About ten days ago, I posted a crazy-ass rant that was spawned by a conversation with a naturist friend about “Jello-Shot Nudists,” referring to the party atmosphere one is likely to encounter at most nudist places in the United States, especially on a holiday weekend. (SEE: What Kind of Nudist are YOU?) Long time readers will recall that we, The Meandering Naturists, have had the good fortune of visiting naked places on six continents, motivated in large part by an effort to find a place where our (now grown) children would feel at ease on a family naturist vacation. But now, since the pandemic has set in, we’ve turned our sights inward to rediscover social nudity in America. In doing so, we’ve come to realize that nearly every naked place has a different character about it and a unique community that resides there.
This blog averages about 1500 hits a day for a total of 2.5 million hits since we launched back in 2012. If you count our followers on social media, there are about 30k of those, even after Instagram dumped my profile there with an additional 14k followers that vaporized into the ether. All that to say that this survey was largely inspired by my own curiosity as to who is reading the blog? And what kind of information are they looking for? In the best case, I might find a few new naturist friends who share some of our personal preferences for nude recreation, while in the meantime, learning more about my audience will inform future blog posts in the desire to advocate for social nudity in a way that helps people find what they’re actually looking for. Maybe I can even dispel some of the myths along the way.
Full disclosure: There is nothing scientific about this survey. In fact, it was meant to be a fun exercise for participants willing to click through and tick a few boxes. Several commented they “didn’t fit into any of the prescribed categories,” but that wasn’t the point. Nobody does. I was just looking for a bit of data as to how people think about themselves when it comes to nude living and/or recreation. The most helpful responses were those where people ticked several boxes, then left a comment to provide a bit more insight to connect all the dots.
The survey ended up drawing responses from 256 participants in 28 countries, with just over half (132) of the respondents residing in the United States. I found it interesting that I only had two replies from France, the international capital of naturism. I’m considering translating the survey into French and posting it on a French naturist board, if only to see how French perceptions of naturism differ from those in the US and UK. In the meantime, I suspect nobody would be surprised to find comments like the following to be common amidst all nationalities…
Unfortunately, I am the only one in my family that is a nudist. And I'm kind of a closet one as well. My wife knows that I like being naked but has no interest herself. I go out nude in our backyard at night to go in our hot tub quite a bit. I also go to a nude beach along a local river and a clothing optional pool when I get the chance. I would be nude every day if I could. My "family life" kind of keeps me from being able to.
With that, Below are three dropdown banners that provide a redux of what I learned from this project, at least about the people who were brave enough to click through and hit submit. The first report tells you where the respondents were from, the second tallies the tick boxes indicating how participants identify their own relationship with nudity, and the third is a list of comments from those who took the time to provide them. (I tried to protect anonymity by providing only first names and country of residence. If I included a comment from you that you’d like taken down, just let me know.) Here you go…
Who responded to the survey? (click to see results)
| Country | Participants |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 1 |
| Australia | 18 |
| Bahamas | 1 |
| Barbados | 1 |
| Belgium | 10 |
| Canada | 18 |
| Croatia | 1 |
| Czech Republic | 1 |
| Denmark | 1 |
| France | 2 |
| Germany | 2 |
| India | 1 |
| Ireland | 4 |
| Japan | 2 |
| Mexico | 6 |
| Netherlands | 7 |
| New Zealand | 3 |
| Philippines | 1 |
| Poland | 4 |
| Russia | 1 |
| South Africa | 8 |
| Spain | 4 |
| Sweden | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| Thailand | 2 |
| United Kingdom (UK) | 22 |
| United States | 132 |
| Uruguay | 1 |
| TOTAL | 256 |
How people identify themselves with social nudity... (click to see results)
| Jello-Shot Nudie Crowd – “Woo-hoo. Let’s Party!” | 42 |
| Wine-Foodie Naturist Snob – “A room with a sea-view, puh…leaze!” | 69 |
| Life Until Death Nudist – “Hey! It’a a naked place – GET NAKED!” | 115 |
| Yoga-Wellness Guru – “Ooooommmmmm…” | 44 |
| Naked Sunsetter – “Shuffuleboard match is when?” | 48 |
| Friends with Benefits – “Our place… say, around midnight?” | 33 |
| The Family Naturist – “Hey kids, we’re goin’ on NAKATION!!!” | 50 |
| Nude Volleyball League – “I was born to run naked.” | 43 |
| Casual Skinny Dipper – “Swimsuits in the hot-springs? Eww!?” | 112 |
| Naked at Home – “Who needs pants when you’re working from home?” | 191 |
| The Newbie Nudist – “So what, exactly IS a nudist colony?” | 23 |
What naked people are saying… (click to see results)
| Comment: | Name: | From… |
|---|---|---|
| Only naked at our private pool with the wife. She’s super comfortable but no one else has joined us yet. Will do a beach or resort one day. | Adam | United States |
| Back yard/patio hot tub with friends | Adler | United States |
| I’m finding that I prefer to do naturism outdoors with or without people. But that I also like to do stuff ie be active rather than just be naked for the sake of it. That said, for most of the year its too cold in northern england and therefore I take naked evenings in front of the TV. | Alan | United Kingdom |
| Normal activities nudist. Do what you would do anyway – but(t) naked. This is possible in public places in Spain as protected by the 1978 constitution – but, sadly, means having to don clothing outside shops and removing same on leaving, similarly on public transport or when in any *private* spaces unless proprietor has consented to nudity. | Alan | United Kingdom |
