I think that the way British people look on this is very different to the rest of Europe. We are a prudish nation and so are not brought up with nudity.
In Germany, there are spa's where the whole family go and everyone is naked. People take their children to places such as spas and nudist beaches from an early age and so it is not such a big deal to them as it is to us.
British people sexualise everything because being naked in public it is not the norm for our society.
I think that the point about the British that Fun makes is correct, but I am not sure how much different some other countries really are. Much about nudity is due to the beliefs that were installed in us a children but similar taboos apply to types of dress and certain behaviours too.
Plim :sad:
sadly its mainly brits and americans who have 'problems' with such things. typical of the anglo saxon attitude to find an argument.
i am not a naturist but for me if i have a bath the door is not locked or go the loo in the night (i don't wear clothing for bed) i don't bother with a dressing gown. no matter if my son is about or not. he has been brought up with this as most naturist families are as i was myself. the human body is nothing to be ashamed of no matter the age of those around you. it is the so called perverts who can not distinguish between nudity and sex. we as British people are prudes at heart but that is just how we are brought up, i thank god have no such prudish behaviour when at home and just family are present. if there are others here including my partners children i do cover up, as i think this is only right as they have not been brought up in the same way as i bring my child up and you have to be so careful these days whatever you decide to do so that it is not construed in a sexual way.
people who are genuinely at ease with such things don't usually perceive their choice as being liberated. they just decide on certain days to 'dress' in their natural clothing.
Naturism no doubt is a wonderful thing but....I do believe it is not really suitable for children to be around naked adults, no matter what the circumstances.
Maybe I am old fashioned but I am no prude but to see young children around naked adults, just does not sit well with me.
The most natural state is being nude yet we have created a world where a naked body is seen to be repellent in the every day society of the 'modern world'. Would save a fortune if we didnt wear clothes but thats about our individuality and a way of expressing ourselves through what and how we wear clothes. I suggest that naturism falls into the catergory of individuality and therefore I am happy that its there.
Sex in front of children is never acceptable - no argument to be had there as we have enough rooms in most houses to ensure that doesnt happen. I think anyone who goes on a beach where sex is taking place would usually do so by mistake if they were with their children.
I think that we are all more aware now about the need to protect our children until they are old enough to make informed decisions. There will always be exceptions to this but lets not give in to losing our individuality which includes naturism.
I would also say that massage is the most wonderful sensation in the world and does not have to be sexual for men or for women so again lets not judge everyone as being the same.
Why would anyone think that nudity has to bring on thoughts of sex, especially in men, Nudists live in a world of nakedness, to them it is natural, it is a way of life, a way of thinking and not a sexual thing.
I am not a naturist, it's not for me, though I have been known to serve breakfast naked to my guests when I used to run a Bed n Breakfast for swingers.
I have spent the last 10 years working in the swinging industry, at swingers clubs, with my guest house for swingers visiting local clubs and managing a swingers hotel in Switzerland, what I found was that I became "dep-sensatised to the sex, women would be having sex with each other on the dance pole and I would see beyond them to the glasses that needed collecting in the corner. It is one of the reasons I stopped working in the industry. the buzz had gone.
I am sure that Naturists are the same, at first it is probably quite a refreshing, natural and sexy feeling but after a time it is just a way of life, naked people all around and the sexual side is forgotton.
If Naturists go to a designated nudist area they should be safe to take thier children, it is not them that are putting thier children in a difficult situation it is the swingers, doggers, lovers and anyone else who has sex in public, it is they that should be carefull and respectfull of other peoples feelings.
There are nudist areas for naturist and there are clubs and bedrooms for swingers, if your going to swing in the open think about the area you select and will you be offending anyone else or shocking children = dont care if children see you having sex ? dont forget to put your name on the sex offenders register
Over the weekend we visited a nudist beach and the few children that were on it were actually in bathing costumes which suprised me a little to be honest because when my kids were smaller they too were naked along with us.
I can`t speak for every naturist but for me being naked on a beach isn`t about sex in the slightest, its about being free of clothes and swimming naked in the sea and feeling the sun on every bit of me unencumbered by soggy bathing costumes.
call me a cynic but i dont believe that any man can totally desexualise nudity. im not sure about women. infact im pretty sure most men who go to naturist beaches /clubs etc do so with sexual intent.
so i find the fact that parents are willing to put their children on display like this pretty disturbing.
Firstly people misuse the word naturist (which is a back to roots lifestyle thing) and nudism (which is a liking for not wearing clothes). People use the words wrongly and sometimes for the kudos that they have chosen a naturist lifestyle when they haven't.
Sorry, but it is possible to desexulise nudity - there are many examples of art that show naked bodies and yet are not sexual. I know several people personally who are able to distinguish the two. The problem is that we generally only see anyone naked, other than ourselves, when we are having sex and not at other times. The association of nakedness with sex becomes the norm. Having seen my children and others naked didn't make me want to get off with them so why should it with other people?
As for sex on the beach, I have no problem with that but I do have a problem with people doing it on designated naturist beaches as naturists do not have other places to go. People seem to think that sex on a naturist beach is ok but it is just as illegal there as it is anywhere else. This is resulting in naturist beaches being shut down and soon we will have none. We only have a few miles out of the 3000+ miles of our coastline for genuine naturism why does it have to be a sex playground too?
As for putting children "on display" that is not the point. Naturist children grow up to be the better adjusted about their bodies and body issues because they grow up with bodies of all types and I mean all types. When you consider issues such as the highest european teenage pregnancy rates are found in the UK you can see we still have a lot to learn from the continentals as a previous correspondent wrote. Having just read a book concerning our modern and worsening approach to body image I am not surprised at the original comments but I would ask you to consider this. We are not as culturally developed as we might be if we consider the body as only a machine for sex and not a mechanism for carrying your brain in which we appreciate sex and other things in life such as loving our children?
Besides weren't the people who were 'having sex just out of view' more at fault than the parents who were rightfully at liberty in the designated area? why has the focus of blame gone to them? and why are we being 'asked' to consider the implications, whatever they may be?
complete coffee time gossip.
