We have seen the pattern on Twitter displayed in one way or another on all social media platforms.

The main problems seem to stem from the fact that genuine naturists are a small number compared to those that like to share nudity for other reasons (sexual, making money, attracting attention and followers) and those that hate nudity and fear it. So genuine naturists are lost in the mix, and sadly in their efforts to fit in get confused as to how to behave and who to befriend or just leave. 

As you say this is not helped by the paywall naturists who have basically turned naturism into a peep show. What ever their original intentions greed and celebrity takes over and they once again are surrounded by young girls and swingers who are asking for money for their nudity too. 

Sadly it seems that the attitude is encouraged by some genuine naturist opportunities that turn their "events" into a 3D paywall. Encouraging naturists to believe that the only safe naturism is the naturism that they organise, and naturism out in the real world of beaches and holidays is just as dangerous as the naturism of social media.     

What is of great concern is that we are hearing from others who are taking this fearmongering and misuse to heart. Not just backing away from naturism on the internet, but backing away from naturism completely. The nastiness of social media, the fearmongering of organised bodies and the linking of both of these things to the idea that they will be hated by employers/neighbours/family/friends/schools/local authorities...is actually making them lose sight of the healthy ideas they once had about naturism and see it as dangerous and shameful. Attitudes that are sadly pushed forward by the influencers who act like nudity is something that should be hidden or the few remaining genuine naturists on social media who are trying so hard they actually appear like exhibitionists shouting "look at me, look at me" all the time. 

One of the reasons we started planning and building ANW back in 2016/7 was because we felt that there was a growing misuse of naturism on the internet, a lack of genuine help, information and communication and we felt that we could maybe make a difference in our own way. Like yourself we have had death threats and worse aimed at us individually or as a family. We have also had naturists claim we are simply profiteering on naturism by having subscriptions - yet look at how free social media  hurts naturism! ANW is a hugely time consuming and expensive website to maintain and monitor and keep on track. It could not exist without funding and would be overrun with perversion and pestering and swinging without the hours we devote to our presence on the site and the community. Naturism needs nurturing - it has been a big part of our push this year - it takes time and effort and money - we try and do this through ANW - but we do not think enough people around the world and the internet are doing this. "Naturist Celebrities" and Influencers are not nurturing naturism  they are glorifying themselves and this not only does naturism no good but it also confuses people who investigate naturism. One of the things we know as naturists is that it is a great equaliser, the behaviour of these influencers suggest that they are the aristocracy of naturism and that is dangerous - whether they mean it or not the lesson they teach is naturism is for an elite and the best others can do is pay to see them enjoy naturism. On ANW we believe that naturism is the star and we want everyone to take part and enjoy naturism. No elite, no segregation and no tricks, and none of this "we are better naturists than you" - naturism is something that can be enjoyed once every ten years or 24/7, as long as it is enjoyed well and with respect, then we are all equal and all have a right to say we are good naturists.

I would just like to add - in relation to encouraging naturism - and the idea that in fact it is being discouraged. 

That even beach visits are becoming a paid for, signed up to event rather than a simple - I fancy visiting a beach. Naturism is in danger of becoming becoming, in the UK at least, something that only takes place under a "banner." There is a great danger that naturism is becoming much more minoritised and kept to ever decreasing circles rather than something everyone should try at home, in their garden, at a beach etc and then consider local clubs, local swims, holidays and national bodies. More people would be becoming naturists, joining clubs and bodies and buying into events and holidays if naturism was better promoted as a safe and suitable life choice to try and experience. 

We have naturist influencers trashing national bodies and clubs and we go it alone, we don't need anyone and on the other hand we have a message suggesting that going to a beach by yourself is dangerous and that if you attempt to be a naturist family you will be hounded and that we have to keep ourselves hidden away. So people who are investigating naturism have mixed messages and eventually possibly come to this decision. Naturism is for an elite group who are able to enjoy it on the other side of the world disconnected from anyone they know, or is for a small group of clique enthusiasts who have become part of a hidden society because what they are doing is seen as suspect, and occasionally they attempt to justify their behaviour with protected and organised walks and beach visits that do not allow children to attend.

The average person is not seeing a clear picture of naturism and is not being encourage to trust it let alone try it. As social media and general concensus moves away from trust naturism and sees a greater number of people abusing, misusing and profiting from nudity in exhibitionist ways then it is hardly surprising that a percentage of genuine naturists, particularly younger ones with children and career plans, are thinking "this is not worth it!" They may decide to strip off next time they are in the south of France, but bascially they will distance themselves from the idea that they are naturists. Yes they get naturism and they appreciate it, but not enough to damage their lives for it - and that is the picture of naturism that is being painted - that  somehow by enjoying naturism you are putting yourself at risk. This is a concern that needs addressing and is something Steve and I how empathy for but also feel can be combatted if dealt with positively and iot is something we are going to be taking with us as we plan 2024.  

This podcast explains why Bare Necessities doesn't allow children: (starts at 17:45) https://www.naturistlivingshow.com/2013/02/nude-cruise.html

The gist of it was families didn't show up and they adjusted their business to make money with the crowd they had and thrive in the long run. Some exclusion is started by low numbers.

