Meeting naturists when hill walking - would you be worried?

[JGACC]

Hi all, I'm interested to gather women's thoughts on this. I read a Facebook post by Macclesfield police this morning asking people to report if they see a male naturist in the Peak District (screenshot attached) as there has been a lot of reports over the last few weeks. I was really surprised that the vast majority of the comments are saying it's legal (which yes it is) and to leave him alone. As a young female who often walks in the Peaks on my own my first thought was...I'd be worried and extremely uncomfortable if I came across him and would probably hide behind a tree or rock and try to call someone. Am I paranoid or is this actually fine and something I should take as lightly as the majority of the (mostly, but not all male) commenting public seem to?

I'll admit I was surprised to learn that it is entirely legal to wander round anywhere nude. It does seem a lot of naturists have no sexual intent and are more interested in being at one with nature. The man in question doesn't seem to have been reported as carrying out threatening behaviour and is probably harmless but it still makes me worried and I don't know if I'm ridiculous or not. (I would rather be ridiculous than not in this case!)

Babdoc · 23/08/2020 09:39

“Couldn’t naturists stick to their designated beaches or areas?”

Imagine that for you to wear your favorite piece of clothing you had 2+ hours to do so and pay exorbitant amount of money to do so. That would get old very quick.

We nudists are a marginalized community though many are willing to take the scraps that society throws us.

If people don’t want to see naked people, then we need to have in every city and town naturist sections that are free to use for us naturists. Otherwise we have to learn to live together.

Just for once put yourselves in our shoes, or rather bare feet. And just ask yourself: is it really fair that in order for us to be ourselves fully (without harming another) that we have to drive long distances and pay a good amount of money each and every time we want to practice our lifestyle?

Y’all need to meet us halfway if you don’t want to have an unexpected nude encounter for this is very one sided. Otherwise what are we to do. It’s the same if a transgender wants to dress in their chosen gender clothing. Same as a cowboy who wants to dress in their cowboy outfit. We’re nudists and we feel most like ourselves with no clothes on. This is our expression and our lifestyle. We’re getting tired of taking the scraps that society throws at us. We deserve rights too and like I said, don’t want to come across naked hikers, petition the city to have naked hiking zones/trails and then we can be fully respectful with that.

There human body is not shameful nor threatening in itself. Just the double standards with women and men when it comes to public nudity tells you that. Definitely report anyone who is behaving in a threatening/sexual manner. But otherwise we are normal people who love to do normal things without clothes. If we’re not actively bothering you, then leave us be to enjoy nature just like you enjoy nature the way you like.

So what right in the human rights act is the right to be nude?

I think I would need to know a lot more about what drives people to practise public nudity as a lifestyle choice

I mean you don’t need to drive miles and pay a fortune you can just be naked in your own home so it feels like there is an element of exhibitionism

I'm not squeamish about nudity and have done mixed saunas and nude bathing with friends.
But if I met a lone man with no clothes on, out in the countryside, I'd have no way of knowing whether he was a nudist or a nutter - and if there was nobody about to help me if he turned nasty, I wouldn't be hanging around to find out.

And while we're on the subject, anyone who bangs on about "pearl-clutching" is a a sexist inverted snob.

You'd freeze your bits off up a Scottish hill or get nettled, brambled and covered in ticks.

Last time I came across a naked man in public, I thought "at least I know he's not got a knife". Followed by "it's a bit cold" for that. We called the police concerned for his welfare.

I would expect the police to check if this man has actually done anything illegal before expending energy chasing him down, just as a general point r.e. police.

It would seem more reasonable for him to carry a wrap to pop round his waist when he passes anyone on walking trails especially women. Perhaps he thought bumbag did the trick 🤷‍♀️

Probably beside the point, but the older I get, the more I fancy popping outside in the nip for an air bath. I cd do it where I live, too. As far as I know, my garden is not overlooked, and the lane where I live is very quiet.

Digression: When I was a spotty teenager, I got up very early to roll naked in the dew one Mayday morning - in the hope of a beautiful complexion. (I got one half a dozen years later, when I went on the pill.)

As a society, ours is very prudish: but, because of that, the shock some people feel at the sight of naked bodies is real. And because of that, men develop fetishes about female bodies. I think I am not prudish- I csn cope with German saunas. But I don't want men in Ladies' loos.

Don't care if you want to be naked in public. Bore off and stop exposing yourselves. You won't, of course, because the alarm and discomfort of other people is part of the thrill.But you can be assured we are quite aware of your motivations.

But you are actively bothering people. Your actions can cause people to feel uncomfortable or frightened.

Funny isn't it, how similar this male sounds to others we often see on here telling us why they have a right to our spaces.

Agree.

I can’t imagine many women walk around alone and naked in public. Seems to be all men. I wonder why that is?

What is this 'be fully ourselves' argument that keeps being trotted out to justify breaching others boundaries?

It's just whining 'waaa but I want to do whatever I like' really isn't it?

My favourite clothes do not make me 'fully myself' - I'm fully myself whatever I wear.

How ridiculous!,....-just because someone is naked it does NOT automatically mean they are suspicious!..... ihe was acting in a lewd manner or a sexual way, then maybe, but just being nude is not illegal, or suspicious!

I'm sure he didn't grab their heads and prop their eyes open so they had to look..... in case you hadn't realised, humans CAN turn their heads and look in snother direction for a few minutes

Oh look, a man has come to tell the women what they can and can’t feel. A man who by definition of his sex doesn’t have to feel threatened or vulnerable in such a situation and has no idea how it feels. Go you, well done 👏

So as long as someone is free to turn their head away then according to your definition flashing / indecent exposure doesn't exist? Wonder why we have a law against it then...?

If I'm expected to look away you can be expected to put on a pair of shorts.

It's also a bit "off" (to put it mildly) to say to women "if you feel uncomfortable and at risk of assault by a naked man in the woods then the solution is to turn your back of the man who you are worried might assault you".

Men do not have an unfettered right to display their penises at unconsenting passersby.

Being nude when the universal default is clothed is deliberately breaking social norms. That in itself is behaviour that warrants caution from everyone else.
Naked men refusing to understand why women find it uncomfortable doesn't surprise me. Neither do I believe it is harmless and no, I'm not willing to compromise or give an inch.

You have to have seen it in the first place to know to look away, though.

I've been flashed at as a young girl and that unpleasant image stayed with me for a long time. Which I'm sure the flasher would have been delighted to know.

The area this guy frequents is absolutely vast, with lots of areas you'd be unlikely to meet anyone else, or certainly where you'd see them approaching in plenty of time to stick a sarong on. Like so many things, what a person wants to do with regards to their own body, is entirely up to them. But decent people usually understand that if that thing involves going outside of social norms in a way that could cause distress (which due to the actions of the 'bad men' a man going naked man in public could well do) then there are ways to do so with discretion.
This is just another example of an entitled man putting what he wants to do before the possible discomfort of women and girls.

I disagree. I struggle to imagine that many men have no knowledge at all that some other men use their nudity to intimidate women. Who hasn't heard of flashers? Its hardly a huge leap to conclude that a woman seeing a man exposing his penis whilst out for a walk might believe him to be a flasher and be intimidated and/or distressed. What sort of man with even a basic level of decency would want to cause distress to a woman? When all that's required if being naked is so important to him, would be to quickly cover himself as she approached? It's not his wish to be naked that's suspicious. It's his blatant disregard for the impact he must know full well that could have, and his refusal to mitigate. That's very suspicious indeed.