To me, body freedom is not just being naked. Freedom is the ability to choose to either be naked or to wear some warm clothing if and when and where I choose. I don't get some people's obsession with being naked 24/7 even when it's totally uncomfortable, like some act of martyrdom to prove your loyalty to the cause! Yes, it's great to be naked when it's comfortable to do so, or when I'm just too lazy to put any unnecessary clothing on, but it's certainly not a major compulsion. I sleep naked, and spend well over half of my waking hours naked, and that feels fine to me.
For some of us nudism is not something we do, like a hobby, it is something we are, like an introvert. We aren’t nudists because we like to take our clothes off. We live clothesfree (as much as practical) because we are nudists. Nudism is part of our nature, and it influences our behavior, just like introversion. Many other people who consider themselves to be nudists act like nudism is just a recreational activity.
We must not let the best be enemy of the better and that be the enemy of the good. We're a hand full of little nudist minnows swimming in a huge textile ocean. Whether nudism is a need, a want, a hobby or an occasional lark, it is all good.
Agreed, I started by getting my ass paddled a lot when I was 5,6 years old for stripping off and running naked all over....hell.....it was North Florida and oppressively hot and sticky. From age 8 or so I would paddle the swamp naked (I DID Wear Mosquito Repellent) out with the alligators and snakes and other critters, rarely had any trouble. I say that to agree with you, it's just who I am and my sexuality and my nudism are NOT always intertwined. I get annoyed with people who see them as the same.
No we don’t get enough nudism/naturism in our lives. We would love to be able to live in a world where society allowed everyone to dress or not dress always. Until then it’s nude when can clothed when must.
I like the way this was worded and the consideration given acknowledging different levels of comfort for nudity. Am nude at home all the time but prefer outdoor nudity specially at the beach. Look forward to being nude with my nudist friends at the beach or any other meeting place. I do not identify with people that want nudity everywhere. I would not want to be or see nude people at any stores like Walmart or the grocery stores. I don’t want to see my neighbors nude getting the mail or washing their cars etc. But I know people that want nudity everywhere , they do not take into account the implications of such freedom. They legalize zed nudity in San Francisco and they immediately has issues with people sitting nude on benches and outdoor chairs, so they had to then pass an ordnance that people had to then sit on a towel pr barrier . They also had nude people showing up at the tourist attractions in the city nudes going on the cable cars, the nudes walking around San Francisco were not like the nudist at a family beach or nudist resort, it was people with jewlery on their generals calling attention the their body parts . Turns out the majority of the nudist on the streets were mostly gay exhibitionist men calling attention to their body parts and walking around, trying to suck the public with their nudity. A total degrading of Nudist I had a kid and manners to other nudist and families, giving nudist a very bad reputation to none nudist that don’t know an Exhibitionist from a traditional recreational nudist. So the City of San Francisco had to make nudity illegal again because of all the unintended mayhem and havoc the exhibitionist did. This is all verifiable on the internet and the photos are quite shocking. So I do not want or wish for nudity anywhere , I knew when San Francisco legalized it all these types were going to hit the streets nude but they are not nudist enjoying nudity as a recreational pastime.
Actually, nudity was never illegal in SF (outside city parks) until 2013.
The vote to pass the ordinance was 5-4. SF is known for its large gay population and a particular plaza in the Castro district had a significant number of nude gay males hanging out. (Pun intended.) It was passed at the behest of Castro district business owners who were concerned it was driving away the tourist business.
It wasn't a blanket prohibition. It prohibited nudity "on public streets, sidewalks, street medians, parklets, plazas, and public rights-of-way, and on public transit vehicles, stations, platforms, and stops." One can be nude anywhere on private property with owner's consent. It still allows nudity in the prohibited places for "any permitted parade, fair, or festival held under a City or other government issued permit." WNBRs, Pride events, and the Bay to Breakers all have extensive nudity, as do many smaller events. A court has ruled that the city could not make an event discourage nudity as a requirement for a permit.
I once showed up nude at a 2020 anti-Trump political rally in SF. They rally attendees didn't care and many thought nudity as protest was appropriate to the anti-Trump message. (The people of SF are pretty liberal about such things.) The police did nothing, as the rally had a permit.
