Great site input from women

[Nate Dekan]

It seems that those actively interested in or promoting and talking about naturism online are almost always men (like myself), well I'm very fortunate through reject-shame.com to be in correspondence with several women, all of whom are mothers raising their children to accept their bodies and be comfortable with nudity. Two of them have written letters that I've posted on the site at http://www.reject-shame.com/RSliving.html , the most recent one was just posted today and I thought you might be interested.

When I talk with people about this subject I've found that I generally have had far more receptive interest and less initial disagreement since I've started talking about how damaging body shame is rather than just talking about nudity and how great that is. I wonder if that change in emphasis could have something to do with why more women seem to be taking an interest in and responding to reject-shame.com? Something to think about anyway.

Naturally,

Nate Dekan
mailto:[email protected]

Helping people break free from the bondage of shame.
http://www.reject-shame.com

[Nate Dekan]

It seems that those actively interested in or promoting and talking about naturism online are almost always men (like myself), well I'm very fortunate through reject-shame.com to be in correspondence with several women, all of whom are mothers raising their children to accept their bodies and be comfortable with nudity. Two of them have written letters that I've posted on the site at http://www.reject-shame.com/RSliving.html , the most recent one was just posted today and I thought you might be interested.

When I talk with people about this subject I've found that I generally have had far more receptive interest and less initial disagreement since I've started talking about how damaging body shame is rather than just talking about nudity and how great that is. I wonder if that change in emphasis could have something to do with why more women seem to be taking an interest in and responding to reject-shame.com? Something to think about anyway.

Naturally,

Nate Dekan
mailto:[email protected]

Helping people break free from the bondage of shame.
http://www.reject-shame.com

[dancin\'bare]

Hey Nate thanks for a great post-interesting reading.

[Falcon46]

Nate,
I have to agree with dancin'bare... I didn't know about this site until you pointed the way. Wonderful reading, Thanks again! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[Guest]

Nate,

That makes a lot of sense. I've always tried to convince people that there's nothing wrong with being nude, and people are generally embarrassed by the subject. Now I will try another approach and talk about the harm that being bound to clothes does. Nudity isn't harmful, but being ashamed of one's body is.

[NumberOneNudist]

Very interesting stories. It's good to know that some people these days are raising their children in this way. I hope, whenever I get married (a long ways away, I'm sure), that I will be able to convince my wife to let us raise our children in this way. It is my honest opinion that knowing about the body and such as shown in these stories will help keep children away from pornography and the like.

[Bob S.]

Great job, Nate! We definitely need more of the woman's, especially the mother's perspective on nudism and raising a clothing-optional family.

N1Nudist, What do you think Yoda's thoughts on nudism would be? I think he would be in favor of it. And I wonder if living among so many differing races (alien races) would lead such a society to be more willing to accept nudity? After all, some of the aliens may not have clothes. Maybe I'll have to stop on by your yahoo group.

Bob S.

[MaxUK]

Jon Marc

You posted:
Now I will try another approach and talk about the harm that being bound to clothes does. Nudity isn't harmful, but being ashamed of one's body is.

Have I missed something here - can you explain to me what 'harm' comes by someone not wanting to be nude other than in private??

Max

[Bob S.]

Max, reread Jon-Marc's words that you quoted. He makes reference to people who are "bound to clothes." That means people who, like stu, need their clothes as almost a crutch. He isn't talking about those who prefer to be clothed most of the time.

He also mentions those who are ashamed of their body. That is not healthy and can be a result of body dysmorphic disorder, anorexia-bulemia, etc. It can lead to expensive plastic surgeries (which are not necessarily bad), , excessive working out, steroid use, even death.

Bob S.

[Guest]

Thanks Bob. You saved me the trouble of trying to explain, unless your explanation isn't satisfactory. I have no idea what to add to what you said, though.

I will say this though: I wear clothes sometimes--mainly because the law requires it, but also I wear them when it's cold because nudity at that time isn't practical even if it was legal. Social nudity has taken away my body shame, and my psychological dependence on clothes by removing my fear of being seen nude. That doesn't mean I do as some people here claim and mow my grass nude, or wash my car nude, or do yard work nude, or go next door and visit the neighbors nude. I don't sit in my back yard nude although I would like to, because my neighbors wouldn't approve and would call the cops. I don't answer the door nude either.

I am not "bound to clothes". I am bound by laws that restrict my enjoyment of nudity because of other people's shame and embarrassment of nudity.

[missouriboy]

Jon-Marc, that explanation is one of the best I've ever seen. Kudos.