| Since there are not many options near us we have ended up visiting a couple of lifestyle resorts. We have made good friends and have found some common ground so even though we do not share their lifestyle I guess we are “lifestyle friendly”. That is why I included Friends with benefits. | Alex | Mexico |
| The “nude when possible” nudist. For me, due to living circumstances, I can’t be nude all the time at home, but definitely go nude when it’s possible. (Ie. Mother-In-Law and Brother-In-Law aren’t home) | Alex | United States |
| Well, not good at team sports, and knees to old to be a naked runner, even though I was born to run naked”: can I be a naked hiker as often as possible? I’d say I’m a “naked on the internet” guy. I have no need to post 5 naked selfies daily; but much time as I spend naked at home, I live in a neighborhood in which I’ve begun to mow my lawn wearing a kilt and work boots — and suddenly the city police start driving by suspiciously often. I’m paranoid enough to take a hint, if it seems like there’s a hint. But there is a confirmation of identity that comes in being seen naked even by others who may have no intention of being themselves seen naked, but who don’t disapprove of my being naked. So I have no objection to being seen naked on (for instance) Twitter — just to show that, yeah, I’m a guy who does get naked more than in the shower or the privacy of my kitchen. Naked ZOOM calls with other naked-getting-folk have their place. Much better than the city jail. | Allen | United States |
| Love getting naked outdoors, alone or in company, when the weather allows. Being in the UK is what restricts my naked time. Not a member of a club in the UK due to cost, and when the club sites are open. The closest naturist club to me is only open weekends, but I work at weekends. | Andrew | United Kingdom |
| Member of local landed and non-landed clubs. Raised our kids as nudists at home and at the clubs. They are grown up now but we remain. Favourite activities are dinner parties on summer nights at the local club. Nude at home most of the time. | Andrew | Canada |
| I would fit into another category – THE MATTER OF FACT NUDIST. These people don’t usually refer to themselves as a Nudist or Naturist. For them, being naked is just another state of dress, or an optional dress code, when the situation calls for it. More often than not, they’ve lived that way since childhood and it’s a normal aspect of daily life to them. What’s the point of wearing clothes on a hot day during a hike through the mountains or along a river trail, or through the forest? Swimming costumes? What are they? Why would you wear anything to swim in? These people don’t usually belong to any nudist club and seldom visit resorts. They don’t see the point in spending huge amounts of money just to take your clothes off! | Andrew | New Zealand |
| As an active advocate for normalizing nudity through an online presence and participation in urban public nudity, THE LIFE UNTIL DEATH NUDIST probably best describes me. However, I balk at the depiction of being judgmental of others: “ ‘…then you’re not a real nudist!’ They sometimes get frustrated with ‘recreational social nudity,’ suggesting that we’re not really optimizing the opportunity to normalize nudity’ ” I get that a survey needs to be simplistic, but I see this as fairly snarky. [Editors Note: Snarky indeed! But I DID try to be equally snarky in all categories, hoping to simply get people to self identify while participating in a fun survey. 🙂 ] | Andy | United States |
| Jello-Shot? If I ever have the energy, I’ll check it out and let you know. Pre-Covid habits: Naked at home 24/7; wine-foodie when have the chance; nude yoga/exercise when fits schedule; nude beach when feasible; ‘benefits’…. I like ‘strictly social’ with a ‘benefits’ area in a tucked away corner you’d likely never notice if nobody told you. But most events I attend have no ‘benefits’ area. I can elaborate on any of these if you like. Will def become a Naked Sunsetter if I ever get to retire… | Anton | United States |
| Living 24/7 nude – only clothed when law/nature required | Ashley | Australia |
| Came to this too late in my life, and as such, it is probably my Largest Regret. Now, despite a reluctant spouse, I strive for Any opportunity to enjoy the freedom of nudity. I also passively support any actions that encourage naturism in today’s youth here in the United Stated. Keep up your support of this activity as well. | Barry | United States |
| I choose the Life Intil Death Nudist, because I’m nude as much as possible. I think (and I fight for) that being nude must be legal. But I don’t think that someone is not a nudist when they aren’t nude 24/7. | Bart | Belgium |
| Whilst my wife is happy to sun-bathe naked on the beach when we are on holiday, she is not willing to be naked at other times or places. Consequently I am thwarted in my desire to join a naturist club or join other activities whilst naked. So, I would fit “The Frustrated Naturist” classification. | Bill | United Kingdom |
| Would like to find other naturist s to travel with. Love all places I have been to but want to go to others. | Bill | United States |
| 5K runner (really speed-walker) twice a year. Pre-pandemic we made 2 or 3 trips per year from our home in San Antonio to Valley View Hot Springs in Colorado, a couple to Star Ranch in addition to their 5Ks, plus sneaking out of our suits in the local lake. Since the pandemic, pretty much just home nudism. Thank goodness for a secluded backyard, a hot tub, and +/- 10 months each year of nude-comfortable outside weather. | Bill | United States |
| Trail hiking, and wilderness camping! | Billy | United States |
