The online presence does put my wife off. She does harbour a lot of conspiracy theories and doesn't trust the net at all, but accepts it is here to stay and that we have to use it. I respect her decision and have not posted any photos of her on ANW, so my presence would come across as a single male I guess.

If you asked her if she was a naturist, she would say yes but I think there are levels of acceptance under that banner which would effect what she would do or post as a naturist. I on the other hand, am happy with how I am and happy to share my images and thoughts with all on ANW.

All I would say is give it time with your wife. Maybe more holidays where naturism is practised on the beaches etc, so she gets the chance to relax and feel comfortable were people don't know her so she can't get embarrassed.

 My wife came out so to speak when we went to Euronat in France. We were camping in our motorhome with Dutch people on one side and French on the other and she couldn't get over how nice everybody was and that no one was judging her and just going about their business on holiday just without clothes on.

If your wife accepts you as a naturist, then your halfway there so to speak, just don't push it, is all I would say.

I think RnR make an important point when the mention " we do find that it is the women that are the most curious about naturism, and in general based on our own encounters with others, we have found that it has been the females that have talked more about naturism with enthusiasm than the males." 

We have definitely seen an increase in single women, pairs and groups of women on beaches in recent years, and they seem very much at ease do so. We also went to an event where 4 friends that had never tried naturism before were invited. 2 men and 2 women and it was the women who stripped off and embraced the naturism , the men remained very awkward and unwilling. We have also seen many mothers come to beaches in Spain with children and meet up with other mothers, and lots of couples where the man and at times father is the one who is covered. So it is definitely not all bad news where women are concerned, and I feel I should underline that these are in mixed gender events and beach areas. I do think the best way to find comfort in naturism is to not worry about gender mix and being seen by the opposite sex. When we step into that world we are creating a paranoia that the opposite sex cannot be trusted, and that there is a underlying sexuality to naturism, and this does naturism no good at all. You will meet idiots every where, but if we worry about who see us naked, then we are suggesting that it is not a natural state that we can feel totally comfortable with. That just isn't the case. I have definitely come across many more idiots and pests in the dressed world, and that is taking into account dressed to naked time ratios. 

I think the big problem is that we are being swayed by the internet. The vast majority of idiots that put women off internet naturism are not naturists at all. But their existence gives naturism a bad reputation on the internet. And the internet is having a negative knock on effect in the real world. Bad behaviour on the internet is seen as a reality, when it isn't. But bad behaviour on the internet can also become a reality, when it is transferred to reality because it become a habit. It is like a story becoming fact. We are believing the bad hype, and then making it real. Families are being ignored and discouraged, women are being told that they can have safe spaces away from dangerous men. We are buying into the fear and then offering naturist opportunities to way lay that fear. It may allow a small percentage of people to think they will try naturism in a adult only or female only experience, but at what price? I certainly wouldn't have become a naturist if it had been a lifestyle sold to me as adult only or offered safe segregation. Nor would Steve. 

Yes the internet is unpleasant on the whole, but that does not mean naturism is. Our national bodies, venues and events need to stop reacting to trends on the internet and attempting to shape naturism around such paranoia, this behaviour  will destroy the future of naturism, and not the idiots that abuse the internet, and react to misinformation they read on the internet. Genuine naturists, ANW, national bodies, venues, clubs and events need to stand up for real naturism and not fall into the trap of catering for such nonsense. We will make the nonsense fact if we do not stand up and say it isn't. Too many people are allowing the internet to shape how they feel about the world (and AI will only make this worse), it should be the other way around, but we allow negative minority behaviour and  points of view to be given far to much clout. 

I believe if humankind can find a way to destroy something that is revered by many, it will. As a species, we are masters of turning good into bad.

Naturism is a prime example of this ability. Naturism is a pure and holistic recreation adored by millions across the globe. When I look at old publications or watch naturist films from the heyday of naturism, I wish I had a time machine! Or wish I was born 50 years earlier.

With the invention of the internet and then social media, we had the perfect conduit to promote the wonderful world of naturism. No more cutting out the coupon in the back of the magazine to receive more information on a club or topic. Suddenly we could surf the net, find an organisation and join-in. Ideas are exchanged and friendships blossom. New societies founded on common interests are formed. But then the pull to destroy something constructive seems to be too great for trolls to ignore. And the behaviours Anna describes above become prevalent.

I was talking to a female officer from BN this summer about attracting women to naturism. I pondered if the problem would still exist if both men and women appeared the same externally (had the same “bits”). She replied that it would still happen, but the focus of attention would change from the status quo to your legs are too long/short/stubby/etc. I think she is right.

Robin & Rin summed it up perfectly, I believe, when they say “naturism is far more protective of its members, and a hell of a lot more respectful to women than social media is.” And I think that is how we go forward and drown out the Negative Nellys!!

I have taken some of the above thoughts on body differences and added them to this topic: https://www.anaturistworld.com/forums/topic/295/naturist-men-and-women-are-we-really-that-different

This post was edited by Anna ANW at January 19, 2026 1:16 PM GMT