It is considered proper etiquette in nudist culture to carry towels to sit on for hygienic purposes.

I grew up on a farm and saw sexual activity all around me in the barn yard. But I was also raised Christian and taught that humans were a special case and thus grew up with a warped sense of my body and sexuality.

Quick question - when the American west was being settled ... and just about all the settlers had a one room cabin (like Abraham Lincoln, for example) ... and the settlers had a bunch of children ... do you think that maybe - just maybe - mom and dad copulated in front of the kids? All kids born in September are most likely xmas presents to dad.

Somehow, this "don't talk to the children about sex" is pretty stupid, since before the industrial revolution, most kids were peeking at their parents rutting like animals in heat most of the cold winter months.

@snytiger6, etiquette is one thing; but I personally don't think everyone who should would comply. I don't want to go out to public places and have to worry about where I'm going to sit, or put my hands, whatever. I could go with a compromise of waist up/thighs down uncoverage, but there are already too many people out there whose personal hygiene leaves a great deal to be desired for full Monty style, imho.

@Hercules3000 that's just stupid to suggest that teachers would be nude in the classroom. Employers institute and enforce dress codes; that would not change.

@Hercules3000 what are you, 15 yrs old? Go learn about life somewhere then come back and play with the adults.

@Hercules3000 nope, not forgetting. you know what? those people are attacking us even when we're fully clothed. i don't see nudity as a further problem.

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@Hercules3000 i think people will get used to nudity and those erections will happen less and less, but if overcrowding is a problem that way, maybe more subways cars will be built to ease crowding. i don't see this as a huge problem, really, apart from the fact that the crowding itself is.

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@Hercules3000 nope, not even remotely like that. complete false conflation. that's just silly. are you trying to imagine potential problems? is there something else on your mind you're not revealing, regarding public nudity?

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@Hercules3000 pretty much everything, including breathing! my skin is particularly sensitive, as it happens. but one doesn't have to have a problem in order to benefit from nudity. but that's not the point. the point is whether or not people should be forced to cover up whether they want to or not, just because SOME people might be titillated.

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@Hercules3000 pretty much everything, not the special cases you named. as for children, they frequently ARE naked! what's the big deal?

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@Hercules3000 neither are grownups. what's your point? we're not talking about whether nudity IS permissible in public. we're talking about whether it SHOULD be. if it were, then yes, children would be naked in shopping malls, and not getting erections either.

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@Hercules3000 omg you're obsessed with danglies!

if everyone was nude, nobody would be looking all the time at the danglies! and if people were seated their danglies wouldn't really be dangling.

the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy says: always know where your towel is.

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@Hercules3000 no but they can blast your genitals right off! melt them, actually.

so it's all about genitals (and fitness)?

is a person just all about his or her genitals?
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@Hercules3000 i'm not the one who brought up nukes. i do not associate nudes with nukes. i was just responding to what you said about them.

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@Hercules3000 we only get one body. why hide it? what's so horrible about having a body? do we have to be perfect before being allowed to free it?

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@Hercules3000 perhaps not ... but neither is it all about nudes, And nudes are far less dangerous than nukes... Just look the other way and nudes are no problem.

@genessa I thought nukes and nudes were too good to be missed because of the spelling ... and of course the fact the USA has a rather unhealthy relationship to military violence but shies away from nudity.

@PontifexMarximus i liked the play on words.

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@PontifexMarximus, @Hercules3000 i am not venessa, i do not respect comments that, rather than being sincere, are meant to get someone off your back -- it decreases your credibility -- and i am therefore not off your back. you bid me farwell nicely but this statement was NOT nice.

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@genessa an nuke sounds cute.

@PontifexMarximus given what some people think nudism is about, maybe it should be spelled nookie!

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I have no problem with women going topless in public where men are allowed to do so, it seem to me it is a step in the right direction for equality of the sexes.

