I say this often, but clearly it still needs saying: being naked does not mean looking for sex.
Nudism and naturism should be something people can practise normally on beaches, by rivers, at lakes and in other natural spaces. Not as something hidden, shameful or reserved for a tiny minority, but simply as another way of enjoying our bodies, the water, the sun and nature.
I am not saying that everyone has to take their clothes off. Everyone should be free to decide what they do with their own body. What I am defending is the right of those of us who want to swim or sunbathe naked to do so without our nudity automatically being turned into something sexual.
Because being naked is one thing. Looking for sex is something else entirely.
A Naked Body Is Not an Invitation
Yesterday I was talking to two gay friends about the naturist area in Cullera, and I was surprised to discover that they feel uncomfortable there too. They told me that in some places they no longer find a genuinely naturist atmosphere, but one filled with lingering looks, people circling around and sexual hints.
People stare too much, approach again and again, or interpret any naked body as a sexual invitation.
In one phrase: a lack of respect.
And I thought: now you understand a little of what many women have been feeling for years.
A woman can be naked and not want to be looked at sexually.
A gay man can be naked without looking for sex.
A couple in an open relationship can spend the day at a naturist beach without wanting to have sex with anyone.
A bisexual person, a swinger or someone with a very active sexuality may still want to enjoy a space where everything does not revolve around sex.
Sexual orientation, relationship style and nudity never replace consent.
Normalising Nudism Does Not Mean Sexualising It
I work with sexuality, and I believe we need to talk about it more openly.
I believe we should normalise desire, pleasure, fantasies, open relationships, bisexuality and every consensual way of living our sexuality.
But normalising sexuality does not mean sexualising everything.
We also need to understand that a naked body can simply be a naked body.
It may be swimming.
It may be sunbathing.
It may be walking.
It may be having a conversation.
It may be resting.
It may be young or old, thin or fat, scarred, surgically altered, marked by time, or completely different from the bodies we usually see in advertising.
Not everybody exists to be desired, judged or consumed by someone else’s gaze.
Sometimes, a body is simply living.
Naturism, Nudism, Cruising and Swinger Spaces Are Not the Same Thing
I explain this difference often in my sessions.
Being a naturist nudist is one thing. Being a swinger who also enjoys nudity is another. Cruising is something else again.
A naturist is looking for the comfort of being naked, contact with nature, acceptance of the body and a way of sharing space in which nudity becomes normal.
A swinger goes to certain spaces where there is a shared sexual or erotic intention. That does not mean anyone is obliged to do anything, because consent is still essential, but the people there understand that the context is sexual.
Cruising also has a sexual purpose and usually takes place in particular locations or areas known for it.
I have no problem with sexual spaces existing. Quite the opposite. I think it is healthier for people to have clear, respectful and safe places in which to explore their desires.
The problem begins when a naturist space is turned into a sexual one without agreement and without boundaries.
That is when the people who only want to practise naturism start leaving.
Having an Open Sexuality Does Not Mean Being Available All the Time
This confusion happens constantly.
People assume that a bisexual person wants sex with everyone.
That someone in an open relationship is always available.
That a naked gay man is looking for sex.
That a woman who takes off her clothes is being provocative.
A swinger wants to play with anyone who approaches.
None of that is true.
I can talk openly about sex, work with sexuality and live freely in my body, but that does not mean I want a sexual interaction at any time or with any person.
Context matters.
Timing matters.
Intention matters.
And above all, consent matters.
Someone may go to a swinger club one day, looking for a sexual experience, and go to a naturist lake the next day simply to swim naked.
There is no contradiction in that.
Sexual freedom also includes the right not to sexualise a situation.
Twenty Years Ago, the Atmosphere Was Different
When I began practising naturism more than twenty years ago, around the year 2000, the spaces I found were mainly naturist.
Attraction could happen, or people could flirt, just as they might on a textile beach, in a nightclub, at a gym or anywhere else. But that was not the main purpose.
There were women, couples, families, groups of friends and people of different ages.
People went there to sunbathe, swim, talk, read, walk or spend the day.
Now I feel that in certain places, sexual codes have been introduced that gradually push out those who do not want to take part.
Many people stop going because they no longer feel comfortable. They do not go alone again, they move to another area, they put their swimwear back on, avoid certain paths or leave when the staring and circling begin.
That is not my case. I honestly do not care very much. I know how to switch off, go into my own bubble and carry on enjoying my day. But not everyone can do that, and nobody should have to develop that ability just to practise naturism in peace.
For many others, it ruins the experience, makes them uncomfortable, and eventually stops them from coming back.
Little by little, the space becomes less diverse. In the end, the people who remain are mainly those who accept or actively seek that dynamic, and then this is used as proof that naturism is sexual.
It is an absurd cycle: a naturist space is sexualised, the people who do not want sex leave, and afterwards, people say that only those looking for sex go there.
I See Fewer and Fewer Naturist Women
For years, I have felt that there are fewer women in some naturist spaces.
I do not believe that women dislike nudity. Many stop going because they do not want to feel watched, followed or interpreted sexually.
For a long time, I thought this discomfort was something women mainly experienced because of certain male behaviours.
