Nude beach etiquette: Lose your clothes, not your manners
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Most of us have felt the freedom and delight that comes with stripping down to a swimsuit on a sunny day and wading into a cool sea, the horizon twinkling in the distance.
Most of us have felt the freedom and delight that comes with stripping down to a swimsuit on a sunny day and wading into a cool sea, the horizon twinkling in the distance.
But what of shedding those final strips of fabric and going nude? The birthday suit is, after all, the world’s oldest costume and one that never goes out of style.
The naturist movement emerged in Europe at the end of the 19th century and is now popular around the world. Globally, there are hundreds of clothing-optional beaches where it’s perfectly legal to drop your shorts and your inhibitions, and the number is growing.
Fans of naturism can now take nude cruises around the Caribbean or plan a naked wedding on an Italian island.
If you’re a newbie to nudity but are interested in knowing more, we have some tips on beach and resort etiquette from naturism experts with decades of unclothed experience. Here’s their dos and don’ts and what you should know before you go.
“Naturism means different things to different people and the term is sometimes misused,” says Stéphane Deschênes, president of the International Naturist Federation (INF-FNI), the world’s only global naturism organization. “So you have to understand what you’re looking for.”
There’s no single naturist ideology, but typically the lifestyle is about non-sexual social nudity in a family-friendly environment.
