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

Man, I'd be concerned about dragging my wang in the sand when bodysurfing. Ouch!

Etiquette in nudist culture says you carry a twoel with you to sit on for hygienic purposes.

As to self respect, I think to feel shame over your own body, is showing a lack of selg respect. I think respect in general is to accept people as they are, as opoosed to what clothes they are wearing. I've been to the nude beaches and nudist clubs and without clothing people treat each other equitably, which is treating each oher with more respect than I have seen in clothed society. Without clothing to denote status everyone is seen as being more equal.

I think nudity allows you to see people for who they really are. Most persons who hae something to hide will hide it, in part, by the way they dress.

My point being that yeah, there may be some unattractive persons out there, but I'll take seeing those persons in exchange for seeing people more for who they are rather than who they pretend to be. Clothign just helps with their pretenses.

If you think about the list of people you don't wan tot see naked, if you did see those persons naked, then you would not think of them in the same ways. They would not seem as powerful or influential, but more like regular people. I would be a great equalizer of power.

I would think health codes would mostly take care those concerns.

Not outside the window at a window seat.

Ironically, your examples of Italy and Greece have had not probloems with things gettign out of hand, as you suggest they night if nudity were no big deal here.

Neither has there been problems in France or Germany, where nudity is generally mroe accepted, or any other country where nudity is less of a big deal than it is here.

Wait, what are you talking about? Naked women can't freely just hang out and walk down the street in public in any of those countries. Women everywhere are freaking out about being just catcalled. Explain how everyone getting naked is the answer there.

Yeah, I do htink that places of business shoudl be allowed to mandate dress codes for people who enter their business.

Are you doing the ride this year? I have done the Portland WNBR every year since 2008. Wouldn't miss it for the world. It's like being a kid again. Would love to have someone to share the ride with. Last year people went into the fountain in the riverside park down town at the end of the ride. It's like being a little kid again. Look for a video of it on youtube

You have a point. Not all the problems are from swingers, but would be better classified as "troublesome pervs" as you put it. I admit, I was just beign lazy about fully explaining, as it takes a lot longer, and I didn't want to introduce too much information at one time, because in the U.S., people are usually ignorant of fine distinctions. They have years of misinformation. I took the easy road and separated everyone into just two groups, the nudsits and naturists who enjoy platonic nude recreation, and the rest who seek out nudist places because they have some sort of sexual agenda, whether they are swingers, pedophiles, voyeurs, exhibitionists or some sort of sexual predator. However, pedophiles and sexual predators generally don't usually go to nudist places, as they almost always seek places of seclusion metnioning them upfront would immediately get up everyone's guard and spark fer, and the conversations would not be about thier attitudes towards nudity, but about things that are no more of a concern in nudist places than in clothed places. That is my excuse/justification for taking the "easy way out" in my categorizations.

I really wish the U.S. was much better educated and did not have so much misinformation. I wanted to see what attitudes about nudity were, and I seem to accomplished that. I am surprised that I am still getting responses almost everyday.

Here in the UK, naturism does seem to attract paedophiles. I've been a member of a club that had one member kicked out after it was revealed that he was on the sex offender's register for something to do with photos of his young granddaughter. What was most alarming was that a number of other club members knew about this and kept quiet. The same club had one member arrested after it transpired that he'd been repeatedly raping both of his step-children. He's probably still in prison (I hope so.)

There have been a few high profile exclusions from British Naturism, including their Yorkshire area representative a few years back. He was caught viewing child pornography in work (I think he was more of a sexual thrill seeking risk taker and taboo breaker than anything) and a raid on his house revealed an extensive collection of over 100,000 images, some of which fell into the worst classification of child sexual abuse.

The obvious appeal of naturism/nudism to someone with a sexual interest in children is a massive elephant in the room. Without training to be a Physical Education teacher (and going through all kinds of vetting) where else are you likely to get an opportunity to observe under 18's without clothes? I find it frustrating that naturism chooses to focus on a 'threat' supposedly posed to grown adults by swingers, while largely ignoring a very real threat to children.

