Guys, here’s a nice experiment for your next Friday evening in the bar: Suddenly shove a picture of a full frontal nude picture of a woman under the eyes of the guy next to you. Well, you don’t actually have to try it, we all know what’s going to happen. Some will tell you about how they’ll go through the Kamasutra with her, some will pretend they didn’t see it and others will start giggling like a little girl.
Now try the same with a full frontal nude picture of a man…
In some cases the sexual comments may remain but the chances on some swear words or a black eye suddenly rise.
Why is that? It’s just a naked body.
Now try the same with a full frontal nude picture of a man…
In some cases the sexual comments may remain but the chances on some swear words or a black eye suddenly rise.
Why is that? It’s just a naked body.
“Oh men”, our female readers will sigh when they read this, but we encourage you to perform the same experiment on your next girls night. The naked man may receive some comments on his shape and size but the red cheeks will be there as well. When the naked woman appears, depending on her body shape she may be either brave, a slut or a show off.
The shock effect of frontal nudity
We are not used to see full frontal nudity in our daily life. As naturists we have seen thousands of naked bodies but only on moments and in places where we expected them. In the sauna, on the nude beach or during our last nakation in Greece. But we’d also look twice if we saw a naked person in front of us at the grocery store.
Porn addicts watch naked people in compromising situations for hours a day and yet they’ll immediately click away the pop-up of the half naked woman when they try to download the latest Tarantino movie.
Seeing the obvious in moments when it’s not that obvious suddenly makes it all a bit strange.
Porn addicts watch naked people in compromising situations for hours a day and yet they’ll immediately click away the pop-up of the half naked woman when they try to download the latest Tarantino movie.
Seeing the obvious in moments when it’s not that obvious suddenly makes it all a bit strange.
In the past, this was exactly how naturism was promoted. We all remember the human interest programs in the eighties where a couple of naturists were shown full frontal naked while telling the world that naturists are just like everyone else.
Seriously?
The average naturist we know (and we’ve met quite a few along the way) doesn’t have the slightest intention to be broadcasted in their birthday suit for the whole country. Yes, they feel confident about their bodies, yes, they like to be naked, no, they don’t have a problem with being seen naked, but they feel no need at all to showcase their bodies for the whole world.
Seriously?
The average naturist we know (and we’ve met quite a few along the way) doesn’t have the slightest intention to be broadcasted in their birthday suit for the whole country. Yes, they feel confident about their bodies, yes, they like to be naked, no, they don’t have a problem with being seen naked, but they feel no need at all to showcase their bodies for the whole world.
Types of nudism and naturism
Someone once told us that “there are as many types of naturism as there are naturists”.
Of course there are naturists who, if they were allowed, would be naked wherever and whenever they can. They would go naked to the bakery, they would go naked to work, they would appear naked at their causin’s wedding (note that we said “appear”, not after 2.5 bottles of wine) and they would have no issues with being naked on TV.
These are the naturists who others, less familiar with the lifestyle, see as the examples. But they are the extremes.
Of course there are naturists who, if they were allowed, would be naked wherever and whenever they can. They would go naked to the bakery, they would go naked to work, they would appear naked at their causin’s wedding (note that we said “appear”, not after 2.5 bottles of wine) and they would have no issues with being naked on TV.
These are the naturists who others, less familiar with the lifestyle, see as the examples. But they are the extremes.
Have you ever noticed that Lewis Hamilton (for those of you who don’t know him, first of all: shame on you! And secondly: 4 times world champion Formula 1) was never used in an advertisement for a driving school?
“Drive like Lewis”… Not the best slogan, right?
“Drive like Lewis”… Not the best slogan, right?
People have lots of reasons why they want to learn how to drive a car. Some got tired to ride their bicycles through the rain, some were driven crazy by the millionth time their train was cancelled, for some it’s convenience, for some it’s prestige but very few have the intention to drive like Lewis. Equally, very few naturists have the intention to let it all hang out for the whole world to see.
And that’s perfectly fine.
And that’s perfectly fine.
The average nudist doesn’t appear on TV, they go to the sauna, to the naturist resort, to the campground or to the club. They spend some time of their life in the nude, enjoying it very much, have great conversations, have dinners, volleyball games, massages, hikes, whatever without pants on, but there it stops.
You’re not a real nudist if you don’t go frontal nude online!
You have no idea how many conversations on our Twitter, Facebook or Instagram somehow lead to the question “please send me a naked picture”.
Our standard reply is: “have a look at our Instagram account, it’s full of naked pictures”. And then they answer “yes, but I want to see boobs/penis/pussy”. When we decline, they try to tell us that if we are real nudists, we would send them such a picture.
Our standard reply is: “have a look at our Instagram account, it’s full of naked pictures”. And then they answer “yes, but I want to see boobs/penis/pussy”. When we decline, they try to tell us that if we are real nudists, we would send them such a picture.
Of course, we all know that there are a lot of sad weirdoes on social media, but sometimes we get this kind of responses from an unexpected angle.
Some time ago we agreed with H&E magazine (the leading naturist magazine in the UK) to tell our story for their next edition, with some pictures. We’ve sent them the story of Naked Wanderings including several pictures similar to those on Instagram. We got a reply that they preferred “uncensored” pictures.
