Does nudity change as we age?

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  SteveinKona

  Apr 12, 2021

  Inside my own head, my sense is that my relationship to nudity hasn't changed much from my 20s into my 70s. It was in my 20s that I realized I was perfectly comfortable being naked and/or being among naked people, sexual or not depending on context, and that's the same now. Contexts, however, change a lot. When I was younger, we were all simply naked hippies. As I aged, I pretty much stuck with that same age group, as many folks moved away from what they saw as the liberties of youth, so I started seeking out venues - where was the nearest nude beach? Did this apartment have a place on the roof to get naked? It began to be the case that there were adults significantly younger than me in those scenes, to whom I was at best invisible. In my San Francisco apartment, my partner and I hosted many young people passing through, and always presented our household nudity as something very matter-of-fact - which worked fine as long as we presented ourselves as essentially asexual beings. (By which I don't mean suppressing any sexual desire for young folks - just a deference to the oh-yuk-people-my-parents'-age-having-sex sensibility.) At this point, I've settled into being a more or less elderly eccentric among the youngest folks - and the folks my age have sorted themselves out so that I still find my most congenial company among them.

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  neoshaboy

  Apr 12, 2021

  [quote]Do you believe nudity changes as we get older? Do our attitudes change? Do younger people perceive nudity as being different for older people? Are people in general more likely to tolerate nudity with regard to seniors? What are your thoughts on nudity and aging? Nudity Over Fifty[/quote] I feel as we age we become more comfortable in our skin. As things, droop, hang, bag and wrinkle, we become less concerned with physical attributes.

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  Strandjunge59

  Apr 12, 2021

  Clearly yes. My parents-in-law went to a nudist campside for holidays and into the sauna. At about 50 they did this no more. I think because they are old. My parents went to a nudist resort whenever they could. After the death of my father she completely changed. Today she cannot understand that she was nude in public. She feel even disturbed when her neighbour sun bathe in a bikini in her garden,

  And clearly no, because I don't change and will not change.

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• ST

  

  SteveinKona

  Apr 14, 2021

  @strandjunge -
  Your mother's journey makes me think of my father's. He didn't own a swimsuit until he was 30, and was comfortable at the bed-bath-locker room level of nudity when I was younger. But as he aged, he just stopped being naked. I think he felt it was too country, or not dignified enough, or maybe he culture he was living in became his own and he no longer recognized that younger man as himself. In very old age, when he had to accept being seen and handled naked by others, it was I who was shy. He once or twice asked for my help, but generally professional help was not far, and I generally avoided such duties - saying to myself that I was respecting his privacy. But really, I don't think he had privacy concerns - it was my issue not his.

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• JO

  

  JohnE44

  Jul 27, 2025

  64 here and still enjoy going nude its fun and relaxing, I feel the same way I did as when I was t teen

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  Downtime2024

  Jul 27, 2025

  Yes, i think it does. In my early 20's didn't give it much thought, I was nude in my dorm room, walking the halls to the showers, doing the little laundry that I created and didn't think anything about it. As I moved into my 30's and digital and internet imaging started growing and i was in the workforce and employers started checking your history on line I stepped back from outside nudity. Being retired now, and in my 60's. I'm returning to I don't care if you see me nude.

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• ME

  Member

  Jul 28, 2025

  My joy and desire to be nude have never diminished; if anything, they have only intensified, which seems almost impossible given how much I already relish being in the nude. I've shared in other threads that the first people I experienced social nudity with were older, seasoned male nudists. They always carried an air of nonchalance, not really caring who saw them naked or when they chose to shed their own clothes. These individuals were supportive friends, guiding me on my personal journey of social nudity without a hint of judgment or hang-ups. They appeared to possess more resources and time to indulge in activities such as visiting resorts and beaches, basking in the freedom these places offered.

