Living with naturist parents

A teenage child of naturist influencers on finding their comfort zone

Editor’s note: This essay was penned by the teenage child of prominent naturist advocates. For reasons that will likely become clear, the author wishes to remain anonymous.

My parents are just like any other 'normal' parents. They love me, give me advice, and do what all good parents do. The only thing that makes them different from my friends' parents is that they are naturists.

This doesn't change who they are at all; it's just a part of them as people, and that's completely fine. I'm not personally a part of it, but I live with them, so I'm used to it. However, it's not something I go around telling people because naturism is a concept that's not fully understood, especially by my peers.

Sometimes when I'm with my friends, they'll make jokes about being naked and think it's so funny. It makes me wonder what they'd think if they knew about my parents.

People don't seem to understand that, from a naturist's perspective, there's nothing sexual or funny about being naked. I think this is something people should consider before making jokes that could really offend naturists or those connected to them.

Social media is a big factor for my parents. They use it to try to normalize naturism and remove its social stigma. This is good for them, but it makes me worry that my peers will come across it, be weirded out, and make fun of both them and me.

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Something did happen a few months ago, and it really hurt me. An account on Instagram took an article my parents had created and it went viral—without the full story even being mentioned. Hundreds of people from my school saw it, and it was awful for me. I was mentioned in comments, mocked online and at school, constantly whispered about, and people started calling me the 'nudist child.’ They didn’t even use my name.

I felt scared to go to school for a good two weeks after this happened, and we even had to get the teachers involved. I didn't tell my friends who hadn't seen it because I was so embarrassed.

This experience really showed how misunderstood naturism is and how quickly people judge before looking into a situation. Because I was so used to my parents being naked, I was honestly confused as to why so many people were being mean.

I do worry too much about what other people think, and it impacts my daily life. When my friends come over, I rush to take down pictures of my parents because I fear judgment. My parents think I'm ashamed of them, but I'm not; I just don't want to appear different.

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There was a time when naturism wasn't a thing in my life. I lived with just my mom until I was 8, and she wasn't a naturist. My step-dad, who has now adopted me, introduced naturism when he moved in with us. He always made sure I was comfortable with it.  I was totally fine with it and thought nothing of it; he was the same person just without clothes. That helped me see that nudity has nothing to do with anything sexual. It’s just a body.

It took my mom a while to understand naturism. At first, she didn't like him being naked around the house. But eventually, she became a naturist too, and it was a massive confidence booster for her.

The rest of my family is accepting of it all. Even my nan is completely fine with it! Aside from my sisters, who participate occasionally, no one else in the family is a naturist. Just because they're okay with it doesn't mean they want to join in. That’s how I feel too.

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It goes to show that being naturists doesn't change who my parents are; they're the exact same people they were when they wore clothes.

It's strange how many people find this concept so hard to understand. There's a difference between understanding and participating: just because you accept naturism doesn't mean you have to become a naturist and be naked all the time. If people don't want to take part, that's totally fine, but they shouldn't put down others for doing what makes them happy.

I may not participate, but I wouldn't try to stop my parents from doing what makes them happy. That would be unfair, and I wouldn't want them doing the same to me for something I enjoy.

I wish people would be more open-minded. If that were the case, I might be less scared to let my friends know about my parents being naturists. Honestly, I may never fully understand naturism myself, but unlike others, I won’t criticize or make judgments.

We should all let people do what makes them happy without getting into each other’s business. 🪐

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