| My wife and I have been “official” nudists for about three years. I’m in my mid 50’s, so I guess that makes me a Boomer. Kids are getting ready to go to college and we are really looking forward to more nakations. We have so much fun when we visit nude resorts. The laughs keep us going until our next trip. We’ve met some great people and have made new (Nude) friends. I’m new to your website, but I’ve enjoyed it do far! | BJ | United States |
| I got introduced to social nudity at Bagby Hot Springs (Oregon) by a customer who invited me to join his family for an all night soak at the hot springs. I became a hot tub addict – Naked of course. Later I discovered via a gal who worked for me Common Grounds in Portland (owned by a chiropractor who used it with his daytime practice) that was clothing optional (but 95% of users were naked) – two large 16 person hot tubs, one common changing room and a communal shower room. It was convenient to go there at night but expensive at $15/ hour. East West massage College had a common fence and gate being back to back neighbors and the instructors offered massage services on the second floor. I became their weekend custodian coming at closing time and often soaking until the wee hours of the morning. | Bobby | United States |
| Been a nudist for years. Have meet some of our best friends in nudist places. Enough traveling with them and getting together for good meals and good times, movie night, game night, etc. | Bruce | United States |
| Naturist/Nudist is generally the same to me. Yes there are differences, but they are personal. Helped build the growth of 5 Naturist resorts around the world, and 1 national Naturist organization. Been a Naturist for 40+ years, have noticed changes in myself and attitudes inside and out of Naturism. | Bruce | Thailand |
| Sailing, boating, skiing, snorkeling, hiking, outdoor recreation etc. Naked in Nature! | Bryan | Mexico |
| There wasn’t a category for it but I’m naked at home every day outside in the back yard or pool, but only when its warm. | Chad | United States |
| I kind of feel like there is a more passive type missing. Similar to Casual Skinny Dipper but more as just another aspect of daily life. We generally prefer being naked but it isn’t a daily driver. We visit the local club frequently just to be in a place where it doesn’t matter and simply relax for a while. I could see us one day becoming that Naked Sunsetter but we are not there yet. So for us, Naked at home, sure. Family naturist, sure though kids are older now. More than just casual skinny dipper. Probably will always be a nudist but life until death nudist seems extreme. I like nude yoga but not really a wellness guru. So yeah, feels like a middle ground is missing. | Dan | United States |
| You missed beach nudists. I’ve been a nudist for 40 years. Home nudist mostly theses days, beach when I can. No landed clubs here like in the US otherwise I’d move to one. Can be nude at my daughter-in-law’s when we visit. | Daniel | Mexico |
| Closet Nudist! A person who goes to a nudist resort or nudist beach once in a while or gets naked at home when alone but not with their usual friends or significant other. | David | United States |
| With a non-participating spouse, my activity options are limited. My best experiences have been getting naked in wilderness hikes, so I might be considered a more activity-prone nudist despite the fact I cannot get out as often as I want. | David | United States |
| Many who really enjoy nudity are often constrained by unsupportive family or areas where it is not acceptable. When vacationing it is always to a nude resort, and certainly in the house and yard, but socially it is limited. Love the lifestyle, just can’t get there at the moment. | David | United States |
| For the most part my wife and I semi-practice social nudity in Florida at Blind Creek or Haulover nude beaches, but we live in TX. Of course we have a hot tub and swimming pool which we enjoy nude at our home but we don’t host nude. I checked the family naturist box even though we don’t have children our vacation dollar is usually spent on a nakation. Great article as usual! | Dayne | United States |
| Can’t stand wearing clothes, they are so uncomfortable. | Dennis | United States |
| Not sure I understand all of the categories above, but I’m a naturist first and foremost, it has to be cold for me to dress, so most days, whatever I’m doing will see me naked…cooking and baking, cleaning, working at my desk (I’m a volunteer for British Naturism), relaxing in the sun or watching tv. | Donna | United Kingdom |
| I have been a naturist since my teenage years. I am 46 now. I am happily married and my wife (and my friends) know about my natural habit. I do find as much time to be naked in my house when she and her kids (my step-kids) are not here. She isn’t a naturist at all but appreciates how I feel about it. I have a somewhat athletic body and have lost almost 20 pounds in the past few months. I like the body I am in and love to shed any article of clothing at any given time at home. When the sun goes down during the summer months I like to walk around my private back yard and also take a midnight skinny dip in our huge above ground swimming pool. It’s difficult to plan my naked time when she is home, but she works for months on end about 8 hours from me in GA (I live in VA) so I have the house to myself for a couple weeks before she comes back to visit. Off with the clothes as soon as I get home from work! It’s liberating also gratifying to be ‘in my own skin’ as I call it. Even my close friends know my habit and have joked about visiting me and ‘making sure I put pants on’ when they arrive! Some don’t even care. They’ve seen me in the buff already! 🙂 Anyhow, I love your blog and look forward to more entires. Happy Naturing! | Dylan | United States |
| I love the feeling of nakedness and the beauty of the human body | Edgar | Mexico |
| “I like to live naked in every moment and situation that I can. When the weather permits it at home I am always naked, I like nude hiking, the beach, campsites and nudist complexes and we usually do tourism visiting nude beaches of the places where We also usually get together friends and nudist families to spend weekends together enjoying social and family nudism. Nudism for me is a way of life, my philosophy of life. “ | Eduardo | Spain |
