Nudism and Society

Initiating A Teen-Age Nudist

By Judy Inge

How can you introduce nudism to teen-agers? Prepare for problems. Here’s how to meet and solve them —and open a new world of glorious health to young people.

“We made a mistake,” said one long-practicing nudist couple in their middle forties. “We went away for sunbathing vacations ever since we were married, but after the children came, left them with relatives—and we went alone.”

“Do you mean,” asked the friend who was part of a nudist family-including grandchildren, in-laws, relatives, etc., “that you never discussed nudism with your children? How old are they?”

The father replied, “Our boy is 14 and the girl is 15. They’d appreciate all the fun and would really like the other youngsters at the camp we go to, but I don’t know how to approach them with the subject.”

As for the mother, she was upset over the whole situation. “They’re both nervous children, fretful all the time. But how can we get them to come here? It could be very embarrassing.”

There was little denying the fact that an abrupt introduction to nudism can bring embarrassment and also unpleasant reactions. This is especially true when parents are ardent believers in Nature and health—while youngsters remain pitifully innocent about the glories of fun in the sun.

The point here is that if the married couple enjoy nakedness at the start of their union, it is a wise thing to initiate blessed events into nudism as soon as they become toddlers. There is no substitute for this early introduction, permitting youngsters to grow up with the feeling.

But, if this has been neglected, instead of crying over spilt milk, it is best to do something. Here’s how!

Broach Subject Carefully

Begin by obtaining a few sunbathing magazines together with periodicals displaying physical culture displays. THIS IS VITAL!! To suddenly thrust nudist magazines upon young people is to invite jeers, unpleasantness and severe embarrassment. Remember: youngsters are still inhibited and shy. They are raised in a so-called civilized society which says the human body is a thing of shame! Nakedness, to them, is vulgar and erotic. This is an unhealthy situation that you should seek to correct via nudism. (Remember the old French proverb, “Evil he who evil thinks”?)

Set out a few physical culture or musclebuilding magazines. These should show scantily clad bodybuilders in the process of exercising or otherwise improving physical health. When your teen-agers read them, they begin to get a better appreciation of health and some of their prurient attitudes begin to vanish.

Another suggestion is that you put a few magazines or books around the house  showing Greek statuary. These are nude statues and set the teen-ager in a proper mood and make him more receptive to the fact that the naked body is a glorious creation and not something to snicker and laugh upon.

After a while, have a nudist magazine put in a conspicuous place. If your teen-ager seems embarrassed, you could say, “Well, Mother used to do research on anatomy and sunshine and she found these magazines helpful.” Or, if there is a creative person in the family, use the excuse, “Oh, he’s preparing research on the psychology of outdoor athletics in the nude and these magazines were left around.”

IMPORTANT: At all times, neither you nor your husband should display any signs of embarrassment! Act casual. Adopt a careless attitude. Make it look as if this is the most natural thing in the world. As you well know, youngsters duplicate the attitudes and reactions of adults. If you act shocked and horrified, so will your youngsters. They imitate you. So—why not let them imitate something constructive?

After the teen-agers have been exposed to nudism in some form, get a few more magazines,- read some articles aloud to them and ALWAYS be careful to emphasize how wonderful it is to exercise and play and run freely in the nude! The healthful aspects must be promulgated as this will appeal to youngsters.

Afterward, you might “accidentally” walk by the room as the youngster dresses. . .or undresses, as the situation may be. All of these little things put him in a proper frame of mind. You then improve the situation by wearing as little clothes as possible yourself, and giving no outer signs of embarrassment or dislike if you are seen.

Because nudism is a family affair, it is ESSENTIAL that both you and your husband cooperate. In fact, if you sleep late on Saturdays, be sure to do so in the nude. Then, arrange to have your youngsters awaken you—and if you and your husband have kicked off the covers, it is a good introduction for your youngsters. B u t first they must be the ones who sleep nude and are awakened in an act of exposure. Then let them awaken both of you while still nude. This all lessens inhibitions and foolish embarrassment about God’s creation.

Visit to a Camp

After the barriers have been broken, you then start talking about a visit to a sun camp. Emphasize the values of health, sunshine, exercise, physical calisthenics, entertainment. Do NOT mention much about the fact that all guests go naked. This is obvious. To draw excess attention to it is to make the youngsters feel shy.

