There is one myth about the naturist lifestyle that often crops up in conversation so I thought that, in this piece, I would do my best to address it. It centres around the question – “If you’re a naturist, I suppose that means you have to be naked?”. Now, let’s be realistic here, as the night-time temperatures drop into the minuses, being naked is not always practical.
The nudist lifestyle is not necessarily about being naked 24/7. It’s about comfort, and sitting naked and shivering is not a great combination, so, in the colder months, even the hardiest and most avid nudist may decide to pop a robe on. They are likely to be naked under the robe, but even textiles (non-nudists) wear a dressing gown and nothing else (well, maybe socks).
Some naturists do stay naked in the colder months and the secret to success there is that you need to be completely naked, and here’s why. If I’m naked and I put one glove on, my hand will get warmer. Once my hand is warmer, by the laws of science, the rest of my body will feel colder. If I take the glove off, my body is at an equal temperature all over and, because of this equality, I don’t actually feel cold.
The other thing about most naturists is that, on the whole, we’re not a militant bunch. When I have visitors, I want them to be as comfortable as I am. If that means we are naked together, that’s nice. If they prefer to remain fully, or partially, clothed, that’s just as nice. I have many visitors who know that I will be naked when they arrive, but they never shed their own clothes. As I have explained to many people throughout my life, it’s only a surprise the first time you see someone naked, after that it soon becomes “the norm”, so they are, on the whole, quite happy that I sit naked during their visits.
The philosophy behind a nudist lifestyle is comfort and, as such, the comfort of others around you is very important as well. There are times when someone needs to visit me (perhaps a tradesman, or similar), and they would prefer that I am not naked. So, respecting their wishes, I put a robe on. If we, as nudists, look for acceptance then we, in return, should accept that others may not be comfortable finding someone naked when they visit.
The rules that apply in a nudist home are, basically, the same at most naturist beaches. If you go to a nude beach, with nudist friends, but you don’t feel like baring all, that’s perfectly acceptable. Quite often there is one person in the group who, for whatever reason, would not be comfortable naked. They may, as time goes on, become more and more comfortable with the idea of public nudity, but it’s entirely up to them if they ever get to that stage. If not, so what! There’s a caveat though, if you go alone to a nudist beach, it will be frowned upon if you don’t join in – for very obvious reasons.
So, to answer the original question – Do you have to be naked when you’re with people who are nudists? Probably not. You would be surprised how many people who now class themselves as nudists started by sharing time, fully clothed, with naked friends. The biggest hurdle to overcome is the “nobody wants to see me nude” mentality. Everyone’s body has flaws (even those people you think look perfect will have what they perceive as imperfections) and, actually, nudists love to see our community grow, so we’ll be very happy if you decide to join in – but equally delighted if you would prefer to remain a textile, with nude friends.
Next time – naturist holidays, and other nude leisure activities, come under the spotlight.