Every so often you hear that nudism is normal. Walking around naked, clothes-free, undressed, nude, call it what you like, it is normal.
Actually it is and it’s not. Why do I say that? According to Dictionary.com, ‘normal’ stands for
conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.
There is says that normal is natural. Interestingly enough though, looking at ‘natural‘ in the same place doesn’t list ‘normal’ with ‘natural’:
– existing in or formed by nature (opposed to artificial)
Normal means that it’s the norm, the regular, standard thing to do. Most people wear clothes, as that’s the norm. It’s generally considered the proper (normal) thing to do. And then there’s us, the bunch of freaks who renounce clothes wherever possible. Have you heard people say “that’s not normal”? And do you know that they’re right? It’s natural but not normal. Now if they were to say “it’s not natural” then they’re wrong.
Unless they can present empirical proof that most of them were born clothed.
In the end the thing that stands to question is: do you want to be normal or do you want to be natural? And before you get under steam and start venting: yes, we all want natural to be the new normal, but that’s not going to happen by tomorrow. We’ll just have to stay natural as much as we can to make the point that “not wanting to be normal” doesn’t mean we’re abnormal.
‘Normal’ relates to the human environment you’re in. In my opinion, it is normal to be nude on the beach, whether there are other (clothed) people or not. I don’t go to busy (parts of) beaches with only clothed people as I would feel uncomfortable and I would not feel relaxed or ‘normal’. Among a group of nudists, it’s normal to be without clothes. I don’t find it normal that people go swimming with clothes on (sometimes they get dressed in togs first, while they were sunning nude). I would not find it normal to go to a gathering where I would be the only one nude. If it is a special nudist wedding or so, ‘normal’ would be to be nude and clothed people would be considered ‘not normal’.