The Story Behind Nudists
Nudist colonies/ camps are often seen as obscene, but from the perspective of a nudist they are far from “indecent.” As stated in this article, Americans are fearful of such camps/ colonies because they equate nudity with sex. However the differences between porn and nudist camps, are that they are not sexualized. In fact, one site reports that any public display of sexual activities, will follow with removal from the property. In fact, the website includes nude photos of some of the vacationers, which I found to be slightly odd. Since the photos are not presented in a sexual manner, it is acceptable to post them? What constitutes acceptable nudity versus pornographic images?
From a nudist’s perspective, being naked among other people is seen as a natural state since everyone is born naked. People participate in nudity for various reasons; Wikipedia lists positive health effects as one reason, stating that sunlight and Vitamin D is good for the body. (true, yet I’m sure one can get their daily requirement clothed) Nudity also has positive mental health effects, as some report they feel more accepted regardless of body shape, size, and age.
But what about child nudist camps?
The American Association for Nude Recreation states that “You don’t have to worry so much about where your kids are and what they’re doing. Because you know that they’re at home no matter where they are here, ’cause we are one big family. It’s comforting, it’s relaxing, and we feel that they’re safe.” One would assume that child molesters would run rampant on such properties, but the results of my fruitless searches proved otherwise. I found an article in which a man was found guilty of taking children from a nudist camp and then assaulting them. It can happen, it does happen, although it’s not as prevalent as one would think. Most nudist camps are family oriented, think of it as a regular vacation, only you or the rest of your family are not wearing clothes. Also, due to Megan’s Law, members and potential members are “checked” for history before coming into the camp.“The Sequoians has between 120 and 150 members, and applicants must do more than just clear a sex offender list. “You have to jump through the hoops of going through the board,”(The Village News)
