“The girl with dark hair was coming towards him across the field. With what seemed a single movement she tore off her clothes and flung them disdainfully aside. Her body was white and smooth, but it aroused no desire in him, indeed he barely looked at it. What overwhelmed him in that instant was admiration for the gesture with which she had thrown her clothes aside. With all its grace and carelessness it seemed to annihilate a whole [oppressive] culture, a whole system of thought.”
- George Orwell 1984

During a discussion about the skimpy uniforms worn by the female Olympic volleyball players, someone brought up the fact that the original Olympics were played in the nude. We all agreed that this would make many events more interesting, but I was intrigued by the idea of a society which showcased nude bodies as the peak of physical perfection. Of course, the real bummer for me, as a lady, is that I wouldn’t have been able to see those gloriously shaped bums as the original Olympics were men only.The first Olympics were held in 776 BC. The Greek word “gymnos” means “nudity/naked”, and “gymnasium” is Greek for “nude place”, reflecting an early connection between physical fitness and getting nekkid. But what’s good for the body can also be good for the mind. Alexander the Great discovered naked holy men wandering India in 4 B.C., dubbing them “the naked philosophers.” Jain and Ajivika monks also practised nudity as a statement that they had given up all material goods…right down to the material that clothed them.

One of the two main divisions of the Indian Jain religion, the Digambar,still remain naked. Digambar means “clothed with the sky”, and some Wiccans have adopted this poetic wording and practice their rituals “skyclad”.

“What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful that the garment with which it is clothed?”
- Michaelangelo

This close connection to nature is one of the tenets of nudism, also called naturalism. It is, after all, most natural to go au naturale. Health and fitness, the concept of returning to nature and creating equality are all inspirations for naturist philosophy. And hippies. The international definition adopted by the XIV Congress of the International Naturist Federation makes this relationship with the natural world clear: naturism is “a lifestyle in harmony with nature, expressed through social nudity, and characterised by self-respect of people with different opinions and of the environment.”

My favorite part? If you’re not a naturist, you’re a “textilist”. Now every time I put on my repressive clothes, I’m going to feel like a downtrodden yet prejudiced millworker.

“Clothes therefore, must be truly a badge of greatness; the insignia of the superiority of man over all other animals, for surely there could be no other reason for wearing the hideous things.”
- Tarzan in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes

Nudity as we know it today did not gain prominence until the 1920s in Germany, but, unsurprisingly given their penchant for chic uniforms, the Nazis suppressed it. Göring wrote the anti-nudity laws, but for some in the Nazi Party this was going too far. Yep - he really crossed the line by exterminating nudism. The laws were subsequently softened in 1942, but naturists had to do their thing out in the countryside where they wouldn’t be seen.

The Germans brought this thing to the US in the form of Kurt Barthel, who organized the first nudist even in 1929, in some woods outside New York City and founded the American League for Physical Culture. Various movement sprung up througout the second half of the twentieth century, the biggest currently being the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), which has its headquarters in Florida.

Christians are going unprotected in more places than the bedroom, with annual Christian Nudist Convocations beginning in the early 2000s, facilitated by internet forums.

Today, there are many options for the newbie nudist, but most people get their start on a nudist beach. For the more advanced naturist, there are nudist resorts, clubs, or private gatherings of like-minded anti-textilists. There are also specific activities for nudists, like hiking, snorkeling and even skydiving (NSFW, and not for the faint-hearted).

Potential problems for naturist communities include establishing common norms. Should nudism be optional or mandatory? Are singles allowed? Is the resort to be family friendly? There is also tension between those who see nudism as a recreational outlet during vacation, and those committed to it as a lifestyle choice.

In this latter category, you can find the “naked rambler”, Stephen Gough, who has walked from one end of the UK to the other twice, completely naked. After spending 20 months in prison for breach of the peace offenses related to nudity, Gough was immediately arrested again this year when he emerged from the Edinburgh courthouse…naked.

While the internet has provided opportunities for naturists to connect and organize, it has also brought a host of problems to the movement. Some sites claiming to be naturist or nudist are thinly disguised porn sites, displaying sexual images which are totally contradictory to the ideals of naturism. Type “nudist culture” into Google and the top results are pages that function exactly like mainstream porn, showing you a titillating landing page and then offering a membership to the site. Sites like these also provide fodder for anti-nudist campaigns and create a false image of nudism as sexually-based.

“Nudity is a state of fact; lewdity, to coin a phrase, is a state of mind.”
-Paul Outerbridge, Jr.

There’s also the more disturbing issue of child porn. One disclaimer reads: “The depiction of adults and children nude in the visual media has enjoyed constitutional protection in the United States since 1958, when the Supreme Court vacated a Court of Appeals finding that Sunshine & Health magazine could be obscene (Sunshine Book Co. v. Summerfield, Postmaster General, 355 U.S. 372). The right to depict adults and children in innocent nude poses has been upheld without a pause for 41 years. In case after case, the Supreme Court and lower courts have always upheld the constitutionality of “nudity without more,” specifically referring to the nudist depiction as a fully constitutional form of expression.”

The obvious problem here? Naked pictures of children are naked pictures of children. I know my mom has some of me in the bath or running through a sprinkler, but they’re tucked safely away in a box somewhere, not available online for anyone with a credit card to view. While she does have a knack for busting them out at the most embarrassing moments, this is far preferable to some creep jacking off to an innocent photo of your kid.

“It continues to baffle me why there is no attempt to censor television’s continual portrayal of homicide as a means of conflict resolution, while at the same time regarding an unclothed human body as a problem.”
- Charlie Metcalf

Aside from issues within the nudist community, there are external criticisms. Despite the ideal of equality, some critics say nudism is only for the physically beautiful. These critics are probably fat. A more practical concern is that it’s simply too cold to be nude a lot of the time.

Skin does not equal sin.
- Naturist slogan

If you do decide to take the plunge, I dug up some nudist tips:

• Don’t stare. Ha. Ok - try not to stare. Or wear sunglasses.
• Bring a towel. This one is important. Although they’re cool with the visuals, nudists don’t like to put their bare asses where your bare ass has just been. Sit on the towel.
• No photos.
• Wear sunscreen! This is not just a cheesy song…delicate parts are called delicate for a reason.
• Don’t comment on other people’s appearance. At least not while they can hear you.
• Remember to put your clothes back on when you leave the beach. Seriously, people get really comfortable in their own skin and forget about the whole covering up deal.
• Avoid sexual activity. Heavy petters will usually be asked to leave, unless you’re at a swinging friendly venue.

“It is an interesting question how far people would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes.”
- Henry David Thoreau