Some time ago we agreed with H&E magazine (the leading naturist magazine in the UK) to tell our story for their next edition, with some pictures. We’ve sent them the story of Naked Wanderings including several pictures similar to those on Instagram. We got a reply that they preferred “uncensored” pictures.
Since our pictures are never censored with black squares or smilies, we understood that they wanted boobs/penis/pussy. When we told them that this is not the way we roll, they replied that this is what their readers expect…
IMPORTANT NOTE ADDED: H&E did publish the Naked Wanderings article with our originally suggested photos.
At Naked Wanderings we have a certain style, you’ve probably noticed this if you’ve been following us for a while. We promote all kinds of nudism and we believe that you can appreciate the lifestyle in whichever way you prefer. We are not the kind of nudists you’ll see on TV (well, actually we did appear on TV, but heads only) and we’re just fine with that. Nudism is something for everybody, whether you go to the club every day, go to a resort once in a while or just spend two weeks of yearly holidays at a Greek nude beach.
Our experiences of naturism may differ, but we all share the same values.
Our experiences of naturism may differ, but we all share the same values.
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Lots of naturists do choose to post and look at pictures of other naturists that are not covered. I don’t think this inherently makes them porn perverts. Personally I think it’s a pain to go to an effort to cover “rude bits”. Pictures that seem like they’ve gone to pains to cover themselves feel strange and contrived, not natural.
However if some people such as yourselves choose to only share pictures that are covered I don’t see why anyone else has any grounds to complain about it. Everyone can have their own choices about what they share and don’t share.
Hi,
We’ve never meant to picture people who do post full naked pictures online as perverts, in the contrary, they are nudists willing to show themselves to the world. We love that! But we just want to say that naturism means more than that, that being a naturist doesn’t exactly mean that you have to be comfortable exposing your body for everyone.
YES!!! I absolutely agree with this blog and have experienced the same issues when “socializing” online. It really aggravates me when I hear “You’re not a real nudist if…”. I mean really? C’mon…….
If you have to show someone “proof” that you are a real nudist then the other is not really a nudist in my opinion, that is more like exhibitionism or hedonism.
If they ask us about “proof”, we tell them to join us at our next naturist hangout… they’re never there 😉
I had a look at the website of the magazine you mentioned above. They claim a long history but it is baffling that they would request full frontal shots , to me, does not sit well with the naturist life style but I guess it helps to sell magazines. I think the online personal adverts they have on their web pages may give a clue as to the make up of their readership…
I loved this part of your article “We are not the kind of nudists you’ll see on TV (well, actually we did appear on TV, but heads only)” it gave me a little giggle.
I am still finding my way in the nudist scene in CZ as I am quite new to the lifestyle plus not native to these lands. I appreciate your blog and the down to earth perspective you give, Also the humour used in your photos is great.
Well, we don’t want to shoot too much at H&E (or their readers), but we were baffled when we got that response. it sounded soooo old-fashion. As promotors of the naturist lifestyle we should appear full frontal naked in a magazine? Really? Come on! This is the 21st century!
We do literally everything to take naturism out of the taboo scene and show the world what it really means, and we believe that our way works. When we go to naturist venues, the focus is never on genitals. So why should it be in naturist magazines?
In the 80s and 90s H&E routinely published photos of nude children, this led to their office being raided by the police and being shut down for a number of years. The police would place add in the magazine, offering child pornography, albeit subtly worded ads.
The UK government then cracked down on child nudity photos . Which in my opinion was uncalled for.
This is partly true. H&E, I believe, stopped publishing those types of pictures some time in the mid-80s. I think this was wise. I personally don’t feel comfortable with minors being included in these publications, not least because they are not old enough to give their consent. I don’t think anyone would be happy to have pictures of themselves published when they were too young to legally give permission.
As far as I know, countries like France and Germany used to have publications dedicated to the depiction of children and adolescents. Again, this doesn’t sit comfortably with me – you have to speculate on the motives of those publishing, as well as those buying those magazines.
The nature of what is classed as indecent is a legal grey area, and largely depends on the interpretation of the police. About 20 years ago, there was a highly publicised legal case involving a well-known TV newsreader who had sent in family photos to get processed at a pharmacy. One of them was of her daughter in the bath. The shop staff called in the police, and the police arrested her and raided her house. The charges were later dropped, but it illustrates that even when no ill-intent is present, people can leave themselves open to legal trouble.
If adults want to have pictures of themselves in nudist media, that is entirely up to them, and I think it is a good thing that most of the present day nudist media only features grown adults.
In a (our) perfect world, there would be no difference between whether a child, or anyone else, was pictured naked or clothed. But we don’t live in such a world. Especially these days with the internet, perfectly sensible nudist pictures appear on porn websites and we support the idea that this is really something that should be considered before publishing photos. We also appear naked on the internet, but it was our choice. Children don’t have that choice;
Ok then but how bout this, do those same children or any other have a choice rather they will be nudists or not? They dont , they are “forced” to be nudists or textiles ,depends on their parents.
In my book if u really want to make nudism be normal and non sexual (and thats bull,cause in my book , nothing is non sexual) ,then as u said Nick, there shouldnt be a difference of ones age.
And evenso if a magazine puts only adults in it, it automaticly can and does get a sexual connotation ,cause if there are no underage nudies in it, if underage ppl cannot buy the magazine.. ? Get it.
These days, we think that children around the age of 5-6 should be wearing swimsuits, right?
