.

[monkeyfish]

.

[HarleyNude]

yes

[kensington25]

No. I don't think looking after one's appearance is contradictory to naturist values at all. I think taking care of ourselves whether in terms of health or appearance is something with have a duty to do for our own well being whether naturist or non-naturist. I think we owe it to ourselves. Just because I may be naked on a beach doesn't mean to say I have to let myself go etc. I also enjoy looking after myself. You don't have to look great or be slim etc but one of my philosophies of life is you make the best of what you've got.

Taking care of yourself and appearance only really becomes a problem when it becomes an obsession as with many things in life. When it rules your life that is when it is out of control. But doing little things to ensure your well being has nothing to do with contradicting the values of naturism or losing your inhibitions. It just has everything to do with taking care of yourself. I just try and do the best with what I have.

So Monkeyfish, if you want to lose weight then do it and don't think for one second you are betraying any naturist values as you are not. As long as you are doing for you and because you want to then brilliant. Good luck and let us know how it goes.  William

[Aaron Stern]

 
I agree with everything you say, William, 100%! And, as I pointed out in a previous post
here, I would even go one step further: IMHO, many nudie resorts did the nudie idea a
grave disservice by admitting each and everyone who wanted to join there. During the
last two years, my mom and dad invited, let's say, seven of my sister's and my buddies to spend the day at Glen Eden and Olive Ranch in Southern California, but only three of them would join us at a later trip there. Reason number one: too many old folks = too few our age, reason number two: people look like they're neglecting their bodies = need a serious
grooming job, "everything goes" was in our buddies' eyes just not acceptable, and they
didn't want to come back there. Then again, my sister Sarah, my girlfriend Jen and I are
such dyed-in-the-wool nudies we're having fun there no matter what the folks around us
look like. But we do understand our buddies' concerns and objections, and I stick with my
thesis that many resorts made a mayor mistake by admitting all applicants. Strength is not
always just in numbers; if their policy causes young nudies to turn away from them in
droves, then it's just another nail in the coffin of the nudie lifestyle. My 2 cents. Aaron

@HarleyNude: judging by your avatar, you don't look to me like someone who's neglecting
his body! So, please, say these four wonderful words, "I was just kidding!" Take care, Aaron

[jondavx]

i equate caring about your appearance with having healthy self-respect.

sure you can be an eccentric genius who cares nothing for trivial and earthly matters such as grooming. but lets face it, that is not most of us.

there is truth in the old adage: looking good, feeling good.

jon

[Brandon]

...But we do understand our buddies' concerns and objections, and I stick with my
thesis that many resorts made a major mistake by admitting all applicants. Strength is not
always just in numbers; if their policy causes young nudies to turn away from them in
droves, then it's just another nail in the coffin of the nudie lifestyle. My 2 cents. Aaron

I think your thesis is valid, but anyone who seriously suggested turning away "unattractive" nudists would be called elitist and not a supporter of fundamental nudist values. 

In any case, how a could an existing resort rebalance its clientel without 1) stepping on the toes of some longstanding members and 2) running into legal problems?

A resort could have some basic grooming/hygiene rules, but age and weight rules would be grounds for discrimination. You could have a membership committee to approve new members, based on personal recommendations, interviews and so forth. In the bad old days, exclusive country clubs used membership committees to discreetly exclude Jews, so you might not want to push that idea too far.

My suggestion, if you want to open a new nudist resort that won't attact the old, the frail, and the overweight, is to locate the parking lot at least a mile from the clubhouse/pool/beach, with a challenging trail in between. No golf carts, lol.

Good luck transporting supplies for the bar and restaurant though.


To answer the original question, I don't see anything contradictory about being a naturist and wanting to look good and maintain a healthy body. As I see it, you only get one body, so you should take care of it.

[andrewk]

I don't think you should start discriminating people based on there physical appearance one of main points you here time and time again on naturist site's is the term body acceptance so it would be a bit contradictory to start and filter members on how they look. But of course people should stick to a basic level of hygiene.

[BlobbyBob]

right now i am working hard on losing weight and gaining muscle and i must admit this is largely in prep for going to a nude beach.  i realize that when i go people wont care what i look like but i really want to have a body people would enjoy taking a glance at

Perhaps you didn't mean that how it came across, but to me that seems at least partly exhibitionist.

there are plently of good reasons to achieve healthy fitness levels so is a reason such as this bad and contradictory to nudist values?

If you want to change your body then the reasons are entirely your own and no-one should judge you for them, but to me the values of a nudist are about body acceptance - both in terms of how we see ourselves and how we perceive that others will see us (how others actually see us is moot, as we can never know that for certain)

Personally I'd like to lose some weight, merely because I don't feel completely healthy. I am not overweight much anyway, considering that I am tall and of big build, but I do have extra fat which I could lose by exercise. If I manage to achieve this I will genuinely be doing it for my health - though not that I have to justify myself to anyone - and not for appearances sake. I can't deny that I'd like to lose a bit of the belly I have, as I don't always like the way that it looks - but I'd certainly not aim to achieve any of this for others to enjoy looking at my body. Perhaps this is just me, but I don't feel that I need that kind of validation.

