Nudism, or naturism, is the practice of going nude or unclothed in social and usually mixed gender groups, specifically in cultures where this is not the norm. It sometimes occurs furtively in secluded places in countries where appearing naked in public is illegal, but enjoys widespread acceptance in other areas of the world. Those who practice nudism are called nudists or naturists. While some believe that being naked with other people is necessarily always sexual, or that nudism is morally wrong or pornographic, naturists reject these views, arguing that nudism is a natural state.

Typical activities are relaxation, sunbathing and sports, but some nudists prefer also to be nude while working etc., whenever the temperature and the social situation allows it (including when one is alone). For those who choose to live permanently with other nudists, see nudist colony.

Naturism (pronounced "nature" + "ism") should not be confused with naturalism, the study of nature.

General

Nudists believe that the human body is not inherently shameful, being something that we all possess and ought to cherish. The foundation for this point of view has its modern origins in a series of philosophical papers published in Germany in the early 1900's that examine the negative psychological impact of self-hate of the body based upon both religious and overly negative community views. The basic position that the human body in and of itself was neither sinful or obscene was combined with a new philosophy to create the nudist movement. The proposition was advanced that combining physical fitness, sunlight, and air bathing with the nudist philosophy contributed to mental and psychological fitness, good health, and a more moral life view. The wide publication of these papers contributed to an explosive worldwide growth of nudism, wherein nudists participated in various social, recreational, and physical fitness activities in the nude.

In the traditional view, the Nudist is defined as a person who seeks out organized social settings for the practice of the nudist philosophy. This usually takes the form of membership in a landed nudist club with a well defined system of conduct and social structure. It is a predictable environment, and offers the participants a safety factor that comes with enclosed facilities that permit nudism to exist lawfully, without threat of legal action or observation by outsiders seeking to view them for prurient purposes.

The Naturist conversly is traditionally defined as an individual who prefers to seek a more natural setting for their clothing optional activities - such as the beach, lake, woods or mountains. They are not joiners in the sense of the traditional nudist, nor do they often consider their clothing optional activity to be a remarkable thing, but rather simply a part of their normal lifestyle. Some political contention exists between the traditional Nudist and the Naturist within the national organizations that represent clothing optional recreation for lobbying purposes; the former seeking a status quo while the later pushes for expansion of beaches and other outdoor facilities and their designation for clothing optional use.

Nudism is not equivalent to exhibitionism. It is people who enjoy being nude and who are not primarily interested in seeing others naked (strictly, voyeurism) or being seen naked by others. That being said, all kinds of people are attracted to the movement, for all kinds of reasons. Many naturists are convinced that increased exposure to the natural environment, made easier through nudity, can result in numerous health benefits. Sunlight has been shown to be beneficial in some skin conditions, and is required by the body to make vitamin D. However, with the increased awareness of skin cancer, wearing of sunblock/sun protection lotions is now part of the nudist culture and is one of their frequently discussed topics. Whereas nudist parents do not require their children to put on clothes before going outside at a nudist club or beach, most do require them to put on sunscreen lotion. Overall, naturists often claim that they are more relaxed and in a better state of mind when they shed their clothes.

Being around like-minded people can make interpersonal interactions, such as meeting new friends, easier and many nudist organizations are really just social clubs. Indeed, some of these clubs have stricter entrance requirements than some traditional up-scale 'country clubs' - requiring references, a sponsoring member, a trial membership, committee approval, and, due to fears about sex offenders, criminal background checks (though this is normally only done on male applicants). At the other end of the spectrum is 'unorganized' naturism in which there is nothing to join, no one to pay, and only civil, common and criminal law to serve as rules of etiquette. Many people get their first exposure to the naturist movement through this kind of informal nudism (e.g. a clothing optional beach, a friend's place in the woods, a party on the shore; skinny dipping).

Strong nudist movements exist in Germany (called FKK or Freikörperkultur - Free Body Culture), France and the Netherlands, and smaller such organizations exist in many other nations. Social nudity is practiced in many cultures, especially in the context of social bathing, sometimes with mixed sexes.

