A new focus for British Naturism in 2018
It’s pretty obvious to everyone in Naturism that spending time naked has positive effects for us. People report improvements in physical, mental, and emotional health; boosts in the sense of self-esteem and self-worth; how it gives us an escape from the rigours of daily life and allows us to deal better with stress; how it provides us with a supportive community; and overcomes body image issues. It seems like the perfect advert: Want a great life? Then get naked.
Naturism also helps form healthy attitudes too. There is respect between Naturists, we have avoided ignorance about bodies and body shape, we’re not shy when it comes to health inspections, we know bodies aren’t sex objects
So, Naturism is literally something everybody (and every body) can benefit from. Unfortunately decades of stigma, taboo and social conditioning surrounding the human body, its functions and ‘unmentionables’, and its sexual aspects means not everybody believes it. We’ve been banging the drum for years now, but the time has come to do more about it.
It may feel like we are twisting arms, but we know that most first-timers, however hesitant, soon find out there is nothing to be concerned about. Improving health, well-being and body-positivity is in the forefront of the culture these days with many high-profile advocates and even authority figures slowly coming round to the idea that healthy minds and healthy bodies go together and that the pursuit of a perfect body can be harmful. We have a fantastic contribution to make to that debate, in fact, we are leaders of it, having already found many of the answers. We also have the backup of the Goldsmith’s research that provided evidence that we are on the right track.
It’s not about turning everyone into a Naturist either. If people hear the message and adopt a better attitude towards nudity and Naturism, that’s a good result too.
It’s a theme that will run through all we do. We will:
• include health, well-being and body-positive references in our messages
• run health and fitness sessions at our events
• add non-BN naked sport, fitness and well-being events to the website calendar and encourage more of these events to be organised
• publish health, well-being and body-positivity features online and in print
• create relationships with related organisations and pressure groups
* provide information on the health, well-being and body-positivity benefits of nudity - and point out the unhealthy aspects of wearing clothes in certain situations