It's a bit sad how predictable the comments are, isn't it? There's the misogynist flames against women. For men, there's the flames about sexual perversion. That's how the patriarchy works -- working to make everyone a step lower in order to keep itself at the top and yes, it works against both men and women. Since nakedness makes them uncomfortable and vulnerable, "othering" those they see is a way of defending against this.
I have so much respect for how you've clearly handled this with grace (despite the shock of it going viral) and supported your daughter through it. Yes, I agree, being part of the conversation is essential. And you can always comment and shut off notifications/ignore notifications if you don't want to get sucked into the cesspool.
A very well written and researched article.It's sad that our society still hasn't grown up enough to be more respectful of naturism.I have great respect for your determination to overcome the attitudes of the small minded comments.Keep up the great work.You are making a difference in a good way.
This puts a previous post into context. The internet once had potential to enlighten but it was taken over by those who wish to exert control via misinformation. It’s a shame people have too much time on their hands but can’t take a second to learn the truth about who we are.
It's interesting how even in private people are still negative towards naturism or is it that a few heavily indoctrinated ones become more emboldened by anonymity. The childish and in some cases churlish comments are a sad indictment on society and its attitude towards the human body. Helen, you have provisioned a well written article and you are correct, if comments of this nature were made against other groups it would be determined a hate crime.
I applauded you for your actions changing society for the better.
We once did an interview with an Australian newspaper and one question had been whether we ever ended up in uncomfortable situations. We told them about how, long time ago, we accidentally ended up at a swingers party in Brazil. The eventual article was excellent, and the party story was not more than a paragraph in a 2-page read. But other newspapers picked up that paragraph and blew it up, suddenly there were articles titled "nudist couple admits their most embarrassing moment". Since then we became very careful about the stories we share with the media. Even with genuine media.
When it comes to the comments, we get both the ones from those who think nudity is bad and those who think that influencers are just too lazy to work. An interesting combo :-)
We learned to stop caring about those. Luckily, from what they write, it's often very easy to see that they have no idea what they're talking about. Some people just have too much time...
The work on refuting negative information in articles about naturism is bearing fruit. This is noticeable in the reviews of such articles. The number of negative reviews is constantly decreasing. An intelligent and convincing rebuff to negative reviews devalues both negative reviews and the false arguments of the article itself. Convincing comments are a great opportunity to change the mind about naturism in society.
“Nudist Ignorance” has been a sticking point in my life for decades. For awhile even, I was Nudist Ignorant. Not to the extreme the majority of the human population is currently, just that I didn’t completely understand the concept fully. From a very young age, like most humans are whether they’d admit to it or not, preferred to be nude whenever I could be. Of course this meant, very rarely. So the times I could be, I was.
But I never really understood why. Like you said, clothing exists for protection. I knew this, but missed the part about some of that protection being protecting us from the nudist ignorant. Which of course is something the nudist ignorant don’t understand also.
Some, if not most, people choose to remain nudist ignorant. They have and never will want to learn what Nudism/Naturism is really about. This isn’t the only subject they don’t want to learn, I’ve found most people just don’t want to learn anything past their time in school. It’s like they have “done their time” in school and have no desire to learn anything new. They are set in their ways. Which is a shame, there are so many wonderful things humans could and should learn about as they age.
Nudism/Naturism is one of them. As we all know, Nudists/Naturists are some of the most friendly, welcoming, and accepting people on the planet. No matter who you or they are, they are friends. They get along. Now imagine a world where everyone acted and treated others the way Nudists/Naturists do. Would be a pretty amazing society to live in don’t you think?
But the nudist ignorant will not understand this as they are simply clueless as to what nudism/naturism actually is. All they can think of is the nudity aspect of nudism/naturism. To them, as you said, nude equals sex. Even though in a lot of their lives, just being nude doesn’t mean always mean sex. Married textile couples can be nude together and it not be for sexual reasons just as it can be for nudist couples. Same goes for families.
Is it hate? In some cases I do believe the answer is yes. In some no. But there are people who do actually hate nudism/naturism. Some don’t understand it, some don’t believe it can actually exist, and some who just don’t like other humans no matter what.
Is there any logical reason to hate legal nudity though? If so why? Do you hate nudists/naturists because they almost always appear to be happy and getting along? Do you hate them because they look better than you? For most I believe it really comes down to the sexual aspect. They do and always will believe nudism/naturism is and always will be about sex. They refuse to believe it can be anything other than a sexual activity. Why? Because they truly believe nude equals sex. Always.
So do we continue to ignore those who are nudist ignorant? Or do we continue to try and educate them? For some, no matter what we say or do, they’ll remain stuck in their ways and beliefs. Some may open their eyes and minds. But most won’t. And that’s a shame. I personally feel that if nudists/naturists mindsets were in the majority, this would be a much more enjoyable world to live on.
Good point. It is a choice. If they don't want nudism to be "okay" for religious or ideological reasons, or because it has always been this way and they are too lazy to change, there's no education to be done.