Association with sex

Many non-nudists believe that nudity in a social setting inevitably arouses lust. Most nudists disagree, saying that there is more sexual tension in the near-nude environment of a pool or a beach than at a nudist site. This belief is reflected in the nudist adage "nude, not lewd."

Most nudists and nudist organizations maintain and enforce a policy prohibiting sex in public, and it is rare to see obvious signs of sexual behavior (including staring or gawking) at most clubs and beaches. Many nudist sites describe themselves as family-oriented.

The possibility of spontaneous erection is a concern often cited by men who are apprehensive of nudism, but nudists do not generally consider this to be a reason for avoiding their sites and activities. Erections are rare, they say, because the nudist environment is non-sexual. Further, some nudists suggest that fear of getting an erection is itself a factor that can prevent spontaneous erections.

Should an erection occur, nudists do not consider it a reason for males to be ashamed of their bodies, or to desperately attempt to cover an erection by hand. Nudists describe themselves as generally understanding and polite people who know that any male could potentially have an erection at any time. There is a balance, they say, between flaunting it and being ashamed. They generally will not tolerate a grown man wandering around for no obvious reason while simultaneously having an erection. Because policies vary from place to place, nudists suggest that those who have concerns should discuss them with management.

A male bathing nude in a swimming pool, hot tub, calm lake, or other still waters for the first time may be surprised to see his penis floating vertically in the water. However, other nudists will not mistake this for an erection.

Involvement in naturism has not been shown to be harmful and may even be beneficial to childhood psychological development (see for example Federation of Canadian Naturists FAQ). Of course parents always need to be vigilant to guard their children from sexual predators. This applies equally to naturists as it does for non-naturists.

Desmond Morris, social anthropologist and author of The Naked Ape, suggests that "If you perform nudity in public you destroy its value as an erotic action." However, some fringe groups and gatherings (such as Swingstock) are more like sex clubs and not considered by some to be examples of true nudism.

There is an alternative movement known as Progressive Nudism which rejects the chaste atmosphere of "traditional" naturist establishments and argues that in some social situations nudism between adults should be a celebration of complete sexual freedom. Progressive Nudists enjoy naturism for the sake of being naked - not for the sake of sex - just like traditional nudists do, but unlike traditionalists they do not have tortured anxieties around human sexuality and sexual feelings. Progressives cite the decline in young people turning to traditional "old-fashioned" naturism as evidence that they have refused to adopt restrictive edicts and outdated codes of behaviour which had made naturism become a self-justifying and introverted inhibitor of its own development. Progressive Nudist views expressed in publications such as Starkers Magazine and espoused at certain venues like Starkers Nightclub (the names are apparently coincidental) are that only when there is no shame associated with sex - as in the rest of nature - and human sexuality is celebrated can the true naturist utopia be attained.

Manners

Nudists will wear clothes if the weather demands it. Naturists are generally accepting people, the general idea being simply doing things nude that one would normally do clothed. However, the traditional nudist culture has its own rules of etiquette.

Some Nudists consider it essential to sit on a towel whenever sitting on a chair, bench, or anything else where others might sit, and they consider it very poor etiquette to do otherwise. Likewise, sitting on someone else's towel is also a breach of etiquette. For privacy reasons, there is a prohibition on photography without consent at nudist venues. Other rules may include a prohibition on pets, weapons, loud music, etc. These policies vary between nudist sites, and nudists recommend that new visitors make themselves aware of the specific rules prior to a visit.

Some nudist organizations do not allow people with body piercings on their premises. (Presumably this rule refers to the foreign objects in the piercings, not to the piercings themselves.) Most, however, accept people of all sizes, shapes and types including those with surgical scars, tattoos or interestingly trimmed (or absence of) hair. Many nudist organizations do not allow unaccompanied men, see e.g. [1], whereas most nudist organizations not only allow but encourage unaccompanied women to join them. That this is hypocritical of a subculture which promotes acceptance is a topic often debated. Some nudist organizations, to avoid discriminating based on gender, enforce a policy of gender balance, meaning that they will allow neither a high male-to-female ratio nor a high female-to-male ratio.