| Can you add some other categories? There are definitely high maintenance nudists and I fall under the category of ‘stop being a dumbass nudist’ nudist, or you could also call it ‘I hate stupid people’ nudist | Elaine | United States |
| How many naturists are really exhibitionists / voyeurs that get some sort of satisfaction from nude activities? This may include or exclude social activities, swinging, etc but may reflect a deep seated repression or social inability in smaller groups or with individuals. Suntanning ! exposure to vitamin D. Lots of us live in northern climates where clothes are required except for a few very hot days in summer. Being exposed to the sun is healthy. | Eric | Canada |
| I am naked whenever possible. Loved when everything shut down last year and I had to work from home, I didn’t wear clothes for 3 months! Well, except to go shopping…. Great site, keep up the good work | Eric | United States |
| My default state is naked – I only wear clothes to pretect me from cold or harm. And (unfortunately) when society expects me to be clothed. (I choose the third option, because there is no choice “other”) | Erik | Netherlands |
| All-day, all occasions naked | France | Marc |
| Difficult to say. Most of my nudity is in the backcountry where there’s either nobody else around or nobody that far off the beaten path would care. I could go visit resorts and spas and a couple of beaches but they are all far away and my wife isn’t interested. OTOH, I also enjoy very public nudity like WNBR and Bare to Breakers. I suppose you could add “Married but Solo” to your list. And “Freehiker.” And “Clothing Optional.” At one time or other I’ve been several of these. Unless you’re born to it, everybody is a Newbie at one time. Been in the Jello-Shot Nudie Crowd, Friends with Benefits, Family Naturist, Casual Skinny Dipper, and Naked at Home all at different times and different places. Also been up on a stage in front of an audience and in front of art classes. I am not sure what I’d consider myself right now. I dread the thought of becoming a Naked Sunsetter but I suppose that’s the inevitable course of things. | Fred | United States |
| Hi You met me at Cambium… 24/7 nudist / naturist. Every place I can get away doing it … ! Open to all true friends..! Since I was a teenager ! | G.A. | United States |
| The Reluctant Nudist is willing to be nude for their partner. Left to themselves, they would be dressed. They find ways to enjoy themselves at a resort, beach or party but don’t take a lead role in nude activities. | Gary | United States |
| I’ve been participating in nudism to some degree for probably 30 years or so (I’m 52). I have never been to a nudist club, and really don’t have a big interest in doing so. I very much enjoy going to natural settings where nudism is allowed whenever the opportunity presents, and I am naked at home at least a few hours and at least a few days per week, but hanging out at a swimming pool or clubhouse doesn’t appeal to me very much. I don’t know how many other nudists are like me in that respect, but I would say that I’m a kind of nudist not mentioned on your list – “The Nature Lover Nudist”. That term has stuck with me from an experience I had as a kid. My father and I were walking along a trail down to a fishing spot and a naked man passed us going the other direction (this was not a nude beach). I was a bit shocked, but my father calmly kept walking and merely commented, “Well, he’s a real nature lover!”. | George | United States |
| Your categories are too restrictive. Weather prevents me from being naked 24/7/365, but I’m naked more often than just the weekends. Also I help organize social nudism events (Sundays or weekends) and was a founding member of the INF-FNI-affiliated Federación Nudista de México, A.C. | Gerardo | Mexico |
| “So This IS A Thing” always wore pants to work, disliked shorts, LOVE my kilt, always liked sleeping naked, now mostly “Naked at Home” and recently trying nude camping on resorts ❤ , sort of “Casual Skinny Dipper” but swims only to keep from drowning. Generally uncomfortable naked when others are not. Will likely always have tan lines. Considering “Naked Sunsetter” for the future | Glenn | Canada |
| My first experience with social naturism was in 1986 when I was 21 at Birch Acres (Berkshire Vista). I joined ASA (AANR) the following year through them. I was able to visit several clubs even though I was a single male. I married in 1993 and we moved to Oklahoma the following week. The first week we were here we visited Oaklake Trails which was her first naturist event. By the end of the day she wanted us to join which we did. Five years later we started to raise our son as a naturist with visits to OLT; ask Gary to tell you the story of the club looking for him. Sadly, she passed away 4 years later, about 9 months after we moved onto some acreage. When I remarried a few years later, my adoptive daughters didn’t take to naturism and I eventually dropped our OLT membership. However, my new wife and I got to enjoy the nude lifestyle at home complete with pool, hot tub, and outdoor shower, so only the social aspect was missing. We’re now becoming empty nesters with two out of the three out on their own. | Glenn | United States |
| I’ve slept naked for decades, but only recently came to accept social nudism. Thanks to the Biblical Naturist and My Chains are Gone, I came to understand what the Bible really says as opposed to what many teach. I have adult children living at home so being naked at home is difficult. When at the cottage with my wife I’m naked as much as possible. There, mosquitoes and deer flies are the biggest impediment. | Han | Canada |
| The MeetUp (as in app) – usually used by a non-landed club to schedule events (bowling, hiking, game night, etc.) The Cruiser (Bare necessities cruise line) – we just recently started going on these cruises and are totally surprised that we love them may have gotten hooked on them | Harold | United States |
