Taking the Plunge – The FAQ on Nudisim from the REC-NUDE Newsgroup

1. Naturist Etiquette

These are some generally accepted rules of Naturist Etiquette.

o Stay Out of the Dunes and other environmentally sensitive areas.

o Obey Parking Regulations and other posted rules.

o Help With Litter – bring along a trash bag. Carry out more litter

than you create.

o Don’t Go Out of Established Nude Areas. To wander nude into a

clothed beach or parking area will offend many.

o No Overt Sexual Activity. Leave exhibitionism to those attending

clothed beaches.

o Respect the Property of Others.

o Ask Prior Consent For Photography.

o Privacy Is Fundamental. Many are at a club or beach for quiet time.

Body language should tell you they don’t want to be disturbed. It’s

not wrong to look for new friends – but it is rude to intrude when

you’re unwelcome.

o Come Prepared. Bring beach supplies: beverage, food, sunscreen,

towel. Mooching is not a cool way to make friends.

o Speak Up for Standards. Don’t let some newcomer who doesn’t

understand the situation or our values cause trouble. Instead of

doing a slow burn, go talk, politely but firmly, to the couple

starting sexual activity, the can-tosser, the wanderer into the

dunes.

This list comes to us courtesy of the Naturist Society.

2. Taking The Plunge

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably interested in trying naturism

for yourself. Here are some tips for making your first naturist

experience as painless and enjoyable as possible:

2.1. Find a site

The best way to do this is to find an organization in your area and

ask for information. The readers of rec.nude can be of great

assistance in this area, as can parts II and III of this FAQ, as well

as the Site Reports FAQ

.

(NOTE: This sites FAQ is presently out of date by several years.

Due to the availability of information on sites from localized support

groups, the internet, and various commercial publications, this FAQ

appears to have been abandoned. DMK – 1-Jul-02)

When contacting an organization by mail, remember to include a self-

addressed stamped envelope for the reply – it’s polite and saves much-

needed funds.) As we said earlier, you might prefer a private facility

for your first time – or you might not. It’s up to you.

2.2. Don’t go alone

If you’re married, by all means take your spouse. If not, take a

friend of either gender. You can go alone if you want, but you’ll

probably enjoy the experience a lot more with some companionship.

(Also, you should know that some private naturist facilities will not

admit single visitors – generally, this policy is applied to men more

than to women. And many facilities frown upon one-half of a married

couple attending alone. These are old attitudes which are starting to

change, but they remain in some cases.)

2.3. Review Naturist Etiquette

Naturism is built on respect – for fellow naturists, for non-

naturists, and for the environment. Naturists have a few simple rules

of etiquette; read them, and remember that the respect is mutual. See

“Naturist Etiquette” above.

2.4. Come prepared

Bring a towel, a good sunscreen (SPF 15+), reading material,

sunglasses, food & beverage, etc., especially if you’re heading into a

remote area. You will not want to dress to return to your car, so make

sure you don’t forget anything! (And remember to take your trash out

with you!)

2.5. Allow plenty of time

You’re not going to want to leave! So it’s best to devote a day or

more to your trip. Give yourself time to enjoy the experience!

2.6. Make sure to pay fees, obtain permits, etc.

If you’re heading into the wilderness of a national forest, for

example, you may need a Back-country Permit. Don’t let legal

technicalities ruin your enjoyment.

2.7. Relax!

You are about to have one of the greatest experiences of your life!

Don’t worry about it!

When you arrive at your site, you should make yourself comfortable.

This may mean not removing all your clothing at once. That’s OK. Just

make sure you’re comfortable and that you appear comfortable. Relax

and enjoy the experience – don’t be tense and edgy.

Once you are comfortably nude and enjoying yourself, it’s easy to be

friendly and approachable. Don’t just sit off in a corner by yourself

– walk around, chat, etc. If people don’t want to talk to you, you’ll

notice, but a lot of naturists are very friendly and enjoy meeting new

people. Go for it!

Congratulations! You’re a naturist! (And it didn’t kill you!) Do you

see how good it feels? You’re already making plans to come back,

aren’t you?

3. Naturist Glossary

Following are some terms, abbreviations, and other things you might

run into in your naturist experiences.

AANR

American Association for Nude Recreation .

A national naturist organization of North America.

ADMIN:

“Administrative”. Put in the subject of rec.nude messages to

indicate that the topic is administrative – discussions about

the newsgroup itself, rather than discussions about naturism.

These posts are supposed to be kept to a minimum. See also

“RNEO” and “ObNude”, and the What is RNEO? topic in part 0.

ASA

American Sunbathing Association, the former name of what is now

“AANR”.

The Bulletin

The monthly publication of “AANR”.

Canuding

Canoeing while nude, a popular naturist activity.

