There has also been a mass skinny dip composed of textiles who cross-dress (????) for a small moment in time. Moral evolution in work

This was an interesting experience, and with a somewhat curious outcome.
There were all these usually clothed people more than willing to strip off and run into the sea naked,with literally hundreds of others that they may or may not be acquianted with, and enjoy that experience.
However,on leaving the water they became aware of their nakedness,and rapidly resorted to the tradionally British towel dance and cover up routine to dress themselves.
Apart from the more enlightened ones amongst us who nonchalently strolled back to our belongings and dried and dressed in a more relaxed fashion.
Whilst a small inroad into getting others to enjoy nudity, the motivation of a charitable event being the initial stimulus, many confessed to enjoying the experience, but probably the adrenalin rush of all strpping and entering the water en-mass removed inhibitions to start with, and the cold water then brought back the reality of their situation.
Who knows, lets see whether the occasion can be recreated next year.
Don

...very similar to the Exeter WNBR where several riders rode clothed until they realised that it was better to be undressed as a liberating feeling which they enjoyed. I remember nearly losing my eye from a bra discarded and worn on her cycle helmet.We gathered some cyclists along the route so they joined in (perhaps not to offend us naked cyclists?).

Ok topless is not nude but it is an in-road. I also rode a while with a fully clothed lady who never assumed my naked body was offensive. Although she was not naked she held a conversation with me. My beautiful body offensive; now who would?  ;D

I don't no if this scenario is quite right here but here goes. As you can read on my profile I'm very new to the openly nakedness that we enjoy. I work with both male and females, allot of which love to go running to keep fir in there lunch time. Near by is a wood that is run by the forestry commission, many times of the years have members of staff come back from there runs and said "there is a streaker in the woods" and insist in contacting the local Police. When these people are questioned by other  staff about the "streaker" you find out that this man is usually carrying a ruck sack. So now i've been reading the forums it is obvious to me that "the streaker" is obviously a naturists on his, day off or his lunch break. Did we not ought to inform people of the law that it is not a offence to be naked like this if not intending to offend. If I understand what has been said at different threads. To be honest I do not no of the police turning up to investigate, but then you do not always get to know.Mark

Did we not ought to inform people of the law that it is not a offence

I point out to people who come out with phrases such as "indecent exposure" that nudity isn't illegal unless is used to threaten or harass.  I don't go into the whole naturist thing but I do make them aware of what the law states.  Often the response is along the lines of "Really?  Oh.  That's ok then".  It wasn't the nudity that was bothering them, it was someone breaking the law that was the problem.

A 'streaker' is supposed to offend since it is done as a protest using nudity as a weapon. Shock tactics. If a naked man is wearing a rucksack and does star jumps when seen he may be a streaker; where it is the thrill of being seen that is the fun. If he was incorrectly termed a streaker because he was a rambler then the public have placed an inappropriate label on him. It all depends on the intent. Nudity without intent is not illegal but neither is it legal!!
Is a person fully dressed on Studland beach a counter-streaker? They are there to cause offence to the nudists? 😕

Remember that "nobody has the right not to be offended". In a naturist ramble a leading naturist is crossing a stile and holding up a fellow naturist with his dog. Would a cold nose in the bum be considered offensive (...from the doggie!)?

I have posted several links to a girl Sarah Underwood (playboy girl) who has released a series of naked yoga videos. Nothing sexual about them but you should hear the complaints.

A 'streaker' is supposed to offend since it is done as a protest using nudity as a weapon.

I don't agree with this.  Streaking seems to encompass a number of things - causing offence may be one possibility, but I think it is mostly attention seeking or a 'dare'.  As a protest, it is more the attracting of attention rather than any intention to offend.  Look at the WNBR for instance - many go to protest or to demonstrate body freedom but few I would suggest wish to offend, although they may accept that a few will be. I agree that many streakers may be oblivious to the offence caused to a few, but it is often also done as a 'bit of fun' to liven things up.

There is also the streaker who does it for a pure 'dare' in a public place where the only actual public is a few friends.

Streaking is therefore about the buzz of publicly 'breaking the rules', or protests or getting attention - none of which are the aims of the naturist walker - although the naturist may also experience the buzz at first (adrenaline), until they realise that nothing untoward happens when someone sees you naked.

The difference is that the naturist has to confront this anxiety to enjoy free range naturism, to do what he wishes to do. The object is not the adrenaline rush of doing something daring, but the feeling of freedom and the natural sensations of sun, wind and earth on our skin. But many non-naturists will not understand this, unless we explain it.

Thank you Martin, that neatly encompasses what I was going to write. Your final paragraph is a very succinct explanation of how I feel about free hiking.

