British Naturism

Anybody else think this decrepit organization should be tucked up in bed with a warm coco and left there? All they seem to do is dedicate their time to trying to convince themselves human beings aren't at all sexual creatures and being completely afraid of their own shadow. Yes, we know naturism isn't sexual, now how about campaigning for us, eh?

But I guess what get's me more is the members (having spoke to them online). They seem to be under the illusion that anybody who is young and actually has a decent body is there simply to show off, and if you have tattoo's/ piercings your some sort of massive pervert apparently. Basically, if your not 40-60 and a bit on the chubby side, your up to no good, and then they wonder why naturism in Britain is struggling...

Sorry if that seems like a ramble, but it dose get to me. And I'm sure not all BN members are like that, but everyone I've spoke to seems to be the Daily Mail reader of the naturist world...

 

You are not alone in your thoughts. There have been some people who have tried to change from within and failed. What is needed is a campaign group, seeking to keep the nude recreation places there are in the UK and to try for more places.

 

You think this is confined to British Naturism. No, oh no.

In four decades of being a naturist, a recurring theme presents itself, especially at resorts, but also appearing often in the pages of magazines supposedly espousing the acceptance of naturism to everybody: a disproportionate number of naturists are 40-80, quite often a lot more than chubby (below the skin, they are often rude, arrogant and terse in asserting their perceived "authority" over guests and/or newcomers) and younger people (read: 19-30), especially those attending a resort for the first time, are too often sidelined as little more than a pretty-thing novelty to be oggled at over a beer. Resorts advertising in magazines that promote drinking and eating and little else need to have a good hard look at themselves: we're not all high cholesterol couch potatoes or fatties with nothing else to do flop into a chair and eat, drink and smoke in the nude for 7 hours a day (as a result, most would benefit others, if not themselves, by covering up). One resort owner told me that nudists will only come if there is food and grog and videos being shown: yeah, the stupid types who will fill their belly with grog then drive 200km home, putting themselves and other road users in danger. No surprise then that the younger crew of naturists are a disappearing species — active athletes like swimmers, cyclists, runners with bodies that are the result of their hard work and dedication who chose naturism are not considered the real McCoys by older naturists. This has irritated me for a long, long time.

So, the assumption that this daft attitude is confined to Britain needs to be cleared away: the problems facing naturism are global and caused by entrenched attitudes in the naturist environment, not interference from e.g. textiles.

Good on you for standing up for a rant. Naturism in the print media and as resorts does need a long overdue shake up.

 

BN is the umbrella for clubs as are many other naturists arganisations. The majority of us are casual beach/home/garden naturists who simply want a bit more freedom. In the UK we think that the Danes, Dutch and Germans have got it about right. The Danes got their freedom by a modest mass strip (around 300) in the 1950's, in the UK the law is vague and enforcement varies around the country. The general population is fairly relaxed so long as it's not too blatant, government both local and central tends to err on the side of caution and the media just doesn't even try to understand. Most of the people don't care. You have 2 minorities naturists and anti-naturists with the vast majority somewhere in the middle. The cause of naturism is simply low on the agenda.

 

As Public Relations Officer for British Naturism I feel qualified to speak on this issue. I hope you will allow us the basic right of defending ourselves.

Firstly we do not deny that human beings are sexual creatures - of course we are! All we are saying is that naturism isn't motivated by sex as you admit in your original post. You may know this, but there is still a very vocal minority out there who clearly don't, so to ensure they don't exert undue influence on broader public opinion, we constantly remind people that nudity does not equal sex.

I don't know who you have been talking to, but I don't know anyone in BN who considers young people to be 'up to no good'. Within BN there is a group called YBN (Young British Naturists) specifically to encourage 16 to 30 year-olds. This group organise their own events, including international events, as well as joining in with main BN events as they wish. YBN even have their own private section on our forum and over 18's can also join the discussion on the main forum. I know that there are many young naturists who are very active and have made good friends through YBN.

