I Went to a Nudist Festival for Millennials

[NakedShadow]

Here is an interesting article on the NKD naked festival in Dorset, England. Written for Vice.com by Jessica Brown, the article is interesting on what Jessica learn in her gonzo report. Interesting to note the large male to female ratio, diversity of members, and creepers in the festival (can't let a pretty naked girl alone).

Any thoughts anyone wants to put? Would you attend this event if you could? What do you think overall about these articles about reporters going to nudist places, disrobing, and writing an article on naturism?   

https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/7xgezz/nkd-festival-british-naturism-uk


naturism|by Jessica Brown|30 May 2019, 9:53pm


I Went to a Nudist Festival for Millennials

To find out what young people get out of being naked.


Guests at NKD. All photos courtesy of British Naturism


Two days before NKD – a nudist festival for 18 to 35-year-olds in Dorset – I was warned by organisers British Naturism that clothed journalists hadn't gone down too well in previous years.

"If you want to come and write about the festival," they said, "you'll have to do it naked."

I wanted to find out what's attracting young Brits to something we in the UK overwhelmingly associate with German pensioners, so I agreed, despite the fact I still involuntarily shudder whenever I remember the time – two years ago – that I accidentally flashed a hotel receptionist my boobs.

I shouldn't worry, a friend had said; taking my clothes off in front of a load of strangers would be like "ripping off a plaster". She was right: it was painful, and it was quick – so quick that I barely had the chance to google whether you're supposed to put suncream on your vagina before I was unleashed into a field booming with 170 sets of bare genitalia.

Before I could ask any questions, and find out what I was there to find out, I had a morning activity to take part in: a nude exercise class. I didn't particularly like the sound of it, but it did act as a convenient excuse to escape the 30-year-old man from London who was trying to convince me to cancel my train home that evening and camp out for the night. So I squatted, planked, star-jumped and ran through a field holding hands with a few dozen men while everyone else watched.




Nudity aside, the vibe wasn't really what I'd expected from a field full of nudist millennials. When my friends and I spend the day in a park, we talk, but we also instantly take any lull in conversation as an opportunity to check our phones. There was none of that here – which might have had as much to do with the lack of pockets as the fact that some guests were there to reject technology and social media, if only for the weekend.

The other reasons I was given for attendees' interest in naturism ranged from the prosaic – it was "just easier to go to the beach naked" – to the personal, in particular that it was a confidence booster. A 24-year-old carer wanted to try nudism because his job made him realise nudity was nothing to fear, and that made him feel better about his body.

According to research by the Journal of Happiness Studies, the boost nudism gives our body confidence comes from seeing others naked, not so much from being naked ourselves. There weren't many women receiving this extra shot of spirit at NKD, because there weren't that many women there – the few I saw were with male partners. According to everyone I asked at the festival, women are often vastly outnumbered by men at nudist events.

If you're thinking that out-of-whack ratio can lead to some creeping, you'd be right. My radar went off a few times at NKD, including the moment a man insisted on applying sun cream to my back and I was too distracted trying to prioritise which body parts to cover with a blanket to fend him off. That said, the vibe was generally very non-sexual – as is pretty much always the case at nudist events.

"Nudity becomes desexualised because people here are doing very normal things," said 28-year-old Dave. In fact, he elaborated, he finds nudist women less attractive than women wearing clothes.

The gender imbalance isn't British Naturism's only problem; there's also the diversity issue. One study measuring body confidence of people going to two naturist events – including one organised by British Naturism – comprised of 831 white people, four Asian people and zero black people.

"This is a very white event – we need diversity," one guest told me.




While it seems that as many young adults as ever are stripping off for skinny dips, naked dining and bike rides, NKD visitors told me that young people are shunning the traditional membership organisations that have kept older nudists in the game. British Naturism doesn't have figures on how many young members they have. The number is rising, they say, but young people still make up a small portion of their membership.

