Nudism-RIP
Is nudism as we knew it dying a lingering death?
Having been an outspoken advocate of nudism for many years, Im sad to say that the answer is probably, yes
We see an ageing nudist population with little interest of the young to get involved. We hear of clubs losing their AANR status because they have set aside the principals of nudism in an effort to become profitable and we hear, time and time again of yet another closing of a traditionally nude or clothing optional beach.
Is it possible to slow the slow the demise of nudism in the US or possibly restore it to the healthy status enjoyed on the European Continent?
In 1969 , then, President Nixon spoke of the Silent Majority. For as long as I can remember even the most enthusiastic nudists have been the Silent Minority....
Admittedly, there are many, for professional or social reasons, who can not come out as nudists. That said; by remaining silent about our recreational life, being a Secret society, so to speak, are we not reinforcing the belief of many that nudism is a shameful, immoral activity?
The general population has so many misconceptions about the nudist life that these misconceptions can only be countered by practicing nudists speaking out and giving an accurate picture of what nudism is really about. Only with an educated public is it possible for nudism to advance and oppressive laws repealed. It is not enough to speak out on this Forum to other nudists or would-be nudists, it is necessary for many to speak out in the print and electronic media and to friends and neighbors. Publicly wearing your Skinny Dip tee shirt proudly and giving straight forward answers to any questions which might arise.is a start.
Until nudists go from being the Silent Minority to becoming the Vocal Minority, I can only picture a further decline of nudism
Everything is cyclical as well as temporary in life. Nudism will always surge and regress as will the opinions and attitudes of the textiled side of society. It historical that when the economy has gone south, so do attitudes and tolerance while society focuses on the relevant needs of the majority. As this happens, an attitude of openess and acceptance also surges as the economy gets better. Whether nudism is up or down at this point, I can't say, but don't make judgements because of this site or what you hear in the news. Now more than ever, nudism is in the news, and people are at least hearing and talking about it. This is progress over the past 10-20 years.
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This isn't the first thread to address the demographic challenges of nudism. I already postedsomething similar to this elsewhere:
1) Society in general is not very tolerant of children and young people. So many of our activities and events are not child-friendly, and may even be called adults only, even if everything taking place is G-rated. Children can become very conscious of this and, early on, decide to set themselves apart. So if the naturist locations are full of adults, they may decide to go elsewhere, even if they, too, are adults by then. It takes a while before one realises that full adulthood has been attained. In my case, I sometimes think of 50 as old until I remind myself that I'm turning 47 this year (2010)!
2) Many of us may come to naturism sort of like coming to an epiphany. We see beauty in the movement itself and wonder how others can be so blind to what we perceive to be its inherent goodness. So many years later, we wonder why nudity, or at least female toplessness, is still not allowed at public beaches or city parks. Because its like an epiphany, adult naturists tend to remain naturists for life. Children who have grown up in the lifestyle may come to a totally different opinion. While many will be nudists into adulthood, some may just not have the same enthusiasm their parents had, and may even wonder Whats the attraction anyway?
3)Of course, this in itself doesnt explain why there are fewer people frequenting naturist centres. In this case, it may be a simple matter of generations. If David Foot, author of Boom, Bust and Echo is to be believed, there were fewer tennis players in the 1990s because older people tend to go for less strenuous activities, and the peak of the baby boomers tennis playing days were in the mid-80s. Tennis clubs which were initially turning people away suddenly found themselves emptying and searching hard for new members.
Could something similar be at play in the context of naturism?
Older naturists may not be interested in going to naturist centres for various reasons: they have their own hideaway now, they no longer have to drag children along, theyd rather be nude on their own terms, theyve moved south, etc. Perhaps twenty years ago, their situation was different and frequenting naturist centres made sense. The logical replacements would be their children who drag along the grandchildren. And since the fertility rate among naturists is probably not any higher than the rest of the population, new converts must be found among the textiles. To what degree is this happening?
If you are concerned about the decline of nudist acitvities or of it dying out from old age, why not become a proponent and sell it to the crowd you're looking for i.e. youth. Why not become a voice and speak as a lecturer on college campuses instead of coming here and complaining how your hobby is slowly going the way of dinosaurs. I know without a doubt, sociological professors would love having diverse lecturers come in and share their ideas on nudity and society. My two cents.Sit on it and spin.
Volunteering as a guest lecturer did not occur to me. I have come out in support of nudism in every other way and this would be just one more small step..
Aside from posting on this Forum Ive been quite active in generating publicity for the AANR Skinny Dip last July 10th and granting TV and newspaper interviews on nudism.
By the way, gluing model airplanes together is a hobby. Many of us consider nudism a way of life, not a hobby.
