Experimenting with nudity in our culture

102 pff that's just the new 40
And I'm only 15.

 

Australia does seem to have some rather conservative views toward sexuality, or at the very least in regards to porn, for instance. It appears that there are still Australia-based porn production out there, but I know at least one Australian porn site ended up relocating their headquarters to the Netherlands due to the stifling political climate in their home country. The irony is that this is the kind of porn where sexuality is presented in a natural, positive, female-friendly light, with the majority of the company's employees female, including the film crew. But I digress a little bit.

At any rate, I think that most nudist resorts worldwide still operate based on that same conservative belief as well. I'm not saying that it should all turn into one big orgy session, but the way sexuality is handled in today's world is perhaps best described as "fear-based". Many years ago, I read about an incident that took place somewhere in, I believe, the United States. The article said that a young boy visiting with his family at this particular nudist establishment was at the swimming pool, and he apparently kept having an erection. The staff at the resort, upon giving the boy's parents multiple warnings because the erection kept recurring, kicked them out of the facility. I remember reading this many years ago thinking that it is this kind of fear-based reaction that does more harm than good to the human psyche. The poor little kid might have grown up with a serious hangup toward his penis because of this incident, who knows. Also, this would never happen to a female child experiencing a clitoral erection, mainly for a reason that it is not nearly as noticeable due to the design of the female genitalia. Which also essentially means that the male nudists are at a disadvantage based on this type of double standard. I've heard that there are even nudist resorts that don't allow single men to join while welcoming single women.

 

Yeah, I'm 81 (backwards)

 

Yes, this is very common here in Australia. Even the one nearest me by about 30km. And they wonder why they have so much trouble attracting new members...

 

Hmm, I suppose it's a mainstream thing in nudism/naturism in the modern times, because I have a feeling the same thing happens in a lot of places in North America as well.

 

Bending rules definitely is easier to achieve through establishing good reputation and mutual respect, I agree.

At any rate, I honestly don't know if I'll ever set foot in what one would call a nudist resort, maybe save for some nudist beaches that I plan on visiting in the future. But I'm not necessarily interested in actually joining any community, mainly because I don't perceive myself as a nudist, per se. I like to think of myself as fairly social, or at least I can be, but at the same time I'm really not community-oriented, regardless of whether or not I'm clothed.

 

I think that would make anyone at least a little bit bitter, especially considering the kind of statement that these people are publicly trying to make, and/or the lifestyle they say they are leading.

 

See, this is the kind of thing I'm talking about when I speak against nudist organizations/resorts. I mean, I get it; there will be single men whose primary interests may include (sexual) interaction with nude women, and so on so forth. When the focus is on sex in an excessive way, it does ruin the experience for those who are there simply to enjoy being in their most natural state. But I like to think most humans are much more complex than that, as in, - and this is me speaking from a male perspective while taking multiple matters into consideration but - we're much more complex than to simply show up at a nudist resort when we are single males, spot nude females, then proceed to make moves on them. I like to think that most of us men are better than that. But....... I don't know, sometimes I do wonder. It really isn't a simple matter, this one.

 

What you guys haven't mentioned is what kind of interaction might occur between these supposedly unwelcome single, or at least unaccompanied, males at resorts. Is there anything to look forward to, in terms of meeting someone with similar interests to yours at a place you enjoy? (I'm not talking about gay relationships--if that's what someone wants, I assume they'll quickly understand who could be interested.) I think it's unfortunate that this all has to be discussed as if we might "spot nude females, then proceed to make moves on them" or "a lonely place when you're alone", as if meeting someone is only worth doing if one person is male and the other female.

Maybe we single guys should consider it our duty to make friends with each other, and not gravitate to wherever the women are. It would make us more tolerable to the couples and families, and we'd be making it a social experience for guys like ourselves. Because aren't we pleasant fellows, that you'd be happy to meet?

Having said that, I have to add that I've had only a few trips to resorts, usually with friends. It seems like a pretty boring way to spend a day (and some money!) but there you are, maybe I'd enjoy it more if my wife wanted to go. However, I have some good naturist buddies that I like to do stuff with, and we're all in the same boat, wives not interested. So there's something shared!

 

Well, exactly. I mean, WE might be totally fine with arriving at a nudist resort type environment with an optimistic mindset in terms of meeting some cool people, regardless of their gender. But the already established community within the resort might not share the same attitude where they see a single guy and automatically an alarm may go off in their heads. Then he's likely to be shunned, and hence the loneliness aspect.

