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Why Nudism Needs a New Kind of Body Acceptance

Byournaturistlife
Body Acceptance in Naturism, A woman with long hair sitting on a towel in a natural outdoor setting, embodying the principles of naturism.

The Promise of Body Acceptance in Naturism

When we first discovered naturism, one of the first messages we kept encountering was this… “All bodies are beautiful.”

It felt revolutionary. After decades of diet ads, airbrushed influencers, and whispered body shame, this simple statement offered a kind of emotional permission we hadn’t realized we needed.

We embraced it. It made sense. Naturism, after all, is about accepting the human body in all its forms, without shame, judgment, or sexualization. It’s the radical act of saying… this is me, and I’m not going to hide anymore.

But the longer we spent in naturist spaces, both online and in real life, the more we began to notice something. Not everyone felt uplifted by that phrase. Some people nodded politely but didn’t really believe it. Some even told us outright… “I don’t feel beautiful. I don’t see my body that way.”

And that’s when we started to rethink the message.

Maybe it’s not that the sentiment is wrong. Maybe it’s just… not enough.

When “All Bodies Are Beautiful” Starts to Fall Flat

For many people, especially those carrying years of internalized shame, chronic illness, weight stigma, disability, trauma, or simply the effects of aging in a youth-obsessed culture, being told “your body is beautiful” doesn’t feel empowering.

It feels like pressure.

Like we’re being asked to smile and celebrate something we’re still grieving.

Like we’re supposed to perform confidence we haven’t earned yet.

There’s an expectation hiding in that phrase. It says: “Not only should you get naked, but you should love how you look while doing it.”

But what if someone doesn’t? What if they come to naturism not because they feel good in their skin, but because they’re tired of hiding and just want peace?

That’s a very different motivation. And it deserves just as much space.

A person standing in a natural setting between rocky outcrops, embracing naturism while wearing sunglasses.

Why Some Don’t Feel It And How We Can Help Them Belong

Not everyone who comes to naturism arrives with the confidence to accept their body, let alone love it. Some come carrying decades of being told their body is “too much” or “not enough.” Some are just looking for relief.

They might be recovering from years of ridicule, from family, peers, or even medical professionals. They may have been excluded from romantic or social spaces because of their body type. They might live with gender dysphoria, visible scars, or conditions that make them feel like an outsider… even among other nudists.

Telling them “you’re beautiful!” can feel dismissive, even if it’s well-meaning. For them, being told “All bodies are beautiful” can feel like being handed a party hat at a celebration they weren’t invited to.

Because here’s the thing: it’s not our job to convince them how to feel. It’s our job to create an environment where they don’t have to feel anything specific about their body. Where they can simply be.

So what do we do when they walk into a nudist space?

We stop talking at them, and start being with them.

We don’t need to smother them in affirmation or overcompensate with cheerleading.

We stop assuming nudity is about confidence.

Let people be nervous. Let them sit on the edge of the circle, watching. Let them be silent. Let them sit. Let them cry, if they need to. Let them cover up for a bit, or wear a wrap. And don’t pressure them to “join in” until they feel ready.

They’re doing something incredibly brave by just showing up. We just need to make space.

Most of all… don’t assume they’re here to feel beautiful.

Maybe they’re just here to stop hating themselves. That’s enough!

Belonging doesn’t begin with celebration. It begins with gentle “acceptance.” And there is no timeline for acceptance. If someone joins a nude space and doesn’t feel proud, empowered, or free, that doesn’t mean they’re doing it wrong.

It means they’re human.

Beauty Shouldn’t Be the Price of Belonging

Somewhere along the way the naturist movement in an effort to be body-positive picked up a subtle new rule: You belong! Just believe you’re beautiful.

And honestly? That’s just another kind of pressure.

It’s not much different from the world we were trying to escape. The one that says you’re only valuable if you look a certain way, even if that “certain way” is now rebranded as “confident” or “self-loving.”