Agreed! Like, their just boobs calm down lol

@LadyStardust96 *they're

Nudists bring towels to seat on...is part of the Netiquette.

@AtheistInNC Alt-Write! hahahaha! Nicked!

@DUCHESSA Did you mean the Nudeiquette?

@ailurophile you mean you don't sit in front of your computer naked at home? Is it just me?

@ailurophile NNNNNNNNNetiquette.

@AtheistInNC I live in Vermont, and can't afford to heat the house above 60F, so no... not most of the year. Vermont has 9 months of winter, and 3 months of bad sledding.

@DUCHESSA maybe the ones with a social conscience.

@Condor5 If you don't have a towel you don't seat. Period.

Yep -- compulsory would be a bitch.

Yes... clothing does serve the two purposes of providing warmth and protection. However, not everyone needs warmth and/or protection, and so I think clothing should be optional when not needed.

Yes. I live in Cleveland, OH, and I wouldn't go outside nude right now unless there was a fire in my building!

Quit caring whether people were clothed and what they look like. And any shaming men would be naked also, or be made to leave whatever gathering.

Clothing is sexier than nudity!

Wear a scarf....around your neck...LOL

@snytiger6 I heard there are two new Nude Resorts in NY. I will investigate them.

@Hercules3000 Well, if YOU want to spend time with swingers that is up to YOU....

Personally I don't like swingers, as they are presumptuous thinking everyone onlyu things about sex like they do themselves, and they seldom respect boundaries of personal space, which is VERY annoying.

As for things you don't really need clotign for...
walking
running
reading
sleeping
swimming/diving
hiking
gardening
cleaning house
bike riding
sun bathing
Or basically anythgin were you dont' need clothing for warmth or protection.

In ancient Greece the Olympic Games were all played in the nude, so there is a wide variety of activities you can do. Nudity provides more freedom of movement, and nudity was not as big of a deal back then.

Nudity is legal in USA....full nudity.

@DUCHESSA Anywhere, any time? Strewth!

@Petter There are hundred of Nudist resorts and beaches allover USA...I have been to several of them.

@DUCHESSA I don't mean in resorts - I mean in areas completely open (unrestricted access) to the general public, such as beaches, sports grounds, streets, etc. Here in Spain nudist beaches have unrestricted access, but must have signs to inform those who do not wish to see others naked about it. Most nudist beaches in Spain have a mix of clothed and unclothed (textile and non-textile) users.

@Petter Until Katrina did away with the dunes....you had Gunnisson Beach (Long Island), field # 5 as a "Clothes optional beach". In New Jersey you have Sandy Hook....and I don't remember the names of other beaches in the country that are, also, nudists.

The signs are to inform the people just in case they don't want to be in a nude area. I was in Costa Natura.

@DUCHESSA Much like Spain, then. Did you know that the beach, and the area immediately inland from it, are state property, and cannot be fenced off, except for reasons of national importance? I love that law!
I've just seen from your profile that you came from Argentina. That's a country my wife and I have often said we would love to visit, as it appears to have areas similar to Kenya. (We're both Kenya bred.) ...and nowadays we could even communicate easily!

@Petter Well, are you talking about the jungle in the north of the country? The south of Argentina is cold, with mountain lakes, glaciers and a chain of mountains that runs north-south and is eternally snowed. Later I tell you about "la Pampa".

@DUCHESSA Kenya has a small amount of Jungle, but most of it is pretty arid and ideal ranching country. My grandmother owned a cattle ranch that had 1.2 miles of river running through the bottom, right hand corner of it,

@Petter Argentina is not arid at all...See "the Pampa"

@DUCHESSA I shall.

I really appreciate it when people think out and explain their answers, and take the time to make thier answers worth reading. Thank you.