If you were nude at an illegal location, the policy is to ask you to cover and only write the ticket if you refuse. First offense is a $100 infraction. You have to be obnoxious to get arrested. There is a state law against lewd conduct but the CA Supreme Court ruled that nudity, uncomplicated by other factors, is not lewd behavior. (That's why they couldn't use the state law against the gay men in the Castro. They weren't doing anything lewd.)
There is an anti-nudity civil ordinance in the parks of San Francisco, passed in 1970, specifically to prevent hippies from having a weekend nude circle dance. It is unenforced during Bay to Breakers and Pride Day. It does not affect the city outside the parks.
In Britain, nudity is legal everywhere. There is a judgment call on the part of the constable if you are behaving lewdly or dangerously. Probably not the most popular activity but it demonstrates that legalization doesn't lead to depravity.
No I live in a northern climate (michigan) and feel that I don’t get enough chances to be naked. It is often too cold in the house to be naked often during winter. In summer I go nude by our pool or backyard but my spouse won’t join me. I long for company of others.
I feel your pain. I grew up in Michigan and left for California as soon as I was able. The nature is spectacular but the political climate is not nude friendly.
I grew up in a conservative Baptist household. Altho I skinny dipped as a kid, my first big public nudity encounter was in college at a nude beach in Italy. I just knew the Devil was gonna beat me for looking at the nude sunbathers. My interest was piqued and over the years I became more receptive to being nude by starting out going commando, then eventually being nude around my apartment, until eventually being nude in public at beaches, resorts, gatherings. I just feel more comfortable when I’m nude in my home, on my patio, sometimes driving, as much as possible. I’ve walked in state parks by myself and with friends. Last year I met a friend in Europe and we hiked nude in Slovakia. And when I travel I generally stay at clothing optional bnbs. There are a couple groups in town I do activities with … one is mostly pool parties at men’s homes (I’m a 63 yo gay male) and another is at public locations (bars, pools) with mixed attendees (male/female, str8/gay) where we just have conversations and enjoy the company. I’m always happy to meet others who enjoy the lifestyle.
My nudity started back in my Hippy days. More skinny dipping and naked smoke parties. Then a chance meeting with a few Buddhist types started a transformation from sexual to recreational to everyday normal , to spiritual. Now that I am in my 70s, I find nudity normal and comfortable. The above transformations have merged into one path of being
The Spiritual aspect of being Nude? I usually look at things simply. So I will say this. Doesn’t matter if one believes in gods and/or goddesses. If one understands that there was some aspect of, as the Chinese would say, Life Force Energy in play, then there is a spiritual component, not a religious component, but spiritual. The ancients thought is that everything has a spirit that causes life. Nature. We humans are animals derived from Earth. As products of our enviroment we are, by nature, nude. Moving away from nudity into an artificial, man made enviroment pulls us from our natural enviroment. We loose our connection with the Life Energy that we came from, that we are. Being attune to Nature is a spiritual act. Being nude is being attuned to Nature, being one with Nature.
Quantum Physics has introduced us to Quantum Energy. The energy that has much to do with the make up of the Universe.
I don't get enough naked time—mixed marriage. Formerly I was assistant yogi and chief cheerleader for a ten-year long nude yoga class in Minneapolis, and I still do my poses and weight lifting nude. I'm also active in the local life drawing scene, as artist rather than model. I take a lot of pleasure in being nude socially when I can. Nudism probably has a neurochemical signature akin to a runner's high, but I also believe in it as a moral and rational choice.
What is "enough"? Is it just hours spent in the nude? By this, I do get enough: I'm always naked at home, and I spend enough time there to feel free.
Is it time in the sun and wind and rain? By this I'm definitely "malnourished."
Is it time with other naked humans? By this, I get just enough to remind me that we can be free from the conditioned arousal responses drilled into most people.
Being naked most of the time (24/7) does me a world of good & brings serenity. Nudism offers much more courtesy and tolerance towards others. Living without clothing constraints is as simple and natural as the first day we were born.
Thank you Jillian for this text, a credit to nudists. (ツ)
Even though we live in southern California, even we start covering up as the weather cools. One gets used to a certain temperature range. Happily we're members of Olive Dell Ranch resort, and there are some warm fall, winter and spring days where we can go join a naked friend or two.
