Are Nudies Exhibitionists?

[Kez]

if some are, not all of them are is my thought.

im certainly not.  at this point in my life im kinda not comfortable with ppl who i dont know seeing me naked, i know thats a funny thing for someone who is a naturist but im just kinda self concious abt my body i guess

[Aaron Stern]

A couple of nights in a row I was having this awful dream I explained in a post here on March 17:

I had this dream last night that our little guy (who isn't even born yet) tells me that nudies are "a bunch of confused exhibitionist"  .  I'm taken aback and ask him, "What did you just say?", and he throws his blanket at me and replies, "You heard me!  And next time, before you talk to me, you better cover up!", and I start crying.  It's just awful.  I think I need therapy .  Aaron

Never in real life have I been accused of being an exhibitionist, but this recurring dream made me think of why this topic had entered my brain in the first place.  I realized that I never had any inclination to scare anybody by suddenly showing up naked where they wouldn't expect it (the older guy opening his rain coat comes to mind; the original mainstream definition of the word "exhibitionist, I guess).  However, I must say that, from a very young age, I felt pleasure running around naked (preferably in the presence of other nudies) and showing off my body.  I'm not what you would call a beau, by any stretch, just average, but when people at a nudie resort or a nudie beach would look at me and say, for instance, "Look at you, what a happy fellow!", or, "What a pretty boy!", or something along those lines, that made my day  .  Better than sitting home alone, naked, that's for sure.  So, I'd like to know what my fellow YNAI-nudies think about this:  does for you, personally, being a nudie include (to whatever degree) a streak of exhibitionism (in the "good" sense of a nudie environment [resort/beach], not the "bad" sense of that scare situation [the rain coat guy])?  Is showing your body and feeling good about it, even happy and proud about it, part of a healthy nudie experience?  Once again, just curious  , Aaron

I had an argument with my sister's s/o this afternoon;  he had read this post and claimed I made a poor choice of words when I suggested that an "exhibitionist" comes in two varieties, a bad one (the guy opening his rain coat to "scare his victim") and a good one (like a nudie who's confident and has now qualms to show his naked body), saying that the word exhibitionist, in English, is reserved for the first category, and that nudies would always shy away from being called "exhibitionists" (except, of course, if they're nudies and bad guys).  Well, I did some reading on the subject, and obviously he's right.  So if I offended any fellow YNAI-nudies for suggesting they might be exhibitionists , I apologize.  Aaron

[kirill]

However, I must say that, from a very young age, I felt pleasure running around naked (preferably in the presence of other nudies) and showing off my body.  I'm not what you would call a beau, by any stretch, just average, but when people at a nudie resort or a nudie beach would look at me and say, for instance, "Look at you, what a happy fellow!", or, "What a pretty boy!", or something along those lines, that made my day  .  Better than sitting home alone, naked, that's for sure. 

i feel pretty much the same, but i think that is as much exhibitionism as walking down the street clothed and enjoying being noticed. as long as u don't make a special emphasis on bringing attention to urself by the mere fact of being naked, imho it is fine to enjoy being seen by others - we're all social creatures, aren't we? actually i am quite shy person normally, and when i walk along some cafes near my house here sometimes i feel uncfortble thinking that all people are looking at me. surprisingly feel more confident when i am naked and i don't have such a feeling of discomfort even at a crowded naturist beach. but of course if i went along those cafes naked just because that is how i feel better, i would be immediately considered an exhibitionist...

[rc]

maybe textile people are exhibitionists always going out to the store to try and buy new clothes to make them look at certain way?

[kirill]

maybe textile people are exhibitionists always going out to the store to try and buy new clothes to make them look at certain way?

surely i know some!

[Jennifer]

I always considered exhibitionism to be of a sexual nature, and naturism, to be of a natural nature.  lol

I don't go nude with the intent to shock anyone.  I let people know what to expect before inviting them over.  I also put up a little sign in the drive to warn any drop-in guests.  My friends will go skinny dipping with me sometimes, but 99% of the time, I'm the only one who's nude.  I don't consider it exhibitionism since they're comfortable with it, and I'm not doing it to seduce them.