@Hercules3000 I don't think you understood my point. I've answered in a far broader sense than the context of your response. Ask yourself this: should an adultery be criminalized? In some countries they are. Should what is illegal in one society be illegal in all others? Or the other way around? My answer assumes the society in question can reach a consensus about "morality." We may or may not be able to. I was simply casting my vote on the perspective on morality. I won't forcibly impose my sense of morality on others.

@Hercules3000 If you had taken time to read the original post, you would know that the legality is exactly what we were discussing. More specifically what role should our sense of morality in criminalizing behavior. You want to skip the difficult question and go straight into what you believe to be moral or immoral. That's a different question. You have already formed your own subjective morality and you are shocked and scandalized when others disagree. That's a common response, but also an uninteresting one. But as atheist, we should learn to question whether our subjective sense of morality should be universally accepted.

I tend to side with New York court rulings as far as going shirtless goes. If a man can go shirless, a woman should be able to also.

I have been told tht in Arkansas they wen the other way, and made it illegal for men to go shirtless too.

I am in agreement that the law shoudl be equal for both genders, but not that the law should be able to regulate the freedom in deciding whether or not to wear clothing. So, long as the person is nto beign sexually provocative (taking actions with the intent of sexually arousing either themselves or anyone else), laws that require clothing go against the freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed to U.S. citizens under the bill of rights.

@snytiger6 1st Males and females are different, so the sexes can NEVER be equal (no matter how much you wish.) 2nd Freedom of speech does not guarantee the freedom of expression. The current trend of expanding the 1st amendment is being used to give corporations power to do as they chose.

@PhilipK Well, at least we seem to be in agreement in a dislike of hte idea of corporate personhood. It has been my impression that coporations latest arguements do inclues tryign to co-op the freedom of expresion to further the concept of corporate personhood, but I do not think that freedom of expresion shoudl be curtailed for actual people to try ot thwart their efforts.

I am more for the strategy of makign it so that the constitution does not aply to artifical persons. The way corporations got a foothold onto the constitution, was because the original tax system was designed to tax people. rather the add on the taxation of coporate entities, they made coporations "artificial people" for taxation purposes. Ever sine the rise of the railroads, coporations have been tryign to extend constitutional rights to "artificial people".

Before the Civil War all coporations had limited lifespans by law. Most states had a limiation of a 20 year lifespan, and I think one had a 50 year lifsapn (it's been a while since I looked at this). The reasons for this was because of the East india Co0mpany, which had a royual monoploy granted from England before the revolutionary war, which le the East India company import to the American colonies tax free, while small businesses were heavily taxed. Thsi led firs tot he Boston Tea party protest, and eventually the Americna Revolution, because American did nto want to be under coporate rule, and be unfairly taxed. Thus the phrase Taxation without representation" became a motto for the revolution.

It too almos t100 years, but eventually coporations were granted unlimitede lifetimes, because everyone who lived under soporate rule before the American revolytion was dead and nobody alive remembered what it was like.

However, today, peopel are once again learnign wht it is like... some more than others.

@snytiger6 Thanks for the detailed response. "thwart their efforts" Can you name an issue that MUST have the ability to argue with expression beyond words? Where is (speech) expression required?

@PhilipK Freedom of speech is synonymous with freedom of expression.

What do breasts have to do with reproductive ability?

@mooredolezal I am not keeping up with human evolution stuff. Breast indicate how much female reproductive potential a woman has.

Hygenic concerns seems to be pretty universal. However puttign that aside, I think peopel shoudl have the choice of whether or not to wear clothing, rather than have clothing be required by law (for other than hygienic reasons).

You're hygiene argument is ridiculous. People wipe their ass, hold their penis after urinating - all with their hands. Yet we shake hands with people without being disgusted, we open door that people have touched, we handle money that has been circulating in the community daily. Hell, I bet most of use have even participated in a work or social pot luck, with no concern about the cleanliness of the person's home that brought the food. Hygiene issues are more mental than actually founded.