| Naked whenever it Is possible | Helmut | Germany |
| We also enjoy being in the presence of other naked people. | Ian | Czech Repulic |
| Nudism is liberating, especially when raised in a strict clothed society. It also ensures body-acceptance. It nears the top of the list of interests but living alone, and now 83, it is rarely socially exercised. I cherish your blogs. | Jack | United States |
| I love your blog and want to remind you that we’re also connected on British Naturism! | Jake | United States |
| I like to share my nude life with other naturists, but it is difficult at here in Tokyo. Also, I am Single Male Naturist, so that I am sometime not welcomed against Groups. I hope to visit abroad naturist areas after CORVID-19 getting better. | Japan | Byung-kyu |
| You seemed to miss weekend nudist. We’re looking at relocating to Tucson and I’m hoping to check out Mira Vista and join if I can get my wife over the hump. | Jeff | Canada |
| Although we’ve been going naked for a while, we haven’t found our groove. I think we need to make more friends. | Jim | United States |
| I’d say I’m 2/3 Volleyball league, and 1/3rd casual skinny dipper, while sleeping nude at home year round. Also, as far as the nudity and sexuality thing, I’m not completely asexual as many AANR nudists seem to prefer. I would have liked to hug and kiss my girl at the nude resort just like I can everywhere else without getting kicked of the place. It can really throw a wet towel on what should otherwise be a relaxing destination to express ourselves freely at. | Jim | United States |
| Judging by the people we used to see sailing naked, I think nude boating is a very popular activity | Jim | United States |
| If I do something that is usually done in a swimsuite I prefer it to do it without swimsuite if possible. For example I prefer a nude or CO spa resort and not a spa with swimsuite mandatory. Being naked is not the primary objective, the activity and its context is. For example : why would I start cooking, hiking, playing volleybal, eating, yoga, walking around, … naked? Such activities are neither done in a swimsuite, so why would I do it in my birth costume. | Jo | Belgium |
| I hang out in a couple of groups that are generally non-comformist, or hippie-like, or spiritual, or alternative lifestyles…difficult to categorize…but they seem to enjoy an afternoon in the sun, a sweat/sauna, a swim, hot spring without clothing. Do as you may, stay nude, or get dressed again, is the attitude. These are people that came of age in the 60’s and mostly younger ones that seem to fit in, continuing that attitude. Not just a “wellness guru” type. Live and let live, with passion for new alternatives and experiment. | Jon | United States |
| We tried a very highly spoken of resort, it was not for us. Two main reasons, as soon as we pulled through the gate we encountered the same male we had issues with at the beach, “reason we went to resort for more security”. Second was it felt like a retirement community, “in which my wife and I both feel the older generation is to judgemental and stuck in thier ways” did not see any others our age any other families. Long story short we decided to be more of a home nudist and enjoy our land and home,and go to the beach once a year. | Justin | United States |
| Nudism/ naturalism is a lifestyle choice. It has made me feel fitter and younger. With no body hangups anymore. | Keith | Australia |
| We attended our first ANF nudist convention over 40 years ago. Unfortunately the Church convinced my wife that it was a sin and I was left to enjoy the lifestyle by myself much to her disdain. After separating 3 years ago I started re-living this lifestyle immediately and only ever wear only shorts when society dictates. All my family are aware and are happy with my decision. I have also been introduced to a lady with similar views and we are enjoying life. | Keith | Australia |
| I suppose I’m one of many who have an accepting partner but she does not want to be involved in social nudism – in my case due to her body acceptance issues after a mastectomy with a tram flap operation (you’ll need to look that one up). So I go to beaches, BnB’s, resorts when I can but not as much as I like as I do not want to rock the boat at home in my personal life. My nudist travels are only about twice per year these days. I’m not sure whether its me feeling guilty about her saying goodbye to me as I head off to the hills to be with other nudist people or its her having body issues about her naked body or perhaps all intertwined. Anyhow the not rocking the boat works for best for me but I would really love to explore the nudist recreation areas more fully in Australia as we have the diversity of places that cries out for us to be at one with nature. Just my thoughts ……. | Kevin | Australia |
| Naked Environmentalist-I do beach clean-ups twice a year at Collins Beach in collaboration with SOLVE, a foundation that does litter cleaning all over the State of Oregon. Keep the beach clean for all the trips I make during the rest of the year. | LA | United States |
| We’re naked each & every day, all day. The only time we dress is when leaving CC, if we too cold OR if we need to cover up because of insects. I don’t care for like labels because they devide us into groups (nudist/textile). I simply prefer to be without clothing unless it’s really necessary for protection. | Larry | United States |
| I think you did well with the categories, and including the casual nudists is awesome. We go to different clubs 2-3 times a year (cypress cove next week) and very rarely wear clothes when in the house. We have found in our years of travel there are also half and half couples as we call them where only one will be nude, while the other although clothes is happy to be there and just as nice. | Larry | United States |
| A regular person who just likes living naked. | Leigh | United Kingdom |
| Luxury naturist, enjoy being catered for in a place like vritomartis. Or nakation in nature but with luxury of fully fitted cabin | Marcus | Netherlands |
