Others, including myself, have had to manage the competitive dynamics of institutional politics, be it in government chambers or corporate boardrooms. Considerable energy is spent managing rivals and garnering the resources and edge to accomplish one’s hopefully noble pursuits. It is simply a reality today that, in these environments, one’s nudism can be exploited and cause trouble, if not harm, to oneself or members of one’s family. Each of us must do our own vulnerability calculus to make a sound public disclosure choice. Provided the message is genuine and speaks truth, I believe advocacy by pseudonym is nonetheless effective. Proper name advocacy, however, is no doubt superior. I am grateful for all advocacy that works to shift cultural norms to a better place, and I particularly honor those who can and do stand authentically in the open.
As the AANR public relations chair, I totally understand the many comments that this post has given rise to. However, in being authentic in the role that I hold, I must be authentic. That said, once the day comes when we can all use our own names without any fear of retribution Will be the time when we have accomplished a major goal in educating the public about the wholesome and healthy nudist culture that we belong to.
It depends on the environment that I am in. I have a professional life in a very conservative organization that make take umbrage with me being a nudist. However, there are some that, based upon my words suspect that I am one
Je n'utilise pas de pseudonyme. Je n'ai pas besoin de me protéger professionnellement ni socialement, car je suis pensionné. J'affirme ma passion pour le nudisme et le naturisme, mais ne me montre jamais nu à des personnes qui ne partagent pas explicitement ce mode de vie.
Je n'ai pas de pseudonyme, j'affiche ma photo et revendique clairement ma passion pour le nudisme et le naturisme. Je suis pensionné, et n'ai donc pas besoin de me protéger ni socialement ni professionnellement. Cependant, je ne montre pas nu sur Internet, ni en-dehors de contextes clairement autorisés.
I use a nickname online because I enjoy the nickname. But I also have that nickname tied to my legal name in several places around the internet, so it wouldn’t be difficult to “uncover” my name if anyone cared to try.
I'm not a very impressive advocate -- I had a long post once on rec.nude about an experience with the Massachusetts legal system. But if your name is Steve Taylor, you might as well be using a pseudonym, because there are so many of us. It's pretty hard to tell us apart on the web. In fact I once worked at a company that had three of us in the same building; we had to hand-deliver incoming snail-mail to each other because the system couldn't figure it out.
Please excuse my bluntness but, I've run out of "f#@%s" to give about what others think about my choices. I'm at the age where I live to do my best, help others whenever I can and enjoy myself while doing it.
I mean please I'm Not Changing
No nickname, and no hiding my face in pictures. I understand why many stay behind an online screen as others can be so judgemental and can damage careers and lives with their misunderstanding (teachers are obviously vulnerable to this but far from alone). But I had the relative luxury of being self-employed, so no bosses to answer to, and now I’m retired and have no need to worry about such things. All that said, some of my online personae are slightly obscure as they remain usernames from back when the internet restricted how many characters could be used!!
Most who use a pseudonym feel that they have something to hide, I don’t. I am also of the opinion that the use of pseudonyms can leave an impression of “shadiness”.
I have no need to use a pseudonym. I am retired and widowed, so I have no employment or societal concerns that others may have. I respect other people's beliefs in that I do not expose myself to others that might not wish to see me naked, so I expect them to respect my beliefs. I am just a normal man who appreciates the true beauty of the human body in all of its shapes and sizes.
Foe clearly legitimate links, Naked Wanderings, Irish Naturist Association, Euronat, etc. I always use my real name. If I have any doubts about the legitimacy of the site or link I use Hide-My-Email and pseudonym as a protective tool. This has more to do with IT security than any worries about being associated with naturism.
Foe clearly legitimate links, Naked Wanderings, Irish Naturist Association, Euronat, etc. I always use my real name. If I have any doubts about the legitimacy of the site or link I use Hide-My-Email and pseudonym as a protective tool. This has more to do with IT security than any worries about being associated with naturism.
In the past i worked with students, particularly vulnerable ones & being a naturist would be a non starter, so i did use a nickname & moderated what i put on line, now i'm retired i don't care, under UK law i'm doing nothing wrong.
'Optiskeptic' has been my blogging nom de plume for about 20 years. I chose it because it expressed my view of the world and keep it because it has become my writing persona. In the real world I am my name because real people have breadth and depth and that is how my friends, nudist or otherwise, know me.
I’m quite proud of my naturism (obviously) and have no desire to hide my identity, but I am not retired and also have a career outside of this newsletter (at least until we can get that paid subscription count up 😂) and do wish to preserve the googlability of my real name for clients and employers. As others have suggested here about themselves, anyone determined to connect the dots on who I am could easily do so.