  Now, it feels as though the circle has completed its course for me. I have become one of those older nudists, with the luxury of both time and resources to fully embrace and enjoy social nudity. I have transformed into that person who remains comfortably nude and encourages others to explore this lifestyle in a safe environment. It is my hope that the older, unapologetically naked version of myself gives back to the nudist community, assisting others as they embark on their own personal journeys toward embracing nudity.

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  old4me

  Mar 24, 2026

  I agree with that. With age we don't spend time looking in the mirror we tend to feel more in our whole body. I know I do I love watching and being with older naked men there's something they share and I think it's a loss of inhibitions. Go naked it's the best feeling

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• ME

  Member

  Apr 11, 2026

  Great article link. Being nude over fifty is wonderful. I wish I had done it in my 20s. Alas, I did not so I am now trying to make up for lost time and am nude every chance I get. And Im in my early 60s!

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• ME

  Member

  Apr 11, 2026

  [quote]Do you believe nudity changes as we get older? Do our attitudes change? Do younger people perceive nudity as being different for older people? Are people in general more likely to tolerate nudity with regard to seniors? What are your thoughts on nudity and aging? Nudity Over Fifty[/quote] What a great question. Every response will be as individualistic as the person commenting. There are many theses written that show we generally get more conservative the older we get. That influences things like politics and in some cases a return to faith. But in my view those studies seek only certain areas of thought and nudism is certainly left out. One could certainly emerge more politically conservative and still enjoy being nude....surely. For me as I finish up my last year in my 50's I am nude more now than at any other time of my life. I love the sun and breeze all over my body. I enjoy nude conversations and like to write about those experiences. Will that joy end....I am not sure it will and hope not.

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• NU

  Nudenaturist_BBL

  Jul 21, 2026

  **As a nudist in my early thirties,** reading your reflection feels both familiar and grounding. Your experience resonates deeply with mine, even across the decades. The core of itthat profound, uncomplicated comfort with your own body and with shared nuditysounds like it hasn't shifted for you since your twenties, and that's exactly how it is for me too. Since I embraced nudism (in my early twenties, like many), **nothing fundamental about my personality or inner sense of self has changed**. I'm still the same person: open, matter-of-fact about bodies, drawn to authenticity, and largely unbothered by the social scripting that says clothing equals normalcy. The ease I felt then is the ease I feel now, whether alone at home, at a beach, or in small trusted groups. It's not a phaseit's just how I relate to my body and to others who feel the same.

  I appreciate you naming how the *contexts* evolve even when the feeling doesn't. That's something I notice already in my thirties. The hippie-era freedom you described has given way, for many, to more structured venues, private gatherings, or intentional communities. I seek those out toolocal nude beaches, clothing-optional events, or friends' backyardsbecause everyday life still defaults to clothed. And yes, age dynamics are visible even now. I see older nudists who move through these spaces with a quiet confidence, and younger ones who are still figuring out the social etiquette. Sometimes I wonder how I'll feel in my sixties or seventies, surrounded by people decades younger. Your account gives me a hopeful preview: it seems possible to remain that "elderly eccentric" who's simply *there*, comfortable in their skin, without the scene revolving around you or fading away.

  I especially connect with how you and your partner handled household nudity with younger guestspresenting it as normal, matter-of-fact, and essentially non-sexual in presentation. That's a nuance I try to carry too. Nudism, for me, has never been primarily about sex (though context always matters, as you said). It's about freedom from shame, about equality in vulnerability, and about rejecting the idea that bodies need to be hidden or hyper-sexualized at all times. Deference to others' comfort levels, especially around age gaps, feels like basic respect rather than repression. Your approach sounds wise and kind.

  From my vantage point in my thirties, I can't fully know what nudism will feel like in deep old agemy body will change, energy levels will shift, and societal perceptions of an older naked body will likely be different than they are for me now. But your story reassures me that the *essence* probably won't transform. If the internal comfort and self-acceptance have stayed steady for you across fifty years, I have good reason to believe the same continuity is possible for me. The personality that loves this way of beingopen, low-drama, body-positivedoesn't seem to age out. It just adapts to new contexts, new company, and new chapters.

