What is the main problem with equating nudity and sex?

[TreyS]

I am quite aware that nudity and sex are distinct concepts. I am simply asking why equating the two is a problem.

[NatureFred]

Well, generally speaking, if you equate two concepts that you know are distinct, you reduce your ability to think and talk intelligently about the differences between them.

But you are probably more interested in specifics. To me, the core distinction is this: social nudists like to be nude with groups of like-minded individuals. They are not necessarily, and do not want to be branded automatically as, liking to have sex with groups of like-minded individuals. That's another movement entirely!

This is not to say nudists aren't sometimes sexually attracted to one or more of the nude people they socialize with. Clothed people are often sexually attracted to one or more of the clothed people they socialize with. But the purpose of the nudity in social nudism is not to promote sexual attraction among its practicers.

By and large the purpose of nudity in social nudism is to promote comfort--the physical comfort of shedding unnecessary layers of clothing, and the emotional comfort of knowing that no one is going to criticise you for the shape, size, or appearance of your body.

Your body is, after all, is the unreducible minimum aspect of your individual nature. In other words, you can't put on a different body for the weekend. It's YOU. It is very good to find a setting in which you are accepted just as you are. (Or as I like to say, bumps, scars, color variations, and stretch marks are part of the natural beauty of the product, and do not constitute defects in manufacture.)

[garbo]

Equating nudity and sex is just fine anywhere but in a social nudist situation. Having frequented the local resort on numerous occasions and taking advantage of all the amenities at one time or another, the subject does not come up. There is no reference to any sexual references or activities. It is simply not there! The only exception are the resorts that promotes swinging of course. Non-nudist can equate whatever they want but the truth is obvious to real nudists.

[NudeAl]

As a nudist the main problem I see with not segregating the two is that you have those who know nothing about nudism associating it with sex. Thus you have a great problem convincing those who have never tried nudism to give it a try. Even more problematic is when there is a nude beach or even a landed nudist club and they face resistance from those ignorant of the true meaning of nudism. You may have a situation where a family has been torn apart and going through a divorce or a grandparent may be trying to gain custody of grandchildren and an ignorant judge may decide that the mere fact that one of those parties involved is a nudist may end up being the deciding factor and use it against one those parties.

Nudism is not about sex. Those who wish to link them are doing it to advance their own agenda.

[NorthEastUSA]

I think because people are raised to always hide there bodys and sex is a private matter they just assume being naked is some how a private thing the same way sex is and the two some how become combined in there minds.

Just my guess...

[wantago9]

True - I do agree that a person that never when to nudity setting would veiw naked body as sexual thing. As for me, I have been with swimmers many years, I don't think of it as a sexual thing but only a healthy sport mind and body. To social with the nudist or naturist, I would rather fit in, and not thinking woo I am in sexual room. Yea I did stressed to control my mind at first, but then it wears off. I just simply respect to others around me for they would do the same to me.

[finchick]

I am quite aware that nudity and sex are distinct concepts. I am simply asking why equating the two is a problem.

it is not a problem, it is simply NOT TRUE.
u can have sex fully clothed with just unzipped trousers, and u can do nearly anything besides sex being nude. so obviously nudity and sex can't be equated

[TreyS]

I think that many people assume that sex is immoral. Thus, nudists try to disassociate nudity and sex in an effort to promote nudism and convince people that nudity is not bad. A couple of further thoughts:

1. There are some contexts, such as pornography, in which nudity is clearly connected to sex. Given that these kinds of contexts are more likely to be familiar to nonnudists, it seems to me to be somewhat counterproductive to argue directly that nudity and sex are not connected.

2. Instead of focusing on what nudity is not, why not focus on what nudity is. For example, as was mentioned above, for nudists being naked is comfortable.

[OZJames]

We all know that it is not appropriate to have sex in the presence of others (perhaps there may be some exceptions to that but we will not go down that track). Nudity is frowned upon by many prudish people with "Victorian" attitudes and I think one of their main arguments against public nudity is that nudity activates sexual desire and actions - because their experience has always been that clothes are taken off only with a spouse for the purpose of sexual activity. As a result those people have trouble suppressing their sexual urges if nude in the presence of others, so they strongly oppose public nudity.

"What is the problem with equating nudity with sex"

Because of the perceived effect nudity may have on peoples sexual urges and the need to make the point that just being nude does NOT stimulate sexual urges it is vital that organisations promoting public nudity strongly publicize the point that being nude in public has nothing to do sex.

[smoothm]

I agree that in today's society having intercourse in the presence of others (most notably children) is taboo. However, I can't help but wonder why this has changed from the pioneering days of the one room log cabin when many of our ancestors had no recourse but to make love with others present.

Isn't is funny? Isn't it all about how we teach our children and how we raise them to have the view that this expression of love must be hidden?