[slate.com]
[besafemeds.com]

@jondspen There’s a difference between what you don’t know, and what you do know. If I did know that someone hadn’t washed their hands, or other necessary bits, after going to the loo, I wouldn’t touch them. If I knew someone’s kitchen was a cess pit, I wouldn’t eat or drink anything they’d touched, let alone cooked.

We do worry overmuch about hygiene, but there are limits. If you’d be happy to sit where someone else’s shitty arse had been, good luck to you. But I’m wouldn’t be. And I’m allowed.

@KevinTwining Again, most people I know use toilette paper, and don't have an inch of shit smeared across their ass, so your argument isn't really based on reality. Plus, even when I sit in a chair to get dressed, my A hole isn't all up on the cushion. Maybe people with extreme flat asses have this problem, but most people I know have their anus in a crack that doesn't directly touch the chair. And the only difference between knowing there is microscopic shit on a bathroom doorknob and not knowing when you touch it - is that you don't know. Same microbs still get on your hand. But thank you for replying without any data or references, just your opinion. That make so much better an argument than my two links.

@jondspen Give it up mate. You’re becoming tiresome.

@jondspen in the "today" of diseases that cannot be cured, spread by bodily fluids, you are an IDIOT!!!!!

Umm... the statement read as long as they are NOT trying toi sexually arouse either themselves or anyone else.... I suspect you may have accidentally made a misquite which totally changes the meaning of what I said. LOL... luckily that site managers added a feature that allows you to edit posts a couple weeks ago.

One of my favorite T-Shirts reads "If we were meant to be naked, we'd be born that way." It's a lot of fun to see someone read it and see their expression in that split second where their brain is trying to make sense of it.

I do agree that because most people only are nude in the contexts of either sex or bathing, those are the only things that they associate nudity with, or rather the only things that come to their minds. I have a long list of other activities I have done while nude, and seldom ever think of sex (out of a sexual context) when I see another nude person.

Once thing about everyone beign naked, is that there are no cues a to a person's status, so everyone generally treats everyone else the same. If "clothes make the man", than a lack of clothes makes everyone equal.

Right. No religion, no shame. Nature is nature.

Nudity IS legal in USA since 1932.

@snytiger6 People are still products of cultural conditioning and/or biology, re: appearance. In every place I've been naked, there was a definite privileging of those perceived as more attractive.

@DUCHESSA Not everywhere.

@ailurophile It is one thign to favor those you find attractive, and yet wholly another thing to demean those you don't.

One thing I like about nudist clubs is that I have witnessed people beign treated more equally than in any other place I have ever been. There are exceptions, but they are very few.

@snytiger6 That some communities do not have nudist resorts doesn't mean is not legal in that place.

@DUCHESSA True. In Oregon, the state supreme court ruled tht nudity was a right under the state constitution, although the ruling was worded vaguely so the only 100% clear part of the ruling was regarding protesting. The net effect is tht local nudity ordinances stayed on the books,but are not really enforceable as such. The few localities tht enforce bans on nudity instead charge you with "creating a public disturbance" if they can.

TIt is my understanding that on most Federal lands nudity is legal as there are no laws banning it. Tht is also true of many State lands in various states.

U.s. laws regardign nudity are very inconsistent and a general mess though.

You do have a point tht in most places where nudity is legal,mos tpeoel are unaware of that.

Only if there is lewd intent... and that would be for persons of any age.

@snytiger6 Thud!

@Bendog I have yet to see a dog or cat care abotu whether or nto a perosn is naked or clothed.

@snytiger6 You may be taking this way too seriously.

@GuyKeith Tests often lose context without hearing vocal intonations. Nope. Not beign overly serious. Meaning just get lost without hearing vocal tones.

@snytiger6 Well, I am adept at sarcasm and satire. A lot of satire one-liner are short, and outrageous, ten words or less. Look for self-deprecation. I was making fun of myself and other seniors whose bodies sure aren't what they used to be. It's worse if I have to explain it.