What if they were not told so (we’re talking about non nudist places here), they would probably reach 8-9-10 years before they felt out of tone and asked for some pants.
Now think about a child raised on a nudist beach. When would be the time that they asked for coverage? Would this actually happen?
As a response to your other point, we used to sneak into 16+ movies when we were only 14 because we hoped to see a boob (we’re talking about pre-internet times here). More often than not we got nightmares about the unexpected horror movie we just saw.
These days you can’t prevent children from seeing nudity, our friend caught his ten year old while watching porn on the iPad… Did he search for it? Did his friends told him about it? Was it just a commercial while he was trying to download an illegal dvd? We, and his parents, will never know.
Whether we want it or not, children these days are seeing porn and nudity on a regular basis on the internet. More than ever it’s important to tell them that what they see online is not the real world. They are not supposed to have cup-D boobs and they don’t need a 22 inch penis to have a happy life.
No offence, Iceman, but I think what you are saying is missing the point a little.
The discussion at hand is of depiction of people in magazines/digital media, not the choices of parents who take their children to naturist places.
The question of whether or not it is proper for parents to take their children to places where naturism is practiced is subject to debate, and dependent on individual perspective. However, it is possible to say with some certainty that adults who involve their children in naturism certainly do not do so for the gratification of others. Yes, they are seen, but by other naturists, and although there may be a very small amount of weird people who act as “naturists” as a way of seeing children in this way, the nudity of both parents and children is confined to a particular space and the people in that space.
Once an image is made, it can be endlessly reproduced, and, in the modern day, distributed via electronic means. Children, when they get to a certain age, can decide for themselves whether or not they wish to continue to be naturists, but when under the age of majority, cannot give consent for their image to be taken, much less control the public dissemination of those images.
If a magazine only contains only nude adults, then yes, it is inevitable that the images will be seen as sexual by some. Come to think of it, any image, even a non nude one, can be seen as sexual, depending on who is viewing it. The reason why I disagree with the publication of naturist children in magazines and online is that they have no say in whether or not their image is made public – images that are liable to be sexualised. I am of the belief that the sexualisation of children is morally wrong. Yes, images of naturist adults may be sexualised, but I think that any naturist who consents to their image being used is aware of this possibility. Children have no such agency, and therefore must be protected by responsible adults.
Nick i agree with what u said , my point was more on what Jim said.. about the consent part.
Parents either force their kids to be nude or not-nude as in textiles, or simply most times kids just do what their parents do ,thats why i said that nudist kids wouldnt ask to be covered cause they grew up that way and when they are around similars, its ok to them.
So i wasnt talking about what they see , i was talking about the fact that if they are put out of magazines and stuff like that , that promotes nudism and such , cause of the stigma that is made by “not for kids” ,it automaticly means its only for adults.
So if that Naturalist magazine puts only adults in it, in a way it disqualfies the fact that naturism is for everyone ,and thats what i ment to say ,mainly to Jim`s comment ,and i did not miss the point at all with that.
In that sence ,i always refer to child modeling.. there are a bunch of 8-10-15yo that model ,and not only their pictures are taken ,but also their parents and agencies are making a buck out of it.
Now my question is, how in this case, a child can consent? Not only for public pictures but also for work , cause they make a hella money out it.
And in this sence ,it makes no difference if one is naked or not , eventho some of those models are made to do literally grownup poses if you know what i mean ,regardless of clotes on or not ,cause thats not the point, the consent is.
I’m sorry, I have to disagree (again).
Printing only pictures of naturist adults does not necessarily imply that naturism is “not for kids”. Looking beyond the pictures in naturist publications and the more legitimate websites, there has always been discussion around the issue, and while different viewpoints may be expressed, I don’t believe that the message is that naturism is “adults only”. It is simply not necessary to include pictures of children in order to illustrate the argument.
As to the point about child models or actors, this is a false equivalence. Yes, there are ethical issues involved in children performing as actors in TV or film, or even as models modelling children’s clothes for the clothing industry. But children being photographed for the purposes of advertising clothing is completely different from children being photographed for naturist publications. Again, it is an issue of consent. An adult may be slightly embarrassed by childhood pictures used to promote, say, shoes or shirts. They may have a very different reaction to the existence of naturist photographs of them as children, and come to resent the fact that it was done when they were too young to make an informed choice.
In this case, I believe it absolutely does make a difference whether or not they are naked. Just because a person is happy to be photographed certain situations, does not mean they are happy to be photographed in every situation. There are many adults, who happen to be naturists, who are happy to have dozens of pictures of themselves on the likes of Facebook or Twitter or wherever. But it would be absolutely wrong to assume that they would be equally happy to have nude photographs of themselves in the public domain.
To use the argument that somehow not sharing nude photographs does naturism a disservice disregards the individual’s right to choose how much they wish to share with the wider world. It is a matter of personal choice, not a matter of what is best for the image of naturism.
Nick , of course that older then 25 can get married regarding to that wedding dress example hah , but we are talking about younger here , not older.
But as again , im afraid that both or all 3 of you are totaly missing my point, that is not about nakedness or magazines ,but about choices or consent.
And oh ya, these a difference between not necessary or should not.
But again , i was talking about consent.. sorry but i cannot devide consent into 74 stages, i cannot agree that the underaged cannot consent to be in a nudist magazine, but they can consent to be models since age 2 or something , and of course make $ from it.