[Pyromaniak]

i would say no. i always enjoy being nude in front of people i know (how few they are) much more than being nude alone. i once thought this may be "exhibitionistic" (is that a word?) of me, but i realized that when i'm at playalinda, i don't get the same enjoyment. my personality is one that, i can't stand being without some sort of human interaction for very long. When I'm home alone, i get cabin fever really fast, and usually leave and hang out with someone. So i guess im saying i enjoy being naked in the presence of others because i can have my cake and eat too: i dont have to be alone but i don't have wear clothes either.

[papabare]

I like to be naked alone, with friends, with strangers, etc. I don't want to be the Only one nude, but if it's family or family and friends that are ok with it I will (Sometimes my kids are clothed while I am nude, sometimes one of them is nude while the rest of us are clothed, makes no difference really).

I have seen exhibitionists @ nudist resorts and nude beaches before. Usually they strut around for a bit but when nobody notices them they tend to either relax and enjoy themselves, or leave.

[tomhouston]

I get no excitement by having others see me nude, and am not trying to bring attention to myself in anyway.  I prefer to not wear clothes and it's nice to  hang out with people who feel the same. There is no hidden sexual/voyeuristic/exhibitionist agenda.

There are others that I think are. The whole photo posting/video chat thing is pretty voyueristic/exhibitionist to me. I don't think nudism is about seeing or being seen. Just like I don't view hanging out with textile friends as a fashion show i don't look at hanging out with nudist as a body show, We are just hanging out.

[ChristineF]

I have seen exhibitionists @ nudist resorts and nude beaches before. Usually they strut around for a bit but when nobody notices them they tend to either relax and enjoy themselves, or leave.

I've seen that too..... it's funny because you can tell they're getting pissed because nobody cares that they're "struttin' their stuff".........

[kirill]

I have seen exhibitionists

it's funny because you can tell they're getting pissed because nobody cares that they're "struttin' their stuff".........

i think that's the best way to deal with them 

[wildace001]

I think that exhibitionism is on the part of the nude person as well as the people surrounding them. There's nothing wrong with being comfortable about your body. Even if you have a bunch of textile friends that are cool with your nudity, I don't think it would be considered exhibitionism. If you are nude in front of people who clearly get a thrill from it or the only reason your nude is because you get a thrill from it then I would not call that naturism. As long as the company you're in respects your nudity as something you believe is natural and you're nude because you believe its natural I think you can be considered a naturist. If you you/re nude in front of people who you know are getting a  thrill from it or are doing it for a thrill, you've crossed the line from naturism to exhibitionism.

[Brandon]

There are others that I think are. The whole photo posting/video chat thing is pretty voyueristic/exhibitionist to me. I don't think nudism is about seeing or being seen. Just like I don't view hanging out with textile friends as a fashion show i don't look at hanging out with nudist as a body show, We are just hanging out.

I guess you'd put me in the voyeuristic/exhibitionist category. I'm sure many people consider me an exhibitionist because at a clothing optional park/beach, I remove my clothes as soon as it is permitted and walk 1/4 mile to the beach naked. I don't feel that I am strutting, but some people, naturists and textiles, might feel I am.

My assumption is that guys who obviously spend a lot of time at the gym and guys with piercings in their penis do want other people to look at them. But my assumption is just as groundless as the assumption of others that I am strutting because I walk naked to the beach.

I haven't noticed any women who appear to be strutting, but if some women want to, that's fine with me.

I'll finish by pasting one of my posts in the Proud of Being Nude thread:

I've posted elsewhere that one of the reasons we may participate in naturism is "to see and be seen", but if that is the primary motivation, then it's just voyeurism and exhibitionism.

Naturists who believe very strongly in the philosophy of body acceptance may say that you are vain, insecure or not a true naturist if you feel proud when another naturist looks at your body in an admiring way.

I don't agree with that extreme view. I think there is a balance, and it will be different for each of us. It may boost my ego a bit when people look at me, but it's not something I obsess over.

While glances from strangers are fine, I don't really appreciate strangers leering, staring or gawking at me.

As for friends, in Do gawkers annoy you? I wrote:

I would feel sad if a friend felt he or she had to avert his or her gaze from any part of my body.  If we feel there is something wrong or perverted about looking at someone's crotch or breasts, then we haven't really embraced the philosophy of naturism yet.  A friend is welcome to look at me as intently as he or she would look at a nude sculpture in a museum.

[tanah]

Nudist and exihibitionist i think not same. Exibition is to people to see whereby nudism is get along to nature.