I already had an X acct under my name, Linda Weber, and when I tried to combine my writing acct with naturism, it did not bode well. I use TrueBlueNude across the social media accounts to indicate what I am about and it does generate interest, which is the point. My intention was never to "hide" behind a pseudonym and I don't. I do understand it can be useful to have one in some cases. Of course there are the nefarious reasons why some people use them.
Online, I use a pseudonym for legal protective reasons related to my children. Once the need for that falls away, I'm not sure what my choice would be. 🤔 Even outside of naturism, I use pseudo-pseudonyms on social channels. I've seen too many hiring managers search for prospective employees this way. The world is a snoopy place!
Here’s an article I wrote some time ago about one of my nudist heroes and the pseudonym he used to keep his nudist influence separate from his real life influence, both of which were substantial!
https://www.planetnude.co/p/who-was-john-ball
Great author! Virgil Tibbs was a great character.
As long as I’ve been writing about nudism, I’ve put my real name on my work, assuming the internet is a vast place and anyone who stumbled across my writing was probably there because they were looking for nudist resources, not because they were looking for me. So, my name is out there. I’ve recently switched to using just my first name on my blog, for similar reasons that you quoted for yourself: to separate professional and personal interests. You’ll still find my last name on any articles of mine published in the Bulletin, etc., and it’s not hard to find my personal social media accounts where my last name is shown. I guess I’m not terribly worried about it, but feel like there’s some reason to exercise caution.
Of course, it all depends upon context. When involved with my AANR colleagues, I use my name but with textile oriented strangers it's Austin or Austin75.
Right now I'm fine with everyone knowing who I am. The only concern I had in the past ended when I retired. My wife is nudist friendly (she doesn't consider herself nudist) and often attends nudist events. My children all know. Any textile friend that asks knows. I don't judge anyone using a pseudonym, we all have the freedom to express ourselves however we want.
I use my real first and last names in situations where full disclosure is an important part of the message. If I'm being interviewed for a podcast, or blogging about the value of coming out as a nudist, then use of a pseudonym would indeed "undermine the cause."
However, I use a few different pseudonyms for various purposes and for various reasons. My longest-standing presence online is a photo-sharing site where I've posted my nude images since 2006. I certainly wasn't ready to use my real name when I created that account, but now I'm stuck with a vaguely sexy moniker that I would not choose today.
On most profiles I've created more recently, I use my first name. Those accounts include some posts with links to places where I've used my surname, so it wouldn't take much effort to find it. For example:
https://www.nakedage.co/episodes/episode/2c2455d6/san-francisco-naked-guy
I am too, advanced in my age to worry about what others believe, and think the more family and friends know the better off I am. I respect others in what they believe, and hope that my association in naturalism does not offend them. I have to admit the joy and feeling that I receive to be a nudist, has been long overdue
when I'm online I always use a screen name for any site I visit unless I have to register my given name to register a software license or some other legal online document. This is so search engines don't find me but use my given name when in person.
I use a nickname although for different reasons. My surname contains a word that is often picked up and removed by content filters. It also often draws inappropriate comments and suggestions that detract from the content of my work. I had to change my work email to exclude my surname (contrary to the workplace policy for email format) as my business emails were getting diverted to the spam folders of customers for no other reason than my surname. As a child, name-calling and teasing were a regular feature of school life. Kids are cruel.
Writing about naturism, something that many people have wildly inaccurate perceptions of, the added distraction around my surname is not something I wish to explain or endure.
There was a time in my life when I considered changing my name to reduce the issues around it, but I felt that would be giving in to the bullies. I am not ashamed of my name or who I am, I am just annoyed at how others often react to it.
I do not use a pseudonym for any other reason and am happy to show my face in profile images and photos.
For years, my work's firewall prevented me from viewing a particular NASA site: marsexplorer.com, as in marSEXplorer.com.
The issue with many content filters is that they lack context or nuance. They operate with a black and white set of rules in a coloured world.
True. Now to be fair, my example was years if not decades ago. I should try it again now.
I've been cultivating an online persona as "Stuffed Olive" (or some variation). I recently changed my name on here to the pseudonym to tie this account to my other socials. I'm on Reddit, Mastodon, Bluesky, Discord, Playstation Network, and Twitch as "StuffedOlive" or "aStuffedOlive".
i tend to use initials in various configurations now. I have used pseudonyms a couple of places but as I get older I care less about who finds me because, frankly, there are very few people whoi care enough to try and find me.
I have used a pseudonym on the internet for far longer than I've been out as a naturist. I'm incredibly open about my nudism in the real world, so I have no real reason to use on online for naturist reasons, but I do have reason to use one online in general. There is a lot out there to protect yourself from and 90% of it has nothing at all to do woth whether you're naked or not.