Your example of ordinary kids leaking nude pictures is not what i was talking about,tho i think we honestly underestimate their abilites of making choices.
Besides, there are some family pictures on the net anyhow by now, and most people share them on their social media pages as well i recon.
But at the end of the day , maybe what i think doesnt matter, considering im not a nudist, i was just thinking that being on the other side, as someone thats not a nudie , but dont mind them , i could have a more neutral view on things.
Hey Jim its cool bro ,u dont have to be sorry 🙂
“It is simply not necessary to include pictures of children” — well i agree with this part 100% ,of course its not necessary ,i just said that it shouldnt be excluded.
I still think ur not understanding my main point , and thats the same thing you are saying that is the reason why they shouldnt be in magazines or where ever, the consent.
You think that i am comparing nude pictures with shoe adv.. thats not my point , the point is that in either of those cases, from ur stand point ,a minor cannot consent.
Cause ur making it sound like they can consent to be models and have a job basicly ,and to be photoed ,but cannot consent to do the same in a nude magazine.
And i wasnt talking about shoe or clotes adv. i was talking about a model as a model photos, like being in VOGUE or someting similar (not into “fashion” dunno the names). I think its a great example.
Again , im focusing on the reason that u mentioned , consent, consent not content.
And from a promotional stand point of naturism , i think it is important what kind of message will be sent to those that dont know about it ,after all this page is one way of promotion,and trust me, im most likely the only non naturist person on this page lol, so im from the “other side” , and as much i learned ,i still had many back and forth toughts about it.
We’re with Jim on this. It’s not necessary to put pictures of children in a nudist magazine to prove that it’s something for families. We imagine that many magazines about wedding dresses only display pictures of 20-25 year old brides, this doesn’t mean that someone older can’t marry.
We understand your point about clothed pictures of children that can also be sexualised, iceman, there is indeed a huge grey zone and some parents don’t think about the consequences. It’s often in the news these days that teenagers get in a depression (or worse) because a naked picture of them circulates on the internet. Often they took the picture themselves and there’s not much a parent can do about this, but as a parent they have at least the responsibility to prevent this whenever possible. For example by not allowing their children to be displayed naked in a magazine.
As Jim says, we are adults and we are responsible for what we do with our own pictures. We have this choice. Children can’t choose for themselves, so it’s up to the parents to make the best choice.
This blog is on-the-money …. as usual. Particularly like the comment around there are many types of naturism. We all find the naturist level that suits us.
Did you guys do philosophy in Uni? You are 21st century naturist philosophers !!!
We’ve been with our bare asses around the world and still you’re the one that gets our cheeks red… 🙂
Thanks for your comment Colin, we didn’t study philosophy but we try to be the voice of the “new” nudist. The nudist who doesn’t care about the old rules, the nudist who just wants to be naked for no specific reason, the new nudist.
Great topic!
My wife and I have never had a problem with our full bodies being shown obviously at venues, but online it has been selective.
Our rule comes down to asking, who is the audience? We know the audience at the beach and hot springs. Online it’s the same. If we know the audience to have a likeminded wholesome view of nudity, who cares. It’s just a body.
If we shared with the world, we probably wouldn’t be as bold as Naked Wanderings lol!
But if you subscribe to the AANR approved clothes free website we’re a part of, you’ll see it all.
For us, it’s knowing the crowd, and they better be naked too! Lol
That’s another very important topic which we didn’t cover in this post but of which we’ve talked in previous articles.
The internet is a beautiful but dangerous phenomena. But in the end it all results in the same: Do whatever you feel the most comfortable with!
The best promotion of nudism is seeing naked people enjoying it (and not precisely in the bathroom of your home) And you have to be very naive to send your nude photo to a stranger, or play the game to the profiteer and inept journalist.
Here we tell it well: http://nudismocampogibraltar.blogspot.com.es/2015/10/el-sentido-de-compartir-fotos-nudistas.html
Exactly!
One of the things that our non-naturist friends fear about the lifestyle is the in your face nudity. And it’s hard to explain to someone who has never experienced a nudist place, it is not in your face. Yes, you’ll see naked people, but you won’t have to pass a line of genitals before you’re “accepted”.
HI guys
You are doing a great job and this article I believe represents the way most nudists wish to be, enjoying being naked with like minded people without waving their nudity in other peoples faces. Enjoying the freedom without forcing other people to particpate or react. Normalising something natural.
Keep up the good work
joyeux noel & bon anniversaire 🙂
Forcing your nudity to others has always be seen as exhibitionism. But somehow the naturist community (or better, some of them) thought that this was the best way to promote our lifestyle. It certainly was not.
And maybe we are a bit controversial about this, because we do promote “clothing optional” because we believe that it’s the best way to normalise nudity. But there’s a huge difference between seeing a naked person from some distance and having it pushed in your face.
Nick and Lin keep promoting as you do as a real nudist will be there not looking at the naked bodies or the covered naked bodies but wishing they were where the photo was taken. I get so jealous each photo I see. Unfortunately there are too many creeps out there who are just online for a perve. People have choices and we need to respect that. I like your response to the creeps if you want to see me naked come join me naked on the beach!
That’s exactly what we are trying to say. We’ve literally seen thousands of naked people and in the end they/we all look the same. There really is no need for just another person posing proudly for the picture.
