Naturism/Nudism

The belief in going naked whenever possible, usually associated with contempt for clothes and conventions. Naturism also advocates the judicious outdoor practice of nude sun, air and fresh or salt water bathing, either individually, or socially in usually mixed-gender groups on private grounds (sun clubs, naturist clubs) or secluded places and when possible in public, in furtherance of physical, moral and mental well-being.

Sun Club/Naturist Club

Usually on Private grounds, usually wooded and containing recreational amenities, for the practice by all age groups of social naturism. Customarily managed by membership or proprietary.

Nudist Club/Colony/Camp

Defunct descriptions usually only found before World War II.

CCBN/BN

Central Council for British Naturism (normally known as British Naturism) A national naturist organisation of Great Britain (http://www.british-naturism.org.uk/).

Canuding

Canoeing while nude, a popular naturist activity.

Textile

Anyone who is not a nudist/naturist is called a "textile". The word textile refers to the non-nude person being clothed with textile materials (i.e., cloth is a textile). Textile is not a derogatory word. Naturists are the most accepting groups of people on the planet, naturists may even have remorse when using the word: "Those poor textiles, they do not know what they are missing." Sometimes, when naturists are not nude, they may call themselves "textile" as in: "While at work, I am a textile, but at home I an a nudist." Or, "When the weather is too chilly to be nude, I am happy to be a warm textile."

AANR

American Association for Nude Recreation (http://www.aanr.com/). A national naturist organisation of North America.

Non-Landed Club

A nudist group which meets at a designated area.

TNS

The Naturist Society (http://www.naturistsociety.com/). An international naturist organisation based in the United States

Naturalist

One who studies nature. Although naturalists may be "naturists", and vice versa, the two are not fundamentally related.

Swim(s)

A naturist get together at a suitable municipal or private premises for an evening's nude recreation. These often take place at local authority swimming baths which have been hired for the purpose. Attendance is usually by invitation only, and a small cover charge is required to defray costs.

Smoothie/Smooth Naturists

Smooth naturists are naturists who remove their body hair. Most just remove their pubic hair, others remove all body hair They are often known as smoothies If you compare naturist pictures from 30 years ago you will find that then most women's genitals were completely hidden under a thick mat of hair. Today most women trim their pubic hair and many remove it completely to reveal their venus mound and vulva. Likewise, many men remove some or all of the hair around their penis and scrotum.

Hygienic reasons are often trotted out for the removal of body hair, but this is probably not the only reason, naturally. I believe that the depiction of pornography within society (due to the many actors and actresses involved having every little or no body hair) has probably also influenced many people to consider removing their body hair.

The partial or complete removal of body hair has been practiced by many societies in the past. A preference for hairless genitals is known as acomoclitism. The method of removing hair is called depilation (when removing only the hair above the skin) or epilation (when removing the entire hair). The trimming or removal of body hair by men has recently been popularly referred to as manscaping and has become more common in recent times. But the recent trend was probably started amongst the textiles - as swimsuits and bikinis became more revealing it became necessary to remove more of the pubic hair. For many smooth naturists it, being completely free of body hair is regarded to them as the ultimate form of nudity. I have tried removing my body hair but because my hair is thick and curly I often get ingrowing hairs, so I just make do with a light trim around my pubic area.

Nudist Colony

An antiquated term for naturism club. Don't use the term "nudist colony." Most modern naturists consider this term to be pejorative. Naturists live normally among the rest of society, not in isolated "colonies." Instead, refer to nudist/naturist beaches, campgrounds, parks, clubs, resorts, etc.

Freikörperkultur (FKK)

Is a German movement whose name translates to Free Body Culture. It endorses a naturalistic approach to sports and community living. Behind that is the joy of the experience of nature or also on being nude itself, without direct relationship to sexuality. The followers of this culture are called traditional naturists, FKK'ler, or nudists. There has been an extensive removal of restrictions on public nudity in Germany since about the 1980s.

FCN

Federation of Canadian Naturists (http://www.fcn.ca/). A national naturist organisation of English-speaking Canada.

Clothing Optional

Allowing and encouraging nudity but tolerating the wearing of clothes, as between nudist and clothing compulsive.

INF

The International Naturist Federation (http://www.inf-fni.org/), an international organisation of national naturist organisations (e.g. "AANR", "TNS", "FCN", etc.) INF's member organisations serve a majority of the world's nations.

Landed Club

A naturism group with its own area where you can go nude.