I suppose it's a bit of a "guilty until proven innocent" mentality that fuels this type of caste-like way of perceiving others at these nudist resorts. So it also makes sense that single guys who become well-liked are the ones who might, in a way, bend over backward trying to earn the community's trust. I mean hey, if they are happy then more power to them, but I kind of think that's a bit of an overkill if they have to resort to sucking up to a community that already views them as potential problems before they've even done anything, just so they can be accepted as "part of the community".

 

I've been living a nude lifestyle for eight years now........It was a decision I made when I was 20 and one I've never regretted taking. Like many here, I have family that does not accept my lifestyle and family that could care less about it. The same with friends. I'm not big on nudist resorts as I feel they are a rip off, but understand that for many a resort is their only option for social nudism. I'm not sure how I would handle any unfriendly or standoffish behavior from other nudists at a resort. If people can not be nice and friendly to each other at a resort, then they don't belong there. If the resort management encourages or allows that kind of behavior on purpose, then don't go to that resort. They don't need or want your money, so just don't go there anymore.

 

I think the problem is contained in your phrase, "It seems like a pretty boring way to spend a day...." If the whole experience is about hanging around nude, with nothing else to do or be done, then people will naturally think of sex. If no other reason, because that's the way it's portrayed in the media all the time. The basic problem is there's no focus, so people resort to what they've been habituated to do, no matter how little they wanted to do that-it's simply a practiced pattern. I suspect that, if you answered the question, "Be with nude people and what?" things can be made a bit less suggestive of sex. I can think of a few ways that you can direct the focus away from acting like people in the movies:

1. Dress up nude. Just because you want to be nude socially doesn't mean you necessarily want to "let it all hang out." In normal social interaction, people wear clothes that are attractive because, well, they like to get attention and have things being somewhat special. The nudist clubs I've seen are more like lounging around on the couch in a bowling shirt, only without the bowling shirt. I think this sort of scares women because they don't want to be judged, but men really don't think a lot about their appearance-unless it's part of the party. Then we'll dress up and be appropriate.

2. Athletics. Not my original idea. The Ancient Greeks had the Olympic Games that were done totally nude. It wasn't a competition to see who's best so much as it was a celebration of the human form. What I find missing in nudist experiences is the appreciation of the body. People say that the human body is beautiful, but you'd never know it.

3. Play on the dress up nude: body painting. Some of the body painting, if you google it, is remarkable. It completely disrupts your perception that the person is nude because the patterns that are painted on the body distract the brain. This is actually how stripes and spots camouflage animals that are completely visible to us: it ties up the predator's brain with meaningless patterns and they don't notice a meal right in front of them. At least for a split second, which is all that is needed to survive.

4. Yoga. Fill in your own thoughts on that.

Other ideas can be added here, but the problem you'd have to get over is that all of these things require some sort of skill. You probably learned how to dress to be acceptable in your teens (or after a divorce), but it is a skill that needs to be acquired and does require feedback. That would mean that you would have to have a focused group interested in learning something, which is different than the "sit back and be entertained" model that the media always portrays. But, when you can focus your ideas, people can see the possibilities.

 

I disagree.

If I was hanging around nude people and I was also nude, and nobody wasn't talking and it was boring and awkward, I wouldn't be thinking about sex. I'd more like be thinking, what the actual fuck am I doing here with these weirdos. Lol.

I think you think too much about sex, nude beaches and stuff aren't all about the sex, it's about being comfortable with your surroundings. I've been to nudist hangouts in private woods and there's no sex and people can still talk about normal stuff too, like it's not awkward. That's why it' refer to as a lifestyle and not a kink.

 

Yeah, I kind of tend to agree with Irm here.

But the things Mike is suggesting are perfectly legit generally speaking. The only thing is that these activities involve interacting with other nudist, and when they are the ones ignoring you and creating a discouraging environment due to the aforementioned nudist caste system, then I for one would definitely find the experience as a joke. I'd then come away from the experience offended rather than freed, empowered, and enlightened.

 

While at home I rarely wear pants or clothes... I also don’t have curtains but the neighbors don’t seem to mind

 

I'm surprised your parents let you go nude at home when you reached high school. Seems like seeing your incredibly sexy bare ass every day would have made your dad sexually aroused. I bet your mom didn't like it much if he caught him looking at your ass as you walked around in the buff.

 

What a stupid thing to say.

 

There's a buffet at your house?

 

But maybe it would be fun to run around naked in the buffet.