It’s basically the most frequently asked question of naturism. Someone always brings it up, and somehow it never gets old. Do the words mean different things to you? Is one more philosophy, one more lifestyle? Or have they basically merged? Are all naturists nudists but not all nudists naturists? Or do they apply at different times? And does the label you use actually change how people see you—or how you see yourself?
In this week’s #UndressedThread, we are asking:
What do “nudist” and “naturist” mean to you? Do you use one, both, or neither?
Drop your take in the comments. 🪐
There’s a perhaps useful distinction I like to make to differentiate between the two. This is just me and has sort of grown out of how the two words have been used since about the 70s or 80s. I tend to think of nudism as unclothedness in a private context, naturism in a public context.
To me, that definition is essentially a legal one. A private context for nudism would be landed clubs, private facilities, and anywhere else where access is restricted and not open to the general public.
Naturism occurs in a public context, public beaches, publicly held land, and anywhere else where access is open to the general public and not restricted solely to naked people.
Why I find this helpful is that it’s a pretty good way to consider the legal and financial challenges, and the balance between the two, that come with private nude recreation vs public, as well as the wildly different public relations challenges between the two. While a private nudist club might be more concerned with insurance, maintenance, and taxes, a public naturist beach might be more concerned with managing public order, public perception, and the seemingly constant effort to maintain whatever legal status there is.
I don’t expect this to be the way everyone splits this particular hair, but it has sort of become embedded in my head over the years, basically growing out of the different approaches by the as-was ASA and The Naturist Society.
I think the words are often used interchangeably. However, they could potentially be used to describe when and why a person is nude. For example, a naturist may be interested in being nude as a way to be closer to nature. They may want to be nude while performing activities in nature, such as hiking, swimming, camping…. But does their desire to be nude end there? Do they want to be nude indoors? Some might argue that a nudist would prefer to be nude at all times. While at home, at the movies, while bowling, grocery shopping, plus the outdoor activities. Either way both words describe those who prefer at least some time spent sans clothing.