Some nudist resorts, clubs, or beaches require full nudity at all times (with exceptions, such as when a woman is experiencing menstruation, or certain days/hours for new visitors and cold weather). Most have this policy only for the swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, hot tub bath, etc., with clothing optional elsewhere. Recently, to avoid any possible litigation, some privately owned resorts and clubs in the USA forbid bringing any minor children from other families without written permission in advance. A few even exclude children of divorced parents without the written consent of the other ex-spouse (unless they can prove full custody). Of course, this does not apply to public beaches. If a visitor encourages another visitor to be nude, this may give rise to suspicion that nudity is desired for visual satisfaction, which may be considered inappropriate.

Many nudists feel it is inappropriate for males to openly display a spontaneous erection. However, some believe it should be included as a part of "body acceptance" — a key philosophy of nudists. This has been the subject of endless debate on nudist/naturist Internet forums. If an erection does occur, nudists recommend covering up with a towel, turning over (if lying down), sitting down, going for a swim, or otherwise minimizing the erection's presence until the penis is no longer erect. For some activities (e.g. water skiing or dancing) this may not be immediately practical or even possible, and typical nudist etiquette suggests it then be ignored by everyone. Public nude beaches tend to be less strict on this issue than private nudist resorts and adult only Progressive Nudism clubs would not be bothered at all. Also, nudists are generally more tolerant of spontaneous erection in pre and post-pubescent boys than in older teens and men.

Naturist terminology

Nudists sometimes refer to people who do not practice nudity as textiles. Clothing optional or C.O. usually refers to a facility that allows and encourages nudity but tolerates the wearing of clothes, whereas a nudist facility usually insists on complete nudity where practicable (to ensure that no one feels inappropriately dressed). Topfree refers to an area that allows uncovered female breasts, also known as topless (topfree being used since topless has a negative connotation in some parts of the world). A free beach is not so much one without an admission cost, but one in which people can be entirely free of their clothes. A landed organization is one that owns the real estate it is situated on. Non-landed or travel clubs meet regularly at different locations such as nudist resorts, bowling alleys, or swimming pools rented for the purpose. A smoothie is a person who shaves off much of his/her body hair. (See acomoclitism)

History of nudism

Genetic studies of the human body louse Pediculus humanus, which feeds on the body but lives in and requires clothing, suggests that humans started wearing garments 72,000 years ago +/- 42,000 years. This estimate matches that of the first appearance of physical evidence of clothing-making tools. The species Homo sapiens itself has existed for 200,000 or more years, so the 'natural' condition of humans is nude.

Informal nudism has always been practiced. Ancient cultures (the Greeks and the Romans for example) sometimes had quite different attitudes toward the unclothed human body than is common today. In ancient Egypt under Pharaoh Akhen-Aton (1385-1353 BCE) public nudity was not at all uncommon. In fact, the word "gymnasium" comes from the Greek word "gymnos," meaning "nude," because athletics in Greece was routinely practiced naked by its participants.

Nudity taboos are often a holdover from a practical need for body covering, as with temperate or desert cultures, where people initially wear clothing in public by habit because of practical reasons, until it becomes ingrained in the culture itself that this is a requirement.

Objections against being nude are often religiously motivated, even when they start out as a cultural taboo as in the previous paragraph. Some peoples have started wearing clothes only after missionaries argued that it is more civilized. However, there are many devout nudists who attend services regularly and argue that they do not need to shed their morals with their clothes. Also, there is a Christian sect that practiced religious nudism, the Adamites. Although there is no well-defined date in Western society when it became unaccptable to be seen nude in public, the era of Queen Victoria certainly ended whatever remained of it, with nothing emerging until after her death in 1901.