The problem is when people talk about full frontal nudity they aren’t typically talking about the whole person they are focused on showing the genital parts. True nudists/naturists aren’t focused on part rather they focus on the whole person. Now I fully understand the usual response that the genitals area isn’t something to be ashamed of but parts are not people! In a socially nude situation I am much more interested in the person and less concerned with their parts. The static photo world of the internet and social media is so different from real life in that the focus is on the parts because one does not have the opportunity to make a real connection with the real person. This is why so many comments like “nice a** or sweet d**k” etc are the responses to seeing naked or full frontal images. I find the distinction worth making.
Indeed, the internet is not something to rely on… all the nice this and sweet that comments rarely come from real nudists.
The issue is that a non-nudist or a curious nudist or a beginning nudist is mostly concerned about those specific parts of the body. Being completely naked in front of others means being comfortably vulnerable. This is difficult, especially when you have these images in your head of nudists you’ve seen on the internet who are completely okay (sometimes even looking proud) exposing themselves for the whole world to see.
In real life, we are spending so much time around naked people but we rarely notice genitals, especially not in a fixed or focused way.
This is a very interesting topic. It is true that there are many types of naturist, and that just because someone is comfortable with being nude around others, it doesn’t mean that they are happy to have their nude images put on a public forum like the internet. Of course, there are others, who simply couldn’t care less about having nude pictures of themselves online. The point is that everyone is entitled to their privacy, and that their wishes should be respected.
Although I can understand your reaction to H&E magazines request for “uncensored” pictures, I can kind of see where they are coming from. Given that they are a magazine solely about naturism, and that the whole point of magazine is that simple, natural nudity is not inherently sexual, it would make sense that they would wish to show images of normal bodies un-obscured by hands or carefully-placed props.
Implied nudity has been used in the past (by mainstream movies or TV programmes) to send the message that nudity is “rude” or “naughty”. Britain has a grand tradition of this kind of sniggering smuttiness, like the old “Carry On” films. As you are no doubt aware, skimpy clothing that hides “the rude bits” is designed to fire the sexual imagination. Nudity literally leaves nothing to the imagination, so any furtive thoughts simply cease to exist.
For a magazine like H&E, implied nudity and a certain coyness about being naked would go against what it is trying to promote, and give the impression that nudity is somehow “shocking” or “rude”, when in fact, it is pretty mundane. After all, most naturists (and people) are not the types with “perfect” bodies, just normal human ones.
Hi Jim, thanks for your comment! We completely agree with your points, but we fear that these images create the false impression that all nudists are confident enough about their nudity to display themselves in a magazine (or on the internet). Which is certainly not the case. It could be that as a magazine they have to present this part of naturism in order to present it to the world, but it only pictures a certain type of nudists.
Hi Nick and Lins, thank you for taking the time to reply to my comment.
You make a very valid point. Some outsiders may interpret the willingness of some nudists to have photographs published online or in magazines as representative of all nudists. The fact is that there are many thousands of nudists who have never appeared (and would never want to appear) in this way publicly. Likewise, there are many nudists who are happy to let people know that they are nudists, and just as many for whom it is a private part of their life. Either is fine, and is a matter of personal choice.
I think that there are some sections of the nudist population who regard their way as the only way – that nudists are duty-bound to “go public” about their lifestyle. I don’t believe that this is correct, as it imposes a set of “rules” on people who never asked for them. I think that approaching the issue in this way, and not allowing people to discover nudism in a way that they feel comfortable with, risks alienating those who may be curious or interested in trying it out. It may also be one of the reasons why younger people are less sure of nudism, due to the perception that nudism is a lifestyle full of rules and regulations.
It is no secret that “landed” clubs in Britain and the US are fading away, and are mostly populated by older people. Unsurprising, given that these are closed environments, filled with rules, in which the members tend to have fixed ideas as to what nudism is or is not.
Your blog is an antidote to this, showing that nudism can exist outside closed systems, outside what people think is the “correct” way to be a nudist.
A minor point, though. You wrote that H&E only depicts a certain type of nudist. I’m not sure I agree. The magazine has had a rather checkered history. It’s true that, from the mid-70s to the mid-90s, the magazine was heavily focused on mostly young, female nudists, and was very similar to soft porn. It also tended to focus more on the “club” style of nudism. The magazine of today, by contrast, casts its net a lot wider, covering a wide variety of more “free-range” naturism. The photographic content is also much more balanced both in terms of age and gender (I don’t work for the magazine, this is just my observation).
I have really enjoy reading your blog posts, and look forward to reading more of your adventures in the coming year. Have a great xmas.
Jim , everything was different in the 70s .. so i suppose that magazine was too ,but at least in my view , at that day and age, things were more honest then today.
Ppl just showed things the way they are ,regardless if things in the 70s were good or bad, at least they were honest.
You’re hitting some nails here Jim! During our travels and visits to many clubs, resorts and campgrounds we noticed that those with less rules, those who don’t stick to the principle of “real” nudists are often attracting a younger public. We truly believe that it’s the boundaries that scare people away.
About H&E, we didn’t want to make a strong point because we barely know the magazine or its history. We just pointed out the situation. Certainly no harm was intended and in the end they did publish our article.
Glad to hear that H&E published your article. Guess they’re less concerned with photographs than with promoting naturism in a positive way. I imagine that it drove a lot more traffic to your blog, which can only be a good thing, especially those who are not so interested in the whole “club” naturist thing.
