This was submitted by valued members of Naturist Family Network, Mike and Becky.

Why Naturism?

I choose to be a naturist because it means freedom. Freedom from the labels placed on us by our means of dress. Some dress to impress, some dress to be accepted by others, but most dress because they are either ashamed of their body or fear that they will be looked down upon and labeled a pervert by others. Of course, dress is necessary for protection. Protection from the weather and hazardous work.

Thousands of years ago, man wore animal skins as protection from the elements. When weather permitted, they were nude. But when one saw that another had more or better skins than him, they tried to out-do him. For those that follow a more spiritual path, God gave Adam and Eve skins to wear and thus began the better-than-thou way of thinking. But, again, man preferred to be nude.

Have you noticed as I have that when I do have to put on clothes, I don’t think about what they look like, I just put them on. I also find that layers of clothes just multiply the uncomfortable factor. A pair of sweats and a jacket are much better than underwear, T-shirt, wool pants, shirt, sweater, vest, and jacket.

Naturism means to me that I can live my life they way I want to. Being nude means I don’t have to fuss with clothes; to spend hundreds of dollars on clothes that just don’t fit comfortably. The ability to get up, shower, and go on about my business without worry of what to wear. But most of all, I finally meet people that are interested in me, not who I try to pretend to be. When you look at a group of nudists, you don’t see who is rich or poor, who is trendy or chic, nor who is flashy or plain. I try to be nude every chance I get and find that more and more I dread putting on clothes for any reason.

I have found that being nude helps me to relax and rid myself of the hassles of the day. It clears my mind to enjoy life! It’s effects on me I believe are excellent therapy for those days I feel a little down and depressed. If I have an important decision to make, I’d rather do it while nude. Makes me wonder if it could help those textile individuals relieve their sorrows without the use of drugs. Maybe even good for our youth seeing that there seems to be a rise in ADD cases.

At first I was reluctant to inform people that I prefer being nude. But lately, I feel that it is my life and I will not hide it. Yes, I cover up when there are people around who don’t know or more importantly don’t understand naturism. I don’t force my nudity on anyone. I will however encourage all to experience it for themselves because deep down, I believe everyone would rather be nude.

The extreme nudists that push the envelope are needed. I believe I should be able to attend any nudist function and be able to be nude on my own property. But to further our lifestyle, the envelope has to be pushed. I am not the type to push, but I commend those that are. But, when someone does push the envelope, it should be done tastefully and with a purpose.

I truly believe that “anti-nudists” are the people that are perverted. The only reason they are against nudity is because they can only see it as a sexual thing. I repeat, they can only see nudity as sexual. As I said before that everyone deep down inside wishes to be nude, those that are against it cannot see past their own sexual tendencies. The guys fear they will become aroused and thus seek satisfaction while gals fear that it would be an invitation to have sex. Maybe even fear that they will give in to their suppressed sexual offender feelings that they have successfully kept in check.

Naturism is good for the earth too. For example, we use less electricity for A/C and there are less factory emissions from textile production. I think the earth itself knows this because it is experiencing global warming. That means that clothes will become even more cumbersome and thus unnecessary in the future.

Yes, I prefer to be nude. My only question now is “Why not naturism?”