You might even drop a few hints that during your own youth, you had visited such a camp and found it to be wonderful; you made many friends, found out how joyful it was to eat, sleep and play in an atmosphere of freedom.

You might then write to a number of camps that are convenient to your area. Read the literature, show it to your youngsters. Discuss comparative costs, conveniences, accommodations, etc. At this point, you could call attention to the teen-age activities available and add, “Look at these yonug fellows—they’re holding a muscle-building c o n t e s t.” Or, “Say— they’re crowning this blonde girl Miss Nudist—I think it says that her brother is awarding her the golden crown.” This also helps ease whatever anxieties your teenagers might have.

The emphasis here is on a FAMILY attendance and if your youngsters see and read about other families who happily enjoy nudism, they’ll be curious and receptive.

Again, emphasize the benefits of running naked in the volleyball fields, having fun and frolic with other youngsters. Point out the benefits of group activities and— call attention to other youngsters in their activities. IDENTIFICATION WITH OTHERS WILL MAKE YOUR TEEN-AGERS more interested. At this age, identification spells the entire difference between success and failure.

Entering Camp

Be prepared for some shyness at first. To overcome this, ask the sun camp managers to have a few teen-agers welcome the new youngsters. Again, identification is VITAL! If your youngsters see others in happy nakedness, they will be less shy and, in fact, more eager to join them. I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say that the adolescent period of life is one of close identification and similarity. They all want to be alike. Seeing others do something makes them want to do it, too. So—if possible, try to have other youngsters at close hand. Of course, the others are nude and without any self-consciousness.

naked boy with huge ballsWhen you and your youngsters join each other on the sun field or anywhere else, in glorious Nature, show NO discomfort. Act casual, laugh, be sportive. Call NO attention to nakedness, per se, but talk about the climate, the wonderful grounds, facilities, etc. If you make friends, join a little group, and in this attitude of complete casualness, your youngsters will likewise feel relaxed.

As stated previously, you must anticipate some shyness at first. Adolescence is a formative time of life and there is expected confusion and misunderstanding about the workings of the body. Clothes helped create this shame. Nudism can erase it.

Urge your young people to join others of their age group,- there is no denying they will fell less ill at ease and more relaxed in the presence of other teen-agers. If you have just one youngster, ask him (or her) to join a little athletic game. If you have more youngsters, watch that they do not stick too close to one another. Let them separate, spread out, seek companionship from others.

Admittedly, it may not be a simple task and may be difficult; cooperate with your mate and the sunshine club managers. Teenagers should not be denied the wonderful glories of nakedness in sun and water and woods. It can change them from fretful, inhibited youngsters into wholesome, athletic, tanned young athletes worthy of a Grecian sculptor.

Nude Sleeping at Home

Once your teen-agers have become oriented to the spectacle of nudism, go one step further. Using the magazines as an example, you suggest that nude sleeping is healthful. Free from the bindings of clothes, pajamas, unsightly and clumsy sleeping garments, nude sleeping is more relaxing. Try to get them to sleep without any undergarments. I have found this to be a simple accomplishment.

As parents, you will be awakening your youngsters for school. Since they sleep nude, it’s most probable they’ll kick away the blankets throughout the night. When you awaken them, still sleepy and dazed, they will show little reaction at their nudity before you. Here is an urgent tip.- both you and your husband should awaken your youngsters and both of you should wear a robe—but nothing beneath! This helps create a wholesome environment.

Show NO surprise or shock at the nude condition of the youngster. Act as if it’s nothing. If the youngster feels ashamed, give no notice. Pretend you see nothing! This is exactly the casual attitude that creates a receptive attitude toward nudism.

The American Sunbather
ISSUE: Number 2, April 1967
Publisher: The American Sunbather and Naturist Review

How The Great Society Can Be The Naked Society

by DARRELL DANDRIDGE

What must nudist enthusiasts do in the United States to make nudism more attractive and acceptable to the American people?

Many believe that the country is still too puritanical, even in 1965, to disengage the idea of sexual license from the unclothed body.

