All about Naturism

Student Teen Age Naturist Division
at Rhine, Frakfurt, und Rüdesheim

Home | Natural Harmony | Naturism | Links | Nudist Videos

Naturist Education foundation (NEF) section of
"Naturism (noun): a way of life in harmony with nature characterized
by the practice of nudity, with the intention of encouraging body
acceptance, self-respect, respect for others, and respect for the
environment."
This says nothing about any requirement for "multiple family nudists and
singles."

Also from NEF, from the 2000 Roper Poll:
"QUESTION number 3: Have you, personally, ever gone 'skinny dipping'
or nude sunbathing in a mixed group of men and women at a beach, at a
pool, or somewhere else? ROPER POLL OF 1,010 ADULTS

"The 2000 NEF/Roper Poll shows that one of every four adults in the
U.S. has been skinny- dipping or has sunbathed nude in a mixed-gender
social setting. Using current population estimates from the U.S. Census
Bureau, the poll suggests more than 51 million Americans have
participated at one time or another in nude recreation."

Note that the question does deal with mixed gender nudity, but says
nothing about "multiple families and singles."

From the AANR site:

"Welcome to the home page of the American Association for Nude
Recreation. Since 1931, our association has been a trusted source for
nudist information, on such topics as what to expect in a nudist club,
a nudist resort, or even from a skinny dipping experience. Nude
recreation is growing in popularity. (Over 18% of all Americans would
find a visit to a nudist club, or other clothes free experience a
highly desirable part of a vacation according to the results of a
survey reported in USA Today.) So, if you and/or your family have
considered giving skinny dipping a try, see yourself as a longtime
nudist, or would like to join a nudist club or visit a resort you're
not alone. And you've come to the right place to learn more: The
American Association for Nude Recreation."

The AANR site goes on to say, in the 'Experiences' section:

"Even if you just enjoy being au naturel at home with friends or
family, a membership in AANR will enhance The Experience and enjoyment
of being clothes-free and carefree."

It appears that AANR regards "being au naturel at home with friends or
family" to be nudism. That is, "family nudism at home" is a form of
nudism. Nudity at home with friends is also a form of nudism. Note
that nothing in that requires "multiple families and singles."

Also from the AANR site, Experiences section:

"Many who enjoy clothes-free recreation and living refer to themselves
as naturists and with good reason."

So, it appears that AANR sees "naturism" and "nudism" as synonyms.
That in turn takes us back to the NEF definition of naturism:
"Naturism (noun): a way of life in harmony with nature characterized
by the practice of nudity, with the intention of encouraging body
acceptance, self-respect, respect for others, and respect for the
environment." This says nothing about any requirement for "multiple
families and singles."

AANR and NEF would seem to be in agreement that nudism/naturism does
NOT require MULTIPLE FAMILIES AND SINGLES.

Now, let's see what the International Naturist Federation has to say.
"The naturism of the INF

"Naturism being natural, the INF-FNI seeks to promote a return to a
more natural and healthier way of life as regards health, the
environment and food.

"The INF watches over naturism, aware that the latter's universal
recognition will only succeed given strong foundations. Therefore the
naturists defined naturism as stated below, at their 1974 INF World
Congress held in Agde, France:

INF DEFINITION: 'Naturism is a lifestyle in harmony with nature,
expressed through social nudity, and characterized by self-respect of
people with different opinions and of the environment.' END INF
DEFINITION

"Social nudity constitutes an essential characteristic of naturism,
fully exploiting the beneficial effects of the sun, the air and water."

So, we see, that 'social nudity' is a requirement of INF naturism, but
nothing is said about mixed gender social nudity, and once again, there
is NO requirement for "multiple families and singles."

As I read the INF verbiage, naturism requires two or more nude people
-- and those two or more nude people can be of any gender. They can
also be of any relationship by blood or marriage, or of no relationship
at all.

Some stipulations: I don't claim that everything I've quoted is 100%
consistent. In their poll question, NEF seems to think in terms of
mixed genders as a requirement of naturism, whereas the INF definition
does not. The INF (English) definition seems to require social nudity,
but the NEF definition does not. That's interesting, because the NEF
definition (a NEF rip off of the INF definition) would include solo
(nonsocial) nudity in naturism, whereas the INF (English) definition
clearly requires "social nudity."

I should also point out that the INF site has been revised fairly
recently, that the English translation of the 1974 definition of
naturism leaves out some words that are in the French version -- which
is the official, controlling definition -- and that I couldn't find the
official definition on the French section of the INF site.

However, the site of Federation Francaise de Naturisme (FFN) at
www.ffn-naturisme.com does have the ungarbled INF definition.

«Le naturisme est une manière de vivre en harmonie avec la nature,
caractérisée par une pratique de la nudité en commun qui a pour but
de favoriser le respect de soi-même, le respect des autres et celui de
l'environnement.» XIVe Congrès international, Agde, 1974

That translates as:

"Naturism is a way of life in harmony with nature characterized by the
practice of social nudity, with the intention of encouraging
self-respect, respect for others, and respect for the environment."

The above *should be* what's on the INF site.

Note that the NEF version reduced 'social nudity' to just 'nudity' and
added 'body acceptance' to the list of what naturism encourages.

Those details aside, some conclusions are very clear.

1. Neither AANR, TNS/NEF, nor INF relies on or makes any mention of a
'cultural tradition.'

2. None of them insist that nudism or naturism include 'multiple
families and singles.' That is, nudism/naturism _may_ include
'multiple families and singles' but need not.

3. There's some apparent inconsistency as to whether social nudity is
required.

4. There's some apparent inconsistency as to whether mixed genders are
required.

5. None of them require that social activities be "ordinary" --
whatever on earth you may mean by that.

6. None of them say anything about being _intentionally_ nude.