Thanks for all these thoughts so far. I wrote an article for H&E in February of this year I think that covered sexuality - and maybe I should revisit it here on ANW. Day 3 of this page https://www.anaturistworld.com/blog/45767/a-naturist-family-enjoying-naturism-9-a-month-of-reasons-to-choose-naturism-part-3 looks at relationships and attraction a little more and we also wrote an article for St Valentine's day
https://www.anaturistworld.com/article/45795/love-romance-intimacy-and-naturism
I think there is an understandable tendency for naturists to shy away from attraction and the main reason is really obvious - most non-naturists fear it is all about voyeurism and exhibitionism and there is also that swinging / libertine side of things that unfortunately likes to ride on the naturist and nudist train. Get off and walk or construct your own train and leave ours alone! The damage that is done by bad social media usage, pestering and fake behaviour, penis profiles and some websites turning a blind eye (one famous site even has a sister site for swingers and happily promote it) is immeasurable. And there is the bad behaviour in sand dunes and even openly on beaches - a minority of people damaging it for the majority. What chance would protestors against family naturist events have if everyone was perfectly behaved and no one tried to link naturism with anything unsuitably sexually charged.
So we try to counteract that with the opposite approach. Stating quite clearly it is not about sexual attraction and is completely innocent. But to be fair we are not lying - it is exactly that. But non-naturists do not see how it can be because they are looking at it through non-naturist eyes. Eyes that are not accustomed to nudity.
I believe one 100% that naturism is a natural, instinctive, normal part of live - and Steve and I have always aimed at showing this to be the case. Our videos and blogs are not about "Hey look at us on our exotic travels to far flung places" encouraging voyeuristic wishful thinking from armchair travellers - they have been "Hey look - we are just normal people doing normal things but naked - why don't you do the same?"
If we took this one step further and imagined a world without clothes - whether that is evolutionary or religious we could imagine this - clothes were not invented, we never found the want to cover up - due to climate or original sin. Then what would our life be?
We would not be obsessed with nudity (strip clubs, bars, magazines etc) and we would not have a secret desire to expose ourselves (flashers, streaking etc) - we would just be naked and that would be that. It would be a natural part of life and certain preoccupations would not exist. It has been reckoned that nations with a better attitude towards nudity have less teenage pregnancies for example - it has also been documented that shortly after introducing clothes to island nations that had happily lived without clothes that this was followed by a rise in rape. When we cannot find nudity and consider the bad naughty we start misbehaving and become desperate to find nudity in our life. Why? I think it is simple - because deep down inside we know that nudity is our natural way to be and not having it is incorrect and so it makes us add incorrect. The high level of sexual sharers on the internet - is not a sign that the human race has suddenly become perverse - it is a sign that they want nudity but don't know how to have it naturally any more. Like a fox in a hen house we are offered a fake world and react in a fake way - we simply do not know how to control ourselves any more. When offered the ability to share nudity the vast ammount of people go bananas or turn away from the idea altogether - we have lost a sense of middle ground because it has become such an alien concept.
So what would really happen? We would not be shocked or surprised to see anyone naked and so it would not be titillating. But the human race would still need to breed and fall in love and connect emotionally and romantically - that is what we - like all creatures need to do. So we would consider each person around us and find some attractive, some not so, we would find beauty on many levels and we would enjoy it. We would love watching children play, find reassurance and learn from the aging generations, we would admire and maybe envy those of our own gender and we would find some members of the opposite sex attactive. In turn we would want to be found to be appealing and attractive. In short we would act as we do know in a dressed situation but we would be naked - and the big difference would be we would not have to imagine what people look like naked. I wonder if many affairs are based on a fascination to undress another person - simply because clothes turn someone into an exotic mystery? I think naturism enhances relationships and grounds them. If we were surrounded by naked people it is much easier to consider why we love one of those specific people more than the others - our admiration becomes more about the admiration we may have for an elite athlete, a beautiful flower or a well designed car.
Of course I am coming from this as a woman deeply in love. If I was not I would be looking towards a man I liked both physically and mentally - on a natural basis - who appears nice, trust, capable, strong - who looks like good breeding material and who would keep me and my offspring safe from attack and fed and warm. Then I in turn would hope such a person likes the look of me and do doubt would try and look good - without the use of make up, clothes, high heel shoes, push up bras, cosmetic surgery, figure hugging tops, tummy shaping knickers, sensible direction stripes and perfume - I would be all alone but at least it would be an honest competition.
So yes as has been mentioned above - it would be completely wrong to not find a pleasure from being seen naked or seeing people naked - as naturism is our natural way of being it could not be any other way. And that is not just about attraction but about seeing everyone - old, young, male, female, fit and not so fit. And that would be normal even if we lived naked 24/7 because that is what we do as humans. It is even more likely to be the case in our modern world because we know naturism is not an everyday occurrence - so our joy has to be crammed into shorter periods. Part of our awareness is based on the fact we know that we don't always get to look at people naked so it means more than it would if it happened all the time. Our pleasure is part enhanced by our knowledge that it is wonderful to be given the opportunity to be a naturist and also being aware that the rest of the world doesn't get it.
Photographs are simply an extension of that - beaches, clubs, holidays, time at home - it all plays its part of giving us a multitude of natural joy.
The great thing is that naturism is a two way, equal thing, that is safe, suitable and innocent despite the the pleasure. Let us face it if we were always naked then we would not go around always feeling sexually charged - we would go insane - and naturism is a great leveller in that respect. A great way to remind us that simple attraction is not perverse and simply enjoying being naked with others is not perverse either. Those that get this understand that to pester people would be wrong, to comment on the way people look would be wrong and to cross a line would only do damage to naturism, the person involved and yourself. Because the same rules would apply as they do in a dressed situation. But similarly there would be times when approaching someone in the right way would be appreciated. Anyone who has experience in the world knows how to do this in a dressed situation and it is sad that some cannot put that same awareness into a naked situation. How many more women would be naturists in the real world and on the internet if they knew they would be treated with respect?
Which brings me full circle - to ensure that everyone feels safe we have to not be completely honest and real - we have to remember that it is an alien situation - even though it shouldn't be and our nature says it isn't - we have to be on our very best behaviour because the majority of people cannot get their head around the idea of being naked and not being sexual. We have to control naturism to combat a world that is not primarily naturist. That is the only way it can be trusted and grow. It is like topless equality - give women in a town the right to bare their breasts and many will not because they fear the reactions of others - and some will because they want the reactions of others - few will do it simply because they believe it will make them equal.
There is something ironic that this topic has been created by someone who doesn't as yet share images on the site or have a profile image. And that is no attack on Stephen - as I know there are many reasons that some members do not share imagery - but it does reinforce the fact that we are a long way from nudity being the casual thing accepted by all. No matter how natural, joyful and normal it should be we still have to take account of the fact that many people still judge naturists and naturism and we as naturists protect ourselves, nudity and naturism in return.
This post was edited by
Anna ANW
at January 29, 2024 3:37 AM GMT