CCBN

Central Council for British Naturism

A national naturist organization of Great Britain.

.

CO “Clothing optional.”

ENG

Eastern Naturist Gathering. See “Naturist Gathering”.

ESA (a.k.a AANR-East)

Eastern Sunbathing Association. The eastern regional subdivision

of “AANR”.

FANR

Florida Association for Nude Recreation. The Florida regional

subdivision of “AANR”.

FCN

Federation of Canadian Naturists . A

national naturist organization of English-speaking Canada.

FQN

Federation Quebecoise de Naturisme. A national naturist

organization of French-speaking Canada.

FKK

Frei Korper Kultur. A German term for naturism.

IMO, IMHO

“In My (Humble/Honest) Opinion”.

INF

The International Naturist Federation, an international

organization of national naturist organizations (e.g. “AANR”,

“TNS”, “FCN”, etc.) INF’s member organizations serve a

majority of the world’s nations.

MSA

Midwestern Sunbathing Association. The midwestern regional

subdivision of “AANR”.

N Nude & Natural, the quarterly magazine of “TNS”.

NAC

Naturist Action Committee

The political action arm of “TNS”.

Naturalist

One who studies nature. Although naturalists may be

“naturists”, and vice versa, the two are not fundamentally

related. Asking naturalist questions on rec.nude will make you

look silly, unless they are also naturist questions.

Naturist

See “Nudist”.

Naturist Gathering

(as in “Eastern Naturist Gathering”) One of several annual

regional meetings of naturists organized by “TNS”. Three or

four are typically held each year (one in mid-winter, the rest

in summer), in various parts of the country. Naturists converge

at these events to meet, greet, participate in activities,

listen to talks, and have fun.

Naturist Festival

Often regional meetings of naturists semi-sponsored by national

organizations but otherwise organized by local or regional naturists.

NEF

Naturist Education Foundation

The educational arm of “TNS”.

NIFOC

“Nude In Front Of Computer”.

Nudist

See “Naturist”.

ObNude

“Obligatory Nude”. Used by some rec.nude readers to introduce an

on-topic statement following an off-topic statement.

RNEO

Rec.Nude Eyes Only. A spam defeating acronym. When placed at the

beginning of a subject line it allows readers to easily locate

on-topic messages. replies under “RE: RNEO….” It may also be

used in conjunction with news program filters or search services

as an aid to locating topical material in the newsgroup.

(Removed from the FAQ file 1-Jul-02)

SO Significant Other. A spouse, partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc.

SWSA

Southwestern Sunbathing Association. The southwestern regional

subdivision of “AANR”.

Thong

In naturist parlance, a G-string style swimsuit which exposes

the buttocks. Wearing only a thong is the next best thing to

being nude, in some naturists’ minds.

TNS

The Naturist Society . An

international naturist organization based in the United States.

Topfree

Lacking a top. What a non-naturist calls “topless”, a naturist

calls “topfree”; the “-less” suffix implies that something

important is missing, while the “-free” suffix implies a lack of

improper additions, such as a foreign piece of clothing. (Also,

“topless” is commonly associated with strip bars and other

commercial exploitation of nudity. “Topfree” has no known

negative connotations.)

WNG

Western Naturist Gathering. See “Naturist Gathering”.

WSA (a.k.a. AANR-West)

Western Sunbathing Association. The western regional subdivision

of “AANR”.

World Guide

The World Guide to Nude Beaches and Resorts

At by Lee Baxandall.

A very good and oft-quoted guide to naturist locations worldwide.

Published by “TNS”.

Note: Don’t use the term “nudist colony.” Most modern naturists

consider this term to be pejorative. Naturists live normally among the

rest of society, not in isolated “colonies.” Instead, refer to

nudist/naturist beaches, campgrounds, parks, clubs, resorts, etc.

4. What’s the difference between “naturism” and “nudism”?

Some people make distinctions between “naturists” and “nudists.” To

some people the differences (whatever they perceive them to be) are

quite important, but many people use the terms interchangeably today.

When asked to use one or the other, I usually call myself a “naturist”

because I like the association of that word with “natural”. (However,

in actuality I prefer neither term – I’d rather be known as “a regular

guy who likes to be nude.”)

The rest of this section, contributed by Durand Stieger, goes into

more detail (more than I did, anyway) about the differences between

“naturists” and “nudists.” Please note that I have not edited Durand’s

words – any opinions expressed are his, although I agree with much of

what he has to say.

While nudism has long been defined in dictionaries, naturism has not.