Nudists must still make an apologia for their practice much as atheists and agnostics attempt justification for their unpopular views.

This is an unfortunate thing. In a democracy, where the right to dissent from majority opinion is the very cornerstone, this should not be the case. Nudists should be entitled to as fair a hearing as other minority groups: the civil rights organizations, the political parties not in power, or freethinkers who challenge accepted orthodoxy.

Beginning then with the agreement that toleration and fair play should, unquestionably, be granted to the gymnosophic movement what can be done specifically to achieve this fair play?

Before this can be considered, we must be certain of why nudism is a desirable phenomenon in the first place. Though conventional nudists accept the unclothed body as the most natural thing in nature, the majority of Americans believe that the assembly of naked persons for nonsexual purposes is not only unnatural but downright eccentric.

Since only true nudists accept the absolute natural quality of gymnosophy, it is necessary to examine the basic attitudes that prevent all people from seeing the world through the eyes of the nudists.

Nudism is attacked on moral grounds. It is probably true that the attackers are the types who write indignant letters to editors complaining about some imagined indecency in an ad or photograph. They usually sign their letters “Mother of Four.”

She is puritanical, yes, is the type who sees a Communist under every bed, and is secretly envious of the sexual freedom she attributes to others but publicly condemns.

In a recent nudist movie, which we will leave nameless, the plot includes a scene in which irate and “upstanding” members of a small town meet in the high school auditorium to protest the opening of a nudist camp near the community.

A fat, unpleasant lady in her fifties gets up before the group and hysterically condemns the camp:

“We have a respectable town and these ungodly people have come here to spread their evil ways. They aren’t content to practice their nakedness among themselves, as if that were not bad enough! What they want is to recruit our young people, even the children who are so impressionable! If you could drive out there and see how grown men play in the swimming pool with young ladies and touch them all around and explore their bodies for sexual purposes, you would put a stop to it. What are our churches and schools for if they teach our children patriotism, the love of God, home and parents and then, these nudists move in to contradict these teachings we have tried so hard to instill in our youth?”

handsome nude boyAnother way that the country now entering and planning for President Johnson’s “Great Society” can come closer to realizing the Naked Society is for nudist camps to blossom over the country and attract recruits from all professions and walks of life.

Nudists must campaign subtly to show the benefits of wearing no clothes. They can talk and talk and talk themselves purple about the ideals of sunshine and good health but they must demonstrate these benefits in concrete fashion, not in mere discussions or movies. Concretely they must build so many nudist camps that they become a common phenomenon like swimming pools or golf courses. Then more people will see the already joyful sun worshipers basking in their unfettered existence and this alone will convince many of the timid and unindoctrinated to join the clubs.

YMCA’s have nude swimming for their young men and the advantages and pleasures of “skinny dipping” are apparent to all who partake in it. Summer boys’ camps are wise to the wonders of an afternoon spent with counselors and their young charges stripping away cumbersome clothes, stretching out on boats docked on the far sides of inlets and bays. Boys prefer naked swimming way above the artificial experience of wearing a bathing suit!

The more familiar nudism is, the more accepted it will become. The Naked Society must recruit new members from those leaders in politics and the professions who have the influence and prestige to change archaic laws, overcome false ideas, and spread gymnosophy to every segment of the population by putting in a good word.

One obvious defect in the progress of nudism in this country is the lack of distinguished people in nudist ranks. We cannot name any really famous people who belong to a nudist camp or who would publicly support nudism! Without leaders, the movement remains more or less underground. This failure to bring nudist ideals out into the full light of society tends to give the whole movement a shady, disreputable tinge which is alien to its true nature and goals.

naked teenage boy smoking

Thus, the second objective in making nudism more necessity than nuisance is to attract society’s leaders and people with position and good will. Together with understanding of the movement and of those who oppose it, we need a better image and more public support.

Without these forward steps, nudists in the United States will continue to march in the rear of the nation’s cultural activities!

The American Sunbather №1
ISSUE: Number 1, March 1967
Publisher: American Sunbather and Nudist Review

How To Turn Prudists into Nudists

by NICHOLAS REDDING

The old-maid schoolteacher is a familiar sight to us all. With her high collars, brushed-back hair with the severe bun, the mannish suits and flat heels, she is prim and proper, Puritan and prude.