"There's a group of young people here who told me they're naturists because their parents are. The tough nuts to crack are young people like me who weren't brought up that way," said Dave.

The labels of "naturist" and "nudist" also aren't too popular among this younger generation of naked people. Among one group I spoke to, only half said they've told friends and family that they're naturists. "I just told the office I was going camping for the weekend," said Dave. "I don't want to be labelled a naturist – I can barely be naked in my own home; I don't want to be known by my neighbours as 'the naked guy'."

Some told me they didn't want people to associate them with any perceived negative assumptions about naturism. "Even though you know nudists are a normal mix of people, I worry what assumptions people would have, because all they know of naturists is what they see in movies, where they're used for comedic purposes," said 40-year-old Will.

That certainly is a misrepresentation, because my day was largely spent in a humour vacuum. While people were chatty and personable, the whole thing felt a little sombre. One guest told me he didn't want to be known as the guy who gets naked all the time, but that he'd rather be known "for his work". I asked him what his work was; he replied, "I'm a statistician." Naturists – they're just as dull as the rest of us!





There's nothing illegal about being naked in your back garden, so why pay to go to a festival to sit around in the buff there? No one could give me a compelling answer – but in fairness, maybe it isn't that deep.

As far as I could tell, this was just another opportunity for people to come together in increasingly isolated times, in search of connection. A lot of men were there on their own, presumably because they're lacking that connection in their clothed lives, despite one lone man conceding that he often finds he has little more in common with other nudists than a mutual disdain for clothes.

The people at NKD stood apart from other millennials for more than their full-frontal rejection of social norms. They were friendly, but generally they were also shy, serious and a little awkward. I got the feeling that some of them were looking for something more than shared nudity; that they felt like outsiders to the clothed world for reasons other than clothes.

And after spending the day counting down the hours until I could leave a world that made me feel uncomfortable, I started to understand the lengths that these NKD attendees have to go to to do the same.

@jessicaebrown

This article originally appeared on VICE UK.

[Riot.EXE]

Hmmm, a severe lack of ethnic diversity...a disdain for the label of "nudist / naturist / whatever the hell"

...and so many people here thought I was just talking crazy. HA!

[carbon]

“I got the feeling that some of them were looking for something more than shared nudity...”

This journalist gets it. Skewed ethnicity ratio and the feeling of ‘is this it?’

[Turtlejosh]

As someone who went to the festival, this girl was AWFUL.

She did not speak to many people. She kept herself to herself. She didn't tell most of us she was a journalist.

She spoke to one man in his middle age. And that was it.

I dont want to sound like a fan boy but I will defend NKD instead of this trashy online magazine haha. Honestly as a brit, I have to point out Vice is seen as click bait trash.

It's also funny because, sure it wasnt the most diverse, but those stats are all wrong. Heck my Nepalese friend took those pictures she's using! It was a more diverse event compared to some of BNs sadly.

[Mettis]

Thanks for sharing this interesting article from Jessica Brown. 
I think it's often interesting to see reporters go to nudist places. They are in a way ambassadors for the practice and visibility of naturism among the population.

[NakedShadow]

Hmmm, a severe lack of ethnic diversity...a disdain for the label of "nudist / naturist / whatever the hell"

...and so many people here thought I was just talking crazy. HA!

I would wonder what the demographics in the U.K. are outside of London.

[NakedShadow]

As someone who went to the festival, this girl was AWFUL.

She did not speak to many people. She kept herself to herself. She didn't tell most of us she was a journalist.

She spoke to one man in his middle age. And that was it.

I dont want to sound like a fan boy but I will defend NKD instead of this trashy online magazine haha. Honestly as a brit, I have to point out Vice is seen as click bait trash.

It's also funny because, sure it wasnt the most diverse, but those stats are all wrong. Heck my Nepalese friend took those pictures she's using! It was a more diverse event compared to some of BNs sadly.

