October open forum
The generation gap, climate change and naturism -- all in one play
Are Millennials and Gen Zers more prudish than baby boomers?
Australian playwright Ang Collins explores that “stereotype” in a production set in a nudist community. It plays up generational differences as well as “vulnerability in the face of climate change” — yes, she admits to packing a lot in there. The play is called Naturism and is set to be staged in 2025 in Sydney, Australia. It pits a Gen Z eco-influencer against an off-grid naturism community of boomers, and will feature an all-nude cast. ABC Radio National has a great interview with Collins. Listen here.
Collins feels that, yes, younger people today are more prudish, thanks to social media. They are more distanced from their bodies than older generations are, she says, adding that the popularity of naturism is dwindling in Australia.
She says she is using “the face of the generational conflict as a trojan horse to examine responsibility for climate change,” emphasizing that the nudity in the production is secondary, or “skin deep.”
It ties in with something I was thinking about today — and writing about in another newsletter here: Is there a climate change generation gap? Older folks may be less concerned about climate change than younger people for obvious reasons: boomers have less time left, while younger people have doubts about their chances of living to a ripe old age in the face of climate change.
I didn’t mention naturism in that post, but I have wondered what role naturism might play in adapting to climate change, especially in countries like Australia.
As for younger people being more prudish than boomers, well, many boomers were flower children back in the day (some still are). Nudity came naturally for many in that scene. Today’s world is so much more uptight. And, yes, there is that social media thing that keeps so many young people tied to their smartphone screens night and day. As Collins points out in the interview, a lot of young people put more emphasis on avatars and are “more distanced” from their bodies. To be a naturist, you gotta put the phone down sometimes!
Speaking of climate change and the extreme weather it can create, my heart goes out to everyone affected by Hurricane Helene in the United States, one of the most powerful and devastating to ever affect the country.
And a warm welcome to all new members here. The monthly open forums are designed for members to talk about all things naturism/nudism. If you are reading this in an email, post your comments by clicking on the tab below or by going to our website (don’t reply to the email).
Oh, Millennials and Gen Zers are clearly more prudish on the whole than baby boomers, and while social media has exacerbated that, I believe the prudishness predates social media. As a case in point, I'll take us back 22 years prior to social media to when I was swimming early mornings at a community center before going to work. High school swim team members would work out at the same time. Even back then, these teenage boys would shower (individual stalls) wearing their Speedos or jammers, contorting hilariously with their towels to change from swimwear to school clothing, HORRIFIED by the sight of me -then in my early 40s - going totally nude from locker to shower & back and standing nude at the open sink/counter/mirror while shaving, never wrapping a towel around my waist. 22 years on, those boys are now men, now shaped by social media, most likely even more body-phobic (if that's possible), and raising children to be the same.
I agree with Bill, below. I rarely see young boys get naked or shower nude in my community centre. I remember my days at U of T in the early 70s swimming nude in the Hart House pool, seeing guys shave and use the washroom nude there. Have my doubts that's still done. My theory - there's been an obsession with labelling genitalia as "private" to the point of not being seen ... ever. Some of that has been an over reaction to abuse awareness that was never there before. Other cultural influences are no doubt at work as well.
When it comes to climate change, etc., many of us boomers are jaded because we've seen so much more. My memories go back to the 50s. Those include: how all buildings in Toronto (including old city hall, and the Queen's park parliament buildings) were black or grey from a century of coal smoke; how the sands of Lake Erie's Point Peele park were littered with dried dead fish (you would actually spread your towel over them as there was so little exposed sand) from the pollution killing them; when visiting Chicago for the first time circa 1960 my parents thought we were entering a thunder storm because the sky was black with clouds which were actually industrial smoke. I could go on and on, like when I visited east Germany in '67 and '70 to visit relatives. Anyone who thinks socialism is the answer I have pictures of black, polluted rivers and streams to counter.
Also, the big global concern back then was ... global cooling! Yes, we're overdue for an ice age. So I actually read proposals in science magazines for how we can warm the planet to keep that from happening. Even Isaac Asimov wrote an article about no more ice ages, to allay those worries, because he believed our emissions would counter that natural trend. Guess he was right!