I am amazed at how few people realize that even if they aren't religious they still carry a lot of dogmas from religion without realizing it. I can see you are more aware than those persons.

Ironically, the bible itself does nto specifically ban nudity. It has many references about how you shoudl feel ashamed about nudity, which seems to be more about religious leaders controlling people though fear and shame than it has ever been a dictate that was supposed to come from the god of the bible. There has never been a commandment to "cover up.". It has always just been dogma.

Exactly. As far as I know nudism or naturism started to grow fast in Germany somewhere at the start of the seventies, not in the least as a way of protesting. It spread fast over Europe. It is called there FKK (Frei Körper Kultur, which means Free Body Culture). It's goal was and is to enjoy company of other people that shared the appalling limitations by the religious dogmas and the by religion dictated laws. "Together be fee" Because of the pleasant temperature former Yugoslavia a lot of camping sites became FKK, mostly a big part of the site at the back. It was and still is very popular. As result of that you sauna's are mixed and have only a few single gender hours, most of the times especially for ladies that feel uncomfortable with naked men around them for reasons of dogma's or abuse.
I guess that bible-dogma finds its origin in "Adam and Eve saw they were nude and covered themselves" or words like that. This little line was added for dogmatic reasons. I can think of some reasons for that, in general for controlling communities ans societies. No further limitations on nudity in the Bible as far as I know.

The funny thing is though, at these camping sites and nude beaches appear to be free of sexual harassment. Because everything is "openly visible" it is not firing fantasies. The Netherlands has an expression "bloot slaat dood" which means more or less "nudity falls flat". I think that's how it works indeed. The funny thing was at the nude beaches, that there were always a few viewers that walked around dressed, with an erection. Nude men? Never seen it.

the fkk - as nude sunbathing & exercising in nature - actually was born in germany in the early 20. century. at the time the movement included raw-foodism & natural remedies, & advocated back to nature; Rudolf Steiner & the waldorf schools were part of what developed in this environment. it was also very non-religious, or heathen you might say.

All unreasonable restriction comes from religion.

@walklightly as far as I know it was more than nude sunbathing & exercising in nature as you state, and it was not necessarily related to Rufolf Steinder schools and alternative ways of living. But if you want to know more, check this link out. It tells more of the background:

[en.wikipedia.org]

I don't understand though why this link is not completely seen as such.

@Gert, thank you for the link. i mentioned back to nature, raw-foodism & natural remedies as well; also that R. Steiner & waldorf were PART of the movement at the time. the maternal branch of my family lived the Lebensreform (life reform) style. google it!

Sounds like some fond memories there.

One of my best vacations was at a nudist retreat where I never had to bother getting dressed for nine days and nights.

@SpikeTalon

@snytiger6 in the US?

@crazycurlz Yes, a nudist group rented a campground from a Jewish organization for a kidn of retreat in the Malibu (CA) hills.

@snytiger6 I honestly don't know whether you'd find me out there this days. My life took unexpected turns after those days on the dunes. If there a certain type of person, (demographic) that does nudist groups in the US? white, educated? just suggestions...I have no idea...

@crazycurlz I remember visiting Squaw Mountain Ranch, which is the oldest nudist club West of the Mississippi,. Anyway, I found it interesting that many members there were nudists when young, then they got married, moved to middle class neighborhoods and raised kids and after the kids were grown and moved out they went back to beign nudists again.

My impulse was to feel sorry for the kids who weren't raised as nudists. However, the areas where they lived and worked while raising their kids may nto have been the best circumstances to be nudists.

I don't have kids, but I do see kids at nude beaches and nudist clubs when I go. Parents and grandparents tell me that the kids love to visit places where thay can run around naked.

There have been studies, and kids raised in nudist families are happier and have more confidence and higher self esteem. The conclusions of the studies is that when you dont' teach kids to be ashamed of their bodies they like who they are much mor eoften.

