Nudism and Crossdressing

[audreyinalbany]

I've always been struck by the notion that the only two of my 'non-standard' behaviors that have ever caused me any degree of cognitive dissonance are: 1. the fact that I enjoy dressing in women's clothes, and 2. the fact that I enjoy social nudism. I am a married, heterosexual crossdresser. a pretty normal middle aged guy in most respects. I quite happy to remain faithful to my bride, have been closeted for many years and am only now beginning to reach out to the crossdressing community, and to emerge from the self-imposed closet.
Both nudism and crossdressing are generally frowned on and made fun of in society; both are the brunt of sitcom jokes and twisted facial expressions in polite society; both behaviors are inextricably linked to social presentation; both behaviors have a minority community with which they interact to one degree or another. Additionally, both behaviors can be a cause of disharmony between spouses, a psychic disjuct of 'comfort levels.'
I'm interested in whether or not this is something more common than not in the crossdressing community? Comments? Observations? Opinions?
Thanks,

Audrey

[Mean Green Irene]

I was fasinated by nudism prior to comming out as a CD but now after coming out as a CD and enjoying dressing and being seen by others, I have no interest in nudism. Funny but I had not even thought of nudism since then.

[CharleneT]

Well... it would be hard to combine them at the same time !!

Sorry... couldn't resist....

I think that it is unlikely that there is any connection, other than if you are willing to do one socially unacceptable thing, then you are more likely to consider another. I imagine that nudism is much more "acceptable" to most people vs. cross dressing. Of non-harmful, socially un-acceptable activities, cross dressing is nearly at the top of the list. While I do not know for sure, I think most people would try nudism if it came up at the right moment. There are large nudist resorts etc all over the country, as well as organizations etc... There are similar things for cross dressing, just a lot smaller in scale. I do not think you'll find nudism more common among CD's vs the average for society. Maybe even less likely ( we do LOVE TO DRESS UP ).

Just for the record, I'm more than a bit of a nudist ... so I disprove my own opinion !

Charlene

[jessielee]

welcome Audrey!
and am i glad you posted this!
for i hadn't thought about it but i see a connection! in my life.
while it seems one is dressing up and the other not dressing, one led to the recognition of the other for me.
i love to be nude in nature and if surrounded by like-minded people, would be in their company too.
but in recognising my ideal inner animal, i recognized and approved of my hidden and burried ideal female self and let her out.
its ironic since being happy nude implies i accept myself as i appear.
i don't have any answers, just an observation.

[Karren H]

I enjoy crossdressing not crossUNdressing!!

[jessielee]

that could be interesting. Not!

I enjoy crossdressing not crossUNdressing!!

[Violetgray]

I think that it is unlikely that there is any connection, other than if you are willing to do one socially unacceptable thing, then you are more likely to consider another. I imagine that nudism is much more "acceptable" to most people vs. cross dressing. Of non-harmful, socially un-acceptable activities, cross dressing is nearly at the top of the list. While I do not know for sure, I think most people would try nudism if it came up at the right moment. There are large nudist resorts etc all over the country, as well as organizations etc... There are similar things for cross dressing, just a lot smaller in scale. I do not think you'll find nudism more common among CD's vs the average for society. Maybe even less likely ( we do LOVE TO DRESS UP ).


Charlene

Nudism more accepted that crossdressing? I have to disagree. Think about this..

1.) Which one will get you arrested at Chuck E. Cheese?

2.) Which one does everyone use Halloween as an excuse to do?

3.) How many open-minded bosses will let a transgendered person cross-dress, as opposed to come to work naked?

4.) How many nudist resorts do you think there are around the world, compared to drag bars? Thailand alone would probably answer that question!

5.) Mayor Stu Rassmussen is a hetero full-time cd. I can't recall any openly nudist mayors.

Don't get me wrong, we're still looked down upon, I just think that this particular point is way off!

But as far as correlation between the two, while I think that a person who does one might do the other, it would be coincidental. It's a lot harder to fulfill that fantasy if you're naked. Now if they came out with convincing prosthetics (Like in ::shudder:: Norbit) That might be a different story!

[Tamera]

I don't think I could become a Nudist. Boobs with no supportDefinetly go south before their time.

Besides its more eronic to wear low tops and mini skirts to turn the boys heads, After all taking the clothes off a little can be SOOOOOOOOO naughty.
Hugs,
Tamera

[Barbra_in_Tulsa]

Does your wife know about your CDing? I am assuming, and jumping to the conclusion, that if she is down with nudism she is open minded enough to get on board with other fun things ........Best of luck

[docrobbysherry]

I don't think I could become a Nudist. Boobs with no supportDefinetly go south before their time.

Besides its more eronic to wear low tops and mini skirts to turn the boys heads, After all taking the clothes off a little can be SOOOOOOOOO naughty.
Hugs,
Tamera

What killed my desire for sex in my marriage, was my ex surprising me in a tiny teddy one day!
Talk about scary!? Put me off sex for years! If ONLY she'd waited until dark, and turned off the lites! That way, I mite have imagined her, when she was slim!

I see CDing and nudism being mutually exclusive. Kind of like a priest watching porn on his computer! Hey, it COULD happen! But, it makes no sense to me!

[Gabrielle Hermosa]

I'm not in to nudism at all. I don't care to share my nude self with anyone else and neither does my wife.

I don't look down on people who are in to that though. Honestly, I didn't realize that nudists were looked down upon by society as a whole. I really don't care to see nude people all around me, but I don't care if people want to do that kind of thing. I don't think they're sick in the head or anything.

You're an interesting combination, Audrey. Most cders prefer to be in clothes, female clothes, not out of them. I'm glad you find happiness in both.

[JenniferR771]

Actually one of our members and her (his) wife lived at a nudist camp for a while. I will let her speak for herself. I asked what a cd wears at a nudist camp? He (she) explained to me that the only thing he could wear was red painted toe and fingernails and earrings. They have not posted in the last few months. You know who you are--what about telling us the details?

[trannie T]

So, do you think of yourself as not wearing men's clothing or not wearing women's clothing?

[sandra-leigh]

I went through a summer of nudism before I discovered cross-dressing. I enjoyed it, and would resume if circumstances permitted. Unfortunately the local nudism places state outright that they discourage men from going by themselves, much preferring couples, and after an initial period of enjoyment, my wife decided she doesn't care for nudism. (I understand the point of view of the resorts: they don't want guys who are there just to oggle the women.)

I view nudism as a form of honesty or of truth: "This is how I am. Does it really matter? Accept it." And it upsets me somewhat, the strong barriers that society puts in the way of consenting adults who would be happy to remove their clothes in semi-public: jail terms and lifetime sexual-offender registries just for taking off one's clothes??

Yes, on the surface, nudism and cross-dressing would seem to be opposites, one to reveal truths and the other to "deceive" by wearing clothes. And yet to me on some level they are connected.

I think it is because for me, my transgendered status is a truth -- a truth that is, oddly enough, revealed by putting on clothes... because my bare body looks male, even though what is inside me is not just male. (Note that I said "transgendered", not "transsexual".)

Nudist culture is about accepting people for their personality -- which is what a lot of transgendered people ask of society, to be judged as individual people rather than judged by stereotypes.

[Butterfly Bill]

The two are not necessarily contradictory. When it gets too cold not to have clothes on, your clothes can be