Nudism-RIP — General Discussion on True Nudists

macnudeOriginal Poster

Jul 28, 2010

Is nudism as we knew it dying a lingering death?
Having been an outspoken advocate of nudism for many years, I’m sad to say that the answer is probably, yes
We see an ageing nudist population with little interest of the young to get involved. We hear of clubs losing their AANR status because they have set aside the principals of nudism in an effort to become profitable and we hear, time and time again of yet another closing of a traditionally nude or clothing optional beach.
Is it possible to slow the slow the demise of nudism in the US or possibly restore it to the healthy status enjoyed on the European Continent?
In 1969 , then, President Nixon spoke of the “ Silent Majority”. For as long as I can remember even the most enthusiastic nudists have been the “ Silent Minority....
Admittedly, there are many, for professional or social reasons, who can not “come out” as nudists. That said; by remaining silent about our recreational life, being a Secret society, so to speak, are we not reinforcing the belief of many that nudism is a shameful, immoral activity?
The general population has so many misconceptions about the nudist life that these misconceptions can only be countered by practicing nudists speaking out and giving an accurate picture of what nudism is really about. Only with an educated public is it possible for nudism to advance and oppressive laws repealed. It is not enough to speak out on this Forum to other nudists or would-be nudists, it is necessary for many to speak out in the print and electronic media and to friends and neighbors. Publicly wearing your Skinny Dip tee shirt proudly and giving straight forward answers to any questions which might arise.is a start.
Until nudists go from being the Silent Minority to becoming the “Vocal Minority”, I can only picture a further decline of nudism

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ME
Member
Jul 28, 2010
Everything is cyclical as well as temporary in life. Nudism will always surge and regress as will the opinions and attitudes of the textiled side of society. It historical that when the economy has gone south, so do attitudes and tolerance while society focuses on the relevant needs of the majority. As this happens, an attitude of openess and acceptance also surges as the economy gets better. Whether nudism is up or down at this point, I can't say, but don't make judgements because of this site or what you hear in the news. Now more than ever, nudism is in the news, and people are at least hearing and talking about it. This is progress over the past 10-20 years.
s
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GE
Gerry-4
Jul 28, 2010
This isn't the first thread to address the demographic challenges of nudism. I already posted something similar to this elsewhere: 1) Society in general is not very tolerant of children and young people. So many of our activities and events are not child-friendly, and may even be called “adults only,” even if everything taking place is G-rated. Children can become very conscious of this and, early on, decide to set themselves apart. So if the naturist locations are full of adults, they may decide to go elsewhere, even if they, too, are adults by then. It takes a while before one realises that full adulthood has been attained. In my case, I sometimes think of 50 as old until I remind myself that I'm turning 47 this year (2010)! 2) Many of us may come to naturism sort of like coming to an epiphany. We see beauty in the movement itself and wonder how others can be so blind to what we perceive to be its inherent goodness. So many years later, we wonder why nudity, or at least female “toplessness,” is still not allowed at public beaches or city parks. Because it’s like an epiphany, adult naturists tend to remain naturists for life. Children who have grown up in the lifestyle may come to a totally different opinion. While many will be nudists into adulthood, some may just not have the same enthusiasm their parents had, and may even wonder “What’s the attraction anyway?” 3) Of course, this in itself doesn’t explain why there are fewer people frequenting naturist centres. In this case, it may be a simple matter of generations. If David Foot, author ofBoom, Bust and Echois to be believed, there were fewer tennis players in the 1990s because older people tend to go for less strenuous activities, and the peak of the baby boomer’s tennis playing days were in the mid-80s. Tennis clubs which were initially turning people away suddenly found themselves emptying and searching hard for new members. Could something similar be at play in the context of naturism? Older naturists may not be interested in going to naturist centres for various reasons: they have their own hideaway now, they no longer have to drag children along, they’d rather be nude on their own terms, they’ve moved south, etc. Perhaps twenty years ago, their situation was different and frequenting naturist centres made sense. The logical “replacements” would be their children who drag along the grandchildren. And since the fertility rate among naturists is probably not any higher than the rest of the population, new converts must be found among the textiles. To what degree is this happening?
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MA
macnudeOriginal Poster
Jul 28, 2010
[quote]If you are concerned about the decline of nudist acitvities or of it dying out from old age, why not become a proponent and sell it to the crowd you're looking for i.e. youth. Why not become a voice and speak as a lecturer on college campuses instead of coming here and complaining how your hobby is slowly going the way of dinosaurs. I know without a doubt, sociological professors would love having diverse lecturers come in and share their ideas on nudity and society. My two cents. Sit on it and spin.[/quote] Volunteering as a guest lecturer did not occur to me. I have come out in support of nudism in every other way and this would be just one more small step.. Aside from posting on this Forum I’ve been quite active in generating publicity for the AANR Skinny Dip last July 10th and granting TV and newspaper interviews on nudism. By the way, gluing model airplanes together is a hobby. Many of us consider nudism a way of life, not a hobby.
