Some Principles of Being Naked in Public

I met this lovely lady while walking on the Thames Path. She talks about our encounter in her youtube video: https://youtu.be/1pmslxSbuBg?si=OifdyB4GEcMDczWy

 The hashtag #normalizenudity, or #normalisenudity for us Brits, was started on social media (mainly on Twitter, as it was then) in around 2020. It might have been Linda Weber who first came up with it.

The whole idea was to do normal stuff that we all do every day, but take a photo of it, and post it on social media with a text and the now famous (in nudist circles) hashtag; to show, basically, that nudists did exactly the same things as everyone else, and were exactly the same as everyone else, but with one subtle difference.

But we need to tread the fine line between normalising nudity and being thought of as a weirdo with great care. If your junk is more prominent than your coffee in your normalising-nudity, morning coffee pic, you're probably not normalising nudity. And how "normal" is it to take a picture of yourself having a coffee anyway?

My measure of whether a photo is relevant or not has always been to ask myself if I would take the same photo if I was clothed. If it's a "no", it's probably a "no" when you're naked too, as far naturism - nudism is concerned.

And will walking naked in nature or being the only naked person on the beach appear to others as innocently "normalising nudity", or something else?

Despite the normaliser's best efforts (and behaviour), there is still a possibility that your actions could be misinterpreted. There are ways of reducing the chances of this, but the possibility exists all the same.

Another one of the guiding principles in my naked life is always to push the limits, but gently does it. How this principle might work on the beach, for example, would be to be naked on a suitable (not a massively crowded or urban) beach, but to position yourself at the edge, rather than slap bang in the middle, of the beach, thereby drawing a little less attention to yourself. If people see you, they see you, but you haven't made it weird. It's subtle.

Another adage that can be applied effectively to the context of public nudity is safety in numbers. A male-female nude couple on a textile beach is definitely seen in a better light that a solo male. People also make more allowances for a lone female than a lone male. And a group of naked hikers is more likely to be met with cheers, smiles, laughs and cheeky comments than a solo male.

While I have hiked in groups, pairs and alone, and with men and women, most of my naked hiking has been in the UK and just me on my own. I have only very rarely had a negative reaction.

As I have said many times before, the most common reaction by far, if you are friendly and carry on as normal, is a nod or a hello - neutral or positive. The times when you stop for a chat and even a photo are, of course, by far the best encounters.

So really, it's a mix of putting yourself in the right context, confidence, friendliness, the right attitude, always behaving impeccably, and then leaving the rest up to others to react - and that part's on them.

If you've played your part correctly, the chances are that your experience of being naked in public will be a positive one. But not only will it be positive for you, but it will be a tiny bit easier for the next time someone else wants to normalise nudity too.