What do you think of the nudist or naturist lifestyle in general?

My position is similar to yours… I ‘get’ the concept, but I personally have too many hang-ups to be able to do it. I am confident that once my son moves out (if ever), my sweetie and I will rarely wear clothes around the house.

1)Do you think nudism is immodest?

No

2)How common do you think nudists are?‎

Ten percent of the population.

3)What do you think about nude beaches?‎

They are nice.

4)Do you think being a nudist increases self esteem and the ability to communicate better with others?

Two questions in one. Esteem? No. Communication. Yes.

When you are nude, there are no metaphorical barriers between you and the other person. You can not hide behind clothes. You are exactly as you are. This seems to encourage people to be more open and trusting, I have found. They open up quickly and share much more. Of course, this may also have to do with the kinds of places where people who are nude gather. Often it is for short periods of time on vacation. If you will see someone for a week and only a week, there isn’t as much of a negative consequence for sharing all kinds of things that would shame you in the rest of your life. But I do think being nude helps you be more open.

Not my cup of tea (I don’t even like looking at myself in the mirror) but to each his/her own. And that’s the naked truth.

Chacun a son gout. It is not for me though.

More power to ‘em. I don’t feel comfortable enough with my body to walk around naked, but good for those that do. I’m sure they’re very happy, confident people for the most part.

I’d never go to a nudist beach. I’ve found nudists don’t tend to be supermodels, and there are just certain things I’d rather not see flopping around while I’m sunbathing.

No issues with healthy people choosing a naturist lifestyle, however, I dated a guy about 5 years ago who will forever be known in the archives as ” naked volley ball guy” who went to nudist weekend retreats and took his kids. I disagree with involving children in the lifestyle as I do think it attracts voyeurs and possibly pedophiles.
Case in point the guy was telling me his 12 year old daughter was being approached by an old man at the retreat and my thoughts were ” and….you’re surprised?”

I thought it stupidly irresponsible to let a 12 yr. old pubescent girl child cavort around naked and then be miffed that some old pervert had his eye on her.
I had no interest in pursuing a relationship with this guy, and while I do think there are plenty of naturists that are not perverts, I think plenty more do have issues with exhibitionist and voyeuristic tendencies and it’s a great cover for them to get their kicks under the guise of just loving to be naked in the breeze.

My fiance and I enjoy the nudist lifestyle in the warmer months, when we don’t have a roommate or are alone for a few days, and on naturalist beaches whenever we have the chance. Naturalism is definitely immodest, but I’ve always thought of modesty as something belonging more to the early part of the last century than to our own time. I have never worried about modesty in anything (I think of this as a different quality than being humble).

Based on the answers to this question, we are not all that common here on Fluther (at least, the previous generation of Fluther), and I bet not that common in the general population, either.

Nude beaches are all different. The good ones, like Playalinda by Cape Canaveral, are awesome with a minimum of creepers and vigilant police presence to quickly discourage any creepiness. It is very relaxing to chill naked in the sun, and the wind and water feel glorious. But I won’t go the the shadier beaches like the one at Sandy Hook, NJ – I really wanted to but then read a ton of negative Yelp reviews from ladies who said the beach was filled with nasty old men.

I don’t think that being a naturalist has much to do with self-esteem – it takes a bit of nerve to go out in public, and it speaks to a certain level of unselfconsciousness, but having these qualities doesn’t mean you feel good about yourself as a person. As far as ability to communicate with others, I agree with @burntbonez – everyone’s very friendly and it’s easy to strike up a conversation. We traded shells we found, mostly.

David Sedaris has a great essay about visiting a naturalist colony, something I look forward to trying, called “Naked” in his book by the same title. Here is the old link to his reading of it. I can’t get it to work on my iPhone but maybe it will on a computer.

Whoops – I meant naturism, not naturalism.

I don’t know a whole lot about the nudist lifestyle; I certainly don’t have a problem with it. I hate the way we (and it varies from culture to culture) are so gymnophobic. A person who accidentally shows part of their naked body is suddenly a “sex offender”—it’s absurd. But that’s because we can’t separate the naked body from overt sexuality. I find the idea of people who do interesting. My roommate is not a nudist per se, but he has told me that he finds it interesting and I have seen him naked on multiple occasions (he really has no shame about it). Sure, right now I feel like I wouldn’t want to live that lifestyle, but if I were surrounded by other nudists, I’d probably warm up to it.

See Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau at the nudist colony in A Shot in the Dark

I’d do it.

Really any reason not to wear a bra.

When I lived in San Luis Obispo, CA for two years in the early 90s there was a nude beach just south of town that I frequented. I always wore bottoms (sand in the privates is no fun) but I did go topless. The only thing that bothered me about the beach was the gawkers who stood on the cliff above us. Most of the people who spent time at the beach were locals. They were a great group of people.

I don’t have a problem with the lifestyle, but it’s not something that interests me at this time in my life. I enjoy my comfy clothes.

1)Do you think nudism is immodest? No.
2)How common do you think nudists are?‎ Very.
3)What do you think about nude beaches?‎ never been, but sounds great.
4)Do you think being a nudist increases self esteem and the ability to communicate better with others? Absolutely.

I know some nudists in my area and they are very open-minded, no one’s staring at anyone’s junk or anything, it’s all very natural. I run around the house naked all the time and my husband always rushes to close the windows since we border a park (oopsy), but to me it’s more comfortable and I feel better. Yes, this is the Christian Republican, believe it.

Well….I am naked a lot myself over here in the summers.
On my deck, in my hot tub, puttering around my secluded property but nobody is spying on me. Worst case scenario I might cause a stampede if my 53 year old bod spooks the horses.
On the plus side if a mountain lion wants to take me down no clothes to chew through, just fresh meat and enough to feed a family of 4 for a week at least. lol

It’s completley unfair!!
Women can roam around without a care in the world without fear of rejection, but us blokes…err, my massive proud erection is going to get noticed.
I’ve heard that they actually have signs forbidding erections, punishable with a lifetime ban.
“members must remain calmed at all times”

@ucme I heard it is very a-sexual, that true nudists get inured to the visual stimulation somehow. Forbidding, is a little odd, what about self-fondling? lol

@KNOWITALL Ooh that sounds like fun.
The prospect of watching chubby old folks, naked, playing volleyball, makes me truly ill :¬(

Oh ucme, really? I think it sounds pretty cool, not for my gratification, but for their pleasure/ happiness. Have you ever been to a Rainbow gathering?

So many older people in our country are so pressured to stay good-looking and in good shape, it’s gotta be nice to ‘let it all hang out’ with like-minded people.

I’ve no problem with the concept, as long as it isn’t made a public confrontation. Personally, I would find it difficult, because your skin, in contact with plastic or leather surfaces, sticks and you have to peel yourself off a couch or chair. I hate that. I don’t wear short shorts for the same reason.

@KNOWITALL Well yeah, but i’m very shallow though ;¬}

@ucme After a few weeks of reading your posts, I tend to think you’d be cracking jokes and giggling the whole time, like a little kid. “Look, she just sat on her bubbies!”- HA!

@KNOWITALL You know me so well, but then your name does suggest as much :¬)

@ucme Well, I have a very active imagination (like most readers) and I tend to build files in my head on people that interest me. You’re filed under ‘kind jokesters” – lol

Each to their own I think, but it is too cold for me to shed a couple of layers at the moment.

I have nightmares about being in public in my underpants.

1) No, I don’t think nudism is immodest. I think it is a response to harmful pretenses about what modesty entails. Being open with your body and not hiding the parts you might not otherwise let people see is the hight of modesty.

2) I think the prevalence of nudism is hard to judge. There aren’t a lot of people who go nude everywhere, but I bet there’s a lot more people who go nude in their homes than you might think. And that’s still a mild form of nudism, because lots of people keep at least some clothes on at all times other than when showering or bathing.

3) Nude beaches are for more than nudists, though it’s a great place for them to have if they want to be how they want to be outside the confines of their homes. It’s an interesting mixing place for nudists and non-nudists who just want an even tan.

4) I think nudism gives people a more realistic assessment of what bodies look like, which can only help self-esteem in a world where everyone seems determined to make sure you never see a genuine human body other than your own. It might help people communicate better. It could help the shy be more open and might remind the haughty that they aren’t everything their imagination tells them they are.

Sometimes I enjoy being nude, sometimes I want clothes on. It would be nice to live in a society where both are acceptable.
I think that there are quite a few closet naturists.
Have never really thought of nude beaches one way or the other.
I have been in situations where many of the participants are in various states of undress and cannot recall a time when there were any self-esteem issues. I think that it takes care of itself because each person puts on the amount of cover that makes them comfortable and is accepting of those who wear more, or less, because they knew what they were getting into in the first place.