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CD
Cheri Donna Dawson
Jul 29, 2010
It definitely is a way of life for many of us. BTW, I've been lecturing at East Carolina University for a number of years to Sociology classes. I've asked a number of other Carolina school, but they don't have guest lecturers.
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RO
Roosterock
Jul 29, 2010
An organization like AANR can only do so much, but there will always be people who bitch.
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LI
LifeHappens
Jul 30, 2010
The route that is taken -- the journey, the tact and diplomacy -- must always be taken into account. A logic strain that works on one group will not work on another group. I have said this in many different forums. Most places don't want the younger generation. When they do allow those that are younger, they expect them to abide by older rules. People leave the home to get away from mom and dad's restrictive rules; not to replace them. Respect in both directions needs to be afforded and the "my way or the highway" mentality needs to be benched.
You will find that there are younger people willing to live by the established rules, but there are many more that require a new set of rules. Remember, this is the "Me" generation. The generation that was told by their parents that they can do anything they want and to not settle. A generation that will make life choices based more on happiness than necessity.
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JA
JackNeilson
Jul 30, 2010
I agree. An intergenerational dialog would be of great benefit to nudism but it is difficult to do so because of the many strictures in place. There are many roadblocks hampering younger people such as resort costs, attitudes towards singles (many younger people are single), embedded attitudes of the older generation, generational distrust, overly restrictive rules, lack of easily accessible facilities, opportunity for such a dialog and many other factors.
Re the original question I don't think nudism per se is dying but in the future I think it will evolve into a different style of nudism to that which we experience at present.
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MA
macnudeOriginal Poster
Jul 31, 2010
I totally agree with those that say that nude beaches are the answer to a resurgence of nudism in the US. The younger crowd has a problem with boredom not nudity. Consider the success of the clothing optional, all inclusive resorts in Jamaica and Mexico. Take a beautiful private beach combined with nice accommodations, excellent food, professional level entertainment, open bars and non-stop activity, the young people who can afford three to four thousand dollars for a weeks vacation will come, get nude and enjoy themselves. Chances are, having discovered how pleasurable a nude week can be they will return to enjoy nudity in less a expensive venue. The worldwide downturn in the economy has made vacations such as this even less affordable for most. Those that live in close proximity to a nude beach should consider themselves very fortunate. However, do not become complacent assuming that what is there today will be there tomorrow. Many existing nude beaches are not “legal” as such but merely unenforced, subject to closing by the pen stroke of an administrator. Do you know of a single elected official who would support nudism if they felt it would cost them a single vote? The original post, if you read the lines and between the lines addressed the idea that it is not enough to enjoy the life or depend upon others to preserve it but that more individuals must step forward in countering the distorted views that many hold regarding nudism. About a year ago, I learned that a nearby beach upon which I had spent several enjoyable days sunbathing nude and skinny dipping on was to have the states anti-nudity laws enforced. This beach had traditionally been clothing optional. This upon the complaint of one individual. Apparently the large signs stating “Nude bathers may be encountered beyond this point” were not enough to keep he and his children from encountering nude bathers. I set out to determine if any thing could be done to get the enforcement order rescinded. It was suggested that I contact the head of one of the national nudist .organizations, who shall remain nameless.The conversation went something like this. “Hello, this is Art Johnson. It was suggested that I contact you regarding the closing of the traditionally nude beach on Bird Island.” “Yes, we are aware of the situation and arewatchingit closely.” “ I was hoping that you could give me some ideas on how we could get this order rescinded.” “We are keeping aclose eyeon this.” “Yes, but what can be done to get this order rescinded?” “Not much. You’ve got to getsome people.Six, maybe twelve people.” “Then what?” “Form a committee.” “Then what?” “Get the people, six or twelve people.” “Thank you for your time. I’ll be in touch.” Recognizing the futility of going down the street soliciting my neighbors to join me on a committee to restore a beach sixty miles away to it’s former status of clothing optional, I began posting comments to the news story and encouraged groups local to this area on TN to do the same. This in hopes of stimulating enough interest in the story that the TV station might follow up and even pressure the County Board, somewhat. Thanks TN members who did respond. Next was a very polite e-mail to the County Board suggesting that, maybe, the enforcement order was not in the best interest of the County. There was no response to my e-mail. In short, no progress was made. We can hide in the sand dunes, sunbathing but still risk arrest if we wish to skinny dip in the ocean. Meanwhile the national organization is keeping aclose watchon the situation.All in vain? No! At least I have the satisfaction of knowing that I had made the effort. On a more positive note: an e-mail which I sent to a local paper prior to AANR’s Skinny Dip resulted in a very nice story on the event. It’s all a matter of striking the right chord in the right place at the right time. Link to the beach story.http://www.wwaytv3.com/no_birthday_suits_just_bathing_suits_bird_island/04/2009
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LifeHappens
Jul 31, 2010
[quote]For our sister Cheri:BTW,Vita Nudais a major AANR outreach to young'uns.[/quote] FYN (Florida Young Naturists) as well.
