Tension Between Naturists and Textiles in Relationships

Along the Red River

Life sometimes gives us more that we seem to be able to handle. When that happens, we typically retreat into quietness and depression It’s that old “fight or flight” response that is hard-wired into our bodies, not something that we consciously think about. Yet, there are times when we have time to think when faced with something that is stressing us out. When we have the space and time and place to make conscious decisions about how we will respond, we have to consider that this space/time/place is a gift.

I am a naturist or nudist or whatever, that much I know, as do a good number of people in my life including my spouse and our children. It isn’t exactly that I have chosen to be a naturist; it is more like I have opened up enough to the fact of the inner naked person that has lurked inside my head and body. My ego had long denied this inner nude self for many years, too many years.

But, rather than wallow in regret, I am simply relieved to have finally been able to emerge – come out of the closet? – into life as a more authentic me. I began to think that others were in the same place, that perhaps even most people would be unconsciously hiding their naked self behind a wide variety of belief systems, and that if given the opportunity of experiencing the liberation from being clothed all the time, that they would naturally shed their clothing at the appropriate times and places that would present themselves.

However, this really isn’t our present reality. Some people get to experience that liberation and still find themselves stressed. Even after several deliberate attempts, they remain uncomfortable when unclothed. Their inner self is as clothed as their outer self. It just is what it is. Something we have to accept.

We don’t need to waste time trying to convert and change others. The last thing the world needs are another two sets of missionaries: missionaries preaching the ethic of being clothed, and missionaries preaching the ethic of being clothes-free with promises of heaven for all who convert to either way of thinking and believing. What we need to do is focus on being as authentically ourselves as is humanly possible.

So what about the situation where  both sides are committed to being together in a relationship. The person needing boundaries that are marked by clothing finds him or herself stressed when the other is naked in what is perceived as their personal space. That invasion of personal space within which a person thrives best creates all sorts of anxiety and stress.

Unconsciously, there is then a need to do something to protect that personal space – fight or flight. Strangely, the person who is comfortable, even thriving with being clothing-free has no sense of the personal space of their significant other being challenged their nudity. That is, unless there is a phobia about wearing clothing, a different issue entirely. So how does this problem get solved?

Does one create nude zones for the partner who finds a need for being clothes free? Such nude zones are only limiting one person in the relationship, the nudist. The give and take could include the creation of a time for nudity as well, a time when the non-nudist feels the least uncomfortable with their partner’s nudity. What emerges through these negotiations is a compromise in which the non-nudist accepts that he or she can’t deny the right of the nudist to clothing-free time; and the nudist accepts the fact that the non-nudist has acknowledged a right to nudity. So far so good. The relationship has made room for differences. Both feel a sense of accomplishment.

But time does strange things to a relationship. The nudist begins to feel more and more comfortable with nudity in the relationship to the point where the boundaries that were set begin to be compromised. The non-nudist becomes uncomfortable with what has been allowed and needs relief from their discomfort. Occasions of nudity begin to creep outside of designated times and places, or occasions of nudity become constrained.. There is an ache to have more time and space where the spirit, mind and body are able to be fully nourished for both.

Tolerance to the other, lessens. The differences become even more highlighted in the process. Yet, neither wants to have the relationship end, so there is a retreat back to the original position, or perhaps a renegotiation that allows the nudist a bit more time and space. This dynamic continues to reappear until either one or both are tired of the constant tension.

What then? Since it is hard for a couple to arrive at a perfect balance, it is perhaps even harder for a community, a society. What are your thoughts and experiences with this tension between naturist and textile in relationships?

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2 Responses to Tension Between Naturists and Textiles in Relationships

  1. Karl says:

    I’ve always had a penchant for living clothes-free living as far back as I can remember, even in my childhood. In my later years, after much conscious thought, reasoning, and deliberation, I decided that I would no longer be held prisoner by societal folkways and mores that were founded on an irrational view of the miracle that is the human body.

    Early in my married life (married 30+ years as I write), I would get dressed when my wife arose in the morning out of fear that she would have a problem with my being naked around the house. (I sleep naked and always arise before she does.) Nowadays, she will ask what’s wrong if I’m wearing anything. However, she is still held prisoner by her own feelings like I was, and she is uncomfortable with being naked, even in the privacy of our own home.

    I still believe that if people can be mentally liberated, they’ll choose nudity, but it’s much like trying to free the minds of people who are in the matrix, so I don’t try to liberate anyone. Rather, I just seek out like-minded people who enjoy social events without the burden of clothing. For example, the local nudist club reserves a bowling alley occasionally for an afternoon of bowling in the buff, which I find thoroughly enjoyable, even though I’m no good at bowling. The same holds true for most of the group. My wife would have a coniption fit.

    I also enjoy fishing at my favorite secluded spot deep inside a nearby forest. There is just something refreshing and even cathartic about being in nature in my natural state (nude). My wife doesn’t enjoy fishing, so I spend the day in welcome solitude, and she’s accustomed to the fact that I shed my clothes when I’m in the forest.

    On the down side, she’s the “naked police” when it comes to making sure that no one sees me in my natural state. If company comes over, she insists that I get dressed, and I capitulate. And the idea of my going outside naked in our neighborhood during the predawn hours with my cup of coffee is not something that she’s willing to accept.

    In any marriage, there is give and take regarding just about any issue or situation, so we both have just learned to live with our situation regarding nudity, and I don’t see anything about it changing in the near future, if ever. The boundaries are in place, and we keep the peace by observing them.

    • rglongpre says:

      Thanks, Karl for telling some of your story here. The navigation and negotiations in a relationship around nudity is fraught with potholes and bumps in the road.

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