That was me when I was a kid. Puberty can do that to a guy. The reaction calmed down as soon as the hormones settled down. I also didn't have any nudist examples to pattern myself after. If I had grown up in a nudist environment, rather than deep in a closet, I would have had an entirely different reaction.
Novelty can be erotic. Nudity as a precursor for sex is a nearly universal message we all receive. I expect that if outdoor nudity became ordinary for you, things would be different.
My "nude in nature" time was always alone, except for rare skinnydipping with other boys and locker room nudity. (It would be terminally embarrassing to get erect in those settings.) The "no erections" rule is a courtesy to other nudists who want to escape the over sexualization of textile life. It also helps keep you from being "lewd" under the legal definition of lewd behavior.
OTOH, nobody cares what happens when you are alone. If a tree falls in a forest but nobody hears it...
Maybe I should do a post about erections. It is one of the most common question asked by textiles and newbie nudies.
Your brain is your biggest sex organ. When you take your clothes off and feel sexually charged, get your mind onto other things, rather than masturbate. Get into the water and start swimming. Notice your surroundings and appreciate them. The more you do that, the more your brain will learn not to associate nudity with sex. Masturbating only reinforces the connection.
You're right - it's not a bad thing so long as you're out of sight of the public. I just assumed by what you said that getting naked outdoors was a problem for you - getting automatically sexually charged. That would be a problem if you were amongst other folks and it happened all the time.
Just thinking about it, when I was in my 20s, one of many part time jobs I worked was a free lance stripper. That's an example of a highly sexually charged environment. An erection was appreciated. 😉
If I were a model and the same women were art class students drawing me, that's an example of a completely asexual environment. An erection is not appropriate and would not happen.
Most clubs have people who went there specifically to avoid the sexualization of nudity. They paid money for this. By visiting a club/resort or a public beach, you agree to abide by their rules. Nudist clubs and events are family affairs and such behavior is not tolerated.
I think I think it is equally important to "read the room" in informal settings. It would not be welcome behavior at any of the hot springs I visit.
If it is just you - and maybe explicitly consenting adult(s) - there's no problem with it at all. Whatever floats your boat! 😉 There is a time and place for everything under the sun.
I designed my sundeck, gardens and hot tub gazebo at home specifcally so we could be naked whenever the weather allows and sometimes even when it shouldn't. Still, it''s not enough...I Hike Bike and Paddle Nude all around these beautiful mountains and the Cherokee National Forest and Pisgah National Forest. Within a mine from here I can access the Appalachian trail and the myriad side trails that feed in....from my workplace. GF and I go to Turks and Caicos every winter and enjoy gorgeous beaches all to ourselves, sometimes 1 or 2 other couples nude on Bonefish Beach, Pie Cay or Water Cay....Went to Italy this past summer to see the sights but also to Celebrate my 65th birthday at a beautiful nude beach and resort, Spiaggia di Pizzo Grecco...Almost everwhere we go we find a place to take in a day of nude recreation. A few years ago when our Basketball Team was in the NCAA tournament they played 1st round in Orlando...we took a few extra days to be out on Playa Linda and of course stop and gorge ourselves at Dixie Crosssroads along the way. As I always say, "Be Safe, Have Fun, Get Naked in the Sun!' Rich
Nice article, Jillian. Yes, interesting how there are so many and varied interpretations of these terms (and defending these interpretations can become quite bombastic and heated).
Getting enough real-time body freedom, for me is really, never enough, but it is what it is. Hoping to do some life drawing and modelling at our local club tomorrow, and maybe a bit of naked hiking, now summer has arrived here in New Zealand.
"I particularly love being naked outdoors in the summertime"
Move to California and it can be year 'round.
The older I get, the better "naked in nature" becomes. Ironically, naked indoors has become LESS interesting. Am I turning into a nudist hobbyist?
To me, body freedom is not just being naked. Freedom is the ability to choose to either be naked or to wear some warm clothing if and when and where I choose. I don't get some people's obsession with being naked 24/7 even when it's totally uncomfortable, like some act of martyrdom to prove your loyalty to the cause! Yes, it's great to be naked when it's comfortable to do so, or when I'm just too lazy to put any unnecessary clothing on, but it's certainly not a major compulsion. I sleep naked, and spend well over half of my waking hours naked, and that feels fine to me.