But naturism was never supposed to be about beauty. It’s about authenticity. It’s about freedom from the constant measuring and performing and comparing.

You don’t have to strut proudly across the lawn like a liberated goddess to be a “good naturist.” You can sit quietly under a tree with your towel wrapped around your waist, and still be part of this.

Because belonging isn’t earned by confidence. It’s granted by community.

A couple enjoying a moment by the beach, both are smiling and wearing sunglasses, with the ocean and sky visible in the background.

A Shift Toward Something Deeper

In recent years, we’ve seen a shift in how some body acceptance advocates speak.

Instead of “all bodies are beautiful,” we’ve started hearing phrases like:

  • “All bodies are worthy.”
  • “Your body is not a project.”
  • “You don’t need to feel beautiful to be free.”
  • “You don’t need to love your body to respect it.”
  • “You don’t need to fix it, flaunt it, or fall in love with it.”

And in our own practice, we’ve come to believe that belonging matters more than beauty. Not everyone will ever love their thighs. Not everyone will adore their scars. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be naked, and free, and seen.

Naturism isn’t about always loving your reflection. It’s about being allowed to be in the space as you are and knowing no one here expects you to be anything more.

The Quiet Strength of Just Being

Some of the most inspiring people we’ve met in naturism didn’t radiate confidence. They weren’t the ones strutting or posing.

They were the ones who sat quietly in their bodies, even when it was hard. They were the ones who said, “I still feel self-conscious, but I’m here.” They were the ones who didn’t try to love their body… they just stopped fighting it.

That’s a form of bravery too. Maybe the most honest kind.

Naturism isn’t a competition of confidence. It’s not a stage for self-love performance.

It’s a soft place to land for anyone who’s tired of hiding, tired of judging, and just wants to be seen without expectation.

A person sitting on a towel in a natural outdoor setting, depicted in black and white photography.

What We Say Matters

Words shape culture. Even in a nudist space, where we try to leave behind the noise of the outside world, the things we say to one another, and to ourselves, matter.

So maybe it’s time to rethink the slogans.

Maybe instead of telling people they’re beautiful, we can tell them this: “You don’t need to feel anything special about your body today. You’re allowed to just exist in it, right now. And you’re welcome here.”

That’s not a body-positive statement. That’s a human one.

And maybe that’s the message naturism truly needs to carry forward… from beauty to belonging.

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24 Comments

  1. Another great post! I think this one goes along with the previous ones in which judging others is discussed. Almost all of us think others are judging us when we’re in situations in which we feel uncomfortable, especially if it’s our first time. It’s been my experience that I’ve been fully accepted as I am, “warts and all” and no one was put off by my extra pounds. I thinki you hit the proverbial nail on the head when you said that some people will feel uncomfortable, regardless, and we should not try to convince them, otherwise. My wife and I have an agreement – I can be nude, around the house, when possible, and she will go with me to some naturist events, but I must strive to keep my strong interest in naturism a secret. I cannot be public about it. Otherwise, I would go public and encourage poeple to try it, telling them about my personal experiences.
    Another reason that I keep my naturist interests and activities to myself is that I am much more than a CINO (Christian in name only). Many of my fellow Christians link nudism and sexuality inseparably. I have my own shortcomings; therefore I will pray for them and not condemn them. I wish that all Christians loved and welcomed others the way other naturists have welcomed and accepted me (many do, but not all).

    Reply

    1. Larry, I’m really pleased to read that you and your wife have reached an amicable agreement over your love of naturism, and that you’ve both reached a give-and-take compromise, with her accompanying you to some naturist events.

      This has proved to be a very common difficulty with couples – usually involving a reluctant wife, and seldom a reluctant husband. In too many instances the couple have failed to reach an agreement and the husband resorts to lies and deceit to hide his involvement in naturism from his wife. Sadly, if that becomes known to us, we need to remove them from our group, which probably breeds even more resentment within their relationship. It’s a very unpleasant situation.

