Naturist4life’s Survey

Oh yeah, what about me?

I realized this morning that I spent all this time talking about my readers survey results and never shared my own. Kind of rude don’t you think? So, I wanted to remedy that first thing.

As you know, I’m a male. While I prefer the term naturist, I use both nudist and even nudie now and again. I’m most definitely not part of the swinger community. To each his own, but that is so not me I can’t even begin to tell you.

My upbringing in terms of nudity was somewhere in the middle. My family wasn’t especially religious, so there wasn’t some backwards messaging that nudity was sinful. We lived in a warm climate and weren’t rolling in cash, so dressing minimally for the climate around the house was common.  While full nudity never took place, minimum clothing certainly did. So, no one had anything against nudity, but it was generally viewed as a private activity. 

My naturist spark came from many sources — TV, movies, an occasional article in a magazine that mentioned this unknown world where people walked around nude, just living their lives. I recall a book catalogue my parents would receive now and again, that always had a nudist book or two, featured among the thousands of non-nudist books. Lee Baxandalls World Guide to Nude Beaches and Resorts, a Nudist magazine or two, and “Fun in the Sun” all stand out. They provided a glimpse of a world that seemed pretty amazing. 

My early nude experiences were nearly entirely focused on the enjoyment of simply being naked.  The vast majority were during time alone at home. I admit, they did occasionally take on a sexual flavor, but that wasn’t the driving force.  Most of my nude time was spent doing fairly mundane activities — daily chores, watching TV, building a model plane, video games, doing homework, etc…. Like many, while I had a desire to share my discovery, I kept my nude hobby very much under wraps. No one knew and that was just fine with me. 

Later in life, when I did decide to share this part of my life, I did so very selectively.  Every one of those recipients reacted positively, with encouragement and support. They didn’t mind my nudity around them and were glad that I had shared it. That said, I’m still very private about this part of my life. In fact, I’m private about all parts of my life. So, not sure why my naturism would be any different.  

In regards to pubic hair and genital jewelry, I really don’t care. To each his own. But my overwhelming personal preference is clean shaven. Tried it once many years ago and have never looked back. I do occasionally enjoy wearing some genital accouterments, more or less as a matter of style and fun.  They are very tame. Some of the things you see out there seem genuinely painful and designed to call attention to a penis. That’s, once again, not me.  They just don’t seem very “naturisty” to me.  I’d never wear anything like that among my naturist tribe.

I’ve been pretty open on my thoughts on erections so I won’t belabor the point here. I do not subscribe to the “any time, anywhere” theory. I fully understand the baggage that they can bring. I respect and largely share some concern that may be felt upon sight of a nude man with an erection. However, I find the “it never happens, if it does it means you aren’t a real naturist, you should hide it” messaging tiresome. 

For me, at a naturist venue I would only be comfortable with #2 on the dreaded 1-6 scale I provided in the original survey. However, among trusted friends, who truly know me and what I’m all about, I would be ok with all 6. 

I definitely believe erection fears are an impediment to some would be naturists. It was for me. That’s part of why I feel strongly about the subject. 

Once again, before I get eviscerated in the comments, I’m not saying it should be open season. Around some people, especially female and/or younger, I 100% get it. Not going to happen. But likewise, there are situations where it can be a non event and shouldn’t be stigmatized.

The greatest benefit naturism provides me is mental health — serenity, calm, and enhanced sense of self, my spirit. My enjoyment of nudity is nearly always naturist focused. But without shame, I can also enjoy being nude for more exciting and sexual reasons too. From my perspective, nudity can provide many emotions and be multifaceted. To say some are ok but some are wrong seems disingenuous to me. So, I don’t. It all comes down to context — when, where, why, how.

That’s about it. Like I said, producing the survey was fun. But reading the responses and comments was even better. I’ve already started survey #2, saving questions that pop into my head along the way. I look forward to that one too.