The 'Private Parts' Issue

[chrisw91]

“I don’t want to see any guy’s (private parts) dangling in front of me,” my friend was saying the other day as she declined my request to join me at a nudist beach this spring/summer. “And I don’t want people looking at my private parts.”

“But you won’t even notice their private parts,” I explained. “And they won’t be checking out yours.”

She doesn’t buy it. How could they not notice, she said.

Sigh . . .

I’m betting the “private parts” issue is at the root of much misconception about, and fear of, nudism. After all, we live in a textile world where we are forced to cover up our private parts — one would be arrested for “indecent exposure” for not covering up genitals or breasts on Main St. in every town around the world. It is against the law to be in our natural state in most public settings. Grrr . . . that brings out the rebel in me.

I suppose we can trace this back to (among other stories) the Garden of Eden story in the Bible, when Adam and Eve “knew” they were naked. Of course I don’t take the story literally; man evolved to the point where he/she learned to cover up to protect themselves from the elements. But somewhere along the line, somebody decided that there are moral issues with being naked in public, and it is now ingrained in the human psyche. Nudity is synonymous with shame and embarassment for some people; for others, it’s synonymous with pornography.

But for some, nudity is simply about being in their natural state in the great outdoors. It is about “returning to innocence,” as Cheri Alexander wrote in the readers’ comments section of an article on the Bay of Plenty Times site. I love that phrase . . . “returning to innocence.” Much like man was before he “knew” he was naked.

Cheri sums it up rather nicely in her comment:

"Nudism is NOT about seeing or being seen. It’s about de-stressing, relaxing, and returning to innocence. It’s about accepting yourself and others for who you are, how you act, and what you say, rather than what you look like, wear, or own. Nudists usually remove sunglasses when talking with someone new. It’s polite. It’s simply the feel-good feeling of the air, water on you without the constriction of clothing.” – Cheri Alexander, on Bay of Plenty Times site

I know that one quickly gets over the “private parts” issue, if it is an issue for them in the first place. Personally, nudity has never been an issue for me: I’ve had lots of houseguests in my country home who bared it all to enjoy the sun and the breeze, and I didn’t gawk at them. I barely noticed their private parts.

So, I am not concerned about the “private parts” issue at a nudist beach, but I do understand the fears of my friend and others. It’s not my place to try to change their minds, which is why I will be going to the nudist beach alone, I guess. I want the experience . . . I’m looking forward to it.

Jillian

http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2013/04/30/nudismnaturism-the-private-parts-issue/

[AElf]

I thought that the comment left by one of the readers was spot on . . .

. . . re The ‘Private Parts’ Issue. Maybe I’ve got the wrong impression but should I ever get the chance to partake of the naturist experience, I wouldn’t expect to see any private parts at all because the point of a naturist context is that ‘parts’ are neither private nor public, they just are?

[The Streaker]

When everyone's naked, nobody is naked!

[mike345]

I think I disagree with this:

"Nudism is NOT about seeing or being seen. It’s about de-stressing, relaxing, and returning to innocence. It’s about accepting yourself and others for who you are, how you act, and what you say, rather than what you look like, wear, or own. Nudists usually remove sunglasses when talking with someone new. It’s polite. It’s simply the feel-good feeling of the air, water on you without the constriction of clothing.” – Cheri Alexander, on Bay of Plenty Times site

I think at least for me a big part of nudism is being seen. Not in the perverse sense but in that it is a cultural taboo for the most part to be seen in the nude. People describe shame, embarrassment, humiliation and the like as emotions they feel when being seen naked by others. They are uncomfortable. To me nudism is being 100% on display. There are no secrets and people are vulnerable to each other and in turn tend to be friendlier.

I love that when I go to the beach people can see my body and parts that society says are to be private. I love that I can see that side of others and converse at a mature level without false bravado.

Well I agree that private parts certainly aren't the FOCUS of nudism, they are definitely there and people are human and surely notice. Nudists are just mature enough not to judge others based on the size or shape of their bodies because they are equally understanding and vulerable.

[naturallynude]

How I see this is that they are just there,.

They are not standing out with a big neon sign saying look at this. It just is. If I notice them I am not checking them out they are just in the line of vision at the time. I think seeing a person as a whole though brings you closer to them and that you can share your experiences, stories or just have a good time with no worries of being judged or you judging them. As I have heard before but cannot remember where......You have a vagina I have a penis. Most people on this earth have one or the other. GET OVER IT.

