Nudism's roots in utopian futurism
Early nudists’ lofty dreams and how their visions of utopia shifted with the times
Nudity is as old as clothing,1 but the modern practice of social nudism or naturism has roots that can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Germany, born from a movement called Lebensreform (or “life reform”), which consisted of various social reform movements sharing a rejection of industrialization and materialism, and aiming to create a more natural state of life for humans. Nudism's early thinkers and writers, including authors of the very first books on the subject such as Heinrich Pudor and Richard Ungewitter in German—and later Maurice Parmelee in English—saw it as a way to create a better society, free from the constraints of clothing and the social norms that come with it.
Annebella Pollen is one of the few researchers who have explored this history of early nudist utopianism in her writing; “Nudism was particularly embraced by artists and intellectuals as part of a wider set of progressive practices associated with free thought. [...] They understood disrobing to be part of a wider ideal of physical, mental and spiritual liberation.”
Early nudist writers and thinkers believed that nudism could provide a path to a better future, a utopia where people lived in harmony with nature, unencumbered by clothing and the physical and psychological barriers that clothing creates. These utopian visions of nudism often depicted a world where social nudity was commonplace, and where everyone was equal, regardless of body type, age, or social status.
Maurice Parmelee, an American sociologist, was drawn to nudism for these reasons while living in Germany for a term in the 1920s and experiencing Freikörperkultur (or “Free Body Culture”—often referred to as FKK). With his book The New Gymnosophy, published in 1929 (later retitled Nudism in Modern Life), Parmelee popularized nudism in the English-speaking world. According to Parmelee, the concept of "gymnosophy," could lead to a more equal society by breaking down class and gender barriers, and he argued that it was particularly helpful for women's rights, as it eliminated the artificial distinction between the sexes in terms of highly gendered clothing and dress.
“Nudism has many important sociological and psychological implications which should be explored. It is not only a vigorous protest and healthy reaction against the prevailing convention of artificial modesty but is of great significance with regard to a future way of life. It raises many important questions as to the rearing of the young, the relations between the sexes, the democratic organization of society, etc. Future writers on this subject should devote themselves more to the study of these implications and less too well-intentioned moralizing and naive descriptions which have become superfluous.“
—Maurice Parmelee, 1934

Of course, this utopianism had a darker side too. During the time in our history in which these ideas were being explored in writing, eugenics was still a wildly popular idea, and naturally the eugenic benefits of social nudity were often espoused by early proponents painting a picture of a more harmonious society. This included some notions which modern readers would quickly interpret as deeply racist and ableist.
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