Discerning observer that you are, you have likely noticed that I use the terms nudism and naturism; nudist and naturist interchangeably in my writings here. Is there a real difference in these terms? Does it matter which is used at any given time? I don't think so. In the United States, naturism and nudism have very similar meanings and people tend to use the two terms interchangeably. Nudism is perhaps used with a slight bit more frequency here and it is the older of the two terms used to describe the cultural lifestyle of a person who practices, advocates and defends social nudity in private and in public. In Europe, the term naturist is the most common. If you reference the Oxford English dictionary you will find that the two words are synonymous.
Still some feel quite adamant about this subject. Some nudists don't wish to be called naturists and some naturists don't like to be called nudists. Depending on whom you ask, some will say that the terms define two different philosophies which simply have nudity in common. Those who find a difference define naturists as closer to nature and more interested in practicing nudity in outdoor settings: forests, mountains and beaches while nudists are people who practice nudity more in urban and club settings.
Not all people who practice nudity like any label at all. They don't see themselves as different from anyone else and may not espouse or subscribe to any naturist/nudist philosophy.
As you can see the usage and definition of these terms varies geographically and historically. So while in the United States, naturism and nudism have very similar meanings, in Britain there is a clear distinction. Nudism is the act of being naked, while naturism is a lifestyle which embraces nudity in conjunction with nature, the environment, respect for others, self-respect, healthy eating, vegetarianism, teetotalism, non-smoking, yoga, physical exercise and pacifism as well as nudity.
Despite the distinctions that some like to draw, I think if you can see the elements: lifestyle, harmony with nature, social nudity, self-respect, respect for others and respect for the environment, you are really talking about the same thing regardless of which term is used. I don’t really have a preference for one term over the other perhaps because I can see myself easily moving between the two definitions when a distinction is made. While I do enjoy nudity in conjunction with nature, I also enjoy the social nudity practiced within urban and club settings.
Replies
- MEMemberMar 25, 2009
Interesting....
However, my experiences have been a little different.
Having visited a good many nudist/naturist places in the US, I find that the naturists tend to be a little more on the "health" side of things. I was once asked not to drink alcohol at a naturist place, and at another I was told they did not allow smoking.
If you ask a naturist for the difference between nudist and naturist, you get quite a distinction and generally, quite an earful.
I equate it to being an amateur radio operator and being called a "CB'er". Quite a large distinction there...
Thanks
jReactReply - PH
PhilfreeeukMar 25, 2009Maybe it's because I'm in the UK, but I have always preferred naturist. To me, nudist sounds more promiscuous and doesn't help the cause. I notice newbies often confuse naturalist with naturist, so for the newbies, a naturalist is someone who studies nature and has nothing to do with us :) Phil.
ReactReply - OD
oddbutterfly1Mar 26, 2009Of the two, I guess I prefer nudism. I usually use the term "clothing optional" for most things because for me it is optional on whether I am nude or dressed...I really don't care for naturist as it is to close to "naturalist" (bird watchers) We had one lady try to join one of our groups and she said she wanted to join it as she was very avid bird watcher!!!!!!! Thinking that was a little strange we told her that it was a clothing optional group and was she aware of that. She was very surprised and respectfully declined joining after all and thanked us for telling her the difference.
ReactReply - GE
George_in_WVMar 26, 2009Someone once told me that a nudist was a person who went around nude while a naturist was some one that went around nude and talks about it.
I often use the word naturist because it does not have the negative connotation and immediate negative reaction that the word nudist has. People have to think when you say naturist.
When people ask about where I live now I tell them that I live in a clothing optional community. That is another way of getting people to think rather than come up with an immediate negative reaction.ReactReply - NUnuderunrOriginal PosterMar 26, 2009Yes it is interesting how different people can have totally different connotations when it comes to words. I’ve always been fascinated by words; their origins, meanings and usages. Not long ago I read an article which addressed the words “nude” and “naked.” While at first glance both words seem to mean the same thing as the author pointed out, this wasn’t really the case as there are subtle differences which we don’t really stop to notice under most circumstances. Both words apparently go back originally to Latin, where “nudus” meant exactly what we might suspect: nude or naked. By the time it became an Anglo-Saxon word, it was “nacod,” meaning the same thing. But in the dictionary some differences begin to show up. “Naked” has some added meanings, such as helpless, defenseless, un-aided. In the field of astronomy, for example, “naked eye” means with no lenses or telescopes. Another subtle meaning: The uncovering of that which is customarily covered, as in “a naked sword.” All of these usages seem to hint at something threatening or unavoidable. Something that wasn’t really wanted. “Stripped naked” surely has an unpleasant connotation. Nude, on the other hand, invokes a certain amount of free will. “Nudes” in art are considered perfectly acceptable by most people. There are “nude beaches” in parts of the world where people who prefer skinny-dipping to some of the ridiculous attire seen on other beaches do so unfettered, by choice. Nudist resorts and clubs are populated by those who choose to be there. So, “nude” begins to appear as if there is free choice involved, while “naked” implies misfortune or accident, or worse. I would be remiss if I didn’t also give mention to one other term, “nekkid.” A few years ago there was an award-winning novel titled “The Nekkid Cowboy.” I’m sure the title made some people want to read the book because it sounded a little bit naughty but not too much. I don’t know exactly how the Americanized and Westernized term “nekkid” relates to Latin and Anglo-Saxon roots, but I remember someone saying once that “naked” means you got no clothes on. “Nekkid” means you got no clothes and you’re up to something.ReactReply
- MC
Mary ClareMar 26, 2009Here in the US, nudist is the more common term. In Europe, naturist is more comon. But then here in the US we say wrench, England spanner; US we sun tan lotion or sunscreen, England sun cream; US we say vacationer, England holiday maker, etc. Now, for advertising to first timers, we use the term clothing optional as most first timers don't want to be around nudists which they think of as overweight aging hippies playing volleyball in meadows. I remember seeing a you tube where someone from a Florida TV station was interviewing nude sunbathers on Haulover Beach. They interviewed about 10 people and one of the questions they asked was "are you a nudist?" Every women said no, even though they were all 100% nude, a few guys said yes they were nudists. I find most Americans don't want to be labeled. They just enjoy nude sunbathing and relaxing at nudist resorts and nude beaches. MChttp://sunnyfun.comhttp://twitter.com/tcottaReactReply - MI
Miss_LindaMar 28, 2009I just like to get naked. If someone else has to label it, that's their choice.