@snytiger6 Im not sure why happier, more confidence, or more self esteem are considered benefits. Humans arent the best while happy and comfortable. as a species we strive and thrive under pressure and adversity. Now of course that should be tempered with care, but this make my child perfectly happy trend has really gotten out of control, don't you think?

@dellik I think beign over permissive with children can get out of hand, yes. Chidren need to learn to do for the4mselves and learn the value of things, instead of havign things just given to them.

The idea of being happy as not beign at one's best, I don't agree with. Peopel who aren't happy will procrastinate and expend only the minimum effort to do a job and often leave a job half done for extended periods of time.

Persons who are happy and have high self esteem tend to more often finish wah they satrt and dont' procrastinate as much or as often, an dare more likely t9o look forward to a challenge.

@snytiger6 Fair. I personally find the happier I am, the less productive I become. Maybe its just a personality defect on my part.

@dellik I think it is just that when peopel are by nature more productive, that some people are awre enough to just stop and enjoy themselves when they are happy. Considering that l;ife is finite, I'd say takign time to enjoy happiness is a good thing and nto a defect at all.

I took my son to a nudist camp when he was prepubescent (can’t remember the exact age). He had a blast! My wife at the time, not so much. ? We only went twice.

@snytiger6 kids raised as nudists are harder to molest because they don't have that shame about their bodies.

It is true that at clothing optional places it seesm that there are more older generations than yo9unhger. I attribute this to more younger persons are insecure about theri bodies, while as people get older, many mor ewill adopt an attitude of "who cares".

As for sun burns.... I recommend Nutragena sun screens tht come in the little plastic tubes (not the spray on,which doesn't work as well). It is fast drying, meaning you are not oily and greasy all day long. I only have to apply it once at the start of the day, can go in and out of the water without having to reapply it, and I have never been burned when wearign it (I use and SPF of 45 on my body and spf 85 on my genitals). It is more expensive than other sun screens, but it works, and it will let you tan too. Definitely worth the expense.

@snytiger6 Thanks! As a public service, though, I'll remain clothed in public places. You'd thank me...yes, you would!

@LucyLoohoo You'd be surprised. I've met a person who was over weight who also had severe skin disorders several at nudist events. He wasn't pretty to look at, but I did get over my initial reactions, and he seemed like a nice person. His condition wasn't contagious, and by comparison my initial emotional discomfort would never compare to his physical discomfort

I think it is just sad that as a society we want anyone who does not meet the advertisers ideal of physical beauty to feel guilt fear and hame about hwo they look, which in many instances cant' be helped.

@snytiger6 Men have been afflicted with ''snow blindness" having seen me nekkid! Just saying...

@Hercules3000 I would nto have fit into Woodstock. I don't liek mud, don't use drugs, and AIDS was already around by the time I was sexually active, so free love alwasy seemed to come at too high of a cost to me. Is your info really that dated?

Nudist culture predates the counter culture of hte 1960's. Nudists existed both before and after that time period. If you want to criticize, which you seem intent on doing, perhaps you shoudl do more reading to learn more, so you can do it properly. Nudists & Naturists have been a constant subculture for much longer than the last century.

I happen to agree with the State of Oregon Supreme Court ruling that said nudity is a right based on freedom of speech/expression.

Saying that the majority does not desire it, is like saying since the majority of people in the U.S. are Christians it shoudl be compulsory for people to attend church on Sunday, because they don't 'lolike other Penelope staying home.

As our cultural attitudes about nudity are primarily drawn from religion, the same argument of freedom of religious belief can be made for legal public nudity as can be made against the above paragraph.

In Oregon, even though it is technically legal to be nude, very few persons actually choose to go nude. However, the point is that they do have a choice. Wearing clothes is not compulsory. Then again, not too many are aware of the court ruling either.