The first known organized club for nudists, Freilichtpark (Free-Light Park), was opened near Hamburg in 1903 by Paul Zimmerman. At about the same time, another German, Dr. Heinrich Pudor, wrote a book titled Nacktcultur, which discussed the benefits of nudity in co-education and advocated participating in sports while being free of cumbersome clothing. The nudist movement gained prominence in Germany in the 1920s, but was suppressed during the Nazi Gleichschaltung after Adolf Hitler came to power. Later, the Nazis relented a little, provided that clubs exclude Jews and Communists, and keep all activities well out in the countryside. After the war, East Germans enjoyed nudism as one the few freedoms they had under the communist government. It quickly rebounded in the West also, and today, united Germany has many clubs, parks and beaches for nudism. Vacationing in Mediterranean France at the Cap d'Agde resort also became popular for Germans when it opened in the late 1960s

In the United States, German immigrant Kurt Barthel organized the first nudist event in 1929, just outside of New York City (NYC), and founded the American League for Physical Culture (ALPC). Social nudism in the form of private clubs and campgrounds began appearing in the 1930s. In 1931, according to a history [2], a Baptist minister named Ilsley Boone was elected as vice president of the ALPC and gained a nickname as "The Dictator." He also began the American Sunbathing Association (ASA), which according to a decision in Roberts v. Clement, posted on the Naturist Education Foundation site [3], was organized in 1939 as a successor to the ALPC. Boone led a family atmosphere by prohibiting alcohol at all member clubs. According to the Federation of Canadian Naturists history [4] and the Lupin Naturist Club history [5], Boone was toppled in 1951 by members dissatisfied with his autocratic style. This, together with Boone's desire to open a new club closer to NYC than others had wanted, led him to form the National Nudist Council.

Elsewhere in the USA, a 1935 advertisement claims Sea Island Sanctuary, South Carolina, was the "largest and oldest" year round resort where nudism could be practiced. Nudism first began appearing on the US and Canadian west coast about 1939. Kaniksu Ranch, about 45 miles (70 km) north of Spokane, Washington, opened the same year and is still in operation. In 1995, the ASA renamed itself, becoming the American Association of Nude Recreation (AANR).

In Canada, individuals around the country became interested in nudism, skinny dipping, or physical culture in the early part of the 20th century. After 1940 they had their own Canadian magazine, Sunbathing & Health, which occasionally carried local news. Canadians had scattered groups in several cities during the 1930s and 1940s, and some of these groups attracted enough interest to form clubs on private land; the most significant clubs were the Van Tans in Vancouver and the Sun Air Club in Ontario. Canadians who served in the military during the war met like-minded souls from across the country, and often visited clubs while in Europe. They formed a ready pool of recruits for postwar organizers. A few years later the wave of postwar immigration brought many Europeans with their own extensive experience, and they not only swelled the ranks of membership, but often formed their own clubs, helping to expand nudism from coast to coast. Most of these clubs were united under the Canadian Sunbathing Association, which affiliated with the American Sunbathing Association in 1954. Several disagreements between eastern and western members of CSA resulted in the breakup of CSA into the Western Canadian Sunbathing Association (WCSA) and Eastern Canadian Sunbathing Association (ECSA) in 1960. The ECSA endured much in fighting over the next decade and a half leading to its official demise in 1978. The WCSA continues to exist today as the Western Canadian Association for Nude Recreation (WCANR), a region of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) which itself was formerly known as the ASA.

In 1977 the FГ©dГ©ration quГ©bГ©coise de naturisme (FQN) was founded in QuГ©bec. In 1986 the Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN) was formed with the support of the FQN. The FQN and FCN joined together to be the official Canadian representatives in the International Naturist Federation (INF).