If this is not what you want, then why not get more involved and alter it?

As for campaigning, we are constantly tackling central and local government over issues that affect naturism as well as educating the various police forces around the country over the proper interpretation of the law. The section 66 of the Sexual Offences Bill 2003 would not be written the way it is had it not been for the efforts of BN; before we campaigned to get it changed it would have made naturism illegal.

We conducted an poll of public opinion about naturism in 2001, and this has been very useful in our campaigning over the years. Ten years on we plan to repeat this expensive exercise as we feel it needs 'refreshing'. Perhaps you'd like to make a donation towards the cost?
http://shop.british-naturism.org.uk/poll-appeal.html

nldn: We have constantly campaigned to maintain existing naturist places and mostly with success. Take Corton beach as an example. Equally Eastney beach has been under threat for many years and we are still fighting for that one with great support from the local council who are not 'the enemy' on this occasion. We have actively pursued extension to the naturist facilities on Hampstead Heath and continue to do so. The list goes on...

Biggles Nude!: I'm not quite sure what you are saying, maybe things are different in Australia - I certainly know that as a nation you are a lot more prudish. The World Naked Bike Ride in Perth spoke volumes to me - just 14 participants in 2010 and stopped after a few hundred yards by a policeman who allegedly said that "the Sheila's can carry on, but the guys have to cover up"! Contrast that with London; 1200 participants, including several BN members and BN officers (like me) and the police happy to let us get on with it. Have any of you taken part in such a public event?

At least you quote Michelangelo in your signature strip - anyone who does that is Ok in my book.

freecospirit: BN may be the "umbrella for clubs", but that is just a small part of what we do. We have long been an organisation of individual members and for individual members. I am far from being the only officer of BN who is not a member of any landed club. Amongst the membership of BN there are a high proportion in the same position, which is why we organise national events in traditionally non-naturist venues such as Alton Towers. Every time we organise such events we leave a group of non-naturists (staff and owners of such venues) with such a good impression of what naturism is about that we often get some converts. We also use these events to gain publicity - all part of campaigning as well as having fun. Still think we should go to bed with a cocoa?

If you still don't believe we are doing the right things, then why not join us and tell us what we should be doing. The committee of BN is just 16 volunteers - you could be one of them. If you can't influence such a small group, what chance would you stand against a whole country, yet that is what you are asking of us.

 

I'm back from my holidays (a mix of blissful nude and bohemian textile, and I see you're waving a blunderbuss abouts...

We, "as a nation, are a lot more prudish."?

That's bullshit, son. Gird your loins, here are some facts.

One, I have participated in the Melbourne World Naked Bike Ride 6 times in total. I'm sure there are many here on the HIP FORUM who have also participated in their respective cities' rides. Last year locally some were as young as 15, the oldest about 88. I will be in this year's WNBR too.

Two. Perth, being ultra-conservative to its earlobes, blushes even when a well-honed athlete in a pair of Nikes pounds the Tan around the Swan River. Now, fast forward to beautiful Swanbourne nude beach and the contrast is stark. Here is where the "ultra-conservatives" come to check out the other half — or some of their own. But the city is just too stuffy for nudism, so it's no wonder only 14 participants scrapped their threads. But hang on. You conveniently neglect to mention the WNBR in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane — each with significantly more participants and not a squeak from the Constabulary of such that you mention; actually, they got a giggle as we gleefully gatecrashed a wedding reception. The newlyweds happily posed with a bunch of "zany bikers" wearing "nothing but their skidlids". The media couldn't get enough of it.

There is a redeeming point in your text. If people are not happy about what you are doing they could join you and make a difference: yes, that's true. There is power in numbers; we've seen that in campaigns in Australia, but more recently that power has been in breakaway groups that have gone their own way, sick of the stagnating echelons of old-guard authority that have lost touch with the pulse and vibe of active naturism. In include the vagrant Free Beaches Australia in that category. The Australian Nudist Federation has a lot more street cred.