That is why it caught my attention to hear my gay friends saying the same thing: that they no longer felt respected and that they avoided certain places because they did not want to be subjected to a constant sexual gaze.
So the problem is not being gay, straight, bisexual or a swinger.
The problem is failing to respect the purpose of the space and other people’s boundaries.
It is also true that, culturally, many men have been raised to look, pursue and take sexual initiative, while many women of my generation were not raised in the same way.
I do not know how much of that stems from education and how much from other factors, but there is an obvious difference in how many of us have learned to relate to desire.
Perhaps younger generations will experience it differently. We will see.
But even now, many women enter a place and first check whether we are safe, whether someone is staring too much, whether someone is following us or whether our presence is being interpreted as sexual availability.
This happens in naturist spaces too, and it ends up pushing women away.
Nudity in Nature Should Be Normal
We need to stop thinking that people can only be naked in a closed, hidden or specially designated area.
In many parts of Europe, naturism is part of social life, and there are beaches, lakes, parks, campsites, saunas and swimming areas where nudity is experienced far more naturally.
That does not mean there is one single European Union law allowing people to be naked anywhere without restrictions. The exact rules may vary depending on the country, the municipality and the regulations of each space.
But we can still defend a European vision based on personal freedom, coexistence and respect.
In Spain, there is still considerable confusion. Some people believe that nudity is illegal anywhere that does not have a sign saying “nudist beach”. Others immediately associate nakedness with exhibitionism or sex.
But practising nudism and engaging in sexual or exhibitionist behaviour are not the same thing.
A person swimming naked, sunbathing or walking peacefully is not carrying out a sexual act simply because they are not wearing clothes.
We need to learn to distinguish between different behaviours.
Naturism Is Also a Philosophy
For me, naturism is not simply about taking off a swimsuit.
It is about how we relate to our bodies, nature, and other people.
Clothing can protect us, keep us warm and allow us to express ourselves. But it is also used to classify us.
Through clothing, we display brands, money, professions, status, tastes and membership of certain social groups.
In a naturist space, some of that information disappears for a few hours. We are still different, of course, but we cannot classify one another quite so quickly by what we are wearing.
We should also talk about consumption.
We buy far more clothing than we need. Fast fashion creates pollution, transport emissions, waste and questionable working conditions.
I am not saying that we should stop wearing clothes or that nudism will solve every environmental problem.
What I am saying is that naturism encourages us to ask how much we really need.
We live in a society that constantly pushes us to consume more: more clothes, more food, more objects and more stimulation.
We are adopting extreme consumption patterns seen in other countries, particularly in the United States. You only have to watch programmes about extreme obesity or hoarding to see how far a society can go when consumption becomes the answer to everything.
Fortunately, we are also beginning to correct some of these habits and become more conscious.
Naturism reminds us of something simple: to enjoy the sun, the water and our own bodies, we need far less than we think.
Let’s Not Push Women and Families Out of Naturism
When a naturist space becomes associated with persistent staring, following, visible masturbation or unwanted sexual propositions, many people stop going.
Women who go alone leave.
Some couples leave.
Families leave.
People who are just beginning to explore naturism leave.
And gay men who do not want to take part in cruising leave too.
Then we wonder why naturism is so difficult to expand.
We cannot promote free and respectful nudity while allowing certain behaviours to turn those spaces into uncomfortable places for most people.
Those who want to have sex should find an appropriate, discreet and consensual place to do so.
Sexuality is not bad.
Cruising is not bad when it takes place between adults, respectfully and in spaces where people who do not wish to participate are not being invaded.
The swinger lifestyle is not bad either.
What is wrong is taking over a shared space and forcing everyone else to live with a sexual intention they did not choose.
Let’s Make Nudism Part of Everyday Life
I would like to go naked to a beach, a river or a lake to stop being seen as something strange.
I would like a woman to be able to go alone without feeling watched.
A family to be able to share the space without fear.
A gay man to be able to lie naked in the sun without other men assuming that he is looking for sex.
An older person should not feel ashamed of their body.
Nobody feels they have to hide scars, weight, wrinkles or differences.
I would also like us to be able to talk about sexuality openly and without moral judgment.
The two things are compatible.
We can normalise sex while also stopping the constant sexualisation of everybody.
We can defend swinger spaces and demand respect for naturist ones.
We can feel desire without behaving in an invasive way.
We can look without pursuing.
We can accept rejection without becoming angry.
And we can understand that a naked person is not giving anyone permission to stare, follow them or treat their body as a sexual invitation.
Let’s Normalise Nudism Without Turning It into Sex
I want to promote nudism and naturism because I believe they can help us live with more freedom, less shame and a more realistic relationship with our bodies.
I want to see more women, more families, more young people, more older people and more diversity in these spaces.
But to achieve that, we need to take care of the atmosphere we are creating.
Let’s normalise nudism on our beaches, by our rivers and at our lakes. Let’s normalise bodies. Let’s normalise sexuality too, but let’s finally learn not to confuse everything.
Naturism should not have to hide.
Sexuality should not be a source of shame.
And respect is what allows both to exist freely
