Naturism rhymes with nudity and nudity rhymes with comfort. If I appreciate nudity, it is above all for the comfort it provides and that I seek on all occasions. I sleep naked, I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner naked, I am naked at home most of my time, I am naked in the garden and in nature, in short, I am naked as soon as I can be, but I am undoubtedly an extreme naturist.
For many naturists, nudity is limited to holidays or certain weekends. For others who live in naturist villages, it is almost permanent. But either way, there are times when clothes do rule, with society having a limited tolerance for nudity in public spaces. So sometimes you have to get dressed. So, are naturists people who live naked all the time? This is what we will see in this article.
Stop labels
One can begin to wonder what a naturist or a nudist is. How do we characterize these people? What immediately comes to mind is that a naturist or a nudist is someone who enjoys being naked, whom nudity does not bother, and who, on the contrary, seeks it out. We can also say that a naturist is a person who lives by respecting the official definition of naturism: “a way of life in harmony with nature characterised by the practice of communal nudity with the intention of encouraging self-respect, respect for others and for the environment.”
What about a nudist? Doesn’t he like nature or respect others? I’m caricaturing, but it’s to better highlight the ridiculousness of the label and the simplification that is put behind labels, especially those that are put on people.
I am a naturist, I am a nudist, I like to be naked, because I find it comfortable. The nudity of others does not shock me, on the contrary. I know that naturism has many virtues that I take advantage of and want to share with my relatives and friends. Nudity in common is not a distant ideal, it is an art of living that I enjoy. If another naturist likes the comfort of nudity, but prefers to live her naturism in an urban environment, is she a naturist?
So there is no naturism as one way of being naturist, but as many as there are naturists. Naturism and nudism mean appreciating nudity for oneself and others, sharing it and respecting everyone’s choices to undress or not. Beyond that, forget the labels. Do you like to be naked? Are you comfortable naked? Awesome!
Your body, your rules
Nudity looks good on you and you like to be naked. So be it, at your own pace, in the times and places in which you feel comfortable. So yes, there is the law and it is not possible to undress at all times and in all places, especially the latter. However, whether at home, on a naturist beach, in nature or in a naturist center, the choice to take off your clothes is yours.
This right to self-determination seems fundamental to me. It is inherent to respect for oneself and for others. My body, my choices. The same goes for tattoos, piercings, jewelry and bodybuilding, for example. We often hear that getting naked is not to be done in the presence of others, does not suit the moral rules of life in society, that it can shock…
Once again, respect seems central to any discussion. If I like being naked for the comfort it provides, I can also understand how it might shock other people. Do I still have to keep a piece of fabric so as not to shock? We can discuss it for hours. Shouldn’t respect be a two-way street? I tend to think so, especially when we want naturism and nudism to be seen as normal states in our society.
To undress is therefore a personal choice. Am I more naturist if I’m naked at home all the time than someone who is only at the beach? Am I less naturist if I’m naked at the beach, but don’t go hiking naked? These are your choices and they are respectable, starting from where you respect the choices of others. In my opinion, this is how social nudity will be accepted. Your body, your rules! It also allows you to decide to live naked and get naked whenever possible.
Live naked
Being naked from morning to night. Going about your business without having to choose clothes. Enjoying the comfort of everyday nudity. A dream, a utopia, an ideal? It’s your choice. There are weekend naturists, vacationers and everyday naturists. There are as many naturists as there are human beings who practice and appreciate nudism. However, it is true that living naked is an indescribable happiness.
If you live in a naturist village year round, daily nudity is obvious. Otherwise, it is a choice that can be made. Temperature and social interactions then become the only two limiting elements, but can be experienced as flexible constraints, necessary for a vital balance. Sociologists and anthropologists agree that clothing serves a protective and a social function. The minimalist naturist, that I am, may have only the clothes necessary for social interactions and only wear them when necessary. You don’t need to have full cabinets from floor to ceiling. A few quality shirts, pants, pullovers are enough for a naturist textile life.
Living naked means sleeping naked, being naked at home, being naked in your garden, going for a walk naked, playing sports naked, going to the beach naked, spending your holidays naked, and favoring nudity whenever possible. You will find on this blog 100 ideas for naturist activities and moments, try them!
To conclude, let’s return to the question of the title of this post. Do you have to be naked everywhere and all the time to be considered a nudist? No. The choice of nudity is yours. A naturist is someone who appreciates nudity for herself and others, and maintains some form of personal respect, for others and for nature. Whether you experience this nudity occasionally or on a daily basis, in the privacy of your own home or in nature, your choices are yours. Naturism is the comfort of shared nudity with respect for everyone!
Strip Naked, Stay Naked, Live Naked and Share the Naked Love!
Photo by Caroline Hernandez, Erol Ahmed, Quinton Coetzee on Unsplash
I prefer not to subscribe to ‘isms’. I don’t need an excuse to explore who I am or what I like. So, I consider my enjoyment of being naked most often when climatic and social conditions are most favorable.
Greetings Marc, very nice and well written post. It’s good to see an argument/perception that not all nudist are naked all the time. Personally, I am not able to be naked 100% of the time, but I can say that I am 100% naked 50% of the time. I am one of those who “identify” as a naturist, but live in an urban…well, suburban environment. I feel the best about myself and am the happiest as a human when I am naked in nature, but do not have the luxury of just walking out in my back yard naked at anytime. However, my opportunity to do that may be coming in the foreseeable future. 🙂 We are doctors, teachers, business professionals, engineers, scientist, Christians, non-believers, and everyday normal people. Every time I go out in public I look at people and think, what kind of nudist are you? We all have to be naked at some point…
Thank you Alexis for your comments. I truly believe the comfort, love and acceptance of nudity makes the nudist, not the time he or she spends naked.
It’s awesome to be able to be nude as much and as often as possible!
Being a Nudest is the best thing that I have ever done for myself I finally talked my beautiful girlfriend Suzy into becoming a Nudest at first she was very shy but now she can’t wait to go to the Nudest resort
We now have nicnames she goes by Suzy the beautiful gourious Redhead Nudest and I go by Doug the Nudest be we also nicnamed her beautiful pussy we named her Sebrina
I like the nickname, Sabrina! We are a clothing optional household. We are an American couple, retired, living in Costa Rica.
I’ve been going naked in public places for more than 60 years. During the past 40 years I’ve met thousands of people while hiking, camping, or otherwise naked in public. Almost everyone I’ve met respected my appearance and most were supportive. When I was comfortable with my body and did not apologize or try to hide, and acted as if nude is normal, I was accepted as a form of normal choice. Even most people who would never dare to go naked in public still enjoy seeing naked humans. Our species spends huge amounts of time and money observing others of our species, and seeing a naked human doing normal human activities is always interesting rather than offensive.
Nudists have nothing to fear but fear itself, and way too many wannabe nudists are way too fearful of being seen naked outside of their high fence retreats. The whole world awaits the sight of human bodies.
Thanks Bob for your insightful comment. “Nudists have nothing to fear but fear itself” is such a profound truth. As a famous brand states it, just do it!