I was born and raised in the Middle East, from a Muslim background family. For Muslims, nudity is a giant taboo, and your life may be in danger if you were caught practicing Nudism. Islam treats nudity as a major sinful act and can be considered as breaking the family honor code - unless nakedness is necessary, such as using the bathroom or medical need. There are even restrictions on nudity (and sex) between spouses. Intentionally being nude is considered a satanic act and is treated as an adultery crime. Adultery crimes result in death in Islam.
I remember hearing my dad talking very negatively about people who go nude on beaches or clubs in Europe, saying that nudity is a big sin and a dishonour. I was only ten years at the time, but it was enough to trigger a lot of fundamental questions. How do those people feel when they are nude in front of each other? Don’t they ever get shy? Why do they need to be shy in the first place? Is it really a sin to be seen naked? Is my dad correct? Are they going to go to hell for it? Why would God need to put a person in hell just for being naked? Why doesn’t God stop wars and hunger instead?
At that young age, I started challenging everything around me. I was beaten - A LOT. Trust me, I didn’t try to show them, but I still got caught several times. I got called many bad names. But what saved me, I think, was when my mother told my father that demons possessed me and that my behaviours were entirely out of my control. So they locked me in my bedroom for months. But the taste of the experience was incredible. Every time I got naked, I was excited, happy, scared, free, strong, and vulnerable, all at the same time. Life had different colours when I was walking around naked. I guess being naked for me was my best “secret” haven.
So for me, Nudism is a liberating, tasty, beautiful, and yet challenging experience. I guess that is what kept me going. I believe one of the most outstanding achievements of honesty, self-acceptance, and freedom of being raised in a conservative/textile society is becoming a nudist, knowing every good reason in your heart why you chose to become one. Long story short, despite my very perilous journey with nudism, I was able to make it. When I was 27, I met the man of my life, and he supported me 300%. So, we left our home country for a few different countries. I met a nudist couple who were originally from Denmark a few times - it had been dangerous to meet random people on the internet when you live in a Muslim country. A few years later, we finally settled in the US, where my nudist journey took a significant boost compared to the Middle East.
I decided to support and inspire more people to try Nudism. So, I built an online nudist social media platform, www.JustNudism.net, to help nudists worldwide connect and share their experiences. My main goal is to support a culture of freedom, self-esteem, and body acceptance. I want to emphasize that Nudism is not sex, and of course, is not porn. Through JustNudism, I try to encourage more women to give Nudism/Naturism a shot. This is why we offer full memberships for free to all our “verified” female members on JustNudism.
Nancy M.