Semantics: Nudism versus Naturism

Discerning observer that you are, you have likely noticed that I use the terms nudism and naturism; nudist and naturist interchangeably in my writings here. Is there a real difference in these terms? Does it matter which is used at any given time? I don't think so. In the United States, naturism and nudism have very similar meanings and people tend to use the two terms interchangeably. Nudism is perhaps used with a slight bit more frequency here and it is the older of the two terms used to describe the cultural lifestyle of a person who practices, advocates and defends social nudity in private and in public. In Europe, the term naturist is the most common. If you reference the Oxford English dictionary you will find that the two words are synonymous.

Still some feel quite adamant about this subject. Some nudists don't wish to be called naturists and some naturists don't like to be called nudists. Depending on whom you ask, some will say that the terms define two different philosophies which simply have nudity in common. Those who find a difference define naturists as closer to nature and more interested in practicing nudity in outdoor settings: forests, mountains and beaches while nudists are people who practice nudity more in urban and club settings.

Not all people who practice nudity like any label at all. They don't see themselves as different from anyone else and may not espouse or subscribe to any naturist/nudist philosophy.

As you can see the usage and definition of these terms varies geographically and historically. So while in the United States, naturism and nudism have very similar meanings, in Britain there is a clear distinction. Nudism is the act of being naked, while naturism is a lifestyle which embraces nudity in conjunction with nature, the environment, respect for others, self-respect, healthy eating, vegetarianism, teetotalism, non-smoking, yoga, physical exercise and pacifism as well as nudity.

Despite the distinctions that some like to draw, I think if you can see the elements: lifestyle, harmony with nature, social nudity, self-respect, respect for others and respect for the environment, you are really talking about the same thing regardless of which term is used. I don’t really have a preference for one term over the other perhaps because I can see myself easily moving between the two definitions when a distinction is made. While I do enjoy nudity in conjunction with nature, I also enjoy the social nudity practiced within urban and club settings.

An Introduction

Recently, for reasons I don’t completely understand, I have found myself interested in the exploration and experience of the clothing optional lifestyle. In this country generally it is known as Nudism and in Europe more frequently termed Naturism, but there is really no difference in meaning so in this blog I will use both terms interchangeably.

I’m actually a very ordinary, normal and as people often tell me a likeable guy. If you happen to have a negative view of nudists and you knew me personally, I would likely be the last person you would ever imagine being involved in it. Unfortunately, nudism often carries a stigma, born largely of ignorance of the truth. In the still pretty much puritanical society we live in, nudists are often thought of as swingers, hedonists, sex maniacs, perverts or worse – persons of generally low, immoral character. I understand why many non-nudists hold this view because for many people, the only time they are naked with another person is before, during and after a sexual experience. It's understandable that they would equate nudity with sex and have difficulty separating the two. But separate they are. Given that nudists are a product of society as a whole, I strongly suspect just like in any sample of the population it is entirely likely there is the odd sex maniac among us. The law of averages makes it likely that there are also several perverts, a healthy quota of gay men and lesbians, one or two celibates and a handful of swingers. There are probably also quite a few naturists who gain a sexual thrill from being seen naked or seeing others in the nude. But all of this ignores one very important point – Nudism has nothing to do with sex.

Nudity is the most natural thing in the world. There is nothing lewd, crude or distasteful about the naked human body. I like many people, am the product of a very conservative upbringing where I was conditioned and taught that exposing my nakedness in the presence of others was shameful and wrong. I was not born feeling ashamed of my nudity - it was systematically instilled in me by my parents. As a result I grew up feeling a deep sense of shame about my own nudity and with a good bit of sexual repression. I don’t of course hold this against my parents because as a parent myself, I fully understand the pressure parents feel to raise their children to follow the mores of society so that they don’t end up in trouble with the authorities. Still the result is that children are raised to become adults who predictably come to hold the opinion that whenever a person exposes his or her nakedness to another person or persons, he or she clearly intends to elicit sexual excitement and arousal and is an exhibitionist. Granted there are exhibitionists in our society who do expose themselves because they receive sexual gratification from doing so, but those individuals are not practicing nudism. They likely became the way they are as a result of the repressive conditioning they received during their “normal” rearing from childhood. Naturism isn't about looking at bodies - naturists are not exhibitionists. It's just about enjoying the freedom that a clothes optional atmosphere brings. Nudism is about accepting the human body for what it is - nothing to be ashamed of.