Gymnophobia is a fear (phobia) of nudity. Gymnophobics experience anxiety from nudity, even if they realize their fear is irrational. They may worry about seeing others naked, being seen naked, or both. Their fear may stem from a general anxiety about sexuality, from a fear that they are physically inferior, or from a fear that their nakedness leaves them exposed and unprotected.
Break free from being afraid of your own body and the fear of seeing others. Straight up nudity isn’t wrong, it’s completely natural. It’s only the Church, the government and the media who portrays nudity as something sexual. they are to blame. Humans have come a long way in history and guess what, most of us (depending how far north or south you are) the cold climates may not have had it as easy living in the nude. For the warmer climates most tribes or lifestyles lived nude and they are the best examples of how a natural culture without clothes can be seen as non-sexual.
Over time, society started wearing and making clothes but it was not because of body shame. It was to get warm when it was cold. It’s the church, government and the media who have a bad knack at relating nudity with sexualism. Just remember they are two completely different things and should not be related to one and other.
Don’t fear nudity, It’s actually a lot more healthy for you than you think. Good for the body, soul and mind. Once you start to live nude you will never want to go back. Think of all the money you also can save without buying expensive clothes, detergents, fabric softener, cling-frees, bleach etc etc etc. After all what is the difference if it’s a foot, a hand, a breast or a penis.. their just body parts.
Life is possible in a natural, nude fashion without making it sexual.
I like how Shane breaks the individual ideas into paragraphs. It makes the text easier to read in segments and anchors your eyes as you read. That makes it possible to keep your place in a large text.
About the content: this type of discourse is why I joined, and it's what makes Naktiv.net different from many of the other nudist social networks.
You guys are on to something here. Maybe a new way to present social nudity to those who may not presently be open to it? Understanding the public's hidden fears goes a long way to overcoming them.
The creative photography found here is fun to!
It is precisely this kind of discourse and ongoing discussion that keeps me engaged. I'm fully aware that it's not everyone's bag and some people even get a bit peeved off with the in depth discussions.
None the less there's a reasonable enough balance between those who prefer to post pics and light humour vs those of us that like to ponder the whole thing a little deeper. Both have their place and make the site a great melting pot.
I appreciate your compliment on my posting style 🙂
I like it all; the in-depth discussions, the creative photos and the humor. Bring it on.
It's imperative to keep the discussion going, as well as the images, as the one complements the other, as they always have done. Equally important is to make sure we don't just agree with everyone all of the time. Variety is important, and how we express ourselves individually.
I think the blog and the replies would together make a great pamphlet on the issue.
I agree. Perhaps a list of bullet points discussed from different points of view?
I have a hard time reading lomg replies
actually found the time to read once again! your blog reply! but I do agree with you Shane… please though with me keep tje replies shorter? =)
Pretty sure I have a solution to this. If I create a blog post to your blog post that will eliminate long replies 🙂
I agree with both points of view here. Scott's observation that many institutions often portray nudity with a sexual or negative bias isn't incorrect.
Richard's assertion that nakedness and sex definitely have an association is also correct.
I think people get into trouble when trying to establish a false dichotomy. That is, assert that nudity is entirely sexual and immoral, or assert that it is completely non-sexual and therefore wholly acceptable more or less purely on that basis. Neither are true or correct.
I would cite women's breasts and the male penis as the best examples to illustrate my point.
Both are involved in sex and sexual arousal. Both have other functional roles that have absolutely nothing to do with sex ; in the vast majority of cases. They are dual purpose.
Naked bodies are both sexual and non-sexual. It almost seems absurd that a five year old can grasp this concept and yet many adults can't.
There is actually nothing wrong with sex, sexual gratification or indeed arousal. It's a natural enjoyable experience. It's the very kind of cultural conditioning Richard eluded to that has flawed our perspective on it.
I think if people viewed sexuality in a more balanced fashion, they would view nudity in a more balanced fashion.
Imagine how much more enjoyable life might be if people weren't so hung up about enjoying sexual sensations. Although I understand how many people would have a serious problem with the following hypothetical, in a world where people accept and understand their sexual natures, it would be entirely acceptable.
So the hypothetical is in a society where sexuality isn't demonised, there's a very attractive woman with a somewhat revealing dress that accentuates her sexual appeal. As a naked guy strolls past and notices her, he involuntary becomes aroused and his body responds accordingly. The woman notices and flashes him a coy smile appreciating the unintentional compliment. He smiles back and nobody is put out or offended.
Nobody has really done anything wrong here. Both people acted normally and naturally. If they happened to act on further impulse, I doubt there'd be much harm in that either.
We have this artificial moral code however that says that this kind of outright sexual behaviour is unacceptable. This contradicts our highly sexual natures and a fair amount of evidence we can see in nature.
Bonobos for example are even more closely related to humans than any other primate including chimps.
They exhibit highly sexualised behaviours that mimic much of human sexual behaviour. Do some research if you're curious.
I'm not suggesting this is a good basis to suddenly roll around in the streets having wild sex as the mood strikes us.
We do need to end this false dichotomy and stop demonising our basic human nature with outdated, outmoded mind sets that are a throw back to far less educated, more superstitious times. I personally believe until this occurs, we will have a very difficult time advancing as a sane mature society.
Scott,
I agree that objectively you are right that nudity is a natural state and not in itself associated with sexuality. However your arguement that it is the church, media and state that are entirely responsible for 'body shame' and the sexualisation of nudity does not stand up.
We humans are social beings and our perception of what is right or wrong are mostly socially created, conditioned by our peers, current and historical. This certainly applies to both clothing and sexuality.
As sexual beings we pereceive others as sexually attractive to a greater or lesser extent and our conditioning produces a response in us. As a straight, mostly, male I find women sexually attractive in accordance with many factors. mostly these are behavoural, body language, posture, subculture, preparedness to flout convention etc. How a woman dresses is also a factor in this.
I do not find nakedness itself to be the issue, I have been to enough clothing optional places to have got over that one despite a degree of teenage conditioning. But I do find clothing worn provocatively to be sexually arousing, such as a skirt lifted flashing stockings and a smooth thigh. An example from many years ago was when I was out in the country with a previous partner who was wearing a light floaty summer dress, and we wrer caught in a torrential cloud burst. The sight of her breasts through the wet fabric was extremely stimulating and resulted in passionate love making. This despite my being used to seeing her nude regularly.
So the issue of nudity and sexuality is a lot more complex, it is social conditioning first and foremost.