ReactReply - NUnuderunrOriginal PosterMar 30, 2009
Understandably many people don’t care to be labeled and as some have pointed out here, there is sometimes a negative connotation associated with “nudist” and perhaps to a lesser degree “naturist”. I recently came across a very positive web site which uses the term “clothes free” when referring to nudity because as they explain on the site, it doesn't label a person in the way the terms “nudist” or “naturist” sometimes do. They mention that “clothes free” seems to be catching on as the new friendly replacement to “nudist” observing that many resorts have adopted the practice of referring to their venues as clothes free resorts instead of nudist resorts.
ReactReply - SWSwifthawkMay 8, 2009[quote]Wasn't the Crocodile Hunter a naturist? I'll get naked on the beach, but I'm not going to wrestle a freakin' alligator![/quote] lol...No, he was a conservationalist? Think I'm botching the spelling there, but he was trying to turn Australia into one big wild life preserve by buying as much land as possible.ReactReply
- MIMiss_LindaMay 8, 2009[quote]Wasn't the Crocodile Hunter a naturist? I'll get naked on the beach, but I'm not going to wrestle a freakin' alligator![/quote] Steve Irwin was not known to be a naturist. He may have been a naturalist. A naturalist is defined as "one versed in natural history, especially in zoology or botany".ReactReply
- CO
Curt, or CowboyMay 29, 2009All this what should one be called !
For me, I prefer the two most common. Either I'm called Curt, or some that know me from another context call me Cowboy.
Other lables just don't really fit.ReactReply - GE
Gerry-4Nov 10, 2009Sorry for the lateness of my arrival...
I once heard that a naturist is a "nude naturalist." Others are merely nudists.
????ReactReply - MIMiss_LindaNov 10, 2009[quote]Sorry for the lateness of my arrival... I once heard that a naturist is a "nude naturalist." Others are merely nudists. ????[/quote] You can call me someone that likes to get nekkid. That doesn't require as much explaining.ReactReply
- GA
gator1Nov 10, 2009[quote][quote]Sorry for the lateness of my arrival... I once heard that a naturist is a "nude naturalist." Others are merely nudists. ????[/quote] You can call me someone that likes to get nekkid. That doesn't require as much explaining.[/quote] Ooooh---oooooh! (Hand raised for attention) Me, too!!ReactReply - GEGerry-4Nov 10, 2009
In some of my research, I've discovered one person who said she wasn't so much a nudist as she was a free-beacher. In other words, her main interest was trying to free the beaches, and perhaps other recreational land, for nude use, rather than adopt an entire lifestyle, which is what is implied by the other terms.
ReactReply - MIMiss_LindaNov 10, 2009
I enjoy nature, but I'm not someone that lives a perfectly natural life. I like things like hygiene and a roof over my head, so naturist isn't quite accurate. I like being naked, but I don't want to wear the nudist badge. Some have given it an almost religious connotation. I am not an activist by any stretch of the imagination, so your acquaintance's title of free-beacher will not do for me at all. Explain to me again; why do we have to pin a name on this donkey?
ReactReply - ST
StephenNov 10, 2009I just hate wearing clothes. I tend to use the term nudist because I think the term naturist is philosophy of lifestyle that incorporates whole of life natural living. I'm not into that. But I reckon the term Nakedist mentioned by NudeInMA probably suits me best.
ReactReply - GEGerry-4Nov 11, 2009[quote]Gymnophile (prefix gymno - naked) has a wonderfully pedantic ring to it.:-)[/quote] Works for me. It even makes sense in French!ReactReply
- MA
MartinJan 5, 2010These two words are always a bit odd, especially when you are trying to put things in to Google.
In Europe we do use Naturist more than in the US (not naturalist, which is very different!!!), but people do understand Nudist. For us though it does have the overtones of "N U D E" which doesn't sound so good to the sensitive British ear.
Just a remark, I was recently asked if I lived in a nudist-colony!! That is a term I have not heard in years - mind you, "Naturist Colony" doesn't quite have the same ring though. ha ha (I did reply that Ants live in colonies and humans do not).ReactReply - JA
jasonMar 22, 2011if they want to be a nudist or a naturist they simply have to remove their clothing. a naturalist has nothing to do with getting naked unless by chance they are a naturist. a naturalist is someone who is educated about nature/wildlife and usually works at a park or a museum.
ReactReply - GR
GrantMar 1, 2012I am quiet comfortable with the term nudist. When I'm not wearing anything, I'm nude, so I'm a nudist, easier spoken, easy fixed and happy that way.ReactReply