Yes David - that can be understandable. Though maybe they could have said that they will not organise entertainment for children as there are not many but we are happy to allow those that want to bring children with them, and they may find that in time enough families start to show up. A well argued excuse is still an excuse - but an excuse that fair people will accept. It becomes hard to see the true nature behind their decision. The way it is now families are out for ever. We would love to go on a cruise like this but we will not go and have a great adventure without sharing it with our children - and there is a pattern that is being created. The more things that are adult only, the more naturists become adult only, and then the harder it is for other events and clubs to find families, and then they stop, and the circle continues. 

We had feedback from a guest on the cruise this year and he said that although there was nothing sexual, there was an underlying feeling of adult attitudes that left him a little uncomfortable. He also said that he chatted with various people on the cruise who said they do not like naturism in Europe because the venues allow children and it changes the ambiance. These guests expressed that naturism should be adult only at all times. I wonder if the cruise is happier refusing children because they know that too many naturists/nudists don't want children around. 

A once prominent promoter of organised naturism in England was well known for not wanting to have anything to do with anything that allowed children because of a strong dislike of children. A personal dislike that must surely have influenced the work done by this person.   

The big problem that we see is that we have a chicken and egg situation growing. The more we do with out families the harder it is to attract families and the more people don't feel right about being naked around children and the more adult only suggests family inappropriate, and the more non-naturists assume there is good reason for these things to be adult only, and then the more people who want "adult behaviour" become attracted to naturism and the more people who don't want that get put off and the harder it is to find new and genuine people to try naturism etc. And the more that happens, the more we do things to allow that to happen because the harder it is to finance family friendly alternatives and to find a market.

The majority of people in the world live in homes with children that are under 18, these people are going to be looking for adventures, holidays and out door activities to entertain those children and yet campsites, festivals, cruises, bike rides, charity walks, swimming meet ups... are failing to attract naturist families or simply refusing them entry. 

A cruise can take any option it likes, it is a business and profit is its main drive, but it may decide that profit changes other attitudes as well. Sadly a lot of venues have turned to swinging with the idea that it will make them more profit, and many of those end up reverting to normal dressed venues after the initial burst of interest dies off. The cruise in question is maybe popular enough now to reconsider allowing families, I suppose it has to decide what is best for it, but if this becomes the norm rather than the exception then naturism with not exist for future generations. Retired people will not pass naturism on to others and young people will have to leave naturism when they have children, and so naturism will become a smaller and smaller minority until no cruise or venue will find a market. There is already a wave of fear growing about being seen as a naturist, and a paranoia about naturism and families, and far too many places and people (particularly on the internet) that misuse naturism and turn it into something sexual. This is all taking its toll on those who may become naturists and also on the judgement of naturism by others, which will add to the negative pressure of naturists to reject the lifestyle. 

We need to change the tide. 

Naturist families can bring back money every year for decades and even become multigenerational. When we were at Broadlands we met many members who are now retired and yet have been members there since they came with their parents. One woman's son married another couple's daughter and now their grandchildren are naturists. The grandparents of some children became naturists so they could spend time with their daughter and son in law and with their grandchildren at the club. Back in the 60's there was hundreds of children going to Broadlands, what has changed? We noticed a marked drop off in children in naturism on our return to the UK, after just 6 years away. Yes there were a few small protests but they would not have made this impact  alone.

Two years ago we wrote to around 30/40 clubs and venues across the UK as an average family looking to take our children to a club for them to be able to spend some quality time with other children and asked when a good time to visit would be. We only had one reply which was to tell us that "we never really have any children visit." Why did they not want our money? Why did they not want our family or our children?

Places like Cap D'agde have sold out to swingers, and yet in the 70's we saw the definition of naturism being developed at a meeting there and one of the best ever documentaries about naturism being films there. When we start promoting to adults and blurring the rules we may make more money but at what cost? Steve and I could no doubt have more users on ANW if we made it a swinging site or turned a blind eye to swinging as other sites do. there is big money to be made from selling nudity instead of naturism. We have turned away so many "adult" businesses, maybe more than the genuine naturists businesses we have welcomed. But that wouldn't be naturism, that would be nudity for profit, selling out, and not caring about the future of naturism, and only caring about short term gain. We have to live with ourselves and know that what we are doing is something we are proud of and something we believe is genuinely good for naturism. We also said, and we still do now, if we cannot get the support of genuine naturists then we will just pull the plug. It is better to fail doing the right thing than to succeed doing the wrong thing. 

It can be hard. Cruises that see more profit in removing children, magazines that allow "personal massage" adverts, events that seem like drunken adult bump and grinds or offer drag queens as entertainers (the irony that entertainment is based on dressing is not something I can understand), social media sites that are all about flirting because that brings the punters - if they are doing it just for profit then that is fair enough - but if they care about the bigger picture of naturism they need to take a stand. Hopefully they can find both, but if a choice has to be made then they need to decide where they lie. Those places and opportunities that should not be about profit - like national bodies have absolutely no excuse, unless they are losing their way and looking to find profit and failing their duty to their members and naturism. 

The internet is a large part of what is to blame, but naturists and naturist opportunities and bodies need to work together and strike a united counter attack. It won't stop porn, but it will stop people misunderstanding naturism. We need to put family friendly and family values in the front line and do it with pride. We are more than happy to work together with all genuine opportunities and organisations and be part of that voice and help link all the voices. We have vocalised this to many national bodies and clubs. We need to come out fighting and stop hiding and cowering.