Opinion Sur Joven

“A distinction must be made between morbidity or perversion and the intention to inform”, Henri Cartier-Bresson, photographer.

“Nothing is more arousing for a man than a woman with her clothes on”, Pancho Dotto, Argentine model manager.

“Having their partners get naked in front of other nudists isn’t considered infidelity by nudists, because sexual activity is deemed private and intimate, whereas nudism is a social and family activity”. This is how Florencia Brenner, from Asociación para el Nudismo Naturalista Argentino (Argentine Naturist Nudism Association), defines it in an article on infidelity (in Spanish only).

This phrase contrasted with our own prejudice and allowed us to look beyond what our eyes can see or, actually, beyond what we’re restricted from seeing. If nudists don’t consider their practices to be sexual or voyeuristic, why do dressed people do it? But even more questions arise from this matter. Why is this practice so commonly disapproved of, whereas encouraging and celebrating erotism and nudity in mass media is so widely accepted?

Once upon a time

We take for granted that wearing clothes is natural. As opposed to this, nudists would be isolated from society for being groups with strange habits. However, if we take African tribes or ancient aboriginal communities into account, we could say they are or were nudists as well. In those cultures, no one will or would blush due to nudity. The same happens in some European beaches, where women weren’t used to covering their breasts. That is, the nude/dressed factor is simply cultural and varies from one society to another: it depends on habits and customs.

According to the Jewish-Christian tradition, in the Book of Genesis both man and woman were naked from the very beginning, and were not ashamed. So what happened next? They sinned by eating the fruit of the tree of life. “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons”, reads the biblical story, thus explaining the origin of the sacred mandate of the western tradition to cover the body, since being naked is directly related to the original sin. “I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself”, Adam said to God.

Wearing clothes became a tradition, but also a consumption habit. Man and woman got used to choosing their clothing according to fashion and parameters of different cultures. The truth is that being completely naked is seen as an erotic practices related to sex. However, nudists believe this idea is nothing but prejudice.

A double speech?

Implicit or explicit sex; showing a lot, a bit or nothing; kissing with one, two or three. While this is still under debate ―and many find it outrageous―, the images occupying hours of television (both in daytime and night-time TV) represent a necessity to show bodies, talk without limits, and to erotize and be erotized because, according to rating experts, it’s on demand. They defend their Business and fill their program guides with the “must-see” corporal models. But the TV isn’t the only screen featuring them. Explicit images can be also seen on the Internet or through cell phones.

“Erotism and nudity in the media are related to images of products that have to be sold: they’re rather associated to aesthetics and ideal bodies. For us, instead, nudism has nothing to do with superficial matters. We can see hundreds of naked bodies and never be attracted to them, because we don’t see those bodies as erotic objects, but merely as persons who show themselves just like they are”, says Martín making a difference. He started practicing nudism at 27 with his girlfriend Vanina, who’s three years younger than him. They tell us practicing nudism allowed them to connect to a unique sensation they call “riddance”. “We want to feel free and relax”, they say.

Prejudice

What is the common prejudice in society about nudism? José Blanco, coordinator of Edén (an Argentine naturism website), describes it: “They say we’re in a permanent orgy, because many people can’t understand that many other people get naked for other reasons than sex. They believe we have great bodies; this myth is the result of a society that works as if everyone were the whole day under the spotlight. The believe nudist women accept every sex offer because that’s just what they do; this is a male chauvinist that generates deep frustration in those who approach nudism in an attempt to improve their sex lives. Or they think all nudist men are homosexuals”.

As if it was necessary, Blanco ―a nudist since 1995― clarifies that, when others look at him in that context, he doesn’t feel anything different from what he feels when he’s dressed. “Seduction and vanity don’t disappear”, he says, “but they take another place. We always try to look good in front of others, but the absence of certain obvious elements like clothes and accessories diversifies communication”.

In his opinion, the best thing about nudism is the sense of freedom he feels when he wears no clothes. “There’s less embarrassment and more respect in a nudist beach than in a regular one, because you stop caring about some artificial elements of the so-called ‘social life’”.

Whether intentionally or not, nudists question the current social order and moral values; they challenge our relationship with our bodies and the way we show them. In a peaceful and low-profile manner, they show society that there are other alternatives to analyze the way we look at our own bodies and the others’, and that there isn’t a sole way to show ourselves. “Erotism is a way of being and behaving. It has nothing to do with the lack of clothes”, Brenner explains. And he gives an example: “A dressed person can be more erotic than a naked one, because he or she may suggest or promise something. But naturist nudism considers the sexual activity of a couple is a private and intimate matter, so practicing nudism among other people necessary implies the absence of sexual activity or erotism”.

Limits and limitations

They’re young, they do something they like and they bother no one. However, Martín and Vanina acknowledge it’s not easy to share their affinity for nudism in an open manner. “I talked about it with my family and they took it very naturally”, he says. “Talking about it is much easier for a man, and he’s better accepted by society. Instead, women find it really hard to share it, since they’re generally seen as ‘easy’ girls”. Thus they acknowledge Vanina can’t talk about it with her family or even her friends, because of the possible consequences at her workplace. “She’s a teacher, and many times this activity is misinterpreted. It is commonly believed to be a bad example”, they regret. Obstacles might appear among the closest environment, family or friends, but also from the very core of the couple.

To be or not to be nudist. Although there are no official statistics in Argentina, according to Apanna the youngest naturist nudists are generally older than thirty. Most of them are men, because women find it harder to be naked. There are reportedly very few nudists aged between 10 and 20, because adolescents are often insecure about their own bodies. Because we live in a society that focuses on the image and standards ruling the way a person’s body should look, being dressed helps us improve our self-confidence: we can choose what to show or not. In a totally opposite position regarding this concept, nudism does not reject the bodies that could be described as imperfect.

Embracing this practice requires to overcome prejudice and be willing to show the body just as it is. It can be a long or a short road, depending on how or where we look at it from.