Perhaps things are different in the US. But given that (admittedly a good few years ago) I stumbled across a 'secret' group on the Internet, detailing US nudist resorts for incestuous families, I doubt it's really that much different. The fact that many believe otherwise is down to the facade that naturism/nudism manages to maintain.

Though you're far from alone in 'othering' swingers. I used to do it myself. It's easy to dump everyone with any kind of sexual agenda into the same pile of pervs, and naturism/nudism routinely uses this tack to distance 'genuine' naturists from any impropriety. The reality is that most swingers are very respectful, and discreet to the point of paranoia just as so many naturists are. They wouldn't dare to do a lot of stuff that the pervs get up to. They would be too concerned about being exposed as practitioners of their lifestyle.

Yeah. American culture is overly obsessed with sex. I don't think it is healthy or good for society to have such obsessions.

Right. Perverted Americans.

And it's gone because of religion and patriarchy.

Sadly so...

I suppose that is why we have laws that require hygiene under certain circumstances. I am all for such laws.

Making nudity legal does not mean there would not be limitations or regulations. For instance even speech is regulated under some circumstances, such as it is illegal to yell fire in a theater or auditorium. Above I already mention the limitation that a naked person should not be doing anything with the intent of sexually arousing either themselves or anyone else. Other limitations would very likely be needed to insure hygienic protections... because some people are just idiots and/or assholes in regards to being considerate of others.

@snytiger6 The limitations needed to make general public nudity sufficiently hygienic would most likely amount to see-through clothing, Which rather defeats the purpose. All beaches being clothing optional, parks the same, probably public swimming pools but I'd want input from the managers of such. These would be reasonable options. Nudity on public transport would be both invasive and grotty. If we could limit the close contact into which people come it would probably be reasonably safe. I suspect that clothing is the easier option.

"Inappropriate"? Only by the church's definition.

What is "inappropriate", really? Society needs to get a grip on the whole "can't bear to even think about sexual reality". If society didn't have all the repressed sexuality issues, you wouldn't pop a boner when you saw a naked woman.

I think my 'popping a boner' may be due to evoloution or biology but I'm quite happy to blame the church for it, if it gets me out of trouble

Definitions of "beauty" are arbitrary and have varied from one culture to another. It is only recently, with easy world communication that that has been any general agreement. Too bad it currently centers on models with eating disorders and Photoshopped pictures that create a totally unrealistic standard of what beauty is. Nobody can maintain the current standards of beauty forever.

Naturists/Nudists in general are not so judgemental as society in general. No matter wha tyou look like, you are generally accepted. Judgements are reserved for how you act and behave and not in how you look.

@snytiger6 yeah heard that excuse countless times but I still stand by what I said

A lot of ideas from modern society came from Ancient Greece which idealized the nude body. In the ancient Olympics athletes competed in the nude. In ancient Greece and Rome clothign was more for warmth and protection than it was a sign of "beign civilized".In many cultures, although they wore clothing, thee was no shame associated with nudity. Shame for the nude body is a learned trait.

@snytiger6 clothing is actually being associated with civilised society, don't be panic,if ur daughter or sister roam arround u being naked what would u do? Will u support ? Or support them to be naked,clothing must be decent not be vulgar. Beleive or not but nudity seems good for others when a chance comes to apply it on ourseleves then tenets become change.

Technically, in some states, but not all, just beign naked can put you on a sex offenders list. In Washington State is specifically beign naked in front of children. Evidently the law makers of various states ,made the presumption, in their small perverted minds, that if you are naked then you must be wanting to do something sexual.

As many people only get naked for either bathing or sex, for many it is hard to imagine beign naked outside of one of those two contexts. Feeling ashmaed of nudity and of your body is a learned behavior, which seems to go unquestioned as to whether or not it is healthy or reasonable. Many states in the U.S. reflect the nonthinking, and blind acceptance of presumptions which are rooted in religion and religious ideas.

In the U.S. a lot of our culture still carries the religious idea that authority is nto to be questioned, especially with conservatives, and religion teaches or rather demands that people do not question their authority.