| Get a cup of coffee or glass of wine and see my story at http://www.chatbocks.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=7445&sid=1d1dcd962a1a2b41acb8deb35e1bd423 or (more narrative style, edited) at http://sunnydaynew.atwebpages.com/frnd025a.html . I had a vac/nakation all planned out for last June/July, which included a couple of nights at Birmingham’s Clover Spa, most of a week at Finca Natura (Valencia) and visits to C/O beaches near our timeshare in Fuengirola; the rest of the time would have been family visits and textiled. I hope one day to get to France’s Atlantic coast, based on your writings, or perhaps Leucate. Travel would have been as environmentally sound as I could make it – KLM from YYC to AMS, then TGV in Netherlands – France – Spain. Now time shifted to 2022 or later. I’m 78, and I want to see elderly relatives in the UK before its too late! I do enjoy your reports and discussions; food for thought in cold/clothed times. | Mark | Canada |
| I guess the with volleyball league gang, 5K nude runners, nude fitness and gym, with the skinny dippers, Beach activity’s Surfing, Body boarding, and snorkeling. I enjoy them all! 😎 | Mark | United States |
| i only love to be so | Medhat | Belgium |
| I really enjoy walks (hikes?) in nature, whether alone or with others. Île du Levant was/is excellent for this. Trail walks leading to pools of warm ocean for swimming. Perhaps this falls into the “wellness” category, but without the yoga and the Ooooommmmm. | Melvin | United States |
| When the sun shines let’s go outside for breakfast! | Michael | Ireland |
| Gardening…sitting out with a book | Michael | Ireland |
| Naturist? I love hiking as well as just simple beach time. I don’t need to be doing something (eating, drinking, hitting a ball, swimming, etc.). Nude hiking and beach walking are both incredibly meditative for me. Stress melts away. There is no involved thinking – part of the Buddhist in me. 🙂 | Michael | United States |
| For now I’m at home nudist. I do research of other resorts that I want to visit when the warmer gets here. At this day in age I’m not getting any younger. Been trying to figure out how I can my goal to live and work in a nudist community. If I was to reach this. I’m a happy man! | Michael | United States |
| Loner walker in countryside and river home and garden | Mike | United Kingdom |
| Enjoy(ed; before Covid) Nude cruises. Met many long time friends on Nude Cruises (Bare Necessities). Not into the “Lifestyle”. Have a private backyard pool in the Desert (PS area) and enjoy having nudist friends over for swims and meals. Had a GREAT nude beach (San Onofre Trail 6) 15 minutes from our house in San Clemente, but CA State Parks Dept. closed it down around 2010. Made our decision to spend more time at our DSR Condo in PS and eventually move to the desert from the beach after retirement easy. We have a lot of wonderful memories of this beach and if it was still a Nude beach, we probably would not have moved full time to the desert. Very sad that one prude Director of State Parks came in and spoiled so many people’s recreational enjoyment. It is really too bad that there aren’t more public options, but a few spoil it for the rest with their behavior. That will probably never change. | Mike | United States |
| I think it would be better if you limited your definitions to what we ARE and not what we are NOT. While I like to be naked 24/7 at home, promote nudism through social media, and frequent naturist resorts, I never call out anyone for not practicing it all the time. Nudism, for me, is a belief system. So, while I lean toward “Life Until Death Nudist” I don’t feel like the label really applies to me. Also, why am I forced to pick something when none of these apply? Please add a “does not apply” option. [Editors Note: The categories are not really intended to be “labels,” but simply an effor to figure out who’s out there and what they are looking for. Most people did the mix and match method!] | Nick | United States |
| Not enough choices in how often question – we’re not every , but not in a club, and don’t have a lot of nudie friends , but we are naked quite often at home and on the beach. So we’re somewhere in the middle of the choices I guess. | Nicko | Australia |
| I think that’s all that apply. I think a lot of them can be interchangeable. I’m sure there aren’t many people who just fit into one category. I’m also sure some nudists would like the fact that I admit to being a “friends with benefits” nudist. I just want to be completely honest. | Patrick | United States |
| This is a great project, it’ll be interesting to see how the demographics shake out. I hope you get a lot of responses. | Paul | United States |
| Naked Pickleball – very fun! | Peter | Canada |
| I would add Rebellious workaholic to the list. So commodified, restrained, monitored, uniformed etc that one is just sick of it and is desperate to shed the work straightjacket. There is much more to the health aspect whether it is emotional calming, self body monitoring, health monitoring of one’s naked friends, body reattuning to temperatures and humidity, better breast health, vitamin D from sunshine, and waking to the myriad sensations that our bodies provide when not encased in textiles. I even suspect that our body bacterial flora is different than our neighbors who are sweating without good evaporative cooling. Just a start, but isn’t naked waaay better? | Peter | United States |
| I’m mostly a homenudist with a non- participating spouse. We have enough privacy and non-interferring neighbors to be naked in the backyard. I will do an occasional vist to a nude beach or resort. | Peter | United States |
| I used to be a closet nudist I was nude whenever I could but didn’t tell anybody about it how’s the closet nudist probably from the age of 15 all the way up until about 40-45 and I just didn’t care anymore what people thought | Ray | United States |
| In Newfoundland, Canada don’t have nudist beaches. Gotta find a nice hideaway beach to get naked. Needs more nudist friendly beaches and indoor activities during the winter months too | Raymond | Canada |
