Does sharing nudity make you an exhibitionist?

Ever since the start of my journey promoting social nudism by sharing my own nude images online I have noticed something. People have accused me of being an exhibitionist simply because I am nude online.

For example, sometimes I get responses like:

• “You’re just looking for attention”
• “You’re only doing it for views and likes”
• “If nudism isn’t sexual, why do you need to post pictures of yourself naked?”
• “Nobody wants to see you naked!”

Well today my goal is to answer the question: Does sharing nudity make you an exhibitionist?

Sharing nudity

In the textile world, sharing nudity isn’t something people commonly think of doing. People are taught from birth to cover up, hide their body or rather “hide their shame” if you will. We are taught it’s shameful to be seen nude, that private parts are something to remain hidden at all costs. The only time most textiles are nude is when they are showering or having sex. This in itself teaches people that nudity is lude behavior, that nudity is therefore sexual in nature.

When it comes to nudists, nudism isn’t something we do occasionally for a photograph, vacation or special event. It’s part of our everyday lives. We wake up naked, enjoy our morning breakfast, coffee, etc. We work around the house, relax, garden, swim exercise and even spend time with friends without clothing. Being nude is just ordinary life.

When I take a photograph of myself enjoying life without clothing I’m not going to suddenly put on clothes to make others comfortable. Think about it for a moment. If somebody enjoys a hobby and shares a photography of themselves doing said hobby, nobody questions their motive because they are clothed.

Now if a nudist takes a photo of themselves nude enjoying a hobby or interest then suddenly people question it, as if there is some ulterior motive behind the photo. Nothing has changed in the photo, the person, and the activity is exactly the same. Only the clothing has changed, and society has decided that makes a difference.

I’m not about to pretend I live differently to please others.

When you see photos of me nude doing activities or things I enjoy. I’m not sharing because I wish to be viewed nude, I’m sharing to bring the viewer into my world of things I enjoy doing. Just because I’m nude at the time of the photography doesn’t mean anything.

Nudism and Exhibitionism are not the same thing

Nudism and Exhibitionism are frequently confused, however they are not the same thing.

Exhibitionism involves sexual excitement from exposing oneself or being observed by others. There is a significant difference however between exposing oneself to someone without their consent and simply enjoying non-sexual nudity in an environment where it is welcomed and accepted.

Social nudism isn’t about sexual excitement or seeking attention. It’s about enjoying everyday life without clothing. It’s freedom, body acceptance, comfort, recreation, and community. Nudists can be nude without seeking attention and a person can share a non-sexual nude photo without wanting sexual responses.

Sharing photos online however doesn’t automatically prove someone’s intentions. You have to dig deeper into the behavior of the person and their posts overall to get the full picture. We shouldn’t simply label somebody as an exhibitionist simply because they share openly about their life as a nudist. We need to establish the person’s past and current behavior, and intentions for the photographs.

As I stated prior in other blog entries I share these types of photos to promote healthy nudist lifestyle and to show society that nudity itself isn’t sexual. It’s people who make it sexual that is the issue.

Social Media

When we think of social media we understand that most platforms have a like, share and comments section. What we don’t think about is when people share a photo lets say of a family vacation, their child, or even just a pretty sunset. These people are sharing because they wanted to share the moment with their friends and family. They aren’t sharing for views or for likes. Most people share and don’t take a second look at it except to answer comments should they get any at all.

When I share my life, my photographs, or even images of me nude. I’m not doing it for likes, shares or comments. In fact I act just like I described above. I will share content online, and then move on. I don’t constantly check to see how many views, likes or comments it gets. I simply just don’t care. I shared a moment, do what you will with what I shared.

Normalizing nudity

I firmly believe that we can not normalize what we do not share. Sure, I can tell people how much I love nudism, I can discuss it, I can even share articles regarding nudism. Some of you might get the idea, while others think I’m entirely odd for my interest.

I however went a step further and I decided to simply show anybody who dares to follow my content what life is as a nudist. I took a risk, exposed myself online in front of millions to teach you about nudism and to let others into my world where I live nude and free.

I’m not suggesting that every nudist needs to share nudes online. In fact for many of you it’s probably best that you don’t share nudes at all as there are dangers of sharing nudity online. Many prefer to keep their nudist life private and that’s perfectly acceptable. Those who share however and share in a positive light keep our culture visible and visibility matters.

I hope by sharing images of me doing normal activities while simply nude helps to desensitize the naked body. Helps others to understand that simply being nude isn’t lude or shocking. I hope me sharing gets people to change their perceptions on what nudism actually is.

I have no hidden agenda, no goal of being seen by millions of people. Hell, I don’t even keep track of how many times my photos have been seen, shared or even reposted by others. At the end of the day, I simply want people to have a better understanding of what nudism actually is and if I’m lucky, I might make some new friends along the way.