I always use my real name and never hide my face. To me hiding it implies there is something wrong with what I believe to be a positive way of living
I have a nickname I acquired along the way but always feel it is important for people to know I am the same person they have gotten to know, like, and respect in everyday life. I am only 5 years into social naturism and refuse to let media and ignorance be the only lens by which people view this wonderful, loving, and accepting lifestyle.
If you have to hide behind a false name you are not a true nudist....
Gatekeeping like this is why we are constantly spinning our wheels as a community.
And what ''community'' would that be. I've been a nudist for over 35 years and have met thousands of nudists in the US and overseas of all races and backgrounds but obviously you have already socially ''classified'' me,. What is you're experience, who made you judge, jury, executioner....
No. You have classified yourself as a gatekeeper. The only definition of nudist that matters is someone who enjoys social nudity for reasons other than sexuality. It isn't a religion or a dogma. Personal security in a hostile world matters.
Declaring someone not a “true” anything due to a petty and arbitrary criterion is gatekeeping. By community, I mean the nudist/naturist community, primarily in the US that continually has insipid gatekeeping conversations about who is truly nudist or not, when all that matters is if you enjoy being nude in non-sexual situations, the basic established definition for US nudism a century ago. I’ve seen it in the 22 years I’ve been in online nudist spaces where people are called into question if they are anonymous online, don’t leave their house, don’t tell anyone, don’t take photos, don’t post photos, post photos that aren’t full frontal, have tattoos, and on and on.
You made a declaration that was judge and jury. I just pointed it out.
I use no nickname. But I have shared my interest in naturism with only three non-naturists (two family members). I am probably inconsistent in that way.
I'm proud to use my real name but to be honest, I have only done so since I retired. No judgement about the personal decisions people make about this. What's really important is that on this forum. we get to hear their experiences and sincere, heartfelt opinions.
I’ve done both. Depends on the venue.
I had to comment so I could see what name I use here. So it’s funny, but I had posted on a non-nudist site and was getting harassed so I took my full name off of here, even though I originally used it when writing for PN. But in N magazine I’ve used my full name.
Harassment is real.
I try to keep a fairly consistent pseudonym over nudist/naturist sites, and social media. I find it makes it easier for people to know who they're talking with. At this point, I probably would keep the pseudonym, regardless of professional or other concerns, because it's how others know it's me, for years now. I wouldn't mind using my first name only, but on some sites, like NaturistHub, others can use the same name, which may cause some confusion.
Most places I use my name. I do not have the same concern of employment or some status.
(I do have fun at restraraunts using dignitaries, historical, or older cartoon characters.)
When questioned it is answered. If questioned deeper the answer expands.
one thing few have addressed is the incentive to use a pseudonym to help counter Big Data/data aggregation that rolls up all our interests, all our activities, into a data profile that Google et al can market to target us for social, political, commercial, and other reasons. I use a pseudonym in non-naturist sites and occasions, and alternate email addresses, for that reason, as well as to avoid the repercussions of my naturist interests in certain other facets of my life.
I used to use a pseudonym for my online accounts and then that just kinda fell off years ago. My first name is technically short for my longer, legal first name (which just about nobody could guess what that would be) so I have that as a little bit of a legal protection. But my work, my friends, most of my family all use my current pseudonym, or nickname, that I use here. But I don't run Planet Nude haha or Naturist Hub or write in H&E or other places, so I don't feel like it would be that easy to find me in naturist spaces but who knows these days. I don't, however, mention it at my work with coworkers or clients because my personal life is none of their business. However, I work in STEM fields so I don't think it would really jeopardize my position or make me less of anything professionally. I feel like if someone found out, and confronted me, I would just own it and make it normal and that's that. Hopefully that's how it'll go!
I use a pseud when publishing stuff read by the general public and my real name when the audience is entirely nudists.
I know people who have been harassed online because of their nudist activities and one who received direct personal harassment. (This is far greater risk for a woman unless she comes from a place of great security.)
Ordinary people often don't use their real names online because they've been victims of crime or they are gay or they own a gun or even that they are Jewish or Muslim. It is the same thing. Not everyone is retired or self employed or even in a secure setting.
If you would do anything controversial, there is always the risk of cancel culture. Both the right and left love to do it. Easy to say you don't care but the reality is that most people do care. There is no point in complaining that others aren't brave enough.
I don't think it has any effect at all on what I'm saying or what people take from it. The "non de plum" is as old as writing.
In my eyes, online, it really depends on the situation and the subject I’m involved in. Unfortunately, the lifestyle we’re all here to discuss, is not well known, or more correctly, understood. I’ve used this term for years. Nudist Ignorant. Nudist Ignorant isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It just means you don’t understand what nudism really is. What it really means to be a nudist. There are people that think they know, or honestly believe it’s something it isn’t.