My Grandfather was a great man, did some amazing things in his 90 plus years. But he was “stuck in his ways”. Thankfully though, he wasn’t too lazy to change. While he was amazing at backing up his beliefs, he loved discussions or debates. He’d listen to others opinions and sometimes see where he was wrong, and change his ways.
But knew him well enough to know, there was no way he’d ever change his beliefs about the “cult of nudist colonies”. Did that make him a bad person in my eyes because he and I had opposite opinions of nudism? Of course not. It was just a subject I knew better to bring up.
My wife was totally against nudism. No matter what I or anyone said, what she read, would ever change her mind. But she agreed to visit a nudist venue. Most likely to prove to me she was correct and I was wrong. After seeing it with her own eyes, she joined in and now loves it as much as I do.
Some people can be educated, some can’t. It’s just human nature.
A well thought article. It explains neatly as to what exactly naturism is all about. It deals very nicely with all the misconceptions revolving about the naturism. I liked it very much. Sincere thanks Helen.
"an important distinction to be made between wanting to be seen, or ‘exhibitionism,’ and simply not being concerned"
Hmm...
What if one wants to be seen nude but it isn't for shock value or sexual arousal? I think we need a third category. There's political nudity, there's artistic nudity, probably more.
I “want to be seen” as one of “them”. Someone who thinks and behaves like they think and behave. I do this by hiding nothing. Not using clothing as a status symbol or covering up what others may see as flaws.
If a nudist is walking on a clothing optional beach and comes upon a nude person and a person wearing swimwear, he/she most likely will know which one is going to be the person he can have a conversation with.
Sure it’s possible the nude person is just showing off. But so could the clothed person. I’m not like that at all. Nor do I believe most nudists are. They are naked because they want to be. And it “tells” other nudists they understand nudism and enjoy being a nudist just like other nudists.
One of the things about nudism I enjoy the most is being with non judgmental people. They don’t see me as an exhibitionist, show off, or sexual predator. They see another nudist, just like they are.
It is my theory that the quickest way to gain acceptance among textiles is events and activities where textiles see nudity and the world does not fall apart. One example is the World Naked Bike Ride. You do the ride specifically to be seen. If no textiles see you, you've lost the whole point.
I do it because every time textiles see nudity in such an event, it diminishes the shock or prurient vale of seeing nudity in general. It is also a show-of-support for the nudist cause.
It's a bit sad how predictable the comments are, isn't it? There's the misogynist flames against women. For men, there's the flames about sexual perversion. That's how the patriarchy works -- working to make everyone a step lower in order to keep itself at the top and yes, it works against both men and women. Since nakedness makes them uncomfortable and vulnerable, "othering" those they see is a way of defending against this.
I have so much respect for how you've clearly handled this with grace (despite the shock of it going viral) and supported your daughter through it. Yes, I agree, being part of the conversation is essential. And you can always comment and shut off notifications/ignore notifications if you don't want to get sucked into the cesspool.
Happy holidays! :)
A very well written and researched article.It's sad that our society still hasn't grown up enough to be more respectful of naturism.I have great respect for your determination to overcome the attitudes of the small minded comments.Keep up the great work.You are making a difference in a good way.
Thank you Helen for a very brave post.
Thank you, Helen. Very nice and well-written article.
If we don’t laugh at the “jokes” it’s because we’ve heard them so often. Haven’t heard a new nude joke for a long time.
This puts a previous post into context. The internet once had potential to enlighten but it was taken over by those who wish to exert control via misinformation. It’s a shame people have too much time on their hands but can’t take a second to learn the truth about who we are.
It's interesting how even in private people are still negative towards naturism or is it that a few heavily indoctrinated ones become more emboldened by anonymity. The childish and in some cases churlish comments are a sad indictment on society and its attitude towards the human body. Helen, you have provisioned a well written article and you are correct, if comments of this nature were made against other groups it would be determined a hate crime.
I applauded you for your actions changing society for the better.
Anonymity creates more "courage" than even a bottle of scotch.
Oh yes... been there. The dark side of the media.
We once did an interview with an Australian newspaper and one question had been whether we ever ended up in uncomfortable situations. We told them about how, long time ago, we accidentally ended up at a swingers party in Brazil. The eventual article was excellent, and the party story was not more than a paragraph in a 2-page read. But other newspapers picked up that paragraph and blew it up, suddenly there were articles titled "nudist couple admits their most embarrassing moment". Since then we became very careful about the stories we share with the media. Even with genuine media.
When it comes to the comments, we get both the ones from those who think nudity is bad and those who think that influencers are just too lazy to work. An interesting combo :-)
We learned to stop caring about those. Luckily, from what they write, it's often very easy to see that they have no idea what they're talking about. Some people just have too much time...
Well said Helen - kudos to you and Simon for proudly standing up to normalize nudity.
The work on refuting negative information in articles about naturism is bearing fruit. This is noticeable in the reviews of such articles. The number of negative reviews is constantly decreasing. An intelligent and convincing rebuff to negative reviews devalues both negative reviews and the false arguments of the article itself. Convincing comments are a great opportunity to change the mind about naturism in society.
