Nudity is normal, right?

With the rise of social media, naturism is far more talked about than it ever has been before. Some laugh it off thinking it's just a big ol' orgy while others feel as though they have finally found their community. But as this topic becomes a hot discussion, so does the statement "nudity is normal"

When I first discovered naturism, I jumped straight into the deep end. I was my community's biggest advocate, yelling those exact words from the rooftop... NUDITY IS NORMAL! Because if nudity in intimacy is normal, why can't it be socially normal too?

After years of being nothing but an advocate for naturism, I was met with anger, words of disgust, and concern. I started to question why the world didn't see nudity the same way I did.

And the conclusion I came to was... This is the society we live in.

Yes, we could dive into religion and culture, talking about how sex is viewed as a million-volt topic. Shamed if you indulge in pre-marital sex, depraved if you enjoy it, and asking to be raped if you wear any clothing that shows skin. But I feel as though their views on the naked body speaks for itself.

So I'm keeping my focus on the countries and cultures that are lenient towards social nudity. So if the law allows it, why are we still being shamed for it?

Unless you were raised in a nudist family, many people will need time and likely exposure to help deconstruct this narrative. Parents shield nudity from their children as they themselves were taught. If that's to keep their child's mind innocent or for safety, in the mind of a parent, nudity is something to be kept private. So this is what they teach their children, and so the cycle begins. When we are taught something as sacred as our bodies is meant to be kept private and then are confronted with nudity outside of a sexual setting, it can be triggering. And when humans are triggered, they get angry, creating a narrative to suit their emotions and validate these feelings.

But it's not until a person makes a conscious decision to change this narrative of a naked body being offensive, that they will begin to accept even their own body. Because a naked body is just a naked body, not the sexual manifestation of a human being.

Next week I'm going to dive into 'coming out' as a naturist (I use that term very lightly) and how to shift peoples perspective.