      I’ve always found it strange how Christians, of all people, regard public nudity as a sexual evil. It’s tragic that such false teaching has permeated the Christian church. If you haven’t read them already, a couple of great books by Bob Horrocks are well worth a read: “Uncovering the Image” and “A Question of Image”. They provide sound biblical teaching that refutes all arguments made by Christians against naturism. Thoroughly recommend them!

      Reply

  2. LOL! I need to delete it! I typed that word, and accidentally hit the “enter” key!

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  3. A thought provoking article this time Kevin. I’ve seen plenty of people at nudist resorts and thought to myself, how very brave of them, but have never thought how they got there. Maybe it’s because they knew that naturists were accepting of everybody. We wouldn’t laugh or stare or make them feel uncomfortable.

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  4. I’ve always felt that the phrase, “All bodies are beautiful” to be condescending, try-hard, crap. Another one is “All bodies celebrate their perfect imperfections.” No they don’t. Some might, but not all do.

    According to a Time Magazine survey, and others, only about a fifth of adults are happy with their body image. Try telling the other four-fifths that they are beautiful.

    How do you measure beauty anyway? Against what benchmark do you qualify or quantify beauty? Fashion magazines? Photos of film stars? Social Media? Everything around us that purports to define what’s beautiful and what’s not is mostly opinion that is commercially driven to make people empty their wallets and purses on impossible dreams!

    You’re totally right, Kevin. Telling people “You’re beautiful” when they struggle with obvious body imperfections comes across dismissive and patronising.

    As I’ve mentioned before, I work with a number of folks in our clothes-optional group who struggle with weight issues, encouraging them in exercise routines – not to make them beautiful, but to arrest progressive health concerns. Even after reaching their target weight, they still won’t measure up to the various media standards of beauty. Most will be left with excess skin and stretch marks.

    Your statement encapulates it all: “Naturism isn’t about always loving your reflection. It’s about being allowed to be in the space as you are and knowing no one here expects you to be anything more.”

    Reply

    1. Thanks Andrew. Yes… each person’s definition of beauty varies even though society keeps creating an ever changing rule. That makes it impossible. As you have mentioned, just trying to be healthy and happy is much more important.

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  6. So many thoughts on reading this one – so much so that it may well spawn a blog post “rebuttal” of my own.

    I really appreciate you identifying the condescending nature of the “everyone is beautiful” comments. This taps into a whole new dimension of exactly what beautiful entails. To be super candid, I know many people who would meet the societal criteria of beauty in a physicality sense, but as humans I might I admir and wish to emulate, they fail miserably. I suspect it goes without saying that the inverse is also true. Maybe even more so. When did I last say to my wife something like, “I would put a lot more stock in my friendship with Susan and Fred if she didn’t have a big nose and he would do something about his horrible teeth!”

    For relationships that matter, physicality is rarely if ever a criterion, whether naked or clothed.

    The thing is, the naturist community has bent over backwards (while displaying stretch marks and scars!!) to create the impression that we see beyond the petty and shallow ways people relate to one another. My extensive and totally unvetted research suggests that statistic simply doesn’t hold up. There are kind, empathetic naturists, and there are absolute douchebag naturists, but social nudity, in itself , does not import a value system that would stand up to any kind of empirical reliability. In reality, I suspect the statistics for empathetic and kind naked people is largely parallel to the textiles we like to dismiss as lacking enlightenment.

    I SO appreciate the positivity of your posts, but perhaps one way we might go about normalizing naturism is to stop pretending we have some sort of elevated perspective on the lived experience. If I get around to writing that post, maybe I’ll delve into that a bit further.

    Thanks Kevin. Your posts are ALWAYS thoughtful gut provoking, AT LEAST!

    Reply

    1. Thank you! This kind of response is exactly what we are trying to accomplish when we write these posts. To get people thinking (and sometimes gently poking holes in the idealism we all fall into). You absolutely nailed something we’ve been circling around for a while. Social nudity doesn’t come with a built-in enlightenment chip. We can drop our clothes without dropping our judgments. And yes, there are plenty of “naked douchebags” out there trying to pass for angels in sunhats.

