Talking about Naturism and being open about our involvement in it helps to normalise social nudity. Many people report feeling relieved that people around them know - and can be a real confidence-booster. Bringing the subject up and knowing what to say can still sometimes be difficult and so we have created this set of suggestions to help you.
In Part 1 we identified a range of ways that you can introduce Naturism into conversation if you wish. Now, in Part 2, we cover the sort of positive messages to include when trying to explain the appeal of Naturism to people you meet.
Positive messages to engage people’s interest
We practise Naturism because it is fun and good for us, that is the message we need to pass on. People may challenge your choice, but you don’t need to deal with that until it happens. Many people just want to hear the interesting stories so keep it positive and keep it simple.
Naturism is Fun
“A change is as good as a rest.”
Taking off our clothes and letting go of our day-to-day troubles just makes us feel good. Most people want to reclaim their freedom, reconnect with nature, and socialise with those with similar attitudes. Naturism gives us all of that. Furthermore, people often enjoy the excitement of doing something new, that is why most people have skinny dipping on their bucket list.
Naturism is Normal
“If we were supposed to be naked, we’d have been born that way ... oh.”
Naturists are just ordinary people who choose not to wear clothes when the weather and circumstances are appropriate. Other than being nude, our activities are no different from what most people do in their leisure time. We’re not anti-clothes, we just know they are not always essential.
Why get Dressed to get Wet?
We all know that struggling with a wet costume in a swimming pool changing room is a miserable experience. Swimmers and sunbathers wear little more than we do, so costumes are worn by tradition, rather than for a logical reason. Everyone should try skinny-dipping once in their lives, once you’ve tried it, you’ll never want to wear a costume again.
Naturism is Good for You
Naturism makes us feel better about our own appearance. There is no such thing as the perfect body and we’re all unique. Spending time naked helps us de-stress and improves our mental health – this has been proven in scientific studies! Spending just 40 minutes in a nude environment makes people happy, and living with a relaxed attitude to nudity increases our self-confidence.
You don’t need the body of a film star, model or a super-fit athlete to have worth. In a Naturist place you soon realise that nobody is looking at you, and that we have people of every possible body shape and age.
Naturism Reinforces Equality and Respect
The media continually shows us images of the “perfect” body, it can be a real blow to our own body confidence. Naturists quickly find that nobody cares if they don’t have the body of a supermodel, so the problem goes away. Furthermore, women, in particular, are objectified throughout their lives as a result of society’s obsession with appearance. Women find that they are not harassed, feel more confident and safer in Naturist environments because Naturism is built on respect and the fantasy of the perfect body has disappeared.
Naturism Builds Trust
In everyday life we profile people by their clothes and accessories and, in turn, hide our own personalities behind our appearance. When we are naked, we are more open and get to know people for who they are, not what they are. Therefore, Naturists are often more willing to engage in conversation and welcome newcomers, and strong friendships grow quickly.
Naturism is Popular
Millions of people around the world have discovered the fun and self-confidence to be found in Naturism. British Naturism’s IPSOS survey (2022) revealed that there are almost seven million Naturists in the UK. There are thousands of holiday resorts and other places to go to around the world. One fifth of people have been skinny dipping and one third have sunbathed or spent time at home naked - even if they don’t think of it as ’Naturism’. It is the same thing and the label really doesn’t matter.
Naturism Benefits all of Society
Naturism is built on respect and most Naturists are keen to reconnect to nature – the clue is in the name! That means many things Naturists do benefit everybody. Naked charity walks for the British Heart Foundation have been running for years. Many Naturists support wildlife and protect the environment by taking part in naked beach cleans or conservation work. Finally, Naturists campaign for freedom of choice, advancing equality and the promotion of respect across society. The campaigning work improves the quality of life for everybody, not just Naturists.