| Sun, sea, sand & sangria – the way nature intended. | Ré | Ireland |
| Due to the close knit communities I’m part of – I would call myself Closet nudist- select few know. Just wish there was more opportunities locally in Philly area too. Beaches/mountains/Bodies of Water is where I usually get naked. Hard to enjoy if I’m worried about the law. | Richard | United States |
| Well, to me it’s simple. Why would you wear / need a swimsuit when you there’s no reason for one? It fits with progressive scene, ecologically living, empathy, etc. | Rick | Netherlands |
| Unfortunately, I am the only one in my family that is a nudist. And I’m kind of a closet one as well. My wife knows that I like being naked but has no interest herself. I go out nude in our backyard at night to go in our hot tub quite a bit. I also go to a nude beach along a local river and a clothing optional pool when I get the chance. I would be nude every day if I could. My “family life” kind of keeps me from being able to. | Rick | United States |
| My wife probably falls into the “casual skinny dipper” category. She’s also “nudist friendly” (a term I believe I’ve seen you use before) in that she’s fine with me being naked at home but her own home nudity is usually reserved for sleeping nude or nude hot tubbing/swimming/sun bathing in our private backyard oasis. She’s also willing to accompany me on an occasional nakation to a wine-foodie naturist snob resort (think Club Orient before it was destroyed) but probably wouldn’t nakation of her own accord. | Robert | United States |
| Just a comment on Naked at Home. Even though I’m a newbie, I’ve gone to the extent of putting up a privacy screen on my front balcony, who wants to put pants on to bbq a burger! Also, I’ve found a small corner of my backyard where I can “tan,” even though my one neighbour makes a point of seeing if I’m nude or not! | Roman | Canada |
| I want to be a full on nudist but my wife doesn’t. She don’t even like being naked. Any tips that could help change her mind? | Roman | United States |
| Solo nudist who enjoys outdoor nude social activities. | Scott | United States |
| being naked | Seamus | United Kingdom |
| So I’ve always slept naked and have been working out clothes free for 6 years and new nothing of the naturist lifestyle. I went to my first event (Parrot Head) last year. The music, activities and people were awesome!! I was hooked. I earned a membership at WPNR-NC and enjoy a visit at least weekly. | Sniderman | United States |
| Getting older now like to relax naked don’t travel as far or party as hard but still nude up whenever and wherever I can. | Steve | Australia |
| My partner and I are in our early 50’s. Our kids have left home and we spend a lot of time naked at home. We have a network of naturist friends both online and in real life, and get together for social events about once a month. We also spend some weekends at a naturist park in the warmer summer months, but not to the exclusion of other normal activities in our lives. None of the options you have provided really suit our situation. We both are comfortable in our bodies and enjoy the warm sun on our skin. We are naturists, enjoying non sexual nudity when and wherever we can, but not defined by our naturism or pigeon-holed into any pre defined category. | Steve | New Zealand |
| The only time I get dressed is when I have to leave the house | Steve | United Kingdom |
| I’ve gotten my significant other involved also. | Steve | United States |
| I’m more often a nudist in the summer since it’s usually too cold during the other seasons in Vermont, but I try to get out to one of the three places I listed above at least 2-3 times per month from June-September. I also don’t wear clothes at home if it’s warm enough, but I’ve never hosted a nude party although the idea has occurred to me and I may eventually. | Steve | United States |
| I would be a member of a naturist resort or group if my wife would come too, but she is too shy. | Thomas | United States |
| I am looking to get out more this year | Tim | United States |
| I really wish my friends were willing to at least TRY going to a nude campground or gathering. But I’m thankful for the people I’ve met at such places and for welcoming me into their group. | Tom | United States |
| Australia is great to be a nudist We are blessed with the weather here in Western Australia 👍👍 | Tony | Australia |
| Good weather naturist | Tony | Belgium |
| Hiking nude – a passion, alone or with others, no matter! Done this in many countries but Pyrenees are my favourite. Beach visits when possible, but secondary and only if convenient. WNFH suits me perfectly! I only (partially) dress for online meetings, but most now are audio only due to connection issues, so I don’t bother with clothes most days except for outdoor exercising. Looking forward to reading the results All the best, Wally | Wally | United Kingdom |
| Naked rambling. | William | United Kingdom |
| I AM MORE COMFORTABLE HANGING OUT WITH MEN MORE THAN A MIXED CROWD. NUDISM IS NOT ABOUT SEX, BUT I AM MORE COMFORTABLE WITH MEN THAN A MIXED CROWD. | WIlliam | United States |
There were a few comments that jumped out at me, noting that 33 respondents ticked the box for “Friends with Benefits,” suggesting that either they didn’t read the actual post with the descriptive narrative, or that the naturist community is a bit more sexually liberated than the literature wants people to believe. One reader responds…
I'm also sure some nudists would like the fact that I admit to being a "friends with benefits" nudist. I just want to be completely honest.
Actually, I really appreciate the candor of such comments, especially in an age where norms related to sexuality are evolving, but the “traditional nudist community” can’t muster up the courage to have that conversation. While that doesn’t reflect our personal preference, I don’t think naturists are doing themselves any favors touting the strictly asexual qualities of nudity. Not everyone thinks that.
