Youth & Naturism (or The Future of Social Nudity)

Disclaimer: I have yet to actually get involved in any kind of social nudity, so my knowledge of such facilities and institutions is purely based on circumstantial online research. However, to my merit, the following is the opinion of a person who would like to get involved in social nudity, but has yet to find the kind of opportunities he would like to see and would be interested in participating in. By the way, I am currently 23 years old.

There appears to be a significant push in the nudist community to recruit younger members (meaning 18-30, as opposed to 40-60 and above). While some may consider this proof of unsavory intentions, I believe it has a valid basis. Youth is the future. And having youth is a good way to start attracting more youth. How many 20 year old budding nudists want to go hang out with a bunch of 40 year old nudists? No offense to the elders, I have great respect for them, but a lot of times young people just want to hang out with other young people. They don't need people to give them advice about life and tell them what to do, they want people who are currently going through the same kinds of things they are going through and that they can sympathize with. So how come the average age of a nudist is so high?

From what I can tell, it's complicated. The whole "family" appeal has something to do with it. Nudists want to convince non-nudists that their chosen lifestyle is wholesome, and a good way to do it is to show how it's perfectly safe for a family. Because nothing's safer than a family, right? You've got kids, and you've got people in love (within the confines of marriage). But the problem with that is, families tend to consist of older adults and younger children. There are plenty of 20-somethings that do not have a family of their own. They don't have a wife or husband, nor a few kids in tow, to enjoy a nice vacation in a classy resort with. They also might not have a whole lot of money, if they're still students, or if they're just getting started in the job market, to spend on expensive resorts. And even if they did, would they really want to go to a place that's largely catered to older people?

Supposedly, there are nudist swingers' clubs, but I don't think this is the answer, either. I have no interest in the bar and club scene, regardless of what people might be wearing. And I'm not interested in going to a place specifically for the purpose of hooking up. I wanna make connections with people, too, but I want them to be with people that do the things in life that I enjoy doing, and to me, drinking at bars and dancing at clubs is not one of my hobbies. Besides, it seems like there'd be a lot of sexual tension in a place like that, and that doesn't exactly help the nudist cause in general.

And then, there are relatively informal, un-landed clubs. Which, I guess, are basically groups of friends all united in their practice of nudism, who get together to hang out in the nude at one of their places, or perhaps on neutral ground they've been able to rent or borrow for their particular brand of fun. But to me, this just seems like a bunch of friends getting together and having fun. Either you're part of the group, or you're not. There's not so much a sense of 'event'. You're just hanging out.

What am I looking for? Well, for one thing, I would love to go to an outdoor rock concert on a warm day, and be able to enjoy some good music clothes-free. Sure, if you go to the right concerts, you might be able to get away with that, but particularly within the counterculture of music, don't you think advertising nudist bands who play nudist concerts would be a great draw for younger nudists? I guess maybe nobody thinks there'd be enough of a draw to make it a worthwhile endeavor. Well, that's a shame. I think, with a little time and a lot of effort, we could really improve society's acceptance of nudity with events like this. And the more people try it, the more friends they'll bring, and the more accepted it will be. It's a way of bringing nudity out of the private sector and into the world around us - where people are exposed to it more (pointedly not in a disrespectful or forceful manner, though), and it's easier for people who are curious to try it, without making too much of a commitment.

Speaking of commitment, I hear people sometimes say that they are "card-carrying nudists". Apparently, this means that they are members of one of the national or perhaps even international associations for nudists that exist, and have a membership card to prove it. I'm sure they get benefits, like acceptance to all kinds of resorts and whatnot, and it might be a way to prove that they're legitimate, but something about it puts me off. Why should I have to join some team and carry a card just to be a nudist? For one thing, there's the obvious question of where the hell I'm gonna keep the card, if I'm not wearing anything. All it takes to be a nudist is the simple act of taking off your clothes (assuming you're doing it for that reason - undressing for a bath itself does not a nudist make). But the only card you need to carry is your bare skin. The rest is in the mind, and I don't want to carry around another label. My only membership is to the human race.

I'll keep thinking about this, and if I come up with other good ideas for fun things I'd love to be able to do in the nude, I'll mention them in the future. Sports events are another possibility, though something I wouldn't be quite as interested in, personally.