@snytiger6 no, it is not the same, you are wrong. the right to religious freedom is in the first amendment, the right to nudity is not in any amendment. saying they are the same is ridiculous, it's bullshit.

@snytiger6, @Hercules3000 we do force nudists to wear clothes, Herc, your statement is just false. false statements are not arguments of reason, they are false statements. SOME people wear clothes when they want to, some do it because it is the law. facts matter.

"as our cultural standards come from religion" no, they don't. SOME of them do. some come from evolutionary impulses. acting like "oh, this thing is in a religion, so it must be because of religion" is complete ignorance of reality. I don't deal in ignorance.

@snytiger6 if you equate the completely, and I mean COMPLETELY harmless injunction of wearing clothes to the demonstrably harmful practice of indoctrination into superstitious beliefs, you are wrong. It isn't a question of reasonable debate when you do that.

"well, isn't not letting people be naked the same as not letting them murder other people when they want to" makes as much sense. there is no harm done to someone who is forced to wear clothes, and there is no harm to society done by everyone being clothed in public. NONE.

@NotConvinced Well said.

@NotConvinced The door could swing both ways on that one, and such a scenario can get tricky. At first it would seem that those who require clothing to be worn are the ones pushing their beliefs, but if you know someone could be uncomfortable with you being naked, wouldn't you think it's a bit childish to continue making them uncomfortable when it certainly would not be necessary to continue doing so? I see this as a situation where both sides could play the I'm offended card, so finding middle ground on that can get tricky. If you read all the comments, you would see one other guy said similar to what I just mentioned in regards to being childish and inconsiderate (I think those were the exact words he used). I'm going to message you later and explain another reason why I commented as I did

@snytiger6 I forgot to mention that I would be against throwing anyone in jail due to public nudity, it's absurd to punish like that over a victimless crime.

@NotConvinced we aren't there to be seen! It's not about that.

Even nudists acknowledge that a person shoudl wear clothing for warmth and/or protection if needed. It's a common sense thing... like nudist should wear an apron if frying bacon

@snytiger6 I never put on clothes to fry bacon. Is that a rule?

@cyndiann Not really. I actually depends on the bacon as to how much risk there is in being splattered. The more lean the bacon the less chance. Also medium to think thickness give less chance for splatter. With Turkey bacon there is almost no chance of splatter. You only really take a chance at splatter if you hover over the frying bacon. If you are elsewhere to make toast or pour juice, rather than hoverign over the pan, chances are slim that you would get splattered.

@snytiger6 Yeah I know, I cook it several times a week. I just turn the fire down and cook slower.

@cyndiann Yes, that is true, most splater is caused by a higher heat level.

There are no ugly bodies, only insecure and/or unkind vewers.

The original post is designed to combat the type of narrow-minded view that you express ?

@Tompain1 That is factually incorrect.

@SimonCyrene You call it narrow-minded, i call it having aesthetic standards. Down with post-modernism.

@Advocate subjective opinion is not fact and therefore cannot be ruled as correct or incorrect. You can disagree but you'd be wrong.

Probably wont' happen in my lifetime. One hopes that eventually rationality and reason will prevail, but thern I remember , this is the country that elected Bush... then later Trump... which is why I say probably not in my lifetime.

@snytiger6 Most regimes don't concede defeat without a fight.

It is common etiquette for nudists to carry towels to sit on for hygienic purposes (makes me wonder if author Douglas Adams, who wrote the Hitchhikers's Guide To the Galaxy" series wasn't a nudist).

@snytiger6, common etiquette, like common sense, is not so common, I'm afraid.

@Condor5 Sadly, you are right.

I have both encountered naked people in public and have sometimes been a naked person in public and contrary to your ideas of what would happen, about the only reaction was some people took out their camera phones to take photos. The vast majority of people didn't have any reaction at all. There was once or twice, but not in the same day, a rabid right wing religious fanatic who would shout at us, but that was the only rare negative reaction.

