Problems Facing the Naturist Community

There are many problems facing the naturist community which may make it harder to be a naturist, or may dissuade people from joining in. This article discusses many of the issues.

Misconceptions
Many people associated naturism/nudism with sex. Of course, anyone who is a part of the naturist community knows that sexual behaviour at clubs, camps and resorts is often frowned upon, if not in direct violation with many rules and guidelines the facility has. The naturist community's overall attitudes towards sex and sexuality do not differ to mainstream society's. This misconception likely came from people's association of sex and nudity, despite the two being separate things (one could have sex clothed, one could be naked and not engaging in sexual activity). This association most likely arose from most people only being naked when they engage in sexual behaviour (excluding bathing/washing). This 'nudity equals sex' attitude seems to be a mostly modern and Western thing, although there is a general acceptance of nudity across mainland Europe.

Despite most naturists telling you that nudity does not equal sex, and that naturism has no place for lewd behaviour, places like Cap d'Agde do not help. In recent years, Cap d'Agde, once a great place for the naturist community, has become less family-friendly, with swinger clubs and sex clubs opening on the property. Many naturist holiday makers have stopped travelling to the place in order to go to actual family-friendly places.

These misconceptions have also caused problems at naked swim events across the world. Every now and then, naturists will organise a naked swim at a local leisure centre or swim club, and they are often met with a lot of backlash. Many assume that the inclusion of children would attract sexual predators, although this is not the case. Most of the time, the events would be members only, or at least limit who can take part. Also, generally speaking, children will be with their parents or guardian. Also, the odds of a sexual predator being present are no different from if they weren't naked.

Online Censorship
Many naturists who use the Internet will be aware of this issue too well. In recent years, since the Internet has become common, and use of social media has risen, naturists have found their photos and videos have been removed from sites like FaceBook, YouTube and Instagram. One major case was Jessa O'Brien, a naturist activist and blogger who had her Instagram account deactivated after many of the images she uploaded were deemed to be in violation of the terms of use. The images in question include Jessa, nude, usually only showing the rear view, and always tasteful. Many people supported Jessa through the ordeal, with some pointing out hypocrisy on Instagram's part, as they did allow many photos of women in revealing attire in a suggestive manner. Eventually, her account was reactivated.

Another major case is Héctor Mártinez, the president of the Federación Nudista de México. Héctor had a YouTube channel which he used to upload naturist videos. The channel was deactivated in 2020, despite the fact that Héctor's videos were not in violation of the terms of use.

Some social media sites do allow for photos and videos with nudity in them, however, sites like Twitter may also allow other, more explicit content, which may dissuade naturists from using them.