The older I get, the more I move in this direction.
For some of us nudism is not something we do, like a hobby, it is something we are, like an introvert. We aren’t nudists because we like to take our clothes off. We live clothesfree (as much as practical) because we are nudists. Nudism is part of our nature, and it influences our behavior, just like introversion. Many other people who consider themselves to be nudists act like nudism is just a recreational activity.
We must not let the best be enemy of the better and that be the enemy of the good. We're a hand full of little nudist minnows swimming in a huge textile ocean. Whether nudism is a need, a want, a hobby or an occasional lark, it is all good.
Agreed, I started by getting my ass paddled a lot when I was 5,6 years old for stripping off and running naked all over....hell.....it was North Florida and oppressively hot and sticky. From age 8 or so I would paddle the swamp naked (I DID Wear Mosquito Repellent) out with the alligators and snakes and other critters, rarely had any trouble. I say that to agree with you, it's just who I am and my sexuality and my nudism are NOT always intertwined. I get annoyed with people who see them as the same.
No we don’t get enough nudism/naturism in our lives. We would love to be able to live in a world where society allowed everyone to dress or not dress always. Until then it’s nude when can clothed when must.
I like the way this was worded and the consideration given acknowledging different levels of comfort for nudity. Am nude at home all the time but prefer outdoor nudity specially at the beach. Look forward to being nude with my nudist friends at the beach or any other meeting place. I do not identify with people that want nudity everywhere. I would not want to be or see nude people at any stores like Walmart or the grocery stores. I don’t want to see my neighbors nude getting the mail or washing their cars etc. But I know people that want nudity everywhere , they do not take into account the implications of such freedom. They legalize zed nudity in San Francisco and they immediately has issues with people sitting nude on benches and outdoor chairs, so they had to then pass an ordnance that people had to then sit on a towel pr barrier . They also had nude people showing up at the tourist attractions in the city nudes going on the cable cars, the nudes walking around San Francisco were not like the nudist at a family beach or nudist resort, it was people with jewlery on their generals calling attention the their body parts . Turns out the majority of the nudist on the streets were mostly gay exhibitionist men calling attention to their body parts and walking around, trying to suck the public with their nudity. A total degrading of Nudist I had a kid and manners to other nudist and families, giving nudist a very bad reputation to none nudist that don’t know an Exhibitionist from a traditional recreational nudist. So the City of San Francisco had to make nudity illegal again because of all the unintended mayhem and havoc the exhibitionist did. This is all verifiable on the internet and the photos are quite shocking. So I do not want or wish for nudity anywhere , I knew when San Francisco legalized it all these types were going to hit the streets nude but they are not nudist enjoying nudity as a recreational pastime.
Actually, nudity was never illegal in SF (outside city parks) until 2013.
The vote to pass the ordinance was 5-4. SF is known for its large gay population and a particular plaza in the Castro district had a significant number of nude gay males hanging out. (Pun intended.) It was passed at the behest of Castro district business owners who were concerned it was driving away the tourist business.
It wasn't a blanket prohibition. It prohibited nudity "on public streets, sidewalks, street medians, parklets, plazas, and public rights-of-way, and on public transit vehicles, stations, platforms, and stops." One can be nude anywhere on private property with owner's consent. It still allows nudity in the prohibited places for "any permitted parade, fair, or festival held under a City or other government issued permit." WNBRs, Pride events, and the Bay to Breakers all have extensive nudity, as do many smaller events. A court has ruled that the city could not make an event discourage nudity as a requirement for a permit.
I once showed up nude at a 2020 anti-Trump political rally in SF. They rally attendees didn't care and many thought nudity as protest was appropriate to the anti-Trump message. (The people of SF are pretty liberal about such things.) The police did nothing, as the rally had a permit.
If you were nude at an illegal location, the policy is to ask you to cover and only write the ticket if you refuse. First offense is a $100 infraction. You have to be obnoxious to get arrested. There is a state law against lewd conduct but the CA Supreme Court ruled that nudity, uncomplicated by other factors, is not lewd behavior. (That's why they couldn't use the state law against the gay men in the Castro. They weren't doing anything lewd.)
