PURITANICAL VIEWS ARE SENDING BRITAIN BACK IN TIME

The recent national opinion poll, commissioned by British Naturism, has found that the United Kingdom is facing Victorian views where naturism is concerned - we are a nation which considers modesty more important than the freedom to enjoy our leisure naked. Although nearly four million people said they considered themselves to be naturists, there have been large changes for the worse in the general attitude to naturism. The proportion of the population stating that nudity should be legal in back gardens (38% in 2011, 66% in 2001), at certain times in public swimming pools (10% in 2011 vs. 35% in 2001), quiet areas of public parks (5% in 2011 vs. 10% in 2001), and designated areas (42% in 2011 vs. 69% in 2001) have all fallen considerably. This is all part of the general prudification of society, with the fear of an alleged threat to children becoming far too prevalent. It is extremely worrying for us to see children being used as players in a game against naturism and the resultant possible reduction for opportunities to practice Naturism. If the puritanical members of our society get their way, naturism will cease to exist in the UK. There is a constant cry that we must protect our children, and rightly so, but naturism is central to family life and children’s wellbeing. Naturist children grow up accepting the human body without body prejudice. Naturist children accept all groups within society. We need to be involved within schools to educate children about naturism. The UK has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe - this is all to do with the mystique surrounding the human body. Low body esteem results in eating disorders, yet the human body is beautiful in all its forms – our bodies are a marvel of the way we were created. The puritanical members of society are preventing Naturism actively promoting good habits and a healthy lifestyle for future generations. We must act now to prevent this happening. The social networking giant Facebook is now banning any form of nudity; in one case, a contributor‘s profile was deleted just because he used a nude artwork as his profile page. We have a unique and beautiful lifestyle where, by taking off our clothes, we are all equal. It does not matter how much money we have or how little we possess – our body shape, whether we have any surgery scars – we are all equal and we aim to share our cultures so that mankind can live in harmony – what could be better for society than this? Yet there is an ever growing proportion of society who feels that our bodies should be covered. Let us be proud to tell society what naturism is about. We urgently need to get naturism accepted as a philosophy by the European Courts so that we can continue to practice naturism in the UK without fear of prosecution and persecution.

Marian Damen
International officer
British Naturism
                                (source: www.inffni.org)