Have fun,

Ian.

none of us can say what the motives are behind the behaviour of others.

for eaxample i know people who have gone to studland purely for a clothed walk along the beach, the presence or not of naturists is irrelivent.. there is certainly no intent to annoy the naturists.... though i suspect there may be an element of lets go and have a look at the naked bodies in the choice of which beach to walk along .

for me personally if i find i am getting hot and uncomfortable wearing clothes i will asses the posibilities of shedding clothes without upsetting anyone else......ifim working with other people present ill strip down to shorts.... if im alone with good expectations of remaining alone (or in the prescence of someone who i know wot be offended or looking for ulterior motives ) the shorts will come off.

for me naturism is about comfort not an ideology.

The difference is that the naturist has to confront this anxiety to enjoy free range naturism, to do what he wishes to do. The object is not the adrenaline rush of doing something daring, but the feeling of freedom and the natural sensations of sun, wind and earth on our skin. But many non-naturists will not understand this, unless we explain it.

I think, like Ian that Martin has really hit a nail on the head. A streaker is not a naturist but and exhibitionist. I don't want to offend anyone whilst I'm out walking. It would be just my luck to confront the bigoted off duty Chief Inspector of the local constabulary!

I agree with much of what has been said about the right to our way of life but I'm not sure we will gain general acceptance by thrusting our life style on others but by normalising being naked. The article in Trail Magazine explaining the SOC walks is fine. We need the public to accept we walk in remote areas and then start gently moving closer to home.

The real problem is "flasher" and naturist are thought one of the same. Every time a weirdo gets caught and convicted for what used to be termed "Indecent Exposure" it sets the cause of genuine naturists back a notch.

Davie  😎

I will concede that the word 'offend' as a streakers motive needs to be amended to 'be noticed'. But neither do I accept that a streakers motives are exclusively exhibitionist. Some may be but others may have political agendas, body freedom agendas, bit of fun agendas, financial agendas...and little fleas have even littler fleas upon their backs to bite em' and so on ad infinitum

The WNBR is our form of streaking when naturists partake of the textile world. To be noticed as 'nudies' (I hate that word!) for publicity. 😕

Why is it so wrong to wear clothes?
We always ask why it is so wrong to be naked but I propose that we should be asking the first question. This repeats my initial hypothesis that the ramblers we meet on our walks should undress so they do not offend the naturists. A change of viewpoint? ::)

I'm with RB - we spend too much time on the defensive, feeling we have to justify ourselves. Challenges should be turned round, viewed in reverse. Why is nudity "wrong"? Because people think it is. Well, other people think it isn't, so what validates one viewpoint over another?

Peter

none of us can say what the motives are behind the behaviour of others.
...

I was reflecting that this is the brunt of my hypothesis. Just because a person is naked does not make them immoral. That textile walker ahead may be a pervert (in the usual use of the word).The presence or absence of clothes makes no difference to our morals which is an inbuilt human social ethic. Clothes hide a multitude of 'sins' (men in french knickers :D) while the naked have an inbuilt purity and honesty.

I have just treated a young girl who has asymmetry of breasts. I explained that I was a naturist and often have to see breasts missing and asymmetry was our decorative individuality. As a textile she asked if I stared at breasts to which I replied that like most men I consider a food source more important. When a baby I was breast fed, now I have grown up and just check out how good she is as a cook. Unless she stirs my porridge with pendulous breasts I look to the cook inside not breast asymmetry. It makes her unique. I really boosted this ladies confidence as well as teaching her some of my moves  🙂 (yoga pleease!)

disclaimer: No disrespect to ladies intended or the French. I  just prefer my cooks to be female and if someone had to wear french knickers my choice would edge towards the female  :-X ;D

<snip>

for eaxample i know people who have gone to studland purely for a clothed walk along the beach, the presence or not of naturists is irrelivent.. there is certainly no intent to annoy the naturists.... though i suspect there may be an element of lets go and have a look at the naked bodies in the choice of which beach to walk along .

<snip>

The "look at the nudies" could be either prurience or simply the sort of people watching that everybody does on all beaches (and elsewhere) - or any combination of the two.

The offensiveness would seem to be in the behaviour rather than anything else.
I would rather have discreet prurience than intrusive people watching anywhere.

I have experienced more offensively intrusive behaviour while (textile) canal boating than I have on nude beaches.

Social cooperation is distinct from merely socially coordinated activity - for example, activity coordinated by orders issued by an absolute central authority. Rather, social cooperation is guided by publicly recognized rules and procedures which those cooperating accept as appropriate to regulate their conduct.
--J. Rawls

This quote seems to reflect my idea of the naturist movement. We have a naturist ethic created to allow naturists to cooperate often at odds with a centrally held 'law'. The two often to not act together.

Reference:Moral minds-how nature designed our universal sense of right and wrong - M D Hauser 2008