Of course, there are many opportunities for naturism that are “off the beaten path”, and I think that these are the best way forward for naturism in general. The old clubs of 100 years ago were a necessary thing for naturists, as practicing any kind of nudity outside of designated places ran the risk of getting a person arrested and sometimes even prosecuted. I once read that the early naturist clubs in the USA back in the 1920s were private members clubs on private property, such as spas, but the owners of these places usually ended up in jail for “outraging public decency”. Thankfully, things are very different now (at least in the West), and the old club system no longer serves much of a purpose.
I already knew about Camp Full Monte before you wrote about it in your blog, and it seems to me to be an ideal place to practice “no pressure” naturism. I intend to visit it one of these days.
Of course, I’m sure that you’re aware that there are other naturist blogs that have much the same approach as your own. One of the more interesting ones is the free reange naturism blog. It’s run by a couple in Scotland that record their adventures climbing various mountains known as Munros. The twist is that they practice naturism at the same time. I think that this approach to naturism – you don’t have to be in an official place to do it – is the way forward not just for the under-50s, but for naturists in general. Unfortunately, the site hasn’t been updated for a couple of years, so I don’t know if their project is still active.
I’m not sure if the two of you would venture that far, though. It gets a bit cold up there, even in the middle of summer. It is Scotland, after all!
Happy new year to you both.
Happy new year to you too!
We are not so sure if the “club system” lost its purpose, it provides a secure and social ground which is still very important to many nudists. But indeed we’re moving on and if they stick to ancient principles they will vanish one day or another.
We know that there are several blogs out there with a similar approach as our own and we support them 100%. We certainly think that there aren’t enough naturist blogs (other than the pictures only stuff) and that many facets of naturism are still not covered. Naturists have different interests and those can often be done naked as well. Climbing, as you mentioned is a great example, also hiking or many other adventure sports. We even think that if someone should start blogging about their naked cooking gatherings, they would get quite an audience as well.
Although we love the outdoors, we love naked hiking and we are adventurous enough to give things like naked climbing a chance (in fact we love to experience new things, especially when they can be done naked), you’re right that Scotland may be a bit too cold… We are sun addicts 🙂 But who knows, maybe we’ll pass by one day!
If you make it to Full Monte, say hi from us to Steve and Denise.
Wow so many comments hehe, i guess when the topic is provocative, it always fires up ppl for reactions 🙂
Good points. Photos are tricky, I think you do a great job with how your document your travels. Keep up the good work!
We do the best we can 🙂
Our travels are more or less the same as any others, except that we don’t wear clothes. But that doesn’t mean that there has to be a focus on breasts or a penis…
I’d like to comment on “doesn’t mean that there has to be a focus on breasts or a penis”. All the photos of you both “artistically “ cover said breasts and penis but in such a way (covered by well placed hair dyer; finger etc) that you are actually drawing attention to it. It could be said you are making an unintended focus on it. Since you are as well promoting nudism to beginners or those with an interest to get into nudism, why use props to hide yourselves.
I have just discovered your site and congratulate you on the great content.
Hi Alan, glad you like our website and thanks for your comment!
The main purpose of our photos is to show the world that we are having a lot of fun while being naked without feeling the need to put it all in your face. Because that’s what nudism is about, it’s about the joy of being naked and not to show our genitals to everyone around. And that’s exactly what we see on other nudist websites, many promotors of nudism use full frontal nudity as a way to show the world that they have nothing to hide and that they are confident about their body. Of course they should be respected for that, but we believe that this sends a message to others that if you don’t feel comfortable showing your naked body to everyone on the internet, you’re not a “real” nudist.
These days there are so many kinds of nudists, some will strive to be naked wherever and whenever possible and others just want to relax on a nude beach once a month. With our website and social media, we aim to reach all of them because we think everyone has the right to experience nudism in their own way.
Our strategy came with another advantage of course, if we would post fully nude pictures we would soon be kicked off all main stream social media. Then we had to go to the social media which allow nudity, but let’s face it, they contain more porn than genuine nudist content and that makes it even more confusing for the beginning nudist.
I totally disagree with your reasons for not showing yourselves boobs and all in your pics. I thought you were wanting to promote nudism through your blog etc. but I now have to accept that you really just report on your nude travels. For that. I am always ready to read your blogs to add to my extensive file of places to visit where I can possibly be nude without breaking any rules. For that, thanks.
You have a great blog. Thanks for posting.
thanks for the kind words Gary!
vraiment super Blog très intéressant dont je pompe quelque idées pour dupliquer dans notre petite association.
Encore merci de vos éclairages
Avec grand plaisir!
De quelle association parlons nous?
Désolé de ne pas avoir répondu plus tôt, ici c’est l’hiver …
Nous sommes une petite association récréative affiliée à la FFN/FNI : http://www.naturisteouest.com
L’asso est composée d’une bande d’amis naturistes et nudistes qui aiment d’abord la convivialité et le plaisir de pratiquer des activités et des rencontres communes en toutes nudités partagées.
All,
The discussion of “Full Frontal Nudity” is interesting. I have been a nudist / naturist for several decades and have noticed the reluctance to print frontal nudity in nudist publications today. In the 1960s and 1970s it was very common. I suppose nudists today are trying to take sexy out of nudity. When I was a youngster us boys would look at the underwear adds in the Sears Catalog to find sexy. Does this mean we should hid or ban underwear ads too?