Indeed, the word “naturist” is only recently beginning to be added. In

the USA today, the words nudism and naturism may be best defined by

the two principal organizations representing these “-ism’s”: the

American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) and The Naturist

Society (TNS). Both organizations believe in the essential

wholesomeness, naturalness, and healthfulness of social nudity. AANR

has, since its beginning as the American Sunbathing Association (ASA),

represented nudists on private property — generally at its privately-

owned nudist campgrounds and resorts — and expects its members to be

“clothed when practical, unclothed when possible.” TNS has been the

primary champion of clothing-optional use of appropriate public lands.

And both organizations have some areas of overlap, both in activities

and membership.

However, most of us wonder less about the “-ism’s” and more about the

differences, if any, between nudist and naturist — and, more

particularly: which should we consider ourself to be? Nudist and

naturist can perhaps best be defined by their stereotypes, both of

which relate to their typical environments. Of course, all nudists and

naturists have that common belief in the essential wholesomeness,

naturalness, and healthfulness of social nudity.

The stereotypical nudist prefers to enjoy social nudity at enclosed

private-property sites, safe from prying eyes or harassment from the

law. She enjoys use of the facilities and amenities which these

campgrounds and resorts provide. She prefers organizational structure

— if not to participate in, then at least for the rules and

regulations afforded. And she enjoys the social structure and

activities which many private sites provide.

The stereotypical naturist prefers to commune with nature in the open

outdoors — e.g., at a lake, stream, beach, or wilderness setting –

without the feeling of being enclosed behind tall fences. She needs

few, if any, facilities or amenities — preferring, instead, an

undisturbed natural setting. She wants no organizational structure,

thank you, nor any list of rules or regulations imposed on her (beyond

basic beach etiquette, that is). And she needs no social structure or

activities; if there are some friends to visit with, that’s fine, but

it’s also fine to be alone or with just a companion or two. Further,

since the stereotypical naturist usually uses public lands for her

nude recreation, she realizes that these clothing-optional areas may

have clothed users as well.

Many of us nude recreators do not entirely match either above

stereotype; instead, we are somewhere along the continuum between

these two (and even extending somewhat beyond each). For example, if

half the time you prefer a naturist site on a beach or stream, while

the other half you prefer nudist activities at a resort with

amenities, then you are about halfway between these two on that

continuum.

Before Lee Baxandall formed The Naturist Society, “naturist” was the

European equivalent to the American word “nudist” (as in the

International Naturist Federation, the international nudist

organization headquartered in Europe). Americans formerly known as

“free beachers,” or just “skinny-dippers,” overnight became

“naturists” — when Lee then pulled the term out from under the

nudists and gave it new meaning in America. The former free beachers

readily adopted the new term, particularly as it emphasized the

aspects of “nature” and “natural” so dear to free beachers.

There are those of us who believe that the use of two different labels

for us, nudist and naturist, is divisive — and that we are really all

pretty much the same, so we should treat the two terms as synonymous.

While they are entitled to their synonymous-view opinion, they should

not take umbrage when others wish to use the two terms separately –

in reference to organizational and/or philosophical denotations.

Perhaps when the day arrives that AANR and TNS are either no longer

needed or have identical objectives, then a common label will suit

both.

Thus, each of us is free to choose whatever label for ourself that we

like best. Nudist, naturist, skinny-dipper, free beacher — whatever

— and we are free to use one label at one time and another at another

time, as our mood fancies. Some Naturists also see purpose to

considering Naturism as a belief, to be respected and afforded

protections, and these people (plus those of us who wish to show

respect for this view) use Naturist and Naturism in their capitalized

form.

Almost every adult in America knows (or think they know) what “nudist”

means, while very few know what “naturist” means. However, it is far

better and more accurate for us to identify ourselves as naturists as

we influence the public toward tolerance of appropriate clothing-

optional areas on public lands.

It is also vital that we steadfastly maintain, to ourselves and the

public, that overt sexual activity has nothing whatever to do with

naturism or nudism. A common public myth is that social nudity

involves or promotes sexual activity. And we also know that some

individuals and businesses, with sexual agendas of their own, see us

as a nude, liberal-minded, meat-market hunting ground for their own

purposes. Indeed, some swingers and others with sexual agendas have

infiltrated into our organizations — and some businesses, promoting

or allowing sexual activity, have masqueraded as nudist/naturist

businesses. These are cancers and must be removed; they are not us,

they hurt us, and they should never be considered part of us. We

cannot tolerate even a few.

5. What’s the difference between “nude” and “naked”?

Some people point out a difference between the words “nude” and

“naked.” The point made is that the formal definition of “naked”

implies that something normal is missing or that something

abnormal/improper is happening, while “nude” has no such connotation

(see “topfree” above.) I use “nude” most of the time for this

reason. (But, as with “naturist” vs. “nudist”, other people disagree

and think “naked” is preferable, and still other people see absolutely

no difference between the two. To each his/her own.)