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macnudeOriginal Poster
Aug 2, 2010
Here is a link to a video upon which I and others spoke out for nudism at the skinny dip record attempt. Sorry, I tried to isolate the video to make it easier but it can be viewed by following these instructions. Click on link below, go to page bottom (arrow on right) and click on it twice til you see "Nude Lifestyle" and click that and watch 2 minute videohttp://videos.thesunnews.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=16447496
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MC
Mary Clare
Aug 2, 2010
I've been a long time nudist and own a nudist resort. I've heard people say for decades nudism is dying blah, blah. blah. Well I looked online. Time magazine had an article titled "Modern Living: The Decline of Nudism." You would think, that article supports Nudism-RIP. However the Time magazine article is dated July 19, 1971 !!! Yes that is not a typo. Almost 40 years ago Time wrote about the decline of nudism. Here's the link:http://time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,905385,00.htmlJust like all businesses, the cream rises to the top. We are an extremely successful nudist resort, yet others are struggling in California. Laguana del Sol is extremely successful as is Cypress Cove and as are many other nudist resorts and campgrounds. Yet places that have not kept up with improvements are suffering and going out of business. That's the nature of business, nudist or not. People go back to nice places and won't at not so nice places. They vote with their wallets. Just because a run down nudist park goes out of business does not mean "the sky is falling" on nudism in general. Everyday of the week, we have newbie nudist couples stay at our resort. And they all love it. Yet, I also hear from guys who call or e-mail saying they took their wife/girlfriend for their first experience to a beach or resort that wasn't nice and now she will never go to a nudist resort again. It's a tough business owning a nudsit resort as newbies assume all places are the same in quality, which is not true as everyone knows. Running a nudist resort is much tougher than running other businesses. Anyway nudism is doing find and expanding at nice places. I am not worried about Nudism-RIP. MChttp://sunnyfun.com
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CA
caster1
Aug 2, 2010
We stay at a small hotel-resort complex on Sanibel Island every year, only 30 rooms. Unfortunately it is not clothing optional even though the entire inner part of the complex including the pool area is screened from just about everywhere.

Tcotta, being as you own and operate a nudist resort, what would you see as reasons not to have such a place clothing optional? Maybe even for only a few weeks a year?
There are parts of the year they do not book up, we and maybe 2-3 more are sometimes the only couples there for a few days during mid week.
We absolutely love the place due to its intimate setting, going somewhere with hundreds of guest isn't our thing, clothed or not.
Seeing the pictures of the pools at nudist resorts so crowded is one reason we choose not to even visit them.
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MC
Mary Clare
Aug 2, 2010
Hi Caster,
I learned long ago you can't please everyone. We are very popular and busy 7 days a week. There are a few other nude places in Palm Springs that work hard to get people to want to stay just for Saturday nights at their places. Although most nudists are social and love our resort and other popular places as they get to meet other people from around the world, there are some nudists who don't like our resort as they like the feel of having no one else around. I tell people it's like restaurants. If you serve good food at great prices you will be very popular. The other places aren't.
The reason that small hotel you write about doesn't go clothing optional is probably the owners do not know the business and are afraid of scaring away the textiles the otehr months of the year. We have been open 15 years. You have to work hard to be successful in the nudist business as so many people who consider themselves nudists do NOT support the nudsit industry, AANR or TNS. We have watched 14 nude places open and go out of business, file bankruptcy, get foreclosed on, or be forced to change hands due to economics in the time period we've been open in Palm Springs.
If you don't know the business you will lose lots of money.And I'm talking hundreds of thousands, not small change.
You could approach the owners of that hotel and say you will lease it from them for a month or so and see what they say. But you will learn, you are not the target market as you can not pay your bills catering to people who don't like to go to resorts that are popular. You will have to change your own attidude and have to enjoy meeting new people to be successful
MC
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MA
macnudeOriginal Poster
Aug 2, 2010
It seems as though the point of the original post has been lost. The general public still holds some of the same distorted views of nudism as were held more that forty years ago. I was working with my club at that time to promote nudism. This at a time when it was difficult to place even paid advertising.
True, we have a friendlier press and electronic media but until more nudists are willing to step forward and declare that nudism is a wholesome, enjoyable activity, nudism cannot advance.
