Is Body Shame OK? I think it is!
In the last big naturist forum and website I was a member of some years
ago, I was ostracized some for my views on body shame to the point of
even being called, "not a true naturist [or nudist]," and it was a
Christian group. I don't think some of the people were very nice,
loving or understanding, at all.
It my understanding that
naturists should not ever be ashamed of their bodies. I cannot buy
that, and I think it's different from being comfortable being nude, nude
around others, recreating nude, etc. As a Christian, I do believe that
all humans are created in the image of God physically (he looks like us
and we look like him) whereas God's other creations are not, that the
body is the temple of the Holy Spirit if one is a Christian, and of
course Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed of their bodies before they
disobeyed God, sinned and all of mankind suffered as a result. But,
Adam and Eve were perfect, and they lived in a perfect environment that
God had created for them.
Now days, we are not perfect. Many of
us despite the above have allowed our bodies to become fat, out of shape
and even chronically or or terminally ill. That is indeed shameful. I
am ashamed of myself and my own body in these regards, and that's why
I'm trying to improve in these areas of my life, finally.
I also
understand that there's a difference between being unashamed and being
proud of ones body, and perhaps that is the crux of the matter. I want
to be proud of mine, and I will continue to work toward that end, but in
the meantime I will be somewhat ashamed of the way I look, feel and
treat my body. I know God doesn't want me unashamed much less proud of
my body as it is now thus I seek to change for the better.
This
is posted at the Texas Naturists Group and in the main forums here, and
it is also posted at the Texas Naturists Facebook page. If you're in
Texas, please my/our Texas Groups.
I agree. I don't buy the whole "every body is beautiful" line. Obesity is a problem. It is a sign of illness. It leads to many other health problems. If you don't take care of your body, you should be ashamed.
That being said, I understand it is very difficult to do in the USA. Our national diet is terrible - it's designed to produce fat, sick people. Our jobs have become sedentary and our free time spent in front of TVs & computers. We have systemic cultural problems. Hopefully, we are starting to wake up as a society to these issues and we'll start to see real change over the next 20 years or so.
It is natural to be ashamed of the imperfections of one's body, but you have to overcome that to be a nudist, which also provides a degree of motivation to you to correct the defect (like obesity) to the best extent possible. There are aspects which cannot be corrected, like a small penis, and here you simply have to accept yourself as you are. Look up the motto of the International Naturist Federation, which states that it seeks to accept others as they are, through that to accept ourselves as we are (and get closer to nature) through total social nudity. At some point you have to accept your body as it is, while striving to improve it to the extent possible. If you do not do this, you will remain unhappy forever. Also remember (to paraphrase a famous quote regarding feet), 'I was unhappy because I had a small penis, till I met a man who had no penis at all'. Thank God for whatever you have, including life itself, and carry on..............
i know it is to make people bring more people to be nudist. and that all great and all our world is body conscious. with super models and playboy and hustler i know that porn but you see different type of girls but there not either fat they might have big boobs small boobs and the same for men. but in the chat room i see people click on your cam if they don't like what they see (this is more true if u are an guy in mid to early 30's) sorry every one is not pretty i don't want to see everyone naked. if thats does not make me an nudist well then i am an gamer :)
Posters seem to agree that our food diets are bad. So's our media diet. The body is an instrument. But ordinary, functioning bodies are no longer enough. Body shame is taught - coached by advertiser-driven media, with the plain intention to sell us stuff. Such shame is soul-deadening, and the nudist community is right to fight it.
Obesity is a major health problem, for sure. Shame doesn't help fight it. Just look at the cheap little womens' magazines at the checkout (Woman's World is the worst.) Always, a diet and a gooey recipe. Always. Shame is a trap.
Do we expect shame from diabetics, sufferers from lung cancer or melanoma, people disabled by sports injuries - all sorts of conditions that are arguably the result of behavior? No - we extend compassion. Why just bodies?