“Nudist Ignorance” has been a sticking point in my life for decades. For awhile even, I was Nudist Ignorant. Not to the extreme the majority of the human population is currently, just that I didn’t completely understand the concept fully. From a very young age, like most humans are whether they’d admit to it or not, preferred to be nude whenever I could be. Of course this meant, very rarely. So the times I could be, I was.
But I never really understood why. Like you said, clothing exists for protection. I knew this, but missed the part about some of that protection being protecting us from the nudist ignorant. Which of course is something the nudist ignorant don’t understand also.
Some, if not most, people choose to remain nudist ignorant. They have and never will want to learn what Nudism/Naturism is really about. This isn’t the only subject they don’t want to learn, I’ve found most people just don’t want to learn anything past their time in school. It’s like they have “done their time” in school and have no desire to learn anything new. They are set in their ways. Which is a shame, there are so many wonderful things humans could and should learn about as they age.
Nudism/Naturism is one of them. As we all know, Nudists/Naturists are some of the most friendly, welcoming, and accepting people on the planet. No matter who you or they are, they are friends. They get along. Now imagine a world where everyone acted and treated others the way Nudists/Naturists do. Would be a pretty amazing society to live in don’t you think?
But the nudist ignorant will not understand this as they are simply clueless as to what nudism/naturism actually is. All they can think of is the nudity aspect of nudism/naturism. To them, as you said, nude equals sex. Even though in a lot of their lives, just being nude doesn’t mean always mean sex. Married textile couples can be nude together and it not be for sexual reasons just as it can be for nudist couples. Same goes for families.
Is it hate? In some cases I do believe the answer is yes. In some no. But there are people who do actually hate nudism/naturism. Some don’t understand it, some don’t believe it can actually exist, and some who just don’t like other humans no matter what.
Is there any logical reason to hate legal nudity though? If so why? Do you hate nudists/naturists because they almost always appear to be happy and getting along? Do you hate them because they look better than you? For most I believe it really comes down to the sexual aspect. They do and always will believe nudism/naturism is and always will be about sex. They refuse to believe it can be anything other than a sexual activity. Why? Because they truly believe nude equals sex. Always.
So do we continue to ignore those who are nudist ignorant? Or do we continue to try and educate them? For some, no matter what we say or do, they’ll remain stuck in their ways and beliefs. Some may open their eyes and minds. But most won’t. And that’s a shame. I personally feel that if nudists/naturists mindsets were in the majority, this would be a much more enjoyable world to live on.
Good point. It is a choice. If they don't want nudism to be "okay" for religious or ideological reasons, or because it has always been this way and they are too lazy to change, there's no education to be done.
My Grandfather was a great man, did some amazing things in his 90 plus years. But he was “stuck in his ways”. Thankfully though, he wasn’t too lazy to change. While he was amazing at backing up his beliefs, he loved discussions or debates. He’d listen to others opinions and sometimes see where he was wrong, and change his ways.
But knew him well enough to know, there was no way he’d ever change his beliefs about the “cult of nudist colonies”. Did that make him a bad person in my eyes because he and I had opposite opinions of nudism? Of course not. It was just a subject I knew better to bring up.
My wife was totally against nudism. No matter what I or anyone said, what she read, would ever change her mind. But she agreed to visit a nudist venue. Most likely to prove to me she was correct and I was wrong. After seeing it with her own eyes, she joined in and now loves it as much as I do.
Some people can be educated, some can’t. It’s just human nature.
A well thought article. It explains neatly as to what exactly naturism is all about. It deals very nicely with all the misconceptions revolving about the naturism. I liked it very much. Sincere thanks Helen.
"an important distinction to be made between wanting to be seen, or ‘exhibitionism,’ and simply not being concerned"
Hmm...
What if one wants to be seen nude but it isn't for shock value or sexual arousal? I think we need a third category. There's political nudity, there's artistic nudity, probably more.
I “want to be seen” as one of “them”. Someone who thinks and behaves like they think and behave. I do this by hiding nothing. Not using clothing as a status symbol or covering up what others may see as flaws.
If a nudist is walking on a clothing optional beach and comes upon a nude person and a person wearing swimwear, he/she most likely will know which one is going to be the person he can have a conversation with.
Sure it’s possible the nude person is just showing off. But so could the clothed person. I’m not like that at all. Nor do I believe most nudists are. They are naked because they want to be. And it “tells” other nudists they understand nudism and enjoy being a nudist just like other nudists.
One of the things about nudism I enjoy the most is being with non judgmental people. They don’t see me as an exhibitionist, show off, or sexual predator. They see another nudist, just like they are.
It is my theory that the quickest way to gain acceptance among textiles is events and activities where textiles see nudity and the world does not fall apart. One example is the World Naked Bike Ride. You do the ride specifically to be seen. If no textiles see you, you've lost the whole point.
I do it because every time textiles see nudity in such an event, it diminishes the shock or prurient vale of seeing nudity in general. It is also a show-of-support for the nudist cause.
"Naturists are some of thr most cleanest people you will meet."
I like this observation and find it true. Personally, I take 2 showers a day.