Is Nudism really about being nude?

Recently I have been pondering what drives a desire for social nudity. Is it some underlying desire to be an exhibitionist? Could it be something of a political statement? Could it be the child in us all who just has to do what they are told is wrong? Could it truly be simple as “it feels good”? I suspect that to some degree the answer to all of these questions is yes. I’m sure there are those who’s desire for social nudity is at least in part because they want or have some need for attention and believe that exhibiting their body is a means of getting that want or need fulfilled. Then again those who come to social nudism with these exhibitionist wants and needs are likely to find they can’t stand out be being nude in a group of nudist. There are political statements that need to be made about social nudity, but social nudity itself is not necessarily the statement. The statements need to be made in a manner that does not offend the majority of the general population. While we should have the right to be nude in appropriate places we also need to respect that non nudist also should have the right to not be offended by nudity in non-appropriate places. As an adult sometimes it is simply fun to let our inner child out to play. It seems to be that as we get older we realize we should be enjoying living rather than taken the everyday things in life to seriously. Maybe a part of the reason that there are more older nudist is simply because we have gotten to a point in our lives where we realize it’s OK to act like a kid every now and then. Perhaps this is our way of trying to recapture some of that trusting innocent of childhood. It seems that when the question of why do you like being nude is asked that there are always the predictable first responses, all of which in one way or another boil down to it feels good. While I would have to agree that being nude feels good I’m not so certain that it is in and of itself a reason for the desire of social nudism. As you read through and listen to what long time social nudist supporters have to say you can see some reoccurring observation they make. Many will point out how social nudists have a healthier acceptance of body image and self-body acceptance in turn promotes self-confidence. Another point that is often made is that you meet the nicest and/or most open people in nude resorts and clubs. It seems to me that in most textile only environments people seem to keep a lot of what they really believe hidden. I think this is in part a simple fear of being judged by others. After all it is normal to want to “fit in”. This desire to fit in could explain why small children are “natural nudist”, why adolescents and young adults tend to shy away from nudism and why most nudists are older adults. As children we have not yet formed the need to fit in that we tend to develop as adolescents. Then we get older and gain life experience that in turn adds to our self-confidence until we reach a point where we no longer worry about fitting in. Now I admit that I do not yet have the experience to say this with a degree of certainty but from what I gather from others who have more experience, most social nudist tend to be more open to others. So it seems that at least for social nudism it is not so much about baring yourself of clothing and is more about letting others see who you really are. Well I have probably rambled on about enough for now, but to get back to the title question of “Is nudism really about being nude?” My answer would be no, it is more about barring your soul than barring your body. Being nude is more of a means of communicating a desire to be open and honest with friends by showing them the level of comfort and trust you have with them as your friends. Nudism more of a philosophy and/or state of mind than being about what is not worn. On one final note, I believe learning is a lifelong process and that denning yourself the opportunity of learning from the perspective of others is a form of being closed minded. With that said I welcome any thoughts and/or comments that anyone would care to share.