Nudist Myth Busting: "Crazy things go on during nude cruises"

Nope. True nudist/naturist cruises are not sex-charged places. They are human places. Nudist cruises are about real people on a cruise ship who just happen to be more comfortable without clothes. And with that, they form a common bond.


To get a feeling about what a nude cruise is really like, read the daily trip reports from a nudist aboard a Caribbean nude cruise with 1,200 other nudists.

There is one rule that must be followed for this nudist myth busting experiment to be true. The nudist cruise event must be held in positive regard by members of AANR, the International Naturist Federation, or any of the other wholesome nudism focused organizations, you can be assured the cruise is a good one.

When selecting a destination, reading the genuine nudist forums is a good place to start. A good one with a loyal following of "clothes-free people" is ClothesFree forums.

Nudist Myth Busted. Nude cruises provide a friendly, respectful vacation environment when properly selected.

Complete list of reasons to wear clothes

After hours of research on this April 1st, I am pleased to present the Complete List of Reasons to Wear Clothes:

1. Clothes are good when the weather is too cold to be comfortable.

2. Clothes are good for the safety of construction workers, race car drivers, etc.

3. Clothes are good for sterile environments like hospitals, medical labs, and research centers.

4. Clothes are good for graduation ceremonies (with nothing under the "cap and gown" required).

5. Clothes are good for religious ceremonies for symbolism.

There you have it, the complete list of 5 reasons. This was more difficult than I originally thought.

Competing with the 205 Arguments in Favor of Naturism appearing in The Naturist Society's (TNS) N magazine in 1996 is just not possible. The list of arguments was compiled by K. Bacher from various sources.

Here's a sample of the arguments:

15. Children are not born with any shame about nudity. They learn to be ashamed of their own nudity.

21. Many indigenous tribes go completely naked without shame, even today. It is only through extended contact with the "modern" world that they learn to be "modest."

29. Nudity is not, by itself, erotic, and nudity in mixed groups is not inherently sexual. These are myths propagated by a clothes -obsessed society. Sexuality is a matter of intent rather than state of dress.

33. Studies have demonstrated that countries with fewer hangups about nudity have lower teen pregnancy and abortion rates.

45. Naturism is the antithesis of pornography.

101. Clothing is produced by environmentally irresponsible processes from environmentally irresponsible sources.

205. One of the most important arguments in support of nudism is personal experience.

Trying nudism before you die

43things.com is a cool website with a "1,000 things to do before you die" theme. People contribute what they want to do, what they have done, get ideas from other people and share experiences.

Some people want to try nudism and others have already. I'm just browsing through the 43things website and so far it is fun.

I tried to contribute to one person's Thing: "my strange desire to visit a nudist colony"

Other people want to get nude on a nude beach, visit a nudist colony (nudist resort/campground) and others talk about positive experiences. Yet others want to go nude more, having tried it a liked it, and another has lived in a nudist resort.

Nudist Myth Busting: Clothing is Required

Humans need clothing, don't they? Let's dispel the myth of clothing. A brief sampling of works by other authors makes it clear that living nude is more common than you may think.

In the recent and recommended book "The Complete Guide to Nudism and Naturism" by Liz and James Egger, the husband and wife nudist authors of 30 years provide some interesting facts and evidence why clothing is not a physical requirement for survival.

They point out that the natives in Tierra del Fuego in South America's southernmost region have lived nude in a climate with 43F (6C) degree average weather. Charles Darwin is among the people to document this.

The Egger's go on to say "The difference is that [the natives] had never felt the need for clothing, and so their bodies had adapted to the cold."

NUFF, the Naturist UK Fact File, is compiling a list of many existing and extinct nude cultures around the world. The list is surprising. Did you know that the peoples of the indigenous tribes of the Caribbean, the Caribs, were usually nude at the time of discovery by Christopher Colombus?

In a 1927 book entitled "Studies in the Psychology of Sex: Vol. 1" by Havelock Ellis, the author examines many cultures whose people do not normally cover themselves with fabric. The book is dated and relative, but points out many cultures where nudity has been the norm:

"The Mandurucu women of Brazil... are completely naked, but they are careful to avoid any postures which might be considered indecorous..."

"The semi-nude natives of the island of Nias in the Indian Ocean are "modest by nature," paying no attention to their own nudity or that of others,..."

And then there are cultures where clothing is restrictive:

"In [1927] England, the regulations of the Swimming Clubs affiliated to the Amateur Swimming Association, require that the male swimmer's costume shall extend not less than eight inches from the bifurcation downward, and that the female swimmer's costume shall extend to within not more than three inches from the knee."

Living naked is a way of life in many cultures. Myth busted.

Clothing, nudists and the self

How does colored fabric change who we are? Researchers says clothing has an impact on how you perceive yourself.

In a University of Michigan study entitled "Clothing in the Self-System of Adolescents" (1997 - view), researchers explored the cultural impact of clothing in relation to the self during those developmentally important adoloescent years.

The researchers explain how clothing and the self are linked:

"If adolescents regard clothing as a tool for validation of the self or inclusion in social interaction through which the self can be established, they may value clothing more than other objects as part of the self. They may perceive clothing as central to the self and psychologically become linked to clothing. The centrality and psychological linkage of the person to clothing is what is meant by the psychological closeness or proximity of clothing to self."

What does this mean to nudists? Well, except for the lucky few who live on nudist resorts, most nudists I know wear clothing for work, for shopping, and even around the house. During these times, clothing may impact our self perception.

When we finally are in a nude, we have no fabric to define us. We have the freedom of our own skin.

The impact of clothing

John Veltheim wrote an interesting article called "Naked beneath your clothing" a while back. I won't claim to agree with every last point, but he presents a lot of good thoughts.

Here, he provides an argument about the negative impact of clothing on our body and mind:

"When people use clothing as a means of shutting out the world and covering up to stop the world from seeing their distorted inner self image, they create a tragedy of immense proportions. When hiding behind clothes, people are closing down their body energically and psychologically. A healthy body has its energy, nervous system, and life forces flowing freely throughout it. When shut down psychologically and physically, the body energy shuts down, distorts and flows abnormally. This manifests major kinks in spiritual, emotional, mental and physical growth."

He seems to be saying that clothing is preventing humans from reaching their full potential.

Nudists on the Family Guy

I stumpled upon this clip on YouTube - a funny clip showing the Family Guy family visiting a nudist family home.

This is the family's first time learning about nudists and they are a little shocked.

I debated about linking to this video originally. Some people think Family Guy is tasteless and crude.

Though the scene is littered with traditional Family Guy humor, the writer's portrayal is not anti-nudist. It seems more to be making fun of the situation of a clothed family encountering a nudist one for the first time. Nothing more.

Despite the normal Family Guy non sequitors, the Family Guy family gets along fine with the nudist family, sitting down for dinner and "trying" to enjoy hot dogs.