On The Border Between Nudism and Exhibitionism

I must confess that I get a little nervous every time I label one of my posts with both "nudism" and "exhibitionism". Obviously, these are both topics that are close to my heart, and that I have a lot to say about here on this blog. Nudists hate it when the two are lumped together - but it wouldn't be such an issue if they weren't so tangled up in the first place.

Itching to participate in nude recreation?

Or getting a thrill from being exposed outdoors?

Who can tell?

Nudism and exhibitionism are not the same thing - I try to make that very clear, because it's important that nudism steer clear of exhibitionism, otherwise the latter would erode much that is good about the former. I don't like to dwell on that fact too much, like a lot of nudists do, because I don't want to give the impression that there's anything wrong with exhibitionism.

Having a sexually liberated social environment is perfectly fine, and probably a lot of fun in the right context. It's like nudism, except everybody's having sex! But why should nudism be the same thing? Nudism is great because there is no sexual pressure - it's completely relaxed, and family friendly. Add sex to that, and you're going to ruin it.

That having been said, nudists are capable of participating in exhibitionism, and exhibitionists are capable of participating in nudism. And there are some grey areas where they might overlap to some extent - as long as you can behave yourself, I don't see it as a problem. If there wasn't a mild exhibitionist streak underlying nudism (not the stick-my-penis-in-your-face kind, but the "I'm free and exposed, and it's such a thrill!" kind), it would dull a lot of the fun and excitement of nudism.

Now, there are limited contexts in which I can engage in exhibitionism (without getting myself into trouble, which I'm not interested in doing). The main way is through my photography - where I can expose myself in a safe environment (either at home, or in public situations where I have a limited or brief expectation of privacy), and then reap the benefits of sharing that experience with strangers over the internet.

Similarly, there are limited contexts in which I can engage in nudism - and, given the blanket taboo on nudity in public, they are pretty much the same as that for exhibitionism. The one obvious exception is at nudist resorts, which embrace nudism but shun exhibitionism. When I'm there, I put the exhibitionism on low. But you (unfortunately) don't get to see what goes on there anyway, because cameras are unilaterally banned, in my experience. (There are some who consider the simple act of taking pictures of nudism to be a form of exhibitionism - and an exploitative one at that).

Everywhere else (i.e., outside of nudist resorts) where I might consider the possibility of stripping nude (which are also the places I might consider taking pictures of myself), there is no blanket restriction on taking it further and getting naughty. And because I am not a prude - in fact, I am a sex-positive pervert who thinks human sexuality is a natural and beautiful and healthy and positive aspect of life - I think little or nothing about taking that next step and crossing what nudists might call "the line".

Now, if I'm at home or whatever, whether I take nudist-friendly shots or pornographic shots depends largely on my mood, and what I have planned for the shoot. If I'm elsewhere, taking advantage of a rare opportunity - like in a fitting room (okay, maybe not so rare), or out in the woods or something - I might think to myself, "this is a great opportunity to get some nudist shots!" And then, without skipping a beat, I might think, "this is also a great opportunity to get some pornographic shots!"

Which one I decide on again depends to some extent on my mood, and the details of the situation (e.g., how much time and privacy I have). Often times, it'll be convenient just to strip nude, but I won't have an opportunity to engage in any sort of sexual stimulation. But if I can, I'll definitely try to go for both, because why not? Why would I limit myself by saying, "oh, this is a nudist-only situation," or, "okay, pornographic shots, but no simple nudes" - why?

I don't draw that thick of a line between them in my mind, when I'm alone (or with like company), and not concerned with the public image of a whole social movement. I can alter my behavior depending on the company I'm surrounded by - which is to say that I know how to behave when I'm at a nudist resort. But in my ideal world, people would have the same attitude towards sex that I do, and they would therefore be able to engage in public sex acts without making other people uncomfortable.

This would be possible because everyone would be comfortable with sex, and everyone would be polite and refrain from exerting undue pressure or unwanted attention on others, in spite of the liberated atmosphere. Obviously, in the real world, not everyone is like this - a lot of people find sex to be distasteful, and too many of those who don't, have trouble respecting other people's boundaries.

That's partly why I'm an exhibitionist, but I still support nudism (which from the perspective of my personal philosophy, could be considered to be conservative). But in my own mind, the freedom to be nude outdoors and in front of other people is not that different from the freedom to be sexual outdoors and in front of other people.

The naked truth about our bodies involves their exposure and what they look like, but it also involves what we do with them - and the fact that we are first and foremost, sexual organisms, for whom the sexual repression of society is an unnatural and unhealthy influence. That repression has a practical effect - to reign in the instinctual impulses of those who can't control themselves - but a true utopia is not a sexless world, or even a publicly sexless world; it is, rather, a world where everyone can be open about sex and still be polite and behave themselves, like civilized people.

In the meantime, I will continue to balance my desire for a social revolution with a healthy concern for my own safety and liberty. But in my own mind, and in my own private life, I will continue to be the change I wish to see in the world. And if that means I go out into the woods, and I come back with a nudist-friendly story about the freedom of being naked in nature, along with some hot pictures of me exposed and playing with myself while surrounded by green trees, then so be it. I live in a world where nudism and exhibitionism are still not the same thing, but where they can exist side-by-side in peace, with an open border between them.