Issues in social nudity

Ethical Naturism vs Recreational Naturism is a concept first introduced by Stéphane Deschênes in the April 2011 episode of The Naturist Living Show Podcast.[2] which attempts to create a taxonomy that classifies the various types of naturists/nudists.[3] Ethical Naturists are described as seeing themselves as part of a philosophy with ethical and moral aspects while recreational nudists are simply participating in a leisure activity that involves nudity.[4]

Public nudity in England and Wales is permitted anywhere provided it is not done with the intention to cause harassment, alarm or distress.[5]

Naturism was excluded from the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (SOA) for England and Wales, under Section 66. Police and the Crown Prosecution Service were not adequately informed, and any report of nudity was then prosecuted under Section 5 of The Public Order Act 1986, which was created to deal with people who joined in riots. The Equality Act 2010 afforded Naturists with a protected status and use of the Public Order Act route was defeated in the courts in 2013. British Naturism felt police officers needed to be better informed, and after having discussions with the senior police officer in the College of Policing in April 2018 mutually satisfactory wording was agreed, and the resultant preamble and "decision tree" for dealing with complaints about public nudity has been uploaded to the Police Training manuals.[6]

Some laws target naturism. In the U.S. State of Arkansas, nudism is illegal beyond the immediate family unit, even on private property. It is also a crime to "promote" or "advocate" nudism.[7]

Street photography at some public mass-nudity events, such as the World Naked Bike Ride above, is the norm.

The American Association for Nude Recreation issues a (US specific) photo release form to allow people to give permission for the publication of photos of themselves or their children.[8]

As of 1998, many naturist and nudist clubs had few young members.[9] Reasons for this decline include parents being concerned about the possibility of false accusations or suspicions of child abuse by those who are unfamiliar with non-sexual nudity. In the United States, Child Protective Services (CPS) may investigate even if no laws have been allegedly broken. Although such incidents are rare among its members, the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) has an attorney on hand to assist. Many private nudist venues require that one or both parents, including absent parents, be consulted regarding the documentation of their minor children. This may also include situations with partial custody, stepchildren, etc.[10]^:216

Samoan girls, c. 1902

Organized social nudity usually attracts more people of European ethnic backgrounds. This may be due to it becoming a social movement in Europe, before spreading to other parts of the world. Other reasons include the fact that most resorts are located far from the cities, and have done little to promote themselves to those of non-European ethnic backgrounds.[10]^:307

If someone is from an ethnicity whose recent ancestors had no problem with public nudity (parts of Africa, Asia, pre-European Americas, Australia, and the Pacific Islands), it might be thought of as being "primitive" by modern standards, and lacking in social status. (i.e. "Only the poorest of the poor would go about without clothing.") This contrasts with the more Western attitude that nudity and sexuality are somehow related, but nonetheless causes them to shy away from social nudity.[10]^:308

In the early days of naturism in the U.S. (1930s-1950s), the rules at many resorts stipulated that when conversing, you must only look at each other face to face.[10]^:162

In the 1960s and 1970s, nudist royalty pageants and "Miss Nude" contests were held by some naturist clubs in the US and Canada. The former were open to men, women and children and were judged on the basis of audience applause, while the latter were typically open to women aged between 18 and 30 and were judged by panels drawn from the local community, businesses and the media as well as minor celebrities.[13][14]

Smith and King pose the following points in their 2009 peer reviewed paper entitled Naturism and Sexuality: Broadening our approach to sexual well-being:[15]

• Mainstream naturism relies on discriminatory and dishonest practices to manage sexuality, which limits the diversity of the naturist population, and presents an image and culture that lacks integrity and transparency.
• Naturist environments can offer unique public spaces to explore sexual feelings and experiences that may be repressed or limited in conventional public spaces and sexual relationships.
• Mainstream naturism may pathologize (i.e. treat as psychologically abnormal or unhealthy) those who enjoy the eroticism of nudity.

The world's largest naturist resort at Cap d'Agde in France is nonchalant about erections.[16] The American Association for Nude Recreation suggests covering the waist with a towel, lying on one's stomach, or going into the swimming pool.[17]

Males of the Awá, an indigenous people of the Amazon Basin, hunt nude except for a piece of string tied to the end of the penis.[18] This is used to conceal the foreskin of the penis from females, which is considered taboo in communal settings. The penis is normally held upright just below the navel by a string worn around the waistline.

• Smith, Glenn; King, Michael (2009). "Naturism and sexuality: Broadening our approach to sexual wellbeing". Health & Place. 15 (2): 439–446. doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2008.08.002. ISSN 1353-8292. PMID 18926761.
• JustLuxe (16 May 2013). "What Really Goes On Inside Nudist Resorts". huffingtonpost.com.