Posters seem to agree that our food diets are bad. So's our media diet. The body is an instrument. But ordinary, functioning bodies are no longer enough. Body shame is taught - coached by advertiser-driven media, with the plain intention to sell us stuff. Such shame is soul-deadening, and the nudist community is right to fight it. Obesity is a major health problem, for sure. Shame doesn't help fight it. Just look at the cheap little womens' magazines at the checkout (Woman's World is the worst.) Always, a diet and a gooey recipe. Always. Shame is a trap.Do we expect shame from diabetics, sufferers from lung cancer or melanoma, people disabled by sports injuries - all sorts of conditions that are arguably the result of behavior? No - we extend compassion. Why just bodies?
I agree with absolutely all of this!
It is natural to be ashamed of the imperfections of one's body, but you have to overcome that to be a nudist, which also provides a degree of motivation to you to correct the defect (like obesity) to the best extent possible. There are aspects which cannot be corrected, like a small penis, and here you simply have to accept yourself as you are. Look up the motto of the International Naturist Federation, which states that it seeks to accept others as they are, through that to accept ourselves as we are (and get closer to nature) through total social nudity. At some point you have to accept your body as it is, while striving to improve it to the extent possible. If you do not do this, you will remain unhappy forever. Also remember (to paraphrase a famous quote regarding feet), 'I was unhappy because I had a small penis, till I met a man who had no penis at all'. Thank God for whatever you have, including life itself, and carry on..............
I don't understand your post, because you don't define, "Overcome," "Nudist," and "Accept." In what ways do you mean?
Posters seem to agree that our food diets are bad. So's our media diet. The body is an instrument. But ordinary, functioning bodies are no longer enough. Body shame is taught - coached by advertiser-driven media, with the plain intention to sell us stuff. Such shame is soul-deadening, and the nudist community is right to fight it. Obesity is a major health problem, for sure. Shame doesn't help fight it. Just look at the cheap little womens' magazines at the checkout (Woman's World is the worst.) Always, a diet and a gooey recipe. Always. Shame is a trap.Do we expect shame from diabetics, sufferers from lung cancer or melanoma, people disabled by sports injuries - all sorts of conditions that are arguably the result of behavior? No - we extend compassion. Why just bodies?
I totally disagree with you on this, Sir. I couldn't loose weight until I became somewhat ashamed of myself. Hell, I couldn't even admit that I was obese. It's impossible for anyone to correct any problem unless they realize that that the problem exists.
However, I also believe that there's a monumental difference between being ashamed of something in one's own life and being shameful and/or critical of others. Of course I would be perturbed if someone treated me that way. I was speaking more of self perception. I am quite disabled (combat veteran),as are all three of my children, and if anyone ever tried to shame us, I would be upin arms, except forwith me; I suppose.People can call me whatever they want to, so long as theydon't call me late for supper.
I think there's a number of issues here:
1 body shame and body shaming are slightly different things. Body shaming, I.e. Shaming or shunning someone else because of their appearance is totally wrong always. It never helps and is never justified. Obese people won't suddenly start losing weight because you say they are fat or disgusting or anything else
2 feeling shame in yourself is a different matter, but I suggest that shame is a very strong word/emotion. I am overweight and would certainly like to lose some weight so that my health improves and get fitter so that I can do more things. That doesn't mean I feel shame in my body. It is my body and the only one I've got and it serves me well, even if it could be improved. I don't agree that you need to feel shame in order to recognise that you may feel better if you lost weight or got fitter etc
3 my preferences and desires are not the same as anyone else's. I may think that I'm too fat and need to lose some weight that doesn't imply that anyone else should feel the same way. It's their choice
4 we should be careful not to equate a person with their body, even our own. We are so much more than just a body. If you are looking to see beautiful bodies, there's plenty of porn sites with people with specific body types and possibly airbrushed photos you can go look at. If you want to connect with real people the way their body looks should be immaterial. The kind of person they are is what matters
Just my thoughts
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