Becoming a Nudist – Chapter 7 – Being a Nudist – Nudists and Nudism

Previous post – What Nudism Means to You

In the previous page, I defended the idea of nudism being a lifestyle. Many nudists present nudism as such. As we’ve also seen, nudism means different things for nudists. All nudists share the love, the comfort and the freedom of plain and simple nudity. There’s nothing sexual in being naked and enjoying being naked.

Nudity has been made sexual by society, culture and religion. Nudity isn’t inherently sexual. It should be seen as what it is: nude bodies. The moment you realize that there’s nothing sexual in being nude, you’re on your way to become a nudist.

Nudism is a journey. I often think about nudism as a long hike, like the one to Santiago de Compostela or the Pacific Crest Trail. Initially, you’re full of questions, you don’t know what to expect, then things start to get clearer along the way. All questions may not be answered, and you may need to start another hike, but the experience makes the journey worthwhile.

So being a nudist is like being a pilgrim, on a naked pilgrimage. A pilgrimage full of discovery, joy and felicity. However, a pilgrimage isn’t always rosy and challenges will arise. A lot of people will see you as a fool, an eccentric, or a pervert. The further you travel in nudism, the better you’ll be able to answer them. They may not understand you, but you will have done what is necessary to deliver your message. Nudism starts with nudists.

Nudists Make Nudism

At the beginning, Adam and Eve were nudists. Well, they didn’t call themselves nudists, but since they lived nude, we can call them nudists. I can claim that Adam and Eve invented nudism and gave it to us. In the third chapter, Physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual and social nudity, we saw that plain and simple nudity has a spiritual dimension, along its many other dimensions.

There’s one more dimension to it, which is edging on physical, emotional and social, which is a construction dimension. If nudism is the state of being nude, nudism is made by those who decide to be in a state of nudity: the nudists. The nudists are building nudism and make it what it is, with federations, groups, resorts, blogs, magazines, and so on.

Nudism is in constant construction and reinvention. An example can be found with the World Bike Naked Rides that exist across the planet and put nudism in streets to send a message about our fragility and show that nudity is nothing to be ashamed about.

When you’re a member of a naturist federation or a nudist association, you realize that all the members are building nudism with their ideas, interactions and activities. Members may disagree, discuss about actions to undertake to make social nudism a reality for themselves and for more members. When you open your mind and heart, building nudism is a beautiful thing to see.

It’s in the expansion of nudism that nudists find some form of fulfillment, at least for me. Having a textile friend or acquaintance agreeing to try nudism is a fantastic win. As I keep repeating, the world needs more nudists. The more nudists, the more nudist places, the mode nudist time and the more nudism we can claim and have.

A fantastic example is the way British Naturism has worked so naturism is lawful in public places. By doing such a great work, BN is contributing not only to expand nudism to every public place, but also to expose more people to nudism, make them think about it, and potentially change their mind.

One important aspect of nudism to consider is that when you embrace nudism, you’re not alone. There’s nothing like a lonely nudist. Federations, groups, clubs, and associations are there to welcome you and accompany you on your nudist journey. As you see nudists make nudism. And nudism makes nudists too.

Nudism Makes Nudists

The more you embrace nudism, the more nudist you become we can say. That may seem strange until you live this reality. As we have seen so far, nudism is far more than plain and simple nudity. It’s a lifestyle that makes life better, fulfilling and joyful.

On my blog, I’ve categorized articles by four simple stages of nudism: curious, newbie, seasoned and adventurous. Curious are the textiles who show some interest in nudism but haven’t yet crossed the line. Newbies are the textiles who jumped in nudism but haven’t fully embraced the lifestyle and are full of mixed feelings and questions. Seasoned are the nudists who are fully comfortable with their body and others’, while seizing opportunities to enjoy more nude time. Adventurous are the nudists who want more: more time, more places, more opportunities to live their nudist life.

There are no clear lines between those four categories. There are also multiple variations within each category. We could probably go deeper in categorizing nudists and nudist experiences. However my point here is to show that as nudism is a journey, your nudist experience will evolve.

The more nudists you meet, the more nude time you gain. The more nude time you have, the more experience you enjoy. The more experience you enjoy, the more nudist you become. Beware, though, when I write “more nudist”, I don’t mean there are better nudists than others and by becoming “more”, you become “better”. You may become more enlightened about nudism, but there’s no scale in nudism. A curious is as important and good as an adventurous nudist. The important point is that he or she is a nudist.

In the next chapter we will cover the crucial topic of sharing nudism with others, friends, family and acquaintances. This is an important topic that all nudists should be prepared not only to face, but also to embrace fully. There’s nothing wrong being a nudist and sharing your lifestyle. I repeat there’s nothing wrong being a nudist and sharing your lifestyle. The more nudist you become, the easier it becomes to talk about nudism in a positive, inclusive and sensible way.

This is a part of what I mean by writing that nudism makes nudists. If, at first, nudism is about being naked, nudism becomes gradually, though slowly, more than that. As it grows in you, the need to talk, to read, and to learn about it increases. It deepens under your skin and becomes a true part of you. Yes, nudism is addictive. It has no negative side effects, though. The more it grows in you and with you, the more you feel compelled to share it around you.

Nudists Make More Nudists

Charlotte Brontë wrote that “Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.” We can change happiness by nudism: “Nudism quite unshared can scarcely be called nudism; it has no taste.”

Nudism has to be shared. It needs expansion by sharing it verbally, physically and emotionally. You share nudism by talking about it, about its many benefits, about its nonsexual approach to nudity. You share nudism by being nude yourself in every opportunity where clothing isn’t required and encouraging others to be nude. You share nudism by expressing joy, care and benevolence with other nudists and textiles.

Every nudist is an apostle of nudism. Dark forces are at play against nudism, humanism, and tolerance in every corner of the planet. Nudism is a necessary force to enlighten the world with simplicity, joy and care. Every place should become a nudist place, every textile should become a nudist, every moment should become a nudist moment. 

Like many things in life, the person who dares shows the way. No nudist on a clothing-optional beach: get nude and some others may follow. You’re hiking with a group of friends, explain that you’re a nude hiker and lead the group into nudism. You’re going to a barbecue at a friend’s place, ask permission to spend the day in your birthday suit.

In most situations, opening your heart to nudism and sharing your nudism will grant you permission to be and stay naked. The first times it feels awkward. However, you realize quickly that most people don’t care. Actually, they do care, as it opens conversation about nudism and plants a seed in their brain. It’s a wonderful opportunity to talk about nudism and the reasons you’re a nudist. It creates the fertile soil to more nudism and nudists.

I was recently chatting with the famous Nick and Lins, from Naked Wanderings, about promoting nudism. Their position was simple and sensible: if we want nudism to be more accepted and widespread, we need to talk about it in textile media. Talking about nudism to nudists is good, talking about nudism to textiles is great. Every opportunity to explain and show what nudism is to textiles is an opportunity to spark interest and open the door to more nudists.

“But what will people think when they discover I’m a nudist?” This is the question I’m often asked when I tell other nudists to share they’re nudist with others. This is the question I will answer in detail in the next chapter, Sharing Nudism. It’s a central question to opening nudism to your circle of friends and acquaintances. One that requires a full chapter to make every nudist comfortable with sharing nudism.

This is an important part to nudism. Not everybody will transparently open his or her nudism, but needs to realize he or she’s an apostle of nudism. Nudism suffers from many wrong views and opinions. It’s every nudist’s duty to explain simple and plain nudity and recalibrate what it is. It’s a cheap price to pay to expand nudism.

A last aspect of being a nudist is being a proud nudist. I’m proud to be a nudist. I’m proud of being able to share with others how nudism helps to understand and care better. I’m proud to live comfortably in my body and having gotten rid of the shame that society, culture and religion want to impose on our bodies. I’m proud to be who I am, in my naked vulnerability. Let’s dive into pride and respect.

Next part – Proud, Respectful, and Respected Nudist

Strip Nude, Stay Nude, Live Nude and Share the Nude Love!

Photo Nadschybulla, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons