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Should public nudity be legal?

The AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation) has the view that public nudity should be legal as long as the person is not doing anything with the intent of sexually arousing either themselves or anyone else.

The most stated reason by members is to get over "body shame", because doing so helps boost self esteem and confidence. There have been studies showing that children raised in nudist family have higher self esteem and confidence and are just generally more comfortable with who they are as a person.

On the other side there are those persons who seek out nude beaches and nudist events who have seual agendas. AANR nudist clubs don't tolerate such persons, and forcibly remove them shoudl they show up. I refer to such persons as "swingers" because they seem to fit the swinger lifestyle more than they do the nudist lifestyule

However, as a point of freedom. A freedom of expression, which does tno do harm to anyone, shoudl public nudity be legal? As atheists are nto burdened with religious mores , I was just wondering what the people here think?

I am a natuirst (nudist) and I have ridden the Portland (OR) World Naked Bike Ride, which has over 10,000 participants each year, and I have gone on nude hikes, visited clothing optional beaches

So, what are your thoughts?

snytiger6 9 Oct 18
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308 comments (176 - 200)

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1

Just keep in mind some things cannot be unseen

Right you are on that.

0

Can't say I'd be for public nudity. It has nothing to do with religion and body shaming etc, but it's rather about what's best for civilized society. Besides, there are already enough nudist colonies throughout the country, why should a certain segment of society be able to push their beliefs (nudism in this case) on others. Perhaps I feel that way because I'm an introvert and also not an exhibitionist, and when I go to a public beach etc I don't feel like being in the company of those who "let themselves out" so to speak. The current laws in regards to that are better off left as they are.

@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.

0

As someone who is very interested in looking at naked ladies I find myself conflicted. On one hand you want to show, but on the other you don’t want me looking. Should it be legal, sure. Anytime, anywhere? Not sure that is not asking for trouble.

At one time women kept ankles hidden, said it was too sexy. You adjust and get used to it. Nobody hides ankles anymore, next is breasts.It's that simple.

3

Well half of the people will always think nudity and sex is inseparable and always go hand in hand. Those same people might also think sex is an animalistic part of being a human that takes over in the presence of nudity. But if you look at the animal kingdom you will see that they are not having sex without purpose or without an invitation from the female. Animals are actually much better at controlling their sexual desires than humans. Male animals aren’t going around having sex with any female they want. The female has to invite / entice the males with a sound or visual display or by putting off a scent or by posturing. If a male animal gets his signals wrong and tries to mount a female that didn’t invite him then the female runs off or sits down and finds ways to makes it impossible to be mated.
Sex is not an uncontrollable animalistic part of humanity that is triggered by nudity. There are tons of people that have sex with no nudity and their clothes still on. So when it comes to sex, clothes being on or off doesn’t seem to matter much at all. And nudity is not a call to sex even in our animal kingdom because animals are naked all of the time but only have sex for a fraction of their time in existence with permission granted from the female. I can also say that I have seen women with certain clothes on that looked way more provocative and sexually appealing than they would if they were simply nude. Being nude is to be in a natural state. But the clothing industry along with religion has made nudity into something unnatural that shows weakness of character, of being poor and ignorant and something only a low brow person with no statues could endure.

0

Nudity really isn't appropriate for city life - too many complications . But if you live in the country or want to go nude on your holidays at the seaside, why not. It might help people be more relaxed about different body shapes.

Did you know it's legal to be without a top (women) in NY City?

@cyndiann Does that apply to men, too? Seems to me that men go around bare-chested quite a lot in hot weather. No reason why women shouldn't as well, if they want to.

@CeliaVL well yeah and that's the point. Women should be treated the same as men under the law, including being topfree.

3

I'd rather it wasn't legal everywhere, but happy to have areas where it is legal, pools and beaches.

1

Yes, It is at my house.

3

As long as there are no health & safety issues, e.g. machinery that might catch on dangly bits.

I think people whould wear clothing for warmth and protection when necessary. I just also think that if it isnt' necessary, then they shoudl have the option of whether or nto to wear clothes.

3

I am totally supportive of nudism. I grew up in Europe, where religious driven body shaming does not have the strangle hold it does here in the US. I have been to nudist camps, beaches and resorts and had a great time. But on the other hand, I don’t believe in imposing my naked body on people who’s personal sensibilities make them view the human body as something disturbing. There are entire villages in France that are clothing optional. We could use some of thos over here in the good old hung up USA, but my guess is the “righteous” for miles around would go on the warpath! ?

2

Yeah, I really don't think much would change. We have a naked parade in Seattle which is fun but we don't even have many days warm enough. I was a Bay area hippie kid in the late sixties/ early seventies and we were okay with casual nudity but most people stayed clothed nearly all of the time.

2

A more interesting question would be "Would you take your six year old child to a nudist beach?"
If YES Would you let them go naked as well?

'

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.

0

No thank you. Seeing me in the buff would scare the hell out of people.

It's not really about beign seen or seeing people, but more about just having the option (freedom).

1

I have no problems with nudity, however, if people are nude a lot of care needs to be taken to prevent getting a part of your anatomy hooked on something sharp. Not that there's anything wrong with 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.

4

Yes, but only for hot ppl. Lol

Hot is a subjective word. What I consider hot is not the same as what you'd consider hot. In reality the people at nudist clubs are the same as your average person at the mall. We aren't there to be observed by others, matter of fact staring isn't allowed. I love the nudist places because everyone is considered equal, no putting people down for not looking sharp in that bikini. I've seen scars all over, double mastectomies, and all were hot to me, just for being themselves.

3

I think there are some societies that want to have it both ways: no nudity and no burqa either. Nudity should be seen as natural, but it would spoil the magazine and porn market. If people could see nudity for free and get used to enjoying it actively and passively, the industry that sells it would go bankrupt or at least lose some of its glamour and stigma.
It would be educational too. I remember my daughters, who grew up in hypocrite Australia, getting out of the car at a German "Baggersee" (resulting from sand excavation near rivers) where everybody was naked, Everybody, not just the young and gorgeous. For about 5 mintues they were stunned and ... My elder daughter, about 15 joined in within 5 minutes ... I think my younger kept her swimmers on. Both enjoyed the swim and forgot about the nudity of others.

3

Wow I am having conflicting thoughts about this one. There are tribes of nude people and I have no problem with that but we do live in the natural world anymore and I don't think I would want to slide into a booth after someone else slid out of it for example. I mean it's all fine and good until germs get shared or bodily fluids are secreted and how could that be prevented without clothing? I think a nudist colony would be cool, that way people could have a choice but let's face it, getting hair in our food is bad enough without the risk of that hair coming from other places than the top of our heads. I would have to vote no, please no.

Only people who don't know call them colonies. We call them clubs or resorts and some are pretty fancy. Some more clues, we carry towels with us to sit on so there is no shared germs or fluids and we tend to take multiple showers a day. And since most shave pubes there would be no pubic hair in your food either. You see? We've already figured all this out for you.

@cyndiann Well I definitely know more now than I did this morning lol

@RobLawrence Right? Overstimulated! Pun intended.

0

Wow I am having conflicting thoughts about this one. There are tribes of nude people and I have no problem with that but we do live in the natural world anymore and I don't think I would want to slide into a booth after someone else slid out of it for example. I mean it's all fine and good until germs get shared or bodily fluids are secreted and how could that be prevented without clothing? I think a nudist colony would be cool, that way people could have a choice but let's face it, getting hair in our food is bad enough without the risk of that hair coming from other places than the top of our heads. I would have to vote no, please no.

In the nudist villages of France, most everyone walks around with a towel that is used when sitting in public places as well as lounging on the beach. If you want to learn more about the nudist life style there are many free videos available online. Most are not designed to be erotic, but rather educational of the lifestyle.

@Barnie2years Thanks. I did not know that.

@CreativelyMe

3

Short ansewer, Yes. ..... Why not ? It is a non issue for other species of apes.

One of my favorite T-shirts reads "If we were meant to be naked, we'd have been born that way." I especially like ht elooks on the faces of believers when they figure out what it is really saying.

@snytiger6 I must get one of those made!

@Petter I got mine from cafepress.com

@snytiger6 Thanks for the tip.

0

I remember an Ottawa bylaw that forbade public display of 'any disgusting object'. There are some things that are best left covered up.

To see any human body as "disgusting" is something people are taught to do. People do nto have a natural abhorrence to th enuman body. It is a culturally learned stigma.

What is considering "disgusting" would vary a lot from one person to another. So who gets to decide what is disgusting? People raised with bad body image caused by religion?

@snytiger6 I don't find anything aesthetically pleasing about an old saggy or fat body (and I have one). This is not to say people shouldn't be naked at say the beach where the context is appropriate. Young fit people and children can look beautiful naked. Just look at all the art work dedicated to the naked form. When my boys were little, I thought them beautiful naked. But if I had thought that someone was sexually aroused by the sight of my naked sons, I would be revolted. As a parent I would want to protect my kids from the eyes of perverts so for this reason I'm not comfortable about kids (who aren't able to give legal consent) coerced into public nudity.

3

Both scenes from the Côte d'Azur ... Though public nudity is not allowed the cops didn't stop this guy despite the fact that he was obviously not carrying his ID card. But the lady was forced by the whole riot squat to remove her Burkini. Weird planet.

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.

1

Yes.

If women can handle it.

What we can't handle are men's groping eyes and hands.

2

I would love to be in on that bike ride one day. I've been a nudist for 30 years or more. If the general population could see how family oriented mere nudity can be it would be allowed everywhere.

I've ridden in the Portland oregon World naked Bike ride several times, and it is a lot of fun. The Portlan dride attracts over 10,000 riders each year and is one of world's largest.

5

Yes but not for my dad!

I love this answer.

1

For people my age public nudity should be a felony.

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.

4

Covering oneself for modesty is a by-product of religious shaming, full stop. There is no reason to be ashamed of bodies, sexuality, or bodily processes. We are human... just an overgrown, relatively hairless hominid. We need be as ashamed of nudity as the other apes.

Clothing, when functional, makes sense. We don't have a double layer coat of fur. And sometimes it's kinda nice to have a little support and to keep things from bouncing into harm's way.

However, implementation of nudist ways, in an unprepared culture can be a bit dicey.

I can only think that the average farm-hand from years of yore was much more accepting of penises (penes), vaginas (vaginae), and sexuality in general, as the animal husbandry on an average farm would, today, make most westerners blush, if not keel over these days.

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