Are naturists or nudists afraid of being considered sexual creatures? All humans are sexual creatures. It is a way to reproduce and continue the species. I am not advocating explicit sexual poses but normal scenes like I see everyday at the nudist club where I am a member.
I find it interesting in the United States where nudity in print and movies is considered risque but violence against humans is considered normal. I Europe it’s the other way around. My European friends don’t like American movies because of the violence but think nothing of seeing “Full Frontal Nudity”.
For the record I have appeared nude in N and the AANR Bulletin in years past. I don’t know the answer but would love to read replies from others on this topic.
We don’t refrain from full frontal nudity pictures because of a possible link to sex. Although we believe that desexualising nudity is very important for the future of nudism, not showing nudity anymore is certainly not the way to do so.
But seeing all those confident full frontal naked people in naturist magazines is also quite overwhelming. We want to spread the message that you can also be a nudist if you are not comfortable exposing your body in a magazine or on TV. On nudist venues, the actual nudity is also not that in your face. Yes, you see naked people, but it’s not that they will line up to stand in front of you.
That makes sence, as a non nudist, i personally dont even like being photographed lol .. i never did ever ,dunno why i just dont ,so in that sence ,its prolly the same about the nudies, some prolly dont wanna be photoed at all ,eccept for maybe personal views ,i dont do that even ,so yea ,it same as when ur a nudie or a non one, no difference. But again no one should be baned or judged if they prefer to be exposed ,alone or with others.
We’re certainly not judging. Like we always say, nudism comes in a variety of forms. Our issue is that most of the current promotors of nudism only promote the form where one should be completely confident about his or her body, confident enough to exhibit it completely full frontal in a magazine or on the internet. And this way, they are missing out on many other nudists who still prefer some form of privacy.
we used to do the same thing, before we were able to lay hands on a real porn magazine, the lingerie catalogues were our source of imagination.
And we are certainly not saying that a full frontal naked picture of a man or woman implies sex. Certainly not. But it advocates a kind of confidence which many nudists don’t have and don’t need to have in order to be or remain nudists. It’s a choice. Thousands have seen us naked on campgrounds and resorts around the world, but that does not mean that we feel the need to expose ourselves in a magazine or on the internet. And this is how many other nudists think as well.
Nick and Lins,
Thanks for the nice reply. I have several nudist publications from the late 1960s and the format and style of photos are totally different from publications today. Additionally, I am a member of the publicity committee at the nudist club where I am a member and I am trying to gather information so we can increase our membership and to continue to promote the very delightful lifestyle.
Thanks for hosting this great blog.
Regards
Wow that sounds dope!! Its like vintage, i love anything that has to do with vintage things, maybe you should make a page and post some of those.
I wish in America it wasn’t illegal to be nude..if you get caught outside ,in the nude.you get arrested .etc can happen..I wish for more freedom an choice in America..
Excellent article. One point that should be brought up is we find most people that go to nudist/naturist resorts and nude/naturist beaches don’t consider themselves nudists or naturists. They consider themselves nude vacationers. They would never want their friends, family, work find out that they enjoy nude recreation especially here in the US. That said, Mary Clare and I have been photographed nude since college and have never had it as an issue in our lives. We find it no big deal.
Thanks for the kind words and for your thoughts about the term “nudism” Tom. In the early beginning of Naked Wanderings we have already written an article about the terms “nudism”, “naturism”, “nude recreation” and how it doesn’t matter how you call yourself, as long as you enjoy to spend time naked.
One day we’ll write a revision of this topic, because during our travels we’ve learned that in the USA for example people (especially the younger generations) who like to vacation naked or go to nude beaches are reluctant to call themselves nudists because the term contains so much weight and became suffocating. In Mexico on the other hand, where nudism is still a quite new movement, the nudists really like to call themselves nudists because it gives them an identity. Interesting stuff to think about.
I like your style of pictures! They express fun and humor. It’s a great way of approaching nudity as it washes away “should / should not” thoughts and replaces them with a “take it easy” mood. Well done! That is to me the most important thing about nudism.
I also like the “there are as many types of naturism as there are naturists”. It makes me feel better as I compare my approach to nudism with others people approach. Understanding there is no “one nudism” makes it easier to accept diversity. So I don’t feel guilty any more to be nudist and still like to publish full frontal nudity pictures of myself, which I always felt to be a kind of contradiction or so.
Exactly! Just like every kind of lifestyle, we believe that everyone has the right to experience it in their own way. And for us, naturism has little to do with following a certain ruleset. It gives us freedom.
Once again, I think you are spot on and I love your approach and way of thinking. There as many naturists as there are human beings on the planet. I know many non naturists who would never post anything on the net about themselves or their ideas, or would never step forward because they do not want to be at the forefront of things. The same goes with naturism. Some naturists are quietly enjoying social nudity, some loves the limelight and are OK with their pics to be shown. You definitely are part of the second group, with that fun twist you are putting in your pics, that isunique to what you do. This displays diversity that exists in the nudist community. Keep up your great work!
I am a convinced nudist and live so far as possible in the nude and love the naked one live. In my flat I am always naked even if visit comes or if one rings in the door. I never had problems with it.
