Nudist vs. Naturist

First thing’s first – I don’t consider myself a “nudist”, and moving forward I will be referring to myself as a naturist. What’s the difference? Well it depends who you ask. For a lot of people, the terms are interchangeable. Having said that, for some it is the difference between strictly being socially naked in a recreational way vs. living life with a certain philosophy.

Let me very quickly break down both concepts in this approach to Nudist vs. Naturist:

nudist

1. Probably prefers being naked over being clothed because it feels good.
2. Likes to attend nude beaches, organized nude events, and possibly has a membership at some kind of nudist/naturist club.
3. Possibly gets a bit of an adrenaline rush for getting naked.
4. It’s about being naked.

Naturist

1. Prefers being naked because it feels good AND because removing artificial layers allows us to present a more authentic version of who we are.
2. Considers all bodies equal.
3. Acknowledges that a body exist solely for the person it belongs to and not for others to look at.
4. Denies the concept of “perfect or ideal body type”.
5. It’s about being a more authentic version of yourself, respecting yourself and your body, and respecting others. Nudity and the equality that a lack of artificialness that it brings is simply our greatest tool in achieving this.

Like I said though, each people tends to interpret these differences in their own way.

Am i naked all the time?

Yes and no.

No in the sense that I am still a functioning member of a society that requires me to be clothed when I am in public. I also live in Canada and although I may be a “crazy naked person”, I’m not an idiot. When temperatures drop and the white stuff starts to fly, I layer up.

Yes in the sense that the Naturist park that I am a member and employee at is not a clothing optional park – nudity is expected. This isn’t true of all naturist parks or clubs; in fact, many locations will allow you to wear as much or as little as you wish. There are some obvious issues with this approach when you look at it through our naturist lens. If being naked allows us to present a more authentic version of us, than environments where only some people are naked is not ideal. Also, if everyone has to be naked, it GREATLY reduces the number of people who are showing up just to watch.

There are of course still some times at the park when we may wish to put a layer or two on. As mentioned before, when it gets snowy, we layer up (aside from the odd exhilarating run through the snow or naked snow angel). Another great example is if I’m working with a chemical or dangerous piece of equipment. In those instances, I’ll throw my coveralls on just long enough to complete whatever task I am working on.

What has becoming a naturist been like?

Like everything I never could have imagined. Like a lot of people (I would assume), the first time I went to Bare Oaks, my intentions were purely “bucket list”. I wanted to go see some crazy naked people, become one for the weekend, and walk away with a crazy story to tell. That’s exactly what happened too; the only difference was that I didn’t just become one for the weekend – I became one for life, and I walked away with much more than just a crazy story to tell.

There aren’t many things that I do half-assed. If I am passionate about something, I become really passionate about it. I also have a tendency to become really involved in things in a “behind the scenes” manner. All of these attributes quickly led to me working at the park the following summer, outing myself fairly openly to friends and family, and also becoming a very out-spoken advocate for naturism. My skills in video making and my drive to create online content quickly became a part of this. I was hesitant at first about making “crazy naked guy” a part of my public image, but quickly decided… meh, whatever. When you are passionate about something – when you truly believe in a cause, it’s never a bad idea to put your face on it… right?

Why do I think you need to do it too?

In my journey as a naturist, I’ve spent a lot of time talking to people I know about it and trying to convince them to come to the park and see it for themselves; MANY of them have. Some people jump at the chance right away, others take a little more convincing, but the reasons why they are hesitant are almost always the same.

1. That sounds wonderful, but I don’t think I could ever do it myself.
5. … Nope, it’s pretty much just that first one.

See, once people get a glimpse into what the lifestyle is actually about and that it’s not just running around naked for the sake of running around naked, almost everyone agrees that it’s something they wish they could have for themselves. Unfortunately, body image and the expectations and miscommunications about your body that have been built up by society make it hard to take that leap. We’ve become programed to think that nudity some how always equals sex (thanks porn) and that you are some degree short of “perfection” in terms of the shape of your body. These are the very lies that you are empowered to break free of when you accept that your body, just as is, is not a matter of good, bad, perfect, or horrible. Your body is your body. It’s you. That’s it. End of story.

We all have things about ourselves that we wish we could change. Even most naturists still struggle with body image from time to time. That’s because the poison about body image that we’ve been drinking for so long is hard to just remove from your system. Especially in Canada where being socially nude is far less common in the winter and you spend months and months a part of the “textile” world. Slowly but surely, those lies start to find their footing again. Thankfully, once spring arrives it only take a couple of minutes naked in the sun with your friends to remember that you are worth so much more than you’ve spent the last few months thinking.

I was lost. I had spent 13 years swimming with a shirt on. I hated my body sooo much. The weird thing is, it wasn’t like I was morbidly obese or had a third nipple or something. I had just drank so much of the societal and media based Kool-Aid that I couldn’t actually love myself anymore. I think most of you can resonate with this. If you can, try naturism, PLEASE. Even if you don’t go to a naturist park – just start being naked at home more. If you don’t see results in a few days, I’ll give you your money back.

but, what a bout…

I get it. You have 1000 questions that I didn’t cover in this post. You’re welcome for not writing a novel. I will make more posts in the future to cover things like, “What about the kids?”, “Won’t I pop a boner?”, “Aren’t there just pedophiles everywhere?”. All legitimate questions. I just wanted to give a semi-brief introduction though. SPOILER ALERT – There are probably far fewer pedophiles in naturism than there are interacting with your kids in the normal world every day. Chew on that for a bit.

Try it. Try it today. When you get out of the shower tomorrow, don’t get dressed right away. Drink your morning coffee and read the paper (is that even still a thing?) naked.

You might spend the rest of your life trying to make changes to your body that just aren’t possible without surgery. You just don’t have the body-type. What you can change though is your mindset. A change that is much easier. A change that IS possible. A change that is the true route to happiness.

Just look at those smiles.

If you have more questions or are generally curious about Naturism. Follow my Instagram @BRADYTVOfficial

Also, here’s a video helped put together that answers A LOT of questions.