Nudism has evolved and must continue to evolve to remain viable. When nudism is understood by mainstream America, it will grow. The onus is on the individual nudist to make this happen.
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OH
ohnudist
Aug 2, 2010
I agree that nudism tends to the older crowd and its hard to get younger people involved. I have seen it at the few resorts and clubs. But I do hold hope in that we have always been able to meet at least one younger person/couple at a club or resort. While younger people don't have the money to go to clubs or join the organizations, at least some places do offer a discount for college aged people. I do get disappointed that are not more young people at the clubs, but we attended the AANR Midwest convention at Fern Hills this weekend and we surprised at the number of people under 40. At least a quarter of the people - and there were several hundred - were younger.
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caster1
Aug 3, 2010
We're had a few people that used to come over to our pool quite a bit stop coming since they found out my wife and I are nudist. Even though we've always been in swim suits with them there.

One woman showed up unexpected without her spouse, I just happened to be in the pool nude when she and my wife came in. She did see everything as I got out of the pool with her there.
I asked before getting out, she was fine with it so I did, dried off and got dressed.
She mentioned this to her spouse, now neither comes over to use the pool. She says that's not the reason but we were given no other explaination.
We see them elsewhere and they do still come over, but they never come to any pool events.
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MA
macnudeOriginal Poster
Aug 3, 2010
[quote]Publicly wearing your Skinny Dip tee shirt proudly and giving straight forward answers to any questions which might arise.is a start. I have just starting doing just that when going shopping. Jim[/quote] Glad to see you among those making the statement that nudism or skinny dipping is fun and not a shameful activity. Here's hoping that you receive the same positive reactions that I have experienced.
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MC
Mary Clare
Aug 3, 2010
Macnude,
You are so right. Nudists have to step out of the closet and proudly proclaim they are nudists. However, I feel nudism is gaining mainstream respect like California and Florida. Our our local Magazine can pick us as one of the 3 best small resorts in Palm Springs and if Haulover has become the most popular beach in Florida, it says something for the mainstreaming of nudism.
MC
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MC
Mary Clare
Aug 3, 2010
Hi Camper,
I agree with your comment about swinger clubs opening and nudist clubs losing all their business. I've seen it happen here in Palm Springs. We've stayed very busy after a swinger/sex club opened 4 years ago where other places haven't.
You can't appeal to both markets, it has to be one or the other to be successful.
MC
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MC
Mary Clare
Aug 3, 2010
I agree about wearing skinny dip or club t-shirts when you go out. We always wear Terra Cotta Inn Tee shirts when we are out. And allt he local cashiers and shop owners know that we own a nudist resort. We only here positives.
People have to step out of the closet.
MC
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CD
Cheri Donna Dawson
Aug 4, 2010
So true about the TN situation. I was thrilled when Donna & Danny decided to reopen Cherokee as a genuine nudist park. That place is pure relaxation.
There is also a park in the SC upstate that has its issues. Happily Travelites (my club) has lots to do and great places to visit and very shortly, we'll have a pool and bunkhouse to add to the amenities here
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Gerry-4
Aug 4, 2010
Just in case you didn't know about this article:http://www.nudistday.com/article/where-are-the-young-nudists.html.
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macnudeOriginal Poster
Aug 7, 2010
[quote]Just in case you didn't know about this article:http://www.nudistday.com/article/where-are-the-young-nudists.html.[/quote] I read the article with interest. It confirms the idea which I have had that the young have no problem with being nude. They do, however, have the idea that to be enjoyable life must move at the pace of “Grand Theft Auto”. Is there any way for resorts to attract the faster paced generation? First, involve the young in formulating ideas on how to attract their age group. The input may be surprising. It may run the gambit from installing Wi-Fi, a video game arcade, trusting them to use cell phones for texting not pictures, a dance contest on the pool deck, A Nintendo WII competition to something as simple as an open area to toss a football around. This is far afield from the original idea that nudist must speak out and more aptly belongs in a“Attracting Youthful Nudists” thread. Then again, if the young spend a day at a resort and have a wonderful time, are they not more likely to share this with their peer group than are those with an established social or profession life? I
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CD
Cheri Donna Dawson
Aug 7, 2010
[quote][quote]I think the point I'm trying to make without picking nits, is that AANR doesn't represent nudists or nudism. Only members. TNS, represents all naturists through the NAC whether they're members or not.[/quote] Yes, only AANR members. Approximately 50,000 NUDISTS. Approximately 265 NUDIST Clubs and NUDIST Resorts.[/quote] NAC is a separate arm and doesn't share TNS membership records. NAC is the arm that helps when issues are at hand. Bob Morton, Exec. Dir., does a good job but Nicky, Judi, Debbie, etc. are the TNS backbone.
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