The route that is taken -- the journey, the tact and diplomacy -- must always be taken into account. A logic strain that works on one group will not work on another group. I have said this in many different forums. Most places don't want the younger generation. When they do allow those that are younger, they expect them to abide by older rules. People leave the home to get away from mom and dad's restrictive rules; not to replace them. Respect in both directions needs to be afforded and the "my way or the highway" mentality needs to be benched.
You will find that there are younger people willing to live by the established rules, but there are many more that require a new set of rules. Remember, this is the "Me" generation. The generation that was told by their parents that they can do anything they want and to not settle. A generation that will make life choices based more on happiness than necessity.
I agree. An intergenerational dialog would be of great benefit to nudism but it is difficult to do so because of the many strictures in place. There are many roadblocks hampering younger people such as resort costs, attitudes towards singles (manyyoungerpeople are single),embeddedattitudes of the older generation, generational distrust, overly restrictive rules, lack of easilyaccessiblefacilities, opportunity for such a dialog and many other factors.
Re the original question I don't think nudism per se is dying but in the future I think it will evolve into a different style of nudism to that which we experience at present.
I totally agree with those that say that nude beaches are the answer to a resurgence of nudism in the US. The younger crowd has a problem with boredom not nudity. Consider the success of the clothing optional, all inclusive resorts in Jamaica and Mexico. Take a beautiful private beach combined with nice accommodations, excellent food, professional level entertainment, open bars and non-stop activity, the young people who can afford three to four thousand dollars for a weeks vacation will come, get nude and enjoy themselves. Chances are, having discovered how pleasurable a nude week can be they will return to enjoy nudity in less a expensive venue.
The worldwide downturn in the economy has made vacations such as this even less affordable for most. Those that live in close proximity to a nude beach should consider themselves very fortunate. However, do not become complacent assuming that what is there today will be there tomorrow. Many existing nude beaches are not legal as such but merely unenforced, subject to closing by the pen stroke of an administrator. Do you know of a single elected official who would support nudism if they felt it would cost them a single vote?
The original post, if you read the lines and between the lines addressed the idea that it is not enough to enjoy the life or depend upon others to preserve it but that more individuals must step forward in countering the distorted views that many hold regarding nudism.
About a year ago, I learned that a nearby beach upon which I had spent several enjoyable days sunbathing nude and skinny dipping on was to have the states anti-nudity laws enforced. This beach had traditionally been clothing optional. This upon the complaint of one individual. Apparently the large signs stating Nude bathers may be encountered beyond this point were not enough to keep he and his children from encountering nude bathers.
I set out to determine if any thing could be done to get the enforcement order rescinded. It was suggested that I contact the head of one of the national nudist .organizations, who shall remain nameless.The conversation went something like this.
Hello, this is Art Johnson. It was suggested that I contact you regarding the closing of the traditionally nude beach on Bird Island.
Yes, we are aware of the situation and are watching it closely.
I was hoping that you could give me some ideas on how we could get this order rescinded.
We are keeping a close eye on this.
Yes, but what can be done to get this order rescinded?
Not much. Youve got to get some people. Six, maybe twelve people.
Then what?
Form a committee.
Then what?
Get the people, six or twelve people.
Thank you for your time. Ill be in touch.
Recognizing the futility of going down the street soliciting my neighbors to join me on a committee to restore a beach sixty miles away to its former status of clothing optional, I began posting comments to the news story and encouraged groups local to this area on TN to do the same. This in hopes of stimulating enough interest in the story that the TV station might follow up and even pressure the County Board, somewhat. Thanks TN members who did respond. Next was a very polite e-mail to the County Board suggesting that, maybe, the enforcement order was not in the best interest of the County. There was no response to my e-mail.
In short, no progress was made. We can hide in the sand dunes, sunbathing but still risk arrest if we wish to skinny dip in the ocean. Meanwhile the national organization is keeping a close watch on the situation.All in vain? No! At least I have the satisfaction of knowing that I had made the effort. On a more positive note: an e-mail which I sent to a local paper prior to AANRs Skinny Dip resulted in a very nice story on the event. Its all a matter of striking the right chord in the right place at the right time.
Link to the beach story.
https://www.wwaytv3.com/no_birthday_suits_just_bathing_suits_bird_island/04/2009
Here is a link to a video upon which I and others spoke out for nudism at the skinny dip record attempt. Sorry, I tried to isolate the video to make it easier but it can be viewed by following these instructions.
Click on link below, go to page bottom (arrow on right) and click on it twice til you see "Nude Lifestyle" and click thatand watch 2 minute video
https://videos.thesunnews.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=16447496
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