Many, perhaps most, but not all naturist venues don’t actually require you to be nude all the time. Most have a “clothing optional” policy, which means pretty much what it says: you don’t have to wear anything you don’t want to. The implication is that if you’re more comfortable being only partially nude, the clothing optional policy permits it (although there are usually exceptions, such as no clothing at all permitted in pools and hot tubs.) This is said to be friendly to the newcomers who aren’t quite ready to bare all.
Not everyone likes these policies. Upon some recent reflection, I’ve decided I’m one of those people. And it took me a while to put my finger on exactly why I don’t think “clothing optional” is a good idea, but I’ve got it now. In simple terms:
If you’re not nude, you’re not a participant; you’re a spectator.
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Interesting perspective! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteInteresting perspective. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link!
ReplyDeletea "nude or nothing" policy is as ostracizing as the stance taken by those who ban nudity.
ReplyDeleteWe are supposed to be all-tolerant, so it is imperative for our credivbility to welcome equally people dressed, partly-dressed or non-dressed.
To create a cult is antisocial. What if there is a group of people, some nude, some clothed, who wish to socialize publicly together? If clothes-optional did not exist, then they would be broken up.
On Brighton Beach, we often see younger people huddled in groups where maybe only one or two are stripped. This is how young people think... collectively.
The divisive clothed or naked, you-makes-your-choice environment is the mindset of the older generations. Not dissimilar to a pair of warring nations from the mid-1900s, whence (let's face it) these generations emerged.
Sadly the club element of naturism is still largely governed by this mindset.
Hugz, Will