She and her type are just the characters we would not expect to see playing volleyball at the wooded nudist camp. Though she reads Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” and the nature poems of Longfellow to her English Literature classes and extols the virtues of good health and plenty of sunshine for their blossoming bodies, she would no more advise her classes to become nudists than she would think of slapping her principal on the behind!

But Miss Prude (as we will designate her) would be a happier person if she lived and worked in a society where she could practice the logical extensions of the naturist philosophies she preaches in the schoolroom!

Think of the vast change in the schools of America if students could attend warm, heated classes with no clothes on and sit for lectures given by a nude faculty! It would soon teach students and the teachers to cease the puerile practice of prejudging others by their clothes.

The advantages of students’ going naked in gym and physical education cannot be overstressed. Bringing back the ancient days of Greek and Spartan culture when the naked form was beautiful to behold in public is a worthy ideal and deserves the support of all enlightened educators.

Unfortunately, in the United States prudery is more respected than nakedness. The undeniable benefits teenagers would obtain from learning to relate to the opposite sex without a feeling of false pride or indignity need hardly be defended. It is true that most parents would object strenuously to allowing their children to be naturists at school or anywhere else. This would, in turn, prevent this golden era from coming to our land for many years hence, but it is not inconceivable that one day the freethinking among us in education and community affairs will see this vision and overturn the Puritan fetters that clamp onto our lives like leeches.

The schoolteacher as prude is, of course, a stereotype in our society. There are all types of teachers in our school systems. Colleges and universities are the most likely places to find unorthodox professors and instructors who are promising recruits for naturists’ theories and practice.

This writer recalls a lovely autumn afternoon at a Southern State university he attended not too long ago when his French teacher and other students sweated profusely in the hot, stuffy classroom and journeyed outside to camp on the spacious, cool lawns.

Even the tedious lessons of conjugating verbs became a refreshing experience to the college lads as they disposed of jackets and some doffed their shoes. And what a perfectly marvelous time all would have had if they could have divested themselves of all their clothes and recited French entirely nude under the cool shades of the fir and cedar trees!

Ministers are considered superprudes by many in our society. What a splendid opportunity they would have if their congregations could see them preach the word of God in their completely natural state of nudity!

One can search the New Testament scriptures and find nothing that would prohibit churches from glorifying the Creator and certifying the great wonder of the Universe by casting away the conventions of pride that have shackled societies down through the ages and teach humanity to despise the sight of their own bodies!

Adam and Eve were created without any sense of shame. Their nudity was an outward symbol of their inner purity and innocence. When Adam was tempted by Eve to rely on the promises of the serpent and not God, the fig leaf was introduced and our first couple became sinners, acquainted with grief.

Weekend retreats for young students banded together in church groups form the ideal occasion for a naked jaunt in the woods where volleyball, Ping-Pong, swimming and a multitude of other outdoor sports can be pursued in a fellowship inspired by Grecian ideals and Christian theology.

naked muscle men on the beach

Such a dynamic combination would serve to eradicate those malicious and totally distorted dichotomies between the life of the spirit and that of the body!
Prudish minds would immediately object to this radical concept of Christian worship. It would be necessary to begin such revolutionary services and retreats with preliminary talks aimed at creating an understanding of nudist ideals and to cleanse the air of superficial and prudish conceptions of morality.

Most localities in America have no clear-cut laws that would prohibit naked worshiping and church gatherings. However, no matter how well thought out they were or how excellent or reputable the leaders and administration of such an experiment, the law would watch closely. This is the obstacle that must be overcome, not by flouting it, but by a long, slow process of educating the public and their elected leaders who send their representatives to State legislatures and the Congress to enact and change laws.

A prude is, by definition, “a person who is excessively or priggishly attentive to propriety or decorum; especially a woman who shows or affects extreme modesty.”

In conclusion, let us say that the world is already too full of affectations and pretense to afford the repressive and hypocritical ideas which bring about personality conflicts and damage to the development of wholesome citizens.

The American Sunbather №1
ISSUE: Number 1, March 1967
Publisher: American Sunbather and Nudist Review

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