Wow really? How did you figure out that she was a journalist? Was she at least naked? Was she shy so didn't talk to a lot of people. WOuld be Pretty terrible if she only spoke to the middle age man especially considering the artilce's title. I would have really liked to have heard what the young women there thought especially cause she made it sound like the female male ratio was super small with the girls basically being dragged by their boyfriends there.

How was your experience in the festival? I've never heard it before. Is it the big nudist festival of the U.K.? What do you all do?

[cdw]

I got the feeling that some of them were looking for something more than shared nudity; that they felt like outsiders to the clothed world for reasons other than clothes.

Hmm, I have to admit that I've never felt like an outsider to the clothed world, naturist is just something else I'm interested in.

[carbon]

I got the feeling that some of them were looking for something more than shared nudity; that they felt like outsiders to the clothed world for reasons other than clothes.

Hmm, I have to admit that I've never felt like an outsider to the clothed world, naturist is just something else I'm interested in.

I feel like an outsider, but I don’t think being clothed or unclothed matter too much in that context.

I think the author was referring to the stuff beyond being in the buff. She was shocked that the stuff they did at the festival was atypical of ‘millennial’ behaviours. Maybe she expected EDC but was greeted with FKK instead.

That in itself could be a fascinating topic worth exploring.

[shynudeboy]

This festival looked quite good, it's a shame I couldn't go

[cdw]

She was shocked that the stuff they did at the festival was atypical of ‘millennial’ behaviours. Maybe she expected EDC but was greeted with FKK instead.

Very true probably, although tbh for me FKK beats EDC anytime .

[Turtlejosh]

As someone who went to the festival, this girl was AWFUL.

She did not speak to many people. She kept herself to herself. She didn't tell most of us she was a journalist.

She spoke to one man in his middle age. And that was it.

I dont want to sound like a fan boy but I will defend NKD instead of this trashy online magazine haha. Honestly as a brit, I have to point out Vice is seen as click bait trash.

It's also funny because, sure it wasnt the most diverse, but those stats are all wrong. Heck my Nepalese friend took those pictures she's using! It was a more diverse event compared to some of BNs sadly.

Wow really? How did you figure out that she was a journalist? Was she at least naked? Was she shy so didn't talk to a lot of people. WOuld be Pretty terrible if she only spoke to the middle age man especially considering the artilce's title. I would have really liked to have heard what the young women there thought especially cause she made it sound like the female male ratio was super small with the girls basically being dragged by their boyfriends there.

How was your experience in the festival? I've never heard it before. Is it the big nudist festival of the U.K.? What do you all do?

I must say, I cannot stress enough about how bad a reporter I feel she was. Half the stuff in the article does not seem correct.

She asked to come. But wouldn't tell anyone she is a journalist. Luckily the organiser introduced us to her as the journalist, to her annoyance. She was reluctant to talk to many people.

She was naked. She's in one of the pictures on her page actually.

I have realised this is rare but honestly there gender balance is not awful like she said. Yes more guys but it's not the usual 90:10 ratio. I'd say it was more 65:45? So not amazing but there were a lot more women than she suggests. She didnt even talk to the girls in my group.

It was a great festival. Only its second run. Looks to be more. Basically lots of evening entertainment, silent discos so on.

I think I'll post a proper review soon of it. Get the interest up

[Night Listener]

Looking forward to a proper review!

Possible reasons for the false impressions that the article gives:

- only bad news are good news. A review full of praises may cause less attention than a horror story (well, the article was not that bad, but still disadvising for interested persons);

- the journalist could not get over her own insecurities - not everybody has this experience of conquering the initial hesitation that is associated with nudity.

[carbon]

I'd say it was more 65:45?

Uhh...

65:35 or 55:45?

7:3 ratio is about the same across the board for North American clubs, not sure if that’s the case elsewhere.

[Cle Leftwrite]

Yeah I'm not sure how I feel about that article. It's interesting enough and it doesn't paint the event as a horror story and yet it gives me very strong "Pre-judgement" vibes like the author thought it was going to go down one way and that thought tainted the experience.