I am natural also in summer beyond the flat in the nude where and when it goes. I am also the type of nudist him would be always naked if it was not subject to prosecution. So also in the nude make purchases through the town go or run. I could carry out it in 2012 sometimes in San Francisco 2 days before it in 2013 was forbidden to leave the flat in the nude without clothes and to move me the whole day in the nude through the town no matter whether make purchases with or in means of transportation. However, here I always had a towel with when I put me.
Here me experienced tolerance like me them to me introduced nobody followed me particularly nobody said what! Once even a uniformed policeman has taken a photo of me. a part of the photos bie Twitter or Mewe are to be seen. Here it is still what permits naked photos to post I of course also with pleasure makes. I would like to stress once more I do not identify the normal nakedness with sex like it, unfortunately, many act. I only want to point one can also live so. Since only by the example it is to be persuaded Possibly other people
OK I guess I have a different view of things. The way I see it there is a continuum of clothing levels between wearing a full hazmat suit and wearing absolutely nothing at all – even no jewelry, just as we are born. No point on this continuum is any more or less sexual than any other point. No point on this continuum is any more obscene or provocative than any other. “Sexual”, “provocative” and “obscene” are words describing ways of being and of acting and these behaviours can be expressed regardless of where ones level of clothing is on the continuum. There is a difference between ones actions and ones standard of dress.
To my mind there is too much focus on nudity as a separate state to being dressed but this is an artificial distinction. Nudity is simply a point on the continuum just like wearing shorts and a t-shirt or a wedding dress or a full business suit. There should be no difference in our responses regardless of what another person is (or isn’t) wearing. If our aim is to normalise nudity then we need to promote an attitude of indifference to where a person is on the spectrum between naked as a baby and a full environment suit. Thus as nudists we should (I believe) act in exactly the same way we do when we are clothed. For this reason it is important to show full frontal nudity because it really is no different to full frontal dressed. I do not advocate full frontal nude images because they are nude or for the sake of nudity. I do however advocate that full frontal, side frontal, or backside shots should be treated as simply photographs of people, regardless of what clothing is or is not being worn.
Failing to do this sends a message that nudity is in fact NOT normal and that it is something to be ashamed of. Very contrived shots that cleverly yet obviously conceal certain parts of the body potentially do more harm to the nudity/naturist cause than full frontal nude shots. Would we take such contrived shots when we were clothed? No we would not. This sends a message that even us nudists think there is something ‘wrong’ with selected anatomical features. Would we treat our elbows like this? Or the backs of our knees?
One of my favourite nude websites is that run by The Outdoor Co-ed Topless Pulp Fiction Appreciation Society in New York. It’s my favourite not because it actually shows female nipples and occasionally full nudity but because the photos are not intrinsically about naked breasts but are about people doing ordinary things in an ordinary way while topless or naked – which sends the very refreshing message that nudity is simply ordinary in a way that artfully obscured images cannot.
Obviously there are Social Media rules regarding what can and cannot be shown but these limitations aside I believe that a photo of me doing something ordinary is exactly that, a photo of me doing something ordinary regardless of what I am wearing, or not wearing or what portions of my anatomy are exposed.
Clearly Nick and Lins should not feel pressured into posting pictures they are not comfortable with – nobody should. But there is a definite danger of adding to the artificial stigma against nudity as a natural thing by modifying the subject matter relative to the level of clothing. Natural photos of natural people doing natural things regardless of the level of clothing send a clear message that nudity is just another natural way of being human.
Thanks a lot for these insights Stephen!
We definitely follow your line of thoughts when you talk about a continuum of dress. When nudity can be seen as just a state of dress, it takes away a lot of the mental luggage that comes with it. Nevertheless, even most nudists don’t (prefer to) see it that way. When the large majority of nudists expresses a sense of freedom, being closer to nature or improved body confidence from being nude, nudity definitely becomes a state of mind as well.
It’s similar to clothing. Few people wear clothes purely for the practical purposes. With clothes you can express how you want the world to see you or what your intentions are. Like an expensive suit for a business meeting, black clothes at a funeral or sexy lingerie on date night.
Does purposely hiding certain body parts in a photo give the impression that those parts are supposed to be hidden? Also here we agree to a certain level. Because we also think that if full nudity would be considered completely normal, nobody would care whether this or that body part is shown or not. If you would see a full frontal nude picture where the person wears just a scarf around the neck, few people would suddenly consider the neck a sensitive body part. It’s just how the person in the picture is positioned.
For ourselves, the limited showing of breasts and genitals has some practical advantages as well. Obviously it helps getting around the social media policies but it also helps to keep away visitors with the wrong intentions. Because for them, there’s literally nothing to see on this website.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply! I have to admit that my views are somewhat shaped by my idealism and I tend to have a unique view on many subjects. Admittedly a big part of my aversion to “safe” nude photos is that they tend to perpetuate the false idea that some areas of skin are good and others are ‘bad’ when it is all just skin. At the same time (and rather regrettably) we are all subject to the censorship whims of the social media giants and the unwarranted stigma of uninformed public opinion.
You guys are doing an awesome job of normalising social nudity while constrained by media standards. It’s a complex and contentious issue and your response (ie showing ‘safe’ nude images) is probably the best way to go. It does not stop me from feeling a little sad however when I see your photos – wouldn’t it be so much nicer if we, as nudists, could just take and share photos of ourselves doing our thing the same way everyone else can?