[MaxUK]

Bob and Jon Marc,

Interesting replies but I'm still uneasy about this attitude that you and others on this board have which seems to imply that anyone who isn't a nudist or doesn't mind taking their clothes off at times is in some way in need of 'saving' from 'unhealthiness' or 'harm' caused by this notion of 'body shame' - what does this mean exactly??!!

Maybe you don't realise you are doing it but what you are implying could be seen as offensive to people like my parents who are just about the most balanced, sensible people I know but would never consider naturism in a million years (I've discussed the subject with them).
Why? - they just don't fancy it, same as they just don't fancy going waterskiing or horse riding, or a multitude of other pastimes.

Thus, please explain to me why you view them as having 'body shame' and what 'harm' does this do to them, you or anyone else??

Max

[Naturist Mark]

quote:

---

Originally posted by MaxUK:
[qb]
Thus, please explain to me why you view them as having 'body shame' and what 'harm' does this do to them, you or anyone else??
Max [/qb]

---

I'm not Bob or Jon-Marc, but...

Body Shame is the norm in our society.

Body shame leads to unhealthy practices such as bulimia, excessive exercise, drug use, smoking and other (usually futile) attempts to achieve an unreasonable body ideal.

More commonly it results in poor self image, a belief that an imperfect body detracts from your worth as a person. Body shame makes people defer activities and fellowship because they aren't 'ready' to participate since they are 'too fat', not 'pretty enough', or 'out of shape'.

How many years have people wasted waiting for their bodies to be good enough to start living the lives they want?

Further, in their horror of other people seeing their imperfect bodies (as if we can't tell when they are clothed), some recoil at the thought of topfreedom and non-sexual nudity being practiced by others. Fear and body shame leads to a loss of freedom for everyone.

I hope none of this describes your parents. I don't know them.

I can respect anyone who just doesn't wish to participate in nudism. I lose respect when they wish to limit my participation.

-Mark

[Guest]

Most of the people I've spoken to about nudism (I realize that's a small number compared to 6 billion people) have said something like "I could never do that", or "You mean everybody runs around NAKED together?", or "I wouldn't want anyone to see me naked", or "My body doesn't look good enough", or "I would DIE of embarrassment."

As naturistmark said, "Body Shame is the norm in our society." However, it is not what's NATURAL. People wear clothes because they have been conditioned and taught to do so, and because laws have been passed that say nudity is "indecent exposure". They have also been taught that their body, or certain body parts, should always be kept hidden. If someone should ever see these "parts", then most people are terribly embarrassed. Embarrassment and shame over ANY part of one's body is NOT natural or normal. Rather than being free of embarrassment and shame of one's body, most people are, as I said before, "bound to clothes" even when they don't need them in the privacy of their own home.

I am quite sure there are a lot of people in this world who would never think of being nude in front of anyone other than their spouse (and some not even then) who are very well adjusted otherwise. Probably most of them are better off emotionally, psychologically, and sexually than I am, and many of them have better looking bodies, but at least I'm not embarrassed to be seen nude. I don't feel I HAVE to wear clothes when I don't need them. I'm enjoying life as I never did before getting into social nudity because all body shame is GONE!

That doesn't mean I'm an exibitionist. I respect other people's embarrassment and discomfort over my nudity and don't force it on my neighbors. I just wish that everyone could get over their embarrassment of anyone seeing their bodies as I finally did by getting into social nudism.

There are many women who wear very skimpy swimsuits in public that covers very little, and they leave very little to the imagination. Yet, these same women would say, "I could never go naked in front of strangers."

Being taught that one's body must be covered because it is inherently shameful and indecent is not healthy. It causes embarrassment and even tramatization in many people when they are seen nude or see someone else nude when they've been taught this unhealthy idea. Those who are taught that their body is good and decent are not shocked, embarrassed, offended or tramatized by their own or anyone else's nudity.

[florida-david]

to add to jon-marcs awesome explanation, the natural human condition is naked. it is our so-called 'advanced' society that has dictated we wear clothes, although they are unneccessary. there is an excellent show on cavemen on the discovery channel that shows (cover your eyes) naked people. sure they are cavemen and cavewomen, but how shocking. after all, we now are so darn sophisticated that we should be beyond nudity. yeah right.

textile living is only bad when people think its the only human condition. i prefer to be closer to my homo-sapien ancestors and chose to be naked when it won't offend the rest of the homo-sapiens. my cat doesn't seem to care, nor does my immediate family. so enjoy yourself and stay away from body-shame, which is taught by the textile world. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif[/img]