Recently I have been pondering what
drives a desire for social nudity. Is
it some underlying desire to be an exhibitionist? Could it be something of a political statement?
Could it be the child in us all who just
has to do what they are told is wrong?
Could it truly be simple as “it feels good� I suspect
that to some degree the answer to all of these questions is yes.
I’m sure there are those who’s
desire for social nudity is at least in part because they want or have some
need for attention and believe that exhibiting their body is a means of getting
that want or need fulfilled. Then again those
who come to social nudism with these exhibitionist wants and needs are likely to
find they can’t stand out be being nude in a group of nudist.
There are political statements
that need to be made about social nudity, but social nudity itself is not necessarily
the statement. The statements need to be
made in a manner that does not offend the majority of the general
population. While we should have the
right to be nude in appropriate places we also need to respect that non nudist
also should have the right to not be offended by nudity in non-appropriate
places.
As an adult sometimes it is
simply fun to let our inner child out to play.
It seems to be that as we get older we realize we should be enjoying
living rather than taken the everyday things in life to seriously. Maybe a part of the reason that there are
more older nudist is simply because we have gotten to a point in our lives where
we realize it’s OK to act like a kid every now and then. Perhaps
this is our way of trying to recapture some of that trusting innocent of
childhood.
It seems that when the question of
why do you like being nude is asked that there are always the predictable first
responses, all of which in one way or another boil down to it feels good. While I would have to agree that being nude
feels good I’m not so certain that it is in and of itself a reason for the desire of social nudism.
As you read through and listen to
what long time social nudist supporters have to say you can see some reoccurring
observation they make. Many will point
out how social nudists have a healthier acceptance of body image and self-body acceptance
in turn promotes self-confidence. Another point that is often made is that you
meet the nicest and/or most open people in nude resorts and clubs.
It seems to me that in most
textile only environments people seem to keep a lot of what they really believe
hidden. I think this is in part a simple
fear of being judged by others. After
all it is normal to want to “fit inâ€.
This desire to fit in could explain
why small children are “natural nudistâ€, why adolescents and young adults tend
to shy away from nudism and why most nudists are older adults. As children we have not yet formed the need
to fit in that we tend to develop as adolescents. Then
we get older and gain life experience that in turn adds to our self-confidence
until we reach a point where we no longer worry about fitting in.
Now I admit that I do not yet
have the experience to say this with a degree of certainty but from what I gather
from others who have more experience, most social nudist tend to be more open
to others. So it seems that at least
for social nudism it is not so much about baring yourself of clothing and is more
about letting others see who you really are.
Well I have probably rambled on
about enough for now, but to get back to the title question of “Is nudism really
about being nude?†My answer would be
no, it is more about barring your soul than barring your body. Being nude is more of a means of communicating
a desire to be open and honest with friends by showing them the level of
comfort and trust you have with them as your friends. Nudism more of a philosophy and/or state of
mind than being about what is not worn.
On one final note, I believe
learning is a lifelong process and that denning yourself the opportunity of
learning from the perspective of others is a form of being closed minded. With
that said I welcome any thoughts and/or comments that anyone would care to
share.
