This is a collection of resources about family naturism. There are several peer-reviewed studies, as well as writings of some great thinkers in Naturism.
Children in Naturism
Our children are being raised in a society where we are constantly bombarded by messages that make us feel ashamed and insecure about our bodies. We are told that we are only worthy if we reach the impossible ideals of the beauty myth. Concurrently, our bodies are also being objectified and over-sexualized. Naturism is the very antidote to all those ills that afflict our world.
Children, Social Nudity and Academic Research
The fear that seeing naked people in some way harms children is not supported, however, by academic research. The small number of studies on this topic in psychology and sociology have shown, instead, that children reared in an atmosphere containing family social nudity may benefit from the practice. If this is true, then laws prohibiting either social nudity in the
home or children's presence in naturist settings are unjustified.
THE NAKED CHILD: GROWING UP WITHOUT SHAME
An article summarizing the findings of The Naked Child: Growing up without Shame.
Is Family Nudity Child Abuse?
Nudists have long endured the rantings of "experts" who think that family nakedness encourages "incest, parental abuse, over stimulation, sexual obsession, school failures, sexual deviancy, exhibitionism, homo/bisexuality, etc." But Dennis Craig Smith was unwilling to accept these opinions as fact. He began a search for the truth ten years ago that led him to naturist camps and beaches to interview and survey adults who had grown up in nudist families. He found well-adjusted people who blatantly disprove the "experts" theories. This article, excerpted from Growing Up Without Shame by Dr. Smith, summarized his findings. Reprinted with the author's permission.
Early Childhood Exposure to Parental Nudity and Scenes of Parental Sexuality (“Primal Scenes”):
An 18-Year Longitudinal Study of Outcome
As part of the UCLA Family Lifestyles Project (FLS), 200 male and female children participated in an 18-year longitudinal outcome study of early childhood exposure to parental nudity and scenes of parental sexuality ("primal scenes"). At age 17-18, participants were assessed for levels of self-acceptance; relations with peers, parents, and other adults; antisocial and criminal behavior; substance use; suicidal ideation; quality of sexual relationships; and problems associated with sexual relations. No harmful "main effect" correlates of the predictor variables were found. A significant crossover Sex of Participant X Primal Scenes interaction was found such that boys exposed to primal scenes before age 6 had reduced risk of STD transmission or having impregnated someone in adolescence. In contrast, girls exposed to primal scenes before age 6 had increased risk of STD transmission or having become pregnant. A number of main effect trends in the data (nonsignificant at p < 0.05, following the Bonferonni correction) linked exposure to nudity and exposure to primal scenes with beneficial outcomes. However, a number of these findings were mediated by sex of participant interactions showing that the effects were attenuated or absent for girls. All effects were independent of family stability, pathology, or child-rearing ideology; sex of participant; SES; and beliefs and attitudes toward sexuality. Limitations of the data and of long-term regression studies in general are discussed, and the sex of participant interactions are interpreted speculatively. It is suggested that pervasive beliefs in the harmfulness of the predictor variables are exaggerated.
Nudity and Public Decency Laws in America
In recent years, incidences of public nudity have increased. In some instances, this is innocent fun, like ritual moonings in Orange County, California, and worldwide naked bike riding events.
In other instances, it may be less innocent, like those who expose themselves for sexual gratification against the will of others.
And, of course, somewhere in the middle exists things like the infamous Girls Gone Wild videos or the public flashing at events like Mardi Gras, concerts, or motorcycle events.
So what are the laws affecting public nudity?
Generally, in America, nudity is against the law in public places. Moreover, nudity is also generally illegal on a person’s own property if the nude person is visible to the public, such as through an open window or sunbathing nude in someone's yard. While most state laws are clear about nudity around children and nudity meant to arouse, some other wording is vague and violations often are a matter of community standards for indecency. Of course, in some situations, these laws may conflict with constitutional protections for freedom of expression, particularly if the nudity is part of an artistic performance or political demonstration.
British Naturism Children Deserve Better Report 2016
British Naturism is the National Organisation for Naturists in the UK, with over 9000 active members, but representing the interests of almost 4 million Naturists nationwide. Many Naturists share a philosophical belief in a natural naked lifestyle, in harmony with nature, with their counterparts all over the world.
The policy of BN on children is simple: we believe that children should be brought up and kept safe in an environment of openness and body honesty. They should know about how their bodies work, what happens to them at puberty and what a normal consensual sexual relationship is, before they experience it as adults. This should be done ideally by bringing up children in a Naturist environment where body honesty is key, but otherwise through good, explicit, factually correct and non judgemental sex and relationships education through the prime educators: parents, teachers and organisations like the BBC.
We believe that bringing children up in such an environment and with wholesome, honest and open body attitudes leads to better sexual health outcomes for young people, fewer body image disorders, and more sensible attitudes to life. Prudery, not openness or nudity, harms children.
We want children to be innocent, but not ignorant.
We believe that body openness and honesty protects children from the possible harmful effects of inappropriate material. They should find out about sex and how their bodies work from good education and openness instead of glamour and pornography. Children are naturally curious and if their curiosity is not answered openly then they will seek answers anywhere they can. Blocking will not prevent them as they can usually circumvent it with a facility that adults may not believe possible.
There is objective evidence that those beliefs are well founded, unlike some other beliefs. The following document sets out our views in considerable detail, with evidence from sound academic sources rather than prejudice or sound bites. It makes interesting and essential reading for anyone concerned with the welfare of children and/or internet censorship
Naked and Unashamed: Investigations and Applications of the Effects of Naturist Activities on Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Life Satisfaction
Dissatisfaction with one’s body is a serious, international problem (Al Sabbah et al. 2009). Large-scale surveys in countries as diverse the United States (Liechty 2010), Brazil (Pelegrini and Petroski 2010) and Finland (Ålgars et al. 2011) find high rates of unhappiness with one’s body, weight control behaviours, and symptoms of body image distortion, even among non-overweight participants. In naturist activities, one is communally naked in the company of non-intimate others who typically have non-idealised bodies (Green 2001). These activities may reduce dissatisfaction with one’s body through exposure to non-idealised bodies (Re et al. 2011), or positive (or even neutral) feedback about one’s own body (Herbozo and Thompson 2006). This current research investigates and applies these potential benefits of naturist activity and is the first to test a specific mediated model of the effect of naturism on body image, self-esteem and life satisfaction.