Before, anyone gets ideas about going naked after reading the above though, you shoudl familiarize yourself with local nudity laws and be familiar with what you can and cannot do legally. I was living in Oregon which has very nude friendly laws.

In regards to item #5 on the list above, in nudist culture it is considered proper nudist etiquette and common in nudist culture to carry a towel or something else with you to sit on, for sanitary reasons, and if possible to shower or thoroughly clean yourself after dedicating.

Wow! You got me laughing my ass off greenchilehound. That was hilarious.

I think it's great satire.

@snytiger6, after dedicating what, may I ask?

I believe I have read there is actually more than just one park in Germany where nudity is allowed.

I live near Portland, Oregon (USA), and there if people see soemone naked, it is really no big deal. I've done several naked bike rides through the city there.

I do a lot of reading and find it interesting how in historical novels as Europeans reach the Americas they make it a priority to teach natives to be ashamed of their bodies. Nakedness was nto really a big deal to most native cultures.

The truth is that we are taught to feel ashamed. It doesn't come naturally (even if the bible says that it does). It is a bit of a farce for everyone to cover up, even though everyone already knows what is under the clothes..

@snytiger6 I once met an Australian Aboriginal who was a bit of a celebrity, i had a long talk with him. He asked me: "What do you think was the worst thing [for us] that Europeans brought?" I guessed guns, maybe the bible, ..?... but no, he said "Clothes." And seeing the poor natives looking extremely awkward packed away in victorian garb, you can see why. Shoes included. He said they stopped feeling the Earth.

@ZebZaman I have read a couple of books by Michael Talbot about the founding of Australia (there are three altogether, but I haven't red the third yet), and when they talked about snow in winter (our summer), I wondered how Aborigines managed to keep warm, but they must have done just fine.

the same in hamburg, my former hometown. nudity in the city's summer parks

You don't find it obvious by how someone acts, or behaves, as to what their intentions are?

@snytiger6 I'm just wondering, if two people are laying on a beach, both looking around, how do you tell with what intention each one is looking around? One could be looking around to enjoy the view of the ocean, the other could be enjoying... other sights, if you get my meaning. I'm not a mind reader.

@Paul4747 How does that differ from two people on a beach wearing swimsuits or clothes?

People are animals, and some thought of sex will happen when you look at someone you find attractive. I think, it is more a matter of whether or not you follow it up by annoying the person you are looking at.

I myself can admire another pesons beauty without thinking in sexual terms.

You can't. The rule is you never ACT inappropriately ! Respect is big. Everyone is equal.It's not about looking ( although you will ) it's about the freedom of not wearing clothes.

I know in NY women can go topless. However in Arkansas rather than let women go topless they actually made it illegal for men to go without shirts (although for men it is usually not enforced).

Unfortunately, think of the sexual harassment in city centres, and probable accompanying violence. I feel society should ban nudity in crowded areas (imagine a crowd of strange men pressing up against you and pretending it's because of the crowd.). In certain areas nudity rules could be relaxed, to allow people to be topless legally. (Some of the men I've seen topless, or dressed in a vest, in your neck of the woods are gross, by the way. So if they can go topless, why not women?) Beaches should allow people to be topless, unless designated otherwise. ... and certain, well marked areas should allow full nudity, provided there are warning signs prominently displayed so those who wish to stay away may do so.
Maybe you should suggest it to Caroline Lucas!

@Petter do I detect you're local to me? Caroline Lucas is of course our local Green MP although I don't actually live in her constituency. Actually Brighton has its own designated nudist beach, I don't use it, but although it caused a stir locally when first opened, nobody takes any notice now...

@Astrantia I live in the extreme South-East of Spain, but visit England regularly. My son lives in Banstead and my daughter used to live in Ardingly, but recently moved to Godalming. I own a house in Hailsham, very near to Newhaven, but it is let.
There are designated nudist beaches here, which likewise receive little attention.