[AElf]

I think I disagree with this:

"Nudism is NOT about seeing or being seen. It’s about de-stressing, relaxing, and returning to innocence. It’s about accepting yourself and others for who you are, how you act, and what you say, rather than what you look like, wear, or own. Nudists usually remove sunglasses when talking with someone new. It’s polite. It’s simply the feel-good feeling of the air, water on you without the constriction of clothing.” – Cheri Alexander, on Bay of Plenty Times site

I think at least for me a big part of nudism is being seen. Not in the perverse sense but in that it is a cultural taboo for the most part to be seen in the nude. People describe shame, embarrassment, humiliation and the like as emotions they feel when being seen naked by others. They are uncomfortable. To me nudism is being 100% on display. There are no secrets and people are vulnerable to each other and in turn tend to be friendlier.

I love that when I go to the beach people can see my body and parts that society says are to be private. I love that I can see that side of others and converse at a mature level without false bravado.

Well I agree that private parts certainly aren't the FOCUS of nudism, they are definitely there and people are human and surely notice. Nudists are just mature enough not to judge others based on the size or shape of their bodies because they are equally understanding and vulerable.

   However, I would make one edit and change your "on display" to "visible."  When you are naked in a social venue you can be seen.  Visibility is important because it provides confirmation to people of your existence, the fact that you are.  There is much talk about visible minorities (whether racial, ethnic, sexual preference, financial status, physical disability or otherwise) and one of the great sins of society is pretending that these people do not exist . . . that they are not.  So visibility is important.

Being on display is a very different concept, or at least it is in my mind.  It calls to mind wannabee celebrities and other forms of exhibitionists.

[nudetrail]

When everyone's naked, nobody is naked!

  totally

[chrisw91]

Being on display is a very different concept, or at least it is in my mind.  It calls to mind wannabee celebrities and other forms of exhibitionists.

  I'm sure that isn't what mike meant, but that is how it sounded in my head.

[mike345]

I think I disagree with this:

"Nudism is NOT about seeing or being seen. It’s about de-stressing, relaxing, and returning to innocence. It’s about accepting yourself and others for who you are, how you act, and what you say, rather than what you look like, wear, or own. Nudists usually remove sunglasses when talking with someone new. It’s polite. It’s simply the feel-good feeling of the air, water on you without the constriction of clothing.” – Cheri Alexander, on Bay of Plenty Times site

I think at least for me a big part of nudism is being seen. Not in the perverse sense but in that it is a cultural taboo for the most part to be seen in the nude. People describe shame, embarrassment, humiliation and the like as emotions they feel when being seen naked by others. They are uncomfortable. To me nudism is being 100% on display. There are no secrets and people are vulnerable to each other and in turn tend to be friendlier.

I love that when I go to the beach people can see my body and parts that society says are to be private. I love that I can see that side of others and converse at a mature level without false bravado.

Well I agree that private parts certainly aren't the FOCUS of nudism, they are definitely there and people are human and surely notice. Nudists are just mature enough not to judge others based on the size or shape of their bodies because they are equally understanding and vulerable.

   However, I would make one edit and change your "on display" to "visible."  When you are naked in a social venue you can be seen.  Visibility is important because it provides confirmation to people of your existence, the fact that you are.  There is much talk about visible minorities (whether racial, ethnic, sexual preference, financial status, physical disability or otherwise) and one of the great sins of society is pretending that these people do not exist . . . that they are not.  So visibility is important.

Being on display is a very different concept, or at least it is in my mind.  It calls to mind wannabee celebrities and other forms of exhibitionists.

Great distinction. Visibility is a much more articulate descriptor for this concept than display. In fact, your description nails my initial experience and the perceptions v. reality of nudism. What I mean is that humans tend to be self-focused and feel that in a room, everyone is watching them and aware of their every move. When the nudist concept is introduced to this tendency, the perception is that you'll be "on display" in the sense that you're naked in a glass box and others are stopping to stare at you (window shopping if you will.) The reality is that you may perceive yourself in that glass box but others are not stopping to examine you rather passing by and making the occassional glance.

The realization of this difference and the casualness and acceptance of the nudist community made the initial experience and transition a very easy one.

Visibility. I like that.

[seamus]

Well said - visible is a state of being. Something can either be seen, or not. Being on display implies an active decision to present oneself to be viewed and assessed.