I have a friend who is not a nudist and she feels uncomfortable with her body because she is overweight, though not grossly. We are currently looking to plan a trip together next summer to include a visit to a nude beach for a few days, and she isn't sure yet if she'd feel comfortable joining me, but we have been discussing it and I believe that if she could bring herself to do it then it would be a major boost to her self confidence, and perhaps change how she feels about her body.

[artinprogress]

I don't believe that having problems with one's body image is a bad thing that goes against naturism.  Its normal to have them and sometimes it can be healthy if not taken to the extreme, as in just exercising and eating right. Naturism is really there to say, "Don't go over the edge".

[Brandon]

right now i am working hard on losing weight and gaining muscle and i must admit this is largely in prep for going to a nude beach.  i realize that when i go people wont care what i look like but i really want to have a body people would enjoy taking a glance at

Perhaps you didn't mean that how it came across, but to me that seems at least partly exhibitionist.

That's an interesting interpretation, but given the first half of the sentence, perhaps a tad unfair. It sounded to me more like a personal goal expressed in hypothetical terms. But even if someone has slightly exhibitionistic motivations, I don't see that as unhealthy or inconsistent with the naturist philosophy. It's the same as wanting to wear interesting and unique clothes when you go to a party -- you want to visually express how you think of yourself.

[BlobbyBob]

It's the same as wanting to wear interesting and unique clothes when you go to a party -- you want to visually express how you think of yourself.

To change clothes takes seconds - to change ourselves takes somewhat longer.

Obviously to each his own - we shouldn't judge anyones motives for being a nudist or how they want to present themselves to others - but the standard definition of the nudist ideal is to promote body acceptance, so when a person says that they don't want to go nude until they look a certain way, despite them realising their appearence doesn't matter, they are trying to present themselves in a specific way, which to me is more akin to the definition of an exhibitionist. As I said though - we shouldn't judge - just making an observation.

[Bobisnekkid]

does that make sense?

I think it makes perfect sense, you merely want to put your best foot forward so to speak. You want to appear the best that you can to others. I notice that you are 16, and at that age I would assume you're single. That would imply that you would like to find a mate, and with that search in mind it is generally fairly imperative that we "look our best." If that is the case (and even if it isn't) I would say go to the beach now, work on your appearance later. If you're trying to find a mate, it would be best to find one that likes you at your worst. If you're not trying to find a mate there's no point in worrying about a little pudge, unless it's growing exponentially  .

I don't think it's antithetical to nudism to worry about your appearance, but don't let your worries steal your joy from you. Get out to the beach or to the club, meet people, look them up and down, take note of their appearance. If it's "better" than yours, say "hey, I'd like to look like that, so I'm going to work out and eat right and maybe the next time I'm here someone will notice my improvement and compliment me" if it's "worse" say "hey, it's ok what I look like, because nudism is about being comfortable, and if that guy's comfortable, I should be." But don't avoid the nude experience altogether, especially at a young age. Embrace your appearance and improve upon it at the same time, if that makes sense.

[Achmed The Nudist]

I certainly care about appearance, but at the same time I refuse to stick to society's standards of 'looking good'. The way you look can be a good indicator of how healthy we are, and not just physically, because, I think part of having a good mental (or emotional, for the lack of the exact word) health is to be in good terms with how we look. Each one of us perceives himself or herself in a certain image that they thrive to become. This image has been influenced, distorted to some extent, by what society and media is pushing - almost forcing upon us - as their own perception of good looks.

Plus, I think there is a big difference between caring about one's appearance and caring about other's appearance in the sense of judging others by the way they look. I care about the way I look and I have certain measures which I use to assess whether I look good to myself or not. But at the same time if I see someone who doesn't conform to my measures, it doesn't mean that I judge them in a certain way. That part is what definitely goes against the values of nudism.

[Dail17]

Hey Monkeyfish,

I think that in order to compensate for the whole skinny fad/eating disorder trends of late, people are rushing in the opposite direction and commit another fallacy.  I think wanting to care for your body and look good is a very commendable aspiration. It's just like your mind; nobody discourages a person from bettering themselves intellectually, likewise, physical health should be maintained as well.  And just as one wouldn't want to let the mind go to mush, why let your body?

[tcsrg384]

I'm not even going to lie. I'm a very vain person. I take great pride in making sure I dress and groom myself the best that I can everyday. And, there is nothing wrong with that. It's my choice and my own business. It makes me feel good about myself.

In the same way that making sure my body is good shape and that body hair is neatly trimmed makes me feel more comfortable without clothing. It's a choice, and to each his or her own. Just because you consider yourself a naturist doesn't mean you have to ignore your appearance. Like someone else said--Make the best of what you've got. Respecting your body and your appearance should be important, in my opinion.

And as far as trying to keep a regulated appearance among club/resort attendees... I think denying admittance to those who have unsavory bodies would not really be fair. It would be more reasonable to just provide some sorts of health and grooming services/amenities on site to help people better themselves. Yoga classes and weight rooms, for example?