What is Naturism?

Well I've read the posts and replies , got myself both confused and excited by it all and have come to the conclusion that as I like all things nude and naked I must be a
Nudurist !!!!

 

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Thanks for your perspective, JH93002!

I like a lot of what you said, but in my own mind, it’s usually pretty easy to differentiate between situations where the introduction of sexual themes is appropriate and when it is not appropriate.

As an example, I had a really cool naked holiday just about this time last year. The first couple of days were spent nude hiking on public trails as well as nude camping nearby. I strategized it so as to minimize the chances of crossing paths with any other people and as it turned out, I was not seen by anyone. I craved no human interaction for any of that. It was just naked me and nature … and it was a good time. Following my solo naturist camping and hiking fun, I stopped by a well-known nude sauna on my way home. In both the sauna and jacuzzi areas, there were signs posted that all sexual activity should be confined to private areas. But clearly, flirting and all of the things that lead to sex were allowed. I had conversations with several folks on many topics. As it turned out, it was all non-sexual but I would not have been offended at all if someone had made a pass at me.

I know it’s not always so black and white, but I think it’s healthy to try to keep lines of differentiating in your head. Introducing sexuality into clearly non-sexual situations has led to the prohibition of nudity on more than a few previously “nude accepted” beaches and has also led to a hugely disproportionate amount of men participating in public nudity as opposed to women.

 

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I have read many posts on the difference between nudist and naturist and have not seen much clarity. So here is my opinion.
I believe nudist was the original term for people including families with children who enjoyed being nude in a social non-sexual setting. They used to gather at nudist’s camps. Today they call the camps resorts. So nudism had or has a social component to it. But there are nudist like textiles who simply enjoy solitude.
Naturist I believe is an updated term for nudist. Both enjoy simple non-sexual nudity whether indoor or out, they both enjoy socializing with others and they both enjoy doing everyday things including recreation, hiking, swimming, gardening and work that can be done safely in the nude.
I think the term naturist was also coined so as to make starting a conversation about nudism less awkward. Words have a precise meaning as well as an emotive meaning.
An emotive meaning of nudist could be a bunch of goofy people running around in their birthday suit acting silly. While naturist sounds like a person who enjoys being out in nature.
Either term I believe means enjoying being nude or naked in a non-sexual context. In other words unclothed.