Frequently Asked Questions

Why would I or anyone else want to be naked?

For more in-depth articles that describe these benefits, visit our Why Nudity? section.

Isn't it illegal to be naked?

We believe laws that define mere nudity as lewd, obscene, indecent, and illegal are bad laws which criminalize the very existence of the human body and cause many of the problems that they claim to protect us from. Behavior that is lewd, indecent, threatening, etc., whether nude or not, should definitely be illegal, but to criminalize the mere existence of the human body is a violation of personal liberties and downright foolishness.

Isn't it immoral to be nude?

This is a big lie. The fact is that nudity is not sexual unless we choose to make it sexual. Most people don't know that nudity can be nonsexual, or don't believe it, simply because they've never experienced nonsexual nudity. But thousands upon thousands of people every day prove that nudity can be nonsexual by living it. It's not an opinion that nudity can be nonsexual--it's a demonstrable fact.

Isn't nudity against religion?

Isn't nudity dangerous? What about sexual predators?

The truth is, being nude can make you safer because you're more on your guard. You're not relying on the illusion of protection you think clothing gives you. You would be foolish to walk alone down a dark alley while nude. Everyone knows that, so no one would do it. But you'd be foolish walking alone down a dark alley while clothed too. Yet people will on occasion do that when clothed.

Parents who bring their children to a nude beach to skinnydip will keep a sharp eye on their children and be suspicious of anyone giving them undue attention, because their children are nude. Yet children with swimsuits on are no safer than the nude children. So the nude children whose parents are even more vigilant because their chidlren are nude are actually safer than the children with swimsuits on, whose parents are subconsciously relying on the clothing to help protect them.

People are not safe from sexual predators whether clothed or nude. But being nude can help us be more vigilant and therefore safer, because we're not fooling ourselves into thinking our clothing protects us.

Isn't clothing a good protection against weather or dangerous activities?

What if I just don't like being naked?

Isn't a desire to be naked just exhibitionism?

Isn't nudism just a front for swingers?

We do not tolerate any kind of sexual behavior in the family-safe environment we create.

Won't people be sexually aroused at the sight of nudity?

People who are not used to seeing nudity, or used to seeing it only in sexual contexts, may be aroused at the sight of it. But it's surprising how fast that wears off when opportunities to see nudity are more common. Many people have remarked that one of the most un-erotic places you can visit is a nudist resort.

Wouldn't public nudity disturb the peace, or otherwise disrupt society?

It's an irritating irony that the anti-nudity laws which claim to protect us from the evils of nudity actually cause the evils of nudity. Those laws make it so we can't see nudity regularly, so it becomes a shocking and disturbing thing to us. Without those laws, we wouldn't need those laws to protect us.

A law which causes the thing it supposedly protects us from is a bad law.

But I'm offended at nudity. I just don't want to see it.

A lot of people don't like seeing piercings all over someone's face and body. They consider it offensive. They don't want to see it. Again, so what? It's a person's right to choose that for him or herself. If we don't like it, that's our problem. We can just turn our face away and not look.

People should have the right to not drape fabric over their own bodies if they don't want to. Why should you be allowed to rob them of their freedom to dress in a natural state just because you don't like it?

Doesn't it go against all human codes of decency throughout history to be naked in front of others?

Okay, if adults want to be naked, let them. But isn't it harmful to children to see nudity or to be nude?

Children are natural nudists. They have to be threatened and shamed into wearing clothes. In the process, they learn shame over their bodies. Why do otherwise loving parents even want to teach their children shame over their bodies?

Adults can recapture the innocence of youth by becoming nude themselves. It's a marvelous relief from the burdens and masks of modern adult life. It can be an exhilarating and liberating experience. It's like returning to the days of Adam and Eve in paradise.

Won't being naked a lot cause skin cancer?

But people who are often nude have one big advantage over people who remain clothed all the time. It's much easier for someone to spot a developing skin cancer on a nude body early enough for treatment. Skin cancer can be deadly--yet it's the most easily treated and survivable cancer if spotted early.

What about mosquitos, ticks, etc.?

But I'm fat.

But in the meantime, the whole point of chaste social nudity is to accept human bodies as they are, in all their shapes and sizes. Feeling ashamed, embarrassed, or guilty about your body won't change anything. It just makes you miserable. Accept who you are at this point in your life and love yourself. Set goals to change things you'd like to change, then just enjoy life with whatever body you have now. You'll find lots of company among people who also have bodies that don't fit the unrealistic ideal of beauty supermodels bamboozle us into accepting.

Besides, fat bodies look better nude than squished into clothing that creates unnatural bulges. Furthermore, your clothes aren't hiding anything. People can see how fat you are whether you're wearing clothes or not. So why fool yourself into thinking clothing does hide it? Just accept who you are and enjoy life.

You will find that people who are comfortable enough with their own bodies to be nude in front of others are also very nonjudgmental and accepting of other people. No one will think bad of your extra pounds--especially since most of them have extra pounds of their own. You may find it much easier to lose those extra pounds if you stop stressing over having them.

Isn't people being naked together just a form of pornography?

People train themselves to have a sexual reaction to pornography because society teaches us to see all nudity as sexual. But much of the attraction to pornography, especially in the beginning, is mere curiosity over what a nude body looks like. If we were to see nude bodies on a regular basis, there would be no curiosity, and the cycle that can degenerate into an addiction to pornography would never get started.

Children who are raised as nudists usually don't comprehend the attraction to pornography that their nonnudist friends seem to have. They've already seen it all--what's the big deal? And because nudity is a commonplace sight for them, they don't have the instant reaction of sexual arousal at the sight of a human body, whether live or in a magazine.

Chaste social nudity replaces the negative, sexualized, demeaning, unrealistic images of pornographic nudity with positive, wholesome, innocent, realistic images of the human body.

But all nudity is pornographic!

But I don't want the sexuality of the human body to be diffused. I like the sexual rush I get when I see a nude body.

Sexuality that is an expression of love shouldn't need the human body to be a sex object for arousal to happen. Arousal will come from the closeness, the intimacy, the caring, the relationship that exists between two people who love each other. Not from lust for an object of flesh.

If chaste social nudity diffuses the sexuality of the human body to the point where people who get their kicks out of objectifying the human body have a harder time getting aroused at the mere sight of one, all we can say is--Good!

Where can I learn more about chaste social nudity?

How can my family join Family Skinnydippers?

What if I'm single? What if my family doesn't want to participate? What if we don't have kids?

We are Family Skinnydippers because we provide a family-safe environment for people to explore chaste social nudity. If you are willing to contribute to that family-safe environment, you are welcome, regardless of your family status.