If options are available, normal defines the average choice. All other options are deviations.Exclusion from the statistical equation is necessary, or else criticism ruins your day,
Average of what group though? All humans, all US citizens, Europeans, all the people on your block, all the people at your nudist resort, TN members, etc. if you were to ask if nudity is normal of these different groups the average will vary.
What society dictates as "normal" is socially constructed and varies depending on region of a country/country, etc. I knew I was never "normal" growing up and I've been embracing my weirdness (people who are close to me like my weirdness). I think it makes me special.
I found this thread as I was searching for another frequently asked question. It is an interesting thought. I know my normal is changing as time goes by.
I have been in groups of people that at some point someone will bring up some situation where a state of dress is brought up. When I just shrug when others show disgust, I am not normal. There have been times when the conversation turns to nudity; it would be ok as long as everyone is appealing to them. Again I just shrug and have added in that I have seen old, overweight, men and women. What does it matter? I will get that look from the corner of their eye, suggesting I am not normal. Somehow no one has pressed the question as to how or why have I seen these people. They just think it is strange that I dont care.
I know that many people will not consider being naked in front of others. what I do not get is how people push their ideas (or is it their fears) of normal on to other people.
I was looking thru all the posts on this subject, I agree with most but wanted to add another thing or two, when we first started being social nudists we were scared, nervous etc, Over time we not only spoke to others naked, we shook hands, then before long we would hug other naked people and get a light kiss from good friends, now, remember when we first started we couldn't hardly speak to others and ended up hugging and kissing others, WE also was scared to death the first time we were around a nudist child, Now we greet them with the same hello as we would anyone else
So over a period of time our "normal" has changed somewhat
T&D
Quite a few here started to expand on the "norm" because they know it's a little more complex: there are societal norms, generational norms, and laws. Societal norms are those that you see all around you and that we've noticed every day since we become cognizant humans. These are often, but not always, emphasized by generational norms - the norms you were taught (in verbal and non-verbal ways) by your parents because those norms were taught to them by their parents. Societies band together and often by shared societal and generational norms established laws, because that's what evolving civilizations do in order to protect an established way of life.
Whether right, wrong, archaic, skewed politically, or religiously biased, norms have defined that in most cultures people wear clothes both outside and inside of their homes on a daily bases, and often laws have been established to be in alignment with these norms.
Right or wrong, many of us follow these norms: I don't attempt to drive to and then enter my place of employment naked because there are laws against that behavior as well as there being a tremendous amount of judgement and retribution by those people around me should I attempt to do so - even if it were legal to do so it would be so far from the norm that my co-workers and employer would look at me in a different manner and it would impact my interactions with these people as well as probably result in my loss of employment.
Change is slow, and you can't change laws overnight nor can you change societal and generational norms quickly and easily just because your norm is different. Change comes with education and acceptance, so we need to start with being open to others as nudists that this is a viable and healthy lifestyle, and only when society sees that we as people who participate in nudist lifestyle are valued members of our society can we then begin to educate people about nudism - once the dialogue begins and we are accepted in spite of a different lifestyle we can begin to move forward in effecting change...
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