Major nudist organizations

• Worldwide: International Naturist Federation/Federation Naturiste Internationale (INF/FNI) with member regional organizations in 30 countries.
• Australia: the national organisation is the Australian Nudist Federation
• Basque Country: ENE Euskal Naturista Elkartea - Asociacion de Naturistas Vascos is the main nudist reference in the Basque Country.
• Canada: the Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN) and La FГ©dГ©ration QuГ©bГ©coise de Naturisme (FQN) are the two national nudist organizations.
• Denmark: the national organisation is the Dansk Naturist Union, DNU
• Israel: the national organisation is the Israeli Naturist Society
• Italy: the Federazione Naturista Italiana is the major national organization; others are the Unione Naturista Italiana (UNI) and the Associazione Naturista Italiana (ANITA).
• Madrid: AANUMA (Amigos del Nudismo) is the new Nudist club of reference in the Community of Madrid. Members are friends and families, who are living in Madrid, Spain, Guinea, Argentina and the United States.
• Mexico:NUDMEX (NUDismo de MГ‰Xico) NUDMEX is the most organized and biggest mexican nudist group. Mexico is not very tolerant about nudism, and the few groups are in the stage of getting organized and fighting for official recognition. NUDMEX is primarily an internet forum in which mexican nudists get to know each other on-line and organize nudist gatherings. The official association is being formed and expects to be recognized and active by 2006.
• Netherlands: has the Naturisten Federatie Nederland (NFN)
• Portugal: has the Federação Portuguesa de Naturismo (FPN)
• Spain: has the FederaciГіn EspaГ±ola de Naturismo (FEN), the ADN Spanish magazine and ADDAN Deffend the nudity as a Human Right
• Sweden: the national organisation is Sveriges NaturistfГ¶rbund, SNF
• United Kingdom: the national organisation is British Naturism, formerly known as CCBN (Central Council for British Naturism).
• United States: the American Association of Nude Recreation (AANR) and The Naturist Society (TNS) are the two major nudist organizations.

Public outdoor nudist areas

See List of public outdoor nudist areas

See also

• Amersfoort, Gennep, Nude beach, Nudity, Nudity in sport, All-Nude Workout, Skyclad
• Not wearing undergarments
• Topfree Equal Rights Association
• Loxie & Zoot - nudist cartoon series
• Nudist colony
• Compare Modesty.

External links

See also: Major nudist organizations section of this article.

• 205 Arguments in Support of Naturism
• American Association for Nude Recreation
• Bare Beaches - news on nude beaches worldwide, in the form of updates to a book
• Bare Britain - nude beaches in the UK and Ireland
• Body Freedom Collaborative
• Dead Sea naturism On the potential of the Dead Sea region in Israel to become a Naturist resort.
• Family Naturism
• Federation of Canadian Naturists
• Federation of Spanish Naturists, FEN
• Happy Nature - Nudism and Naturism
• International Naturist Association
• International Naturist Federation
• London Naked Clubbers - a group for people who enjoy clubbing and dancing nude
• Loxie & Zoot - nudist cartoon series
• Naturism in the Languedoc, South of France - Naturist beaches, clubs and resorts in the five departments of the Languedoc.
• Naturismo.org an online naturist magazine
• NaturismoNortenho - a northern Portugal informative and active organization devoted to regional naturism
• Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - includes US and Canadian laws and legislative bill texts related to nudism, and a newsletter
• Naturist Place - General naturist information, links directory, naturist blog
• NudeCanadian.com - a Canadian Based, Supportive, Informative, Non-Sexual set of Resources Including Very Active Forums
• Nudist Naturist Place (Cheef's)
• Nudist Travel Blog
• Reject Shame - on the harm of body shame from a Christian perspective
• Scandinavian Naturist Portal
• Social Naturism
• Sunclad.com - On how decent naturists should avoid problems with cyber cops carrying out sting operations.
• The Natural Way and the best naturist links on the web
• The Naturist Society
• The Nude World of Cat - mini community mostly composed of teenagers
• The SONG (Southwestern Ontario Naturism Group)
• The Swedish Naturist Federation
• Topfree Equal Rights Association of Canada
• Vermont's Nudists and Skinnydipperscs:Nudismus