If you’ve been following our YouTube channel, you might have seen that we made a significant change in our lives. After more than seven years of living out of a backpack, we now have a campervan with ample storage space. Wanting more than we need is probably very human and extra space appeared to be very easy to fill it up. That’s why, the next time we pass through Belgium, we plan to leave behind anything we haven’t used or barely used.
Although we never valued material things a lot, our nomadic lifestyle has really pushed us into a minimalist life. Something that interestingly appeared to be a great match with naturism. For a variety of reasons, aside from the clear lack of necessity for clothes.
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It’s all about balance
Ego tends to play a role in every community, and strange as it may seem, also in naturism and minimalism. We’ve seen conversations online where people brag about how little they need to live, almost glorifying the homeless. We remember this attitude from our backpacking days, when “shoestring travelling” was a thing. The person surviving on the tightest daily budget is the self-proclaimed “best backpacker”.
We’ve seen the same happening in the naturist world. “How long have you been a naturist?” is a common question, placing those with the most years under their metaphorical belt on a pedestal. Another interesting one is the amount of time spent in the nude. 24/7 nude people feel superior to those who prefer to consider natural resources and put on some clothes instead of turning up the heating.
Personally, we believe that in both minimalism and naturism, those who find the right balance are the most fulfilled. Constantly striving to become more minimalist can be just as obsessive as the pursuit of material possessions. Similarly, the notion of being a ‘better’ naturist contradicts the core naturist belief that we are all equal.
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Be happy with who you are
As naturists, we try to remove artificial layers. We strip down, literally and figuratively until what’s left is our true self. There’s no hiding behind fancy clothes, jewellery, or layers of makeup. What you see is what you get. It’s about the person, not the wrapping.
Minimalism works in the same way, if you take away the big house, expensive furniture, and fancy cars, what’s left is a person just like everyone else. Of course, we all have concerns and insecurities, but instead of constantly trying to cover them up, we embrace them because these are much more a part of our identity than all those things that can just be bought from a store.
By embracing simplicity and vulnerability, we learn to be happy with who we are rather than constantly striving to be someone who who we are not.
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Break from societal norms
The constant pursuit of more and better is a huge economic driver. Many industries rely on the simple principle of holding a carrot in front of a donkey just so it would keep moving in the direction they want it to move. To their plastic surgeons, luxury car dealerships, fitness centres, beauty product manufacturers, and real estate developers. This endless desire fuels their growth and profit. People who are happy with who they are and what they have don’t exactly make great customers.
The concept of success being measured in money and things you don’t really need is baked into our society and breaking away from this takes a big step out of your comfort zone. You may recognise that feeling when you’re moving between places and making the “keep” and “away” piles. How hard can it sometimes be to put something you haven’t used in a decade on the “away” pile? Similarly, it took us years of travelling before we learned not to overpack. And yet, from time to time, we still carry around things we never use.
It’s similar to that first step into a naturist environment. You’ve read blogs about it, listened to podcasts, and watched YouTube videos, but still feel this uncertainty. The idea that nudity equals vulnerability has been imprinted in our minds since we were kids and spending time in the nude together with other naked people who aren’t close friends or family members is a total break with societal norms.
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Liberating yourself
Yet if you do take the step, you are likely to feel a sense of liberation. It’s the reward for your courage to step out of your comfort zone. In an unguarded moment, the donkey catches the carrot and realises that it can now go to any direction it wants to go. Or no direction at all, for that matter.
There is a saying that you don’t own things, but things own you. The more you have, the more that can break, and the more that needs to be managed, insured, and maintained. All these factors each come with their own amount of stress. Once you start eliminating things, the stress becomes less as well.
The same applies to trying to artificially improve your appearance. There will always be a fashion trend you missed, jewellery you couldn’t afford, and shoes that seem to look better on others. Once you let go of these concerns, you also let go of the anxiety they bring. It’s a common misconception that naturists and minimalists have given up on self-improvement. They still seek to grow, but they do so for their own satisfaction rather than for the approval of others.
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Great article. A while ago, there was a saying. Live simply, so that others may simply live. Without realizing it, I’ve been practicing it, and didn’t really realize that being a nudist was part of it. It makes life a lot simpler.
Very well said!
Let’s free our minds and imagine that for some reason nudism becomes trendy. That the most appropriate outfit for any social event is no outfit at all and any artificial addition like clothing, shoes, makeup or jewelry means bad taste and lack of respect.
In this imagined world this article and all your statements are still perfectly in place, you might only want to slightly adjust the wording. Instead of “things”, “clothing” and “shoes” we could read about about “supplements”, “personal coaches” , “diets” and “plastic surgeons” 🙂
True!