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Sarah Stacy, Germantown, Md., senior and member of the facebook.com group "KU Nudist Club," says she considers herself a naturist as a sort of rebellion against society's idea that women should strive for physical perfection. Although she has swum nude while visiting El Salvador, Stacy says she does not care to visit a nudist camp. "I would think that would attract perverts just trying to get a free show," she says.
Ernie says there is a big myth that nudist camps involve sex or group orgies. "Sex and the naked body are not synonymous," Ernie says. "Ads and movies all show the sexual side of nudity. But as human beings, we're all a little deeper than that."
Hoffman agrees with Ernie. "I get calls from radio shows all the time, and they can't believe we do the same thing at nude beaches that they do at regular beaches," she says. In fact, Hoffman thinks seeing someone in a skimpy bathing suit is more sexual than seeing someone who is nude. After all, she says, we use clothing to cover our flaws and accentuate our best parts. Almost no one looks better naked than clothed, Hoffman says. "There are no perfect tens," she says.
Brad Redburn, professor of human sexuality and psychology at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, says it is possible for nudity to be nonsexual. "I think that some nudists truly are just into nature and it isn't a sexual thing," Redburn says. "However, I think there are nudists who do it for sexual reasons. I think there are people on both sides of the coin."
But Lake Edun and other naturist groups have no tolerance for sexual activity in public. Sexual comments are frowned upon at Lake Edun and Ernie says anyone behaving inappropriately will be escorted out and have their name added to a "Do not admit" list. "There are going to be creeps no matter where you go in life, if they're in a coffee shop or at the beach," Hoffman says.
encounter at a club or resort.
Other rules of etiquette at Lake Edun help maintain its family-friendly image. Genital piercings are banned from Lake Edun. "What would a piercing be there for?" Stephanie Cooper asks. "It's there to draw attention to that area, to try to accentuate something."
The myth associating nudity with sexuality can be harmful. Ernie remembers a young woman who tried out for one of Lake Edun's nude plays, only to have her boss threaten to fire her if she participated. As a result of such discrimination, naturists have an unspoken understanding not to "out" anyone they may
Men new to naturism tend to fear becoming visibly aroused by all the nudity and causing embarrassment or insult, says Ernie. However, he says this rarely happens. Ernie says young men are usually too nervous to get erections. If someone does, he will be expected to excuse himself from the group or cover himself with a towel.
Religious perspective
A lifelong Christian, Ernie says he always bought into the idea that modest
Some people actually see naturism as a spiritual practice, says Walter M. Green III, founder of the Maryland Area Naturist Association. "They see it as a connection to God and creation," he says. "When you take off your clothing, you feel like you're part of nature, part of creation."
dress lead to modest behavior. He says he also sees a tendency, among conservative Christians, to associate sexual body parts with sexual behavior. "But it was never explained to me that there is a separation between what you are and what you do," Ernie says.
George Franck, a 25-year-old self-employed naturist from Gladstone, Mo., believes the Bible does not condemn or condone a nude lifestyle. Franck, the public relations and membership officer of the Heartland Naturists, a Kansas City-based naturist group, describes himself and his family as "pretty religious." Citing John 21:7. Franck recounts the story of how Simon Peter, a fisherman, worked in the nude because his job was messy. Franck points out that in the biblical times, clothing was a luxury afforded only by the rich, and it was perfectly acceptable - and not at all sinful - for people like gardeners and fisherman to be nude.
Family-friendly
Obviously, most people in today's society do not accept nudism nor do they
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