Nudism and Diversity
"... the Columbia couple hoped to find a judgment-free zone to relax.
Instead, the tour and the people they met only made them feel uncomfortable.
Richburg felt the club saw him more as a potential marketing tool.
Ive never been to a place where they kept mentioning
the color of my skin or kept mentioning the word diversity..."
Full article:
www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/secret-annapolis-area-nudist-club-struggles-with-inclusivity/2228484/
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In your observation or experience, what is the culture(diversity) of nudism in clubs/resorts that you frequent?
It's complicated...
I'm biracial; my first wife is African-American. We were admittedly always very well received at the SC, VA and GA resorts we visited. I never once felt anyone was "bothered" by our presence there. But I do have to say; even though there might be one or two other black/brown people there, my wife was always the only black woman. I won't get too much into the stigma about female nudity in the African-American community; but it's very strong. So I have to give my ex a lot of credit for being a "rebel" and going against it. She struggled a bit initially about being the only black woman at the resort/club; but with encouragement/support from the nudist community, she gained the confidence to be comfortable socially nude. But she was always well aware of her "status"; and "standing out" from rest the crowd due to it. Luckily she was able to embrace it; and even find some pride of being the one representative of her demographic. That even garnered her a "level of fame."---In your observation or experience, what is the culture(diversity) of nudism in clubs/resorts that you frequent?
About 2-5%. There seems to be more Indians and Asians these days. I think it will grow (with the internet) but I think it will be a while before the nudist community is representative of the American community at large (12% African-American, 16% Latinx.)
I think it will grow (with the internet) but I think it will be a while before the nudist community is representative of the American community at large (12% African-American, 16% Latinx.)
But the Latinx group, especially males, has a reputation for being more comfortable in minimal swimwear than other groups.
Any idea why they are underrepresented in the nudist community?
When we first discovered social nudity we were the only blacks at the resort. There were other minorities however.
When we returned home, I searched for places closer to us where we could enjoy the freedom of being nude around others. I found our local club and some hot springs but I had the worry that it was a lifestyle that was only open to whites. I did a search for black nudist and ended up here on TN in a group I now Moderate.
When I went to the club and took a tour, first, I was mistaken for another member and then some of the first people I met were a black couple. There were photos on the wall in the club house of some black women and everyone was very welcoming.
We are often the only blacks when we visit places but have not encountered anything like the couple in the article and I have visited a few places as a black single male. There is an article about my club however that I will try to find that talks about when the first black couple tried to join. They were denied but it led to the article and the club having to rethink its membership policies. Perhaps the same will happen at Pine.
Most resorts and venues are not overtly racist - however unconscious bias does exist in operational practices. Most black folks I know arent interested in visiting a place that advertises their redneck weekend. Also there are still racist individual nudists. Just recently we had two nudist influencers on Twitter say flying the confederate flag was all good as long as the majority of the folks at the venue have no problem with it. My club/resort has had to address issues like that but it is still there under the surface so we shouldnt be naive. Nudist community isnt any different from any other groups not everyone is racist but they do exist.
In answer to the original question asked...I have only seen a total of three black people in resorts I have attended but spoken to all of them. I never had occasion to have an indepth conversation with the same folks other than just small talk in the course of the visit. I don't know if that counts but it largely represents many of my conversations with fellow nudists. However...there is a point that I must contend...the 'redneck' angle. I'll add your language here, "Most black folks I know arent interested in visiting a place that advertises their redneck weekend. " How many black folks do you know? Is your sample based upon urbanites, suburbanites, or people from the countryside? How many rednecks do you know and how often do you converse with them? Do you use 'attitude neutral' language when engaging in conversation with folks? Upon what did you base your idea of redneck weekend? I believe you're bordering on engaging in the same mindset as the folks you're attempting to assess. I personally observed an 'enlightening' gathering a few weekends ago you may find encouraging or offending...depending on your point of view. I passed three pick up trucks sitting in a small ditch at the edge of the woods. They were pretty much identical: 4-wheel drive, tool box in the back, long whip CB antennae with 'coon tail' attached to the tip. Three guys were sitting on the tool box of one truck, wearing very similar plaid long sleeve shirts, jeans, and all topped the the required baseball cap. They were most likely sitting there discussing their hunt...two were white and one black. All three would be classed as 'rednecks' based upon their attire and mode of transportation. They appeared to be joking and enjoying themselves as I drove by. That said...does your view of a 'redneck' weekend need revision as it shows your obvious bias against folks from the country? I think you might need to revise your ideas of attendees at a 'redneck weekend'.
stoneandy wrote:Why go where I'm not welcome? Why would my sons, going into college now, want to have anything to do with nudism as they become adults after not being included because of a lack of interest from their mother?
That's really at the heart of the problem. I simply don't go to places where I don't feel welcome, no matter if it's "nudist" or "textile" or anything in between. Life is too short.Nudist resorts may support having a casual relationship to clothes, but their attitude to people seems to exclusive and rigid. They are dying in relevance and becoming a niche market that's retiring and dying off in Florida. Meanwhile my sons will find ways to strip their clothes and hang naked on their terms. Resorts are unlikely to realize before it's too late that they need youth and minorities more than youth and minorities need them.
If the resorts are that inflexible, they're tying their own nooses, aren't they? But this is in line with something a friend of mine said about the differences between "old nudism" (resorts, clubs, etc.) and "new nudism" (people in unstructured environments, usually among friends). Your sons are probably going to end up in the latter category. As long as there are people who have private pools or hot tubs or property they can be nude in, there will always be "new nudism," and it may end up being the dominant form.
For me, "new nudism" is just being naked around like-minded friends, in hot tubs and pools and whatever. It's enjoying the experience without a lot of rules or expectations. I don't know what hope for it is there in the Midwest, but it's sort of been the norm here with younger people in California, at least around big cities and college towns. Old guy that I am, I've been fortunate to be included, since I generally have friends a lot younger than I am.
For me, "new nudism" is just being naked around like-minded friends, in hot tubs and pools and whatever. It's enjoying the experience without a lot of rules or expectations. I don't know what hope for it is there in the Midwest, but it's sort of been the norm here with younger people in California, at least around big cities and college towns. Old guy that I am, I've been fortunate to be included, since I generally have friends a lot younger than I am.
thanks, the midwest will never become CA but it does tend to pick up some of its trends and outlook eventually, there is hope for here and plane tickets for there...
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