The capitalist case for free public nude spaces

Putting basic rights into economic terms because America

Haulover Beach, Photo by Paul Pessar, 2011

Historically, the nudist movement has been associated with private clubs and resorts where individuals pay for access to participate. The free beach movement in the 1970s and 80s made gains toward changing the model by introducing clothing optional public spaces, but at the time it did not find much support from nudist clubs, some of which viewed the beach movement as undermining the market that resorts dominated. Some organizational nudist leaders in Florida even wrongly took strides to support anti-public-nudity legislation to help secure the private model as the dominant means for social nudity in the late 80s and early 90s. What they failed to realize, and which this article posits, is that the creation of free and public spaces for nudism can bring economic benefits to the community and reinforce its place within a capitalist system.

The capitalist argument for free and public nudism is compelling. Put simply, greater accessibility to nudi…