So, people are taught to feel shame about nudity and to be ashamed of their bodies, and they seldom question whether or not they actually should feel ashamed.

It's a form of cultural dysfunction.

Not strictly true these days - although it was more tolerated 40 years ago, at the end of the Franco era. Nowadays, certain beaches are designated OK for nudity, but there must be signs informing the public of the fact. That way one can choose whether to rush on to the beach or shun it.

Of course there wold have to be some regulation for hygienic purposes.

It really isn't about "seeing" people, so much as it is about personal freedom.

@snytiger6 No, it is definitely about seeing people.

I think the reasons probably vary greatly, but the majority have probably been taught to be ashamed of their own bodies, and also taught to shame other people's bodies as well, as a way of trying to make themselves feel superior.

@snytiger6 No. LOL

I think I get your point there.

As another respondent pointed out, each person should be free to choose. Laws agains tnudity are mor eaobut controlling people than they are abbout providing any actual benefit to society.

One of my favorite T-Shirts reads "If we were meant to be naked, we'd have been born that way."

Only because the Burkini was a religious statement - and publicly prominent religious displays are illegal on French beaches. In government offices, overtly religious jewellery, such as crosses, are not allowed to be worn outside one's clothing. France is fanatically secular.

@Petter too many stupid fucking cops... The burkini is not a religious garment ... It's a stupid overreaction ... But France is just slipping down the fascist lane ... No monk or nun would get arrested for wearing a religious habit on a beach ... The public nudity in this PM photo is illegal yet no cops seem to force the streaker/exhibitionist to cover up.

I love this answer.

That has been a concern of many respondents tot he question.

In nudist culture it is a given that you carry with you a towel or some other thine to sti on.

It is true that people will be rude whether or mot other pe9o0le are clothed or not.

Persons who are older and/or over weight will be denigrated whether or not they are wearign any clothes. Those who have bodies which their culture thinks is beatiful will get unwanted attention and ti will brign out the immaturatity of others.

Culturally, at least in the U.lS., we have a long way to go in terms of equality and personal freedoms. I think that the freedom of choice of whether or not to wear clothing falls under freedom of expression or freedom of speech under the U.S. constitution an dlaws that prohibit nudity are unconstitutional, in part also because they are based on religious beliefs, and also infringe on freedom of religion.

Women are still getting harassed for discretely breastfeeding their kids in public so your idea is very appealing. Breasts really are there mainly to feed babies after all.. In some cultures they are, or were, not seen as sexual, making National Geographic magazines popular reading material for American boys back when I was young.

If nudity were a common place thing it would nto be so distracting,..

In Oregon the Oregon supreme court ruled tha tnudity is a right, but the language of the ruling is only clear when a person is protesing, but uses rather grey language for other circumstances. Anyway, one thign the ruling did was make it legal to be nude on state and federal lands, but nudists are generally respectful can considerate. The unspoken rule is that you dont' go nude within site of a parkign area or paved road. This istt' law but just local custom/culture.

Nude bars--oh my...

Yest another reason to oppose religion which indoctrinates and teaches people to feel guilt, fear and shame about their bodies. I think the purpose of their doing that is to lower self esteem and self worth, so that they won't dare question church authority.

Freedom has to get its start somewhere. Why not here and why not now?

@Hercules3000 exactly! Instead of pretty colors, interesting textures, matching or not shoes........interesting & fun stuff!

In Tahiti, U understand they had to change nudity laws (they nade nudity illegal) due to American tourists who did nto understand cultural context or cultural differences who cause problems (assaulted) the locals.

Our fellow Americans are not very sophisticated, and have almost no understanding of other cultures.

You are rioght, in that due to the behavior of a few, they create laws to regulate everybody, rather than just deal with those few who misbehave.

@snytiger6 nope...didn't know that, but doesn't surprise me. I always enjoyed my time overseas, looking at the world through a different lens so to speak. I experienced some anger and prejudice just b/c I was american/military, but the ones who gave me a chance were some awesome people, and I hope they thought I was at least a little awesome too.