      We’re totally with you on the danger of naturism patting itself on the back too much. Maybe it’s time to stop chasing the image of a “better way to be human” and just aim for an honest one.

      Let the rebuttal war begin! 😃😁 If your rebuttal blog happens, we’ll absolutely read it and probably end up quoting it (with your permission and probably a cheeky remark about Fred’s teeth).

      Reply

  7. Spot-on. I agree with this one 100%. It is THE quintessential element that draws me into naturism, -my deep desire and need to just be. In a world where the “cult of busyness” and the overwhelming egoistic pursuit & projections of “more” (and the corresponding, diametrically opposed projection of “less”) dominate, the ability to find and take sanctuary in a naturist space to just “be” is invaluable. We offer that opportunity to others who share the space by doing this as well, -by doing “nothing” but being. It’s a win-win, and that’s how a great naturist space is co-created.

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  8. Very, very good article with the real truth. I do, however, consider a person’s body to become beautiful when they remove their clothes, regardless of how others may consider them.

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    1. I think that’s great how you and ourselves see them. We just also have to consider how they may see themselves and be respectful of that. Changing those thoughts takes time.

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  9. You once more managed to write a great piece. I will need to rethink some of my approaches after this, as I, too, am guilty of saying that all bodies are beautiful in their own way.
    However, there is one part that struck me as being incorrect – or rather, incomplete.
    “But what if someone doesn’t? What if they come to naturism not because they feel good in their skin, but because they’re tired of hiding and just want peace?”
    This creates a sort of either or situation. Either one comes to naturism to love their body, imperfections and all; or they come to naturism because they’re tired of hiding and want peace. No other options. And I don’t believe that’s true.
    For me, myself, for instance? I get naked because I just love the feeling of being naked. Not to feel beautiful, not to feel at peace with not being beautiful, but just because I love the sun and wind on my whole body. And I love hanging out with other nudists and naturists because, at least in my limited experience, they on average seem to be more accepting and open people than the average textile. With exceptions both ways in both groups.

    Reply

    1. I can see what you are saying. I thought we addressed that with the “but what if someone doesn’t” portion of the sentence. The next two were about he ones who may not.

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  10. I think EVERYONE has a beautiful body! I promise that’s my true belief. Some motehrs who have experienced pregnancy and childbirth do not have an hourglass figure. If a man’s biological father is short and stocky, chances are very good that he will be, as well. God created all bodies to have similarities, and within each subset of traits and characteristics is a lot of variation. To me, that’s what makes ALL bodies beautiful! But this article is very beneficial, because, many times, in our efforts to help someone feel at ease, to say something encouraging, and raise someone’s self-esteem, we forget to factor in how we come across. Someone, in their comment, mentioned, as an example, “Sue’s big nose” and “Fred’s bad teeth.” People with obvious imperfections like these, or birthmarks, have to look at them every time they look in a mirror. We don’t need to remind them. Perhaps if we give someone our full attention, by looking at them in their eyes, actively listening to them, and responding without interrupting them, that would go a long way to build up others who gathered the courage to try naturism, which is a postive major accomplishment in itself.
    THANK YOU for all you do, Kefin!

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  11. Hello! I live in Sweden and there is so many taboos when you’re Christian that makes me feel ill. So therefore I’m so happy and pleased to read your blog. With best regards in Chris name.

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  12. Another awesome article that so many people need to read, some for instruction, some for healing.
    Keep up the great work.

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  14. In my line of work I see some pretty not so beautiful bodies. I try to use humor to connect and ease the tension and really listen to what the person is saying. Empathy for a physical change is important and connecting with the individual is of vital importance. I recently saw a middle aged gentleman who lost his leg and was giving up. The connection is what allowed him to move forward. His beauty was on the inside and just needed a little encouragement to be brought out and give him a little hope. That connection in our community can be the key.

    Reply

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