There is an anti-nudity civil ordinance in the parks of San Francisco, passed in 1970, specifically to prevent hippies from having a weekend nude circle dance. It is unenforced during Bay to Breakers and Pride Day. It does not affect the city outside the parks.
In Britain, nudity is legal everywhere. There is a judgment call on the part of the constable if you are behaving lewdly or dangerously. Probably not the most popular activity but it demonstrates that legalization doesn't lead to depravity.
No I live in a northern climate (michigan) and feel that I don’t get enough chances to be naked. It is often too cold in the house to be naked often during winter. In summer I go nude by our pool or backyard but my spouse won’t join me. I long for company of others.
I feel your pain. I grew up in Michigan and left for California as soon as I was able. The nature is spectacular but the political climate is not nude friendly.
No, I don't feel I am getting enough body freedom. Winter has happened in Western New York.
Last year was my first naturist experience. I absolutely loved being in nature naked.
I baked my Christmas cookies today in the nude, but I am trying not to over stress my spouse who has been accepting of my new lifestyle.
I grew up in a conservative Baptist household. Altho I skinny dipped as a kid, my first big public nudity encounter was in college at a nude beach in Italy. I just knew the Devil was gonna beat me for looking at the nude sunbathers. My interest was piqued and over the years I became more receptive to being nude by starting out going commando, then eventually being nude around my apartment, until eventually being nude in public at beaches, resorts, gatherings. I just feel more comfortable when I’m nude in my home, on my patio, sometimes driving, as much as possible. I’ve walked in state parks by myself and with friends. Last year I met a friend in Europe and we hiked nude in Slovakia. And when I travel I generally stay at clothing optional bnbs. There are a couple groups in town I do activities with … one is mostly pool parties at men’s homes (I’m a 63 yo gay male) and another is at public locations (bars, pools) with mixed attendees (male/female, str8/gay) where we just have conversations and enjoy the company. I’m always happy to meet others who enjoy the lifestyle.
My nudity started back in my Hippy days. More skinny dipping and naked smoke parties. Then a chance meeting with a few Buddhist types started a transformation from sexual to recreational to everyday normal , to spiritual. Now that I am in my 70s, I find nudity normal and comfortable. The above transformations have merged into one path of being
I would love to hear more about the spiritual aspect of this.
The Spiritual aspect of being Nude? I usually look at things simply. So I will say this. Doesn’t matter if one believes in gods and/or goddesses. If one understands that there was some aspect of, as the Chinese would say, Life Force Energy in play, then there is a spiritual component, not a religious component, but spiritual. The ancients thought is that everything has a spirit that causes life. Nature. We humans are animals derived from Earth. As products of our enviroment we are, by nature, nude. Moving away from nudity into an artificial, man made enviroment pulls us from our natural enviroment. We loose our connection with the Life Energy that we came from, that we are. Being attune to Nature is a spiritual act. Being nude is being attuned to Nature, being one with Nature.
Quantum Physics has introduced us to Quantum Energy. The energy that has much to do with the make up of the Universe.
I hope this makes sense.
It does make, Bob. I love it. I see us all as spirits in the material world. Thanks for sharing.
I don't get enough naked time—mixed marriage. Formerly I was assistant yogi and chief cheerleader for a ten-year long nude yoga class in Minneapolis, and I still do my poses and weight lifting nude. I'm also active in the local life drawing scene, as artist rather than model. I take a lot of pleasure in being nude socially when I can. Nudism probably has a neurochemical signature akin to a runner's high, but I also believe in it as a moral and rational choice.
What is "enough"? Is it just hours spent in the nude? By this, I do get enough: I'm always naked at home, and I spend enough time there to feel free.
Is it time in the sun and wind and rain? By this I'm definitely "malnourished."
Is it time with other naked humans? By this, I get just enough to remind me that we can be free from the conditioned arousal responses drilled into most people.
So I can't answer a simple Yes or No.
Being naked most of the time (24/7) does me a world of good & brings serenity. Nudism offers much more courtesy and tolerance towards others. Living without clothing constraints is as simple and natural as the first day we were born.
Thank you Jillian for this text, a credit to nudists. (ツ)
Even though we live in southern California, even we start covering up as the weather cools. One gets used to a certain temperature range. Happily we're members of Olive Dell Ranch resort, and there are some warm fall, winter and spring days where we can go join a naked friend or two.