And yet another perspective, a reader from Mexico brings a similarly upon-minded, but different perspective to the table…
Since there are not many options near us we have ended up visiting a couple of lifestyle resorts. We have made good friends and have found some common ground so even though we do not share their lifestyle I guess we are “lifestyle friendly”. That is why I included Friends with benefits.
That’s fair game!
On the other end of the spectrum, I was pleased to see 50 participants say they are family naturists – nearly twenty percent of respondents, noting again that there were only two responses from France. (I suspect that number would be well above 50% in France.)
We also usually get together friends and nudist families to spend weekends together enjoying social and family nudism. Nudism for me is a way of life, my philosophy of life.
Yay for that! Again, long-time readers know that promoting family naturism has been a big deal for me! Seems there may be a few more fans out there than I thought.
Given our experiences at various naked places, I was surprised to see that “Wine-Foodie Naturists” beat out “Jello-Shot Nudies” by nearly 2:1! (69 to 42) Though to be fair, some people placed themselves in both categories. That checks out.
Luxury naturist, enjoy being catered for in a place like Vritomartis. Or nakation in nature but with luxury of fully fitted cabin.
Finally, I doubt anyone is surprised to find out that a whopping 191 participants confessed to being “Naked at Home,” perhaps reaffirming all the claims in the press that the pandemic has produced a whole new generation of people who started questioning the value of wearing clothes to work.
I should reiterate that about the only thing I can take from this exercise is a sense of who is out there participating in social media looking for real information about social nudity, whether that be places to go or simply how to get started. As for me, I’ve started including a banner at the top of each new trip report in an effort to help newbie and veteran naturists might identify a place where they’ll likely find what they’re looking for. That’s the best way I know to advocate for normalizing naturism in the long game.
Thanks again to all of you who participated! It was super fun to read and tabulate your responses!
POSTSCRIPT: Eleventh Hour Update
The author of Naturistplace Blog just posted a really interesting analysis of the original survey, the results as they were reported above, and the explicit or implicit conclusions that might have been drawn from all that. He had apparently submitted a comment that didn’t drop down through the automated embedded form, but I think his words are thoughtful and accurate, so I’ll add and highlight them here…
The whole idea of trying to fit people into boxes seems rather uncool. Personally, I’d call myself an eclectic naturist. I can enjoy being naked either alone or in a social setting where nudity is acceptable. Could be a beach, naturist park, camping or hiking in the woods, a small home party, organized event, yoga class. WHATEVER. The point to me seems to be doing something I enjoy and being naked at the same time. The categories you suggest seem rather retro and stereotyped. Last thing I want is to be stereotyped. And I think that’s something especially unappealing to younger people (35 and under, perhaps) who haven’t really decided just who they are yet. You know, the general public already has a stereotype for nudists – and it is not flattering. To quote Maya Angelou, “I am a human being, nothing human can be alien to me!
All Fair points. And agreed, stereotyping is certainly out of vogue in 2021. Though if I were going to address that point head-on, I would have to say that our experiences with nude recreation in the United States have largely fallen victim to retro, stereotypical expectations – with few, but meaningful exceptions. We have found that particularly surprising given to progressive attitudes about social nudity in Europe, and the forward looking ideals of groups like Get Naked Australia. By and large, the US is a bit stuck in the nudist colony paradigm, and since this blog seeks to help people discover social nudity in an environment they find pleasing, it’s better they know what they’re likely to find before they get through the gates and drop their clothes.
Naturistplace Blog is one of my favorite resources on then web when it comes to catching up on clothing-optional information, and I welcome the author’s review and observations. That said, I hope readers of this blog found the survey more entertaining than annoying! At the very least, I hope it caused readers to ponder for a moment why naturism is important to them. As quoted above: “I am a human being, nothing human can be alien to me!”
That pretty much drives it home! 🙂
I am an afro american male living in France. I enjoy nudism and would love my family to join in (not the case) but would love to enjoy meeting others.
Thanks for doing this.
My pleasure. Interesting project! I really might make it an annual thing.
I think it is entirely possible that there are as many nudists types as there are nudists. You can slice the pie up many ways or make as many slices as you want and you’ve still got the same pie. Maybe it is because we are not a unified culture that we aren’t particularly effective politically or in drawing in new nudists.
I think there are a significant number of casual nudies who can’t be bothered to identify as such or to join any kind of organization.
Hahaha… I guess it’s time for me to go back to writing school? 🙂 I keep trying to reiterate that the survey was intended to be a fun exercise as a broad sweep to find out who’s out there and what general preference trends are, while culling a few comments that will provide a bit more insight into attitudes about social nudity. “Slicing the pie” is only useful as it pertains to helping me formulate future trip reports to the intended audience. (If I think of myself as a Wine-foodie guy, I may not want to spend the weekend at a Jello-Shot place! We actually experienced that more than once last summer.)
As you and I were talking on the trail, I think the old paradigms for organized nudism are on the ebb, but the alternatives for losing your clothes and hiking into the wilderness are on the rise! And I THINK there is a growing tolerance in many parts of the country for that kind of thinking, as we also experienced on the trail. I don’t think social nudity is going away – it’s just evolving into something else!