Getting more young people to try nudism
I think we can all agree that most nudists are older with most in their 50's and 60's. When I travel around to nude beaches and resorts it is a majority of older folks (me included). So what can we all do to get more young people to try it?
I have a small farm where I recruit young people every year to volunteer and trade work on the farm for room and board and the experience. On the first day I let them know that we have a hot tub, sauna, and outdoor shower and we are very casual about nudity. Almost all of these are students in their 20's.
About 20% do not want to have anything to do with nudity. About 60% are willing to go in the hot tub with us (and we do not allow any bathing suits because of the sudsing) but not participate in any other nudist activities. But about 20% will be very comfortable being nude in front of others by the time they leave. We have a ratio of about 2/3 females, and the interesting point is that every one of the males have been in the first category.
So what are you all doing to encourage the young people to try our lifestyle?
You're not going to change the mentality of younger people ... they must do that on their own and quite frankly, they are much more stubborn than the veteran nudists that have come before them.
Nudism is a way of life for many of us that have been living this way, almost for as long as we've been alive. Other older people have come into nudism at a later date in life and have embraced it, live it daily and have adopted nudism as their way of life. Younger people do not buy into that concept and that's what you're not going to change.
Younger people can take this lifestyle or leave it. They don't truly live it but rather ... it's something to do, something that's done once in a while, something that really isn't a priority for them. It's a hobby, past time, something done on occasion and not lived as many of those much older than they are have come to live nudism instead of participate in it.
Younger people don't want to hang out with older nudists. They see it as hanging out with their parents or grandparents. These younger people are still caught up in what one needs to look like before they are seen nude and frankly, to them, older people should not be seen nude or they don't want to see older people nude.
Clubs have done several things to entice the younger crowd to join but they still don't want to hang out with older people but that's who inhabit these clubs and resorts on a regular basis and keep them up and running. Younger people want change immediately. It's a couple of generations of "I want it now." They feel they are entitled, they deserve it now, rather than ... they need to work for it and earn it.
Getting involved from the inside is what makes changes these young people want to get involved and make clubs and resorts more palatable to them but they don't want to visit, join, join in and get involved and make those changes. Again ... "I want it now. I'm not willing to work for it." Problem also being ... as they get older, they move on to something else and there's no real loyalty to nudism like the older people have. They move on to the next thing rapidly and nudism, to them, is not that important.
Well said, AndiDi! This is a situation that exists across the board, not just in nudism. Our local fly fishing club held an event and it was attended by several young men in their early 20's. At the conclusion we told them about our monthly meetings and programs. The reply was that they really didn't have time to attend meetings. The current trend seems to be to socialize through electronic media as briefly and quickly as possible and not to do the leisurely face to face things that we are accustomed to.
Anyone have a big budget? Do a massive advertising campaign to promote naturism with all it's mental and physical benefits. That would introduce the idea to many of all ages who've never considered it. But I don't think anyone who has the money would "waste" it like that. And with no big business involved there's no potential for monetary return from advertising.
My son has started to test the nudism life style and I couldnt be happier. Unfortunately my Mrs doesnt really understand it so he has been experimenting doing it when shes out. He has become so much more confident in himself in the 6 months hes been doing it. Im very proud of him.
I'm all for getting more of my generation interested and trying nudism and I agree with the issues that have been voiced already (cost, self-image, the mentality that you should always be covered up in the presence of others, what will my friends say being the most notable).
I'm mostly a home nudist and the only social nudism I do is a nudist resort or CO beach a handful of times each year. My biggest struggle with how to allocate my time. Spending a day naked at a resort or beach means just sitting around for most of the day. I'm not able to get chores done at home, get a workout in, make plans with people who are important to me but not nudists, and depending on what I'm putting off to be there, stress can weigh on me until I leave. I suspect that many young people who are not hung up on the other common hurdles still get stuck on the thought that spending a day at a resort or beach doesn't outweigh passing on plans with established friends or activities they already enjoy.
In a way, age indirectly helps to overcome a lot of those obstacles, which is also why I think you see older folks willing to try social nudism for the first time.
So, I think changing the culture should begin at home. I think raising kids in a nudist home or at least parents showing their kids that they do not need to hide their bodies will have the best odds of drawing in a younger crowd.
Just wanted to say I greatly appreciate this point, thank you. You are spot on. I am a nudist in my late twenties, have been trying social nudism for several years now.
The cost is definitely one of the largest road blocks that and I live in a city, a more traditional one at that. Most of the nudist places I have found are far outside the city requiring a car and usually an overnight stay. After work, grad school (and related costs), rent, other bills, and student loan payments, there isn't much left to rent a car and spend a night somewhere.
I agree, the change has to be on a personal level. It won't come about from shaming a specific generation because of how you think "we" act...we're not a monolith. But, there are some common experiences among us that prevent us from overcoming some of these road blocks.
It's definitely an issue, one that I've had many conversations with fellow nudists. Here in Vancouver, we have Wreck Beach, a massive nude beach. When I started going at 14 years of age, and regularly by 16, it was 95 percent nude. In my 20's there were many people in my age group that went and went nude.
Now? Some days it's over 90 percent textile. Organizers who worry about the status of the beach, have even stood on the beach with signs trying to encourage people to get nude. Why make the effort....300 steps down and up, to get to this beach if you are just going to dressed?
The only thing we can come up with, is camera's. Gone are the days when it was obvious and easy to control someone taking unsolicited photos. Many of these young people must be worried about nude photos showing up on the net.
However, that doesn't really explain the decline in clubs where this is much more strictly controlled.
I agree with almost all of the posts for why the younger generation is not into the naturist lifestyle. I do think the answer is two-pronged. First, we need to get young couples to raise their children in a nudist environment. Secondly, we all have a sphere of influence where a personal invite might make all the difference in the world. The last young lady that was here seemed comfortable in the hot tub and outdoor shower, so I asked her if she wants to try a naked walk in the woods. After we got back she thanked me for getting her to try it and we are already planning on a trip to a resort next summer.
I'm all for getting more of my generation interested and trying nudism and I agree with the issues that have been voiced already (cost, self-image, the mentality that you should always be covered up in the presence of others, what will my friends say being the most notable).I'm mostly a home nudist and the only social nudism I do is a nudist resort or CO beach a handful of times each year. My biggest struggle with how to allocate my time. Spending a day naked at a resort or beach means just sitting around for most of the day. I'm not able to get chores done at home, get a workout in, make plans with people who are important to me but not nudists, and depending on what I'm putting off to be there, stress can weigh on me until I leave. I suspect that many young people who are not hung up on the other common hurdles still get stuck on the thought that spending a day at a resort or beach doesn't outweigh passing on plans with established friends or activities they already enjoy.In a way, age indirectly helps to overcome a lot of those obstacles, which is also why I think you see older folks willing to try social nudism for the first time.So, I think changing the culture should begin at home. I think raising kids in a nudist home or at least parents showing their kids that they do not need to hide their bodies will have the best odds of drawing in a younger crowd.
This holds true for many of us older folks. I too weigh the costs in time and money when considering whether to attend and event or join a group. I sometimes wonder if I spend too much time on this site. One thing that comes from experience is that change has to come from within a given dynamic. I may be encouraged from outside, but the change must be accepted by the peers to become permanent.
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