When I first get naked outdoors, I get so sexually charged that I typically masturbate, then, from then on it's just like skinny-dipping until....
That was me when I was a kid. Puberty can do that to a guy. The reaction calmed down as soon as the hormones settled down. I also didn't have any nudist examples to pattern myself after. If I had grown up in a nudist environment, rather than deep in a closet, I would have had an entirely different reaction.
Novelty can be erotic. Nudity as a precursor for sex is a nearly universal message we all receive. I expect that if outdoor nudity became ordinary for you, things would be different.
My "nude in nature" time was always alone, except for rare skinnydipping with other boys and locker room nudity. (It would be terminally embarrassing to get erect in those settings.) The "no erections" rule is a courtesy to other nudists who want to escape the over sexualization of textile life. It also helps keep you from being "lewd" under the legal definition of lewd behavior.
OTOH, nobody cares what happens when you are alone. If a tree falls in a forest but nobody hears it...
Maybe I should do a post about erections. It is one of the most common question asked by textiles and newbie nudies.
Your brain is your biggest sex organ. When you take your clothes off and feel sexually charged, get your mind onto other things, rather than masturbate. Get into the water and start swimming. Notice your surroundings and appreciate them. The more you do that, the more your brain will learn not to associate nudity with sex. Masturbating only reinforces the connection.
Rokker, you're making it sound like being naked outdoors and masturbating is a "bad" thing!?!?!
I love BOTH "sides"!!!!
You're right - it's not a bad thing so long as you're out of sight of the public. I just assumed by what you said that getting naked outdoors was a problem for you - getting automatically sexually charged. That would be a problem if you were amongst other folks and it happened all the time.
"problem if you were amongst other folks "
Unless of course the "other folks" would be OK with "it", as I would!!!
Just thinking about it, when I was in my 20s, one of many part time jobs I worked was a free lance stripper. That's an example of a highly sexually charged environment. An erection was appreciated. 😉
If I were a model and the same women were art class students drawing me, that's an example of a completely asexual environment. An erection is not appropriate and would not happen.
Context is everything!
That would be unlikely in a place like a resort or club. You would certainly need to be able to control your urges in such places.
Most clubs have people who went there specifically to avoid the sexualization of nudity. They paid money for this. By visiting a club/resort or a public beach, you agree to abide by their rules. Nudist clubs and events are family affairs and such behavior is not tolerated.
I think I think it is equally important to "read the room" in informal settings. It would not be welcome behavior at any of the hot springs I visit.
If it is just you - and maybe explicitly consenting adult(s) - there's no problem with it at all. Whatever floats your boat! 😉 There is a time and place for everything under the sun.
I designed my sundeck, gardens and hot tub gazebo at home specifcally so we could be naked whenever the weather allows and sometimes even when it shouldn't. Still, it''s not enough...I Hike Bike and Paddle Nude all around these beautiful mountains and the Cherokee National Forest and Pisgah National Forest. Within a mine from here I can access the Appalachian trail and the myriad side trails that feed in....from my workplace. GF and I go to Turks and Caicos every winter and enjoy gorgeous beaches all to ourselves, sometimes 1 or 2 other couples nude on Bonefish Beach, Pie Cay or Water Cay....Went to Italy this past summer to see the sights but also to Celebrate my 65th birthday at a beautiful nude beach and resort, Spiaggia di Pizzo Grecco...Almost everwhere we go we find a place to take in a day of nude recreation. A few years ago when our Basketball Team was in the NCAA tournament they played 1st round in Orlando...we took a few extra days to be out on Playa Linda and of course stop and gorge ourselves at Dixie Crosssroads along the way. As I always say, "Be Safe, Have Fun, Get Naked in the Sun!' Rich
Sounds like a great lifestyle!
Nice article, Jillian. Yes, interesting how there are so many and varied interpretations of these terms (and defending these interpretations can become quite bombastic and heated).
Getting enough real-time body freedom, for me is really, never enough, but it is what it is. Hoping to do some life drawing and modelling at our local club tomorrow, and maybe a bit of naked hiking, now summer has arrived here in New Zealand.
Fingers crossed for both
Visiting New Zealand is on my bucket list. Am sure I wouldn't want to leave, though. Such a beautiful place. Enjoy your summer!