  Thank you for sharing this. It makes me feel more connected to the longer arc of nudist life, and it reinforces why I value this community: across ages, the core experience of simply *being naked and at home in yourself* can remain remarkably consistent. I hope you keep finding those congenial circlesboth your peers and the occasional younger folks who still get it.

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• NU

  Nudenaturist_BBL

  Jul 21, 2026

  **As a nudist in my early thirties**, body image evolution is something I think about a lotboth in my own life and when I hear stories like yours Steve spanning decades. Nudism has been one of the most stabilizing forces for how I relate to my body, and your reflection shows how that stability can persist long-term.

  *||* Early years (teens/20's): The discovery phase
  For many of us who become nudists young, the shift happens when we realize clothing had been shaping (and often distorting) our self-perception. In my early twenties, I carried the usual insecuritiescomparing myself to media ideals, worrying about flaws, feeling self-conscious in swimsuits or changing rooms. Discovering nudism cracked that open. Being naked among normal, non-idealized bodies showed me how varied and *functional* human forms are. My body image improved dramatically and quickly. It wasnt about achieving perfection; it was about accepting reality. Once I internalized that, the internal critic quieted. **Importantly, my core personalitycurious, open, low-dramadidnt change.** Nudism simply removed a layer of unnecessary shame I had absorbed from society.

  *||* Thirties: The maintenance and realism phase
  Now in my early thirties, Im seeing the first subtle shifts. Skin elasticity, minor weight fluctuations, the effects of life stress or motherhood (for those who have kids), and the beginning of life marks appear. But because Ive been practicing nudism consistently, these changes feel like natural evolution rather than decline. I notice them, but they dont trigger the same distress they might have in my teens. Regular exposure to a range of bodies (young, middle-aged, older) at beaches or gatherings normalizes it. I see stretch marks, scars, cellulite, bellies, and sagging as just... human. My body image feels resilient. It evolves, but the foundation of comfort built in my twenties holds. The personality I brought into nudismpractical, body-positive, socially warmremains the same. I still host or join friends matter-of-factly, just as you described doing with younger guests.

  *||* Looking ahead: Aging and continuity
  I dont yet know what my body image will feel like in my sixties or seventiesthats the honest limit of my perspective right now. I imagine gravity, slower healing, health changes, and cultural invisibility (especially for women) will test it. But your experience is deeply encouraging. Youve shown that the fundamental comfort you found in your twenties carried through to your seventies. The contexts changedshifting from casual hippie scenes to intentional venues, navigating visibility with younger peoplebut the internal relationship to nudity and your own body stayed steady. That suggests body image in nudism isnt a fragile youthful idealism; it can mature into quiet confidence.

  Many older nudists Ive met describe a similar arc: early liberation, mid-life adaptation, and later-life acceptance. The body changes, but the practiced ability to see it neutrally and appreciatively seems to evolve *with* it rather than against it. Nudism appears to act as a long-term buffer against the harsher aspects of age-related body image struggles that clothed society amplifies.

  *||* What stays constant
  Across all these stages, the biggest continuity for me (and from what you shared, for you) is that **nudism didnt alter my fundamental characteristicsit amplified what was already there**. I was always someone who valued honesty and presence; nudism just extended that to my physical self. The evolution feels less like a transformation and more like deepening authenticity: the same person, in an ever-changing body, in changing social contexts.

  Your story makes me optimistic about my own future trajectory. Body image will keep evolving biologically and socially, but the grounded, shame-reduced relationship to nudity that started in my twenties seems durable. Its one of the quiet superpowers of this lifestylegiving us a healthier lens through which to watch ourselves age.

  Id love to hear more from your side about how specific body changes felt over the decades, IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE SHARING THAT IS. Stories like yours help bridge the generational gap and make the path ahead feel less uncertain.

  - Ana

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