Let’s face it, the majority of people alive today, are Nudist Ignorant. And we interact with these people daily. I have several online hobbies I participate in. I have a presence on YouTube that has nothing to do with nudism. I’m interested in collecting certain items. And various other “hobbies” that have no tie-ins to nudism. As I’d expect a lot of you do also. In some, I use my real name. In others a pseudonym that ties into that subject. Most of those were started years ago, some as a joke or to be humorous or actually because it was unique and hopefully folks would remember who wrote, commented, or posted.
While it may not be the best way to handle the situation, there are times I don’t want my “online presence” to tie-in to my personal life. Career reasons, family reasons, and personal reasons. Do I really care that a potential employer know I collect toy cars? No not really. Do I care that they know my favorite auto is XYZ? Maybe. What if that person hates XYZ and loves ABC? I know, I know, not a big deal, just an example.
But what if my spouse, who is also a nudist, career can be damaged or even hurt by “finding out” she and or her husband is a nudist by someone who is “Nudist Ignorant”? They believe nudism to be something it isn’t. That she and I are involved in something they “feel” will damage their reputation as a company or organization, and she is not hired, or let go because of this ignorance?
My spouse currently sits on the Board of Directors of a local charity. She’s actually the President this year. She also sits on the board of the school of “her specialty” at the university she graduated from. Not to mention her current job, part of an executive leadership team for the company, all of which could be jeopardized if it came out that she participates in a lifestyle most of the world just doesn’t understand?
Frankly I’m upset that we, a loving couple, can’t share our family friendly, healthy, and fun lifestyle with anyone who we know and interact with. Just because they are nudist ignorant. I also know, it’s possible that our nudist lifestyle may not harm our lives. But it could. We lost a good, long time friend when they discovered she and I visited a nude beach. Not a great loss, but enough of an example to me anyway, that we need to be careful of the Nudist Ignorant. So yes, I use a pseudonym.
The most annoying thing about the fake names is when people show up to a hike or whatever, you can figure out who most people are and then there's "oh, you must be Blue Unicorn69"
I said "Other" because it depends. On social media I use pseudonyms for everything, naturist-related or not. But for real "advocacy," like signing petitions and such, I use my real name. I also mostly use the same pseudonyms across platforms. I have separate sign-ons for my naturist and non-naturist social media accounts, but they're connected to the same email address, so it wouldn't take much digging to figure out who I am if someone really wanted to know.
This is my real name. (Actually, it is William, but I am generally known as Bill.) Of course, it is a rather generic name.
Amongst the trustworthy, I use my proper name. On the Wild West Web, I use a pseudonym. There is no shame in family friendly nudism, but there are circumstances where pragmatic realism is called for. I have and have had family members in public life, in government, commerce, entertainment and society. Some of them have been subject to hounding by paparazzi, stalking by psychopathic deviants and harmful rumor mongering in gossip columns. Nude photos have appeared in supermarket tabloids. Others, including myself, have had to manage the competitive dynamics of institutional politics, be it in government chambers or corporate boardrooms. Considerable energy is spent managing rivals and garnering the resources and edge to accomplish one’s hopefully noble pursuits. It is simply a reality today that, in these environments, one’s nudism can be exploited and cause trouble, if not harm, to oneself or members of one’s family. Each of us must do our own vulnerability calculus to make a sound public disclosure choice. Provided the message is genuine and speaks truth, I believe advocacy by pseudonym is nonetheless effective. Proper name advocacy, however, is no doubt superior. I am grateful for all advocacy that works to shift cultural norms to a better place, and I particularly honor those who can and do stand authentically in the open.
As the AANR public relations chair, I totally understand the many comments that this post has given rise to. However, in being authentic in the role that I hold, I must be authentic. That said, once the day comes when we can all use our own names without any fear of retribution Will be the time when we have accomplished a major goal in educating the public about the wholesome and healthy nudist culture that we belong to.
Ronna Krozy
I use a pseudonym for nudist email only.
It depends on the environment that I am in. I have a professional life in a very conservative organization that make take umbrage with me being a nudist. However, there are some that, based upon my words suspect that I am one
Je n'utilise pas de pseudonyme. Je n'ai pas besoin de me protéger professionnellement ni socialement, car je suis pensionné. J'affirme ma passion pour le nudisme et le naturisme, mais ne me montre jamais nu à des personnes qui ne partagent pas explicitement ce mode de vie.
Je n'ai pas de pseudonyme, j'affiche ma photo et revendique clairement ma passion pour le nudisme et le naturisme. Je suis pensionné, et n'ai donc pas besoin de me protéger ni socialement ni professionnellement. Cependant, je ne montre pas nu sur Internet, ni en-dehors de contextes clairement autorisés.
Yes I use a pseudonym. It is actually not hidden to well if you know what you are looking for. It is Bald Bearded Bloke.