It is not just me. Others on this site have noticed the same thing.I don't think asking someone face to face why he is not naked is a good idea.
You dont like my answer, you are unwilling to ask the people in the gym.
You think a towel is acceptable (for certain types of exercise, I agree) so why do you think other naturists work out with clothes on?
What I came to realize is that as long as I know I am accepted being naked and no one can be offended, I dont care. I was just as comfortable naked amongst those clothed people as I am amongst a group that is entirely naked.
I agree with this POV it has always perplexed me when people say they are comfortable being naked get wierded out being naked among clothed are you saying you are really only comfortable under certain conditions? And isnt that a totally valid clothing optional perspective. Also how do we square the notion of being welcoming to a diverse range of all kinds people if we limit the welcome only to those who adopt our preferences. I get why some businesses do it. They are trying to carve out a particular niche for themselves. But I also see how those places can quickly an enclave for those who think the same and become a clique of true believers. I reiterate if we could broaden our understanding of nudism and naturism to be something beyond our state of dress it would make the clothing optional approach make more sense.
This is always one of the main dillemmas at our clothing optional natural hot spring. Most people prefer the naturist atmosphere, even including social nudity with strangers. Often when the first there choose to wear swimsuits, those that arrive after tend to follow suit. When you are shoulder to shoulder in hot water the provocative nature can be strong for those who are not seasoned nudists.
Natural56 wrote:This is always one of the main dilemmas at our clothing optional natural hot spring. Most people prefer the naturist atmosphere, even including social nudity with strangers. Often when the first there choose to wear swimsuits, those that arrive after tend to follow suit. When you are shoulder to shoulder in hot water the provocative nature can be strong for those who are not seasoned nudists.
Where is the hot spring you're talking about? When I go to Harbin Hot Springs, almost everybody is nude in the pool areas, but it's still clothing optional, and people with swimwear aren't singled out. In our culture, it often takes time for people to acclimatize themselves to being nude around strangers.
(Ironically, I first visited Harbin when they were just re-opening after the Covid pandemic, and county regulations insisted that everybody was required to wear masks, even in the pools. So you had people wearing nothing but masks. Strange sight.)
Often when the first there choose to wear swimsuits, those that arrive after tend to follow suit. When you are shoulder to shoulder in hot water the provocative nature can be strong for those who are not seasoned nudists.
Where is the hot spring you're talking about? When I go to Harbin Hot Springs, almost everybody is nude in the pool areas, but it's still clothing optional, and people with swimwear aren't singled out.
I've never been to HHS and know nada about it. But there is another point to be made about "clothing-optional public spaces."
Whether you find yourself standing shoulder to shoulder with people in bathing-suits, or everyone is nude around you with few exceptions...they can both come with the territory, so to speak. There were days at Mazo Beach where 90% of the people there were nude; and I've also found myself surrounded by non-nude boaters who'd decided to invade the beach.
"Clothing-optionalists" will often say things like "it shouldn't matter to you either way...blablabla..." Don't be gaslit. There are a LOT of nudists that are not comfortable being around clothed/covered people. And if you find that standing shoulder to shoulder with people in bathing suits uncomfortable...well then your options are pretty much limited to putting your own bathing suit back on, of packing it up for the day.
The nudist resort/club is a private entity. The owner(s) decide whether it's fully clothing-optional, partly clothing-optional, or not clothing-optional at all. At either of the latter two, the chances of standing shoulder to shoulder with people in swimsuits are close to none. If someone is not comfortable removing their swimsuit to get in a nude-mandatory pool...well then their options are pretty much limited to remaining outside the pool area, or going to one of the other 99% other locations where a swimsuit is welcome in the pool.
But I do understand that this is a sensitive topic for some people; and I'm not going to make light of the struggles some people might be experiencing when it comes to nudity. But from a financial and "cultural" standpoint, it might make no sense for a resort to make an exception, and risk alienating its members and regulars in the process.
You wouldn't go to a vegan restaurant and ask for a medium-rare steak because you need "real" protein. The restaurant is not obligated to cook you a steak. Your options are pretty much limited to picking something from the menu anyway; or head out to a steakhouse.
They say "nudism is for everyone." Yes; but not every nudist location is "for you." Choose the option that best suits your personal needs/preferences/limitations.
I quite agree that there is nothing wrong with being 'clothing optional' - the stereotypical Carry-on image of handing your clothes over at the gate likely puts people giving it a try, who may wish to break themselves in gently; I know it took me a while on my first nude beach to gather the nerve to remove my shorts, and know several friends who went to their first nudist venue but took a while to get fully naked... typically quickly slipping off their shorts to jump in the pool, then maybe deciding not to put them on again. I also know couples where one is comfortable being publicly naked, where one prefers to cover up away from their own space.... and several couples where one (usually the wife) does not go to the naturist club because of the pressure to undress... and then people complain about the lack of women.
I'd say some kind of guidelines about when and where nudity is expected would be helpful.... eg when using the pool/hot tub/sauna and perhaps when sunbathing in particular areas, but give people the option to do what they feel comfortable at other times, but a hard and fast rule banning clothes is not helpful.
Working out naked in the gym.
I'm not sure I'd be comfortable doing so - particularly when using certain apparatus where the posture required for the exercise requires an open-legged stance which in most other settings would be perceived as exhibitionist. I enjoy doing yoga naked (indeed find it preferable) but not convinced about naked gym use.
Working out naked in the gym.I'm not sure I'd be comfortable doing so - particularly when using certain apparatus where the posture required for the exercise requires an open-legged stance which in most other settings would be perceived as exhibitionist. I enjoy doing yoga naked (indeed find it preferable) but not convinced about naked gym use.
I went to The Club in Fort Lauderdale last winter.
It is clothing optional throughout.
While most men were nude in the pool and hot tub and on the sundeck, very few were in the gym.
Do you think that might be the reason?
Working out naked in the gym.I'm not sure I'd be comfortable doing so - particularly when using certain apparatus where the posture required for the exercise requires an open-legged stance which in most other settings would be perceived as exhibitionist. I enjoy doing yoga naked (indeed find it preferable) but not convinced about naked gym use.
Any strenuous physical workout that involves moving the body around might be seen as exhibitionist... a woman's breasts or a man's penis bouncing on the treadmill, for example. But if the context is directly related to the exercise, I wouldn't have a problem with that. The "exhibitionism" is what we, the observers, bring into it.I went to The Club in Fort Lauderdale last winter.It is clothing optional throughout.While most men were nude in the pool and hot tub and on the sundeck, very few were in the gym.Do you think that might be the reason?
I think that it might be an aversion to sitting on gym equipment that has been recently used. I know that we carry towels for that, but moving a towel around several pieces of equipment has its risks... are you putting the same side of the towel down each time? Having shorts or sweats on solves that problem.
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