5 Ways to Tell Family and Friends you are a Nudist

For many nudists, nudism is a personal activity. Not because they would not want to share it, but because it’s frowned upon by their family and friends. So they think. If it’s true in some cases, it’s a fantasy most of the time. Why, because my experience has shown that most people don’t care at worst, are curious at best. If you don’t know how to come out as a nudist, you will find below 5 tips to help you go over your fear and be open about the fact that you’re a nudist.

Before jumping into those tips, I want to clarify a few points. Being open about nudism is not being loud about it. It’s not about flaunting around and post nude pics on social networks. Being open about nudism is about not hiding it, while not imposing it to others that may make them feel uncomfortable. Having said this, each and every nudist live her or his nudism her or his way. However, if you’re shy about it and don’t know how to share it with friends and family, you may find this post useful to be aligned with your values and be at peace with yourself.

Have Nudist Books and Magazines

Not sure about where to find nudist books and magazines? Have a look at our books page. It’s far from being comprehensive, but a more comprehensive list can be found on Paul’s site here, probably the most comprehensive list of a naturist library. As you can see, there’s a ton of books and many magazines on nudism and naturism. Some will cover some aspects of nudism, some are broader in their perspective. The cool thing is that there’s enough material on nudism to read for weeks.

The other cool thing is there are a lot of books to introduce the topic of nudism to others. Here are a few examples:

If you can, have a paperback or hardcover of some and lend them to your friends and family when they ask about naturism and nudism, or when they find them in your library. The same applies to magazines. There are fewer of them but here are a few examples available:

Subscribe to one or two of those magazines. Not only will you read about nudism and naturism, enhancing your journey in the lifestyle, it will be a great gateway into it for your friends who will flip through some issues that you’ll have left on your coffee table. For some people visiting you, it will be a surprise that will lead to question you whether you’re a naturist/nudist.

Don’t Deny

If asked if you’re a naturist/nudist, just say yes and ask why she/he asked? It’s a great icebreaker that allows to not only start talking about naturism and nudism, but also leads to enlisting a new naturist/nudist. I also believe in radical honesty as being the ultimate way to get a balanced life, surrounded by supporting friends and family members. People who really love you will accept you as you are, nudist or not.

Undeniably, naturism and nudism are not always well understood and can be misinterpreted. This may lead to adverse consequences, and this means you may need to be cautious about whom to share that you’re a nudist. However, I make a difference between being a nudist and not hiding it, and posting naked picture all over social networks. You may shoot yourself in the foot in doing so. This is your own choice, however, and you need to understand the potential consequences.

I know a lot of nudists who don’t share all over the place they are nudists, as they are seeking to draw attention on themselves, but remains committed nudists who live their life on their own terms. If you want to live an open and balanced life, be true to yourself and decide if being loud is true to you.

Share Your Holidays

Holidays make a great topic among friends. Where you went, what you saw and experienced, etc. When ask where you went for holidays, share casually the location and that you had a blast. If you have pictures, show them. But what if those pictures show you naked? I would advise that you warn the people that you’re showing your pictures to that they contain nudity as you’re a naturist.

Most textiles will be surprised. However, if they accept to watch your pictures, they will also be surprised by the fact that nudity is casual and not the way they thought, meaning sexual. Nudist holiday pictures totally demystify nudism and naturism. They show that nudity is not the end but the means. They show that nudity is actually forgotten as it’s not the centre of your attention. They show that nudity is natural and normal.

Of course, you may not be ready to show naked pictures, which I totally understand. However, don’t hide you had naturist holidays in a naturist camp park or resort. For many people, naturism rhymes with holidays and textiles will more easily understand that you had naturist holidays. It’s a great segway to acknowledge that you’re a naturist, explain what naturism is and invite your discussion partner to discover naturism.

Ask for Permission

Have you found yourself at a friend’s or familiar place where you could really be naked if it were possible? Did you ask for permission to get naked, for instance to jump into the pool? If not, why? Where you afraid of what your friends would have thought? Think twice! Nudity is possible in more situations we imagine and is, more often than not, separated from a clothed situation by asking if you could be naked…

It may sound controversial, but it’s far from it. As I put nudism as an important item for my life balance, I grab any potential opportunity to be naked. At a friend’s place for a barbecue on a summer day, I ask if nobody is distressed if I’m naked. Going to the beach with friends, I propose that we go to a nude beach. Invited to a hike with friends, I ask if everybody’s okay with me hiking naked.

All those situations happened and I could enjoy nudity with clothed encounters. This leads to great conversations about nudism, naturism and social nudity. The first few times you find the courage to ask for permission can be nerve wrecking, then it becomes a second nature. I sometimes get a polite no, mainly because of the presence of children. I agree and go into a discussion about nudism and how it helps kids and adults balance better the relationship they have with their body. The worst that can really happen when asking for permission to go naked is to receive a no. As I shared, it still provides a great opportunity to have a conversation about nudism and social nudity. My experience though has taught me that you’ll receive a yes in a majority of cases and will be joined by one or two other people who did not find the courage or did not think about asking. As a famous sports brand says, just do it!

Hang Naturist Photos

If you like to put photos that you like on display, I encourage you not to discard naturist photos because they show naked people. Many naturists hesitate to hang naked photos or include them in photo albums. Don’t hesitate, include them. When you’re naked with friends and family, on holiday, at the beach or at home, you don’t hesitate and live your nudist life. Do the same with the pictures you’re taking.

As nudists, we all know there’s nothing wrong with naturism and being naked with others in casual and social settings. We need to stand by this idea by considering our own naturist photos as normal, casual and show-able. Don’t get me wrong here. It’s not about posting them all over the internet. Some people do and it’s good for them. Some people don’t and it’s good for them either. However, there’s a middle ground which is to consider that if your photos are not public to the point of sharing them with millions of strangers, they can be semi-private by sharing them with friends and family.

Hanging naturist photos kill two birds with one stone: They help share that you’re a naturist and they demystify naturism and casual nudity. This is exactly what many naturists want: that people, textiles, consider naturism as normal and acceptable, which I believe should be, as we should never have demonised our own body. As if seeing naked individuals could harm others.

I know that sharing with others that you’re a naturist can be nerve wrecking. We ask ourselves many questions: how people will react? Will they reject us? What will they think of us? etc. The reality is that a vast majority of people will just shrug, and some will be puzzled and ask question. In the end, I have a very simple philosophy about the people I want to interact with: if they love you really, they will accept you, naturist or not. It may seem simple, but life is complex enough to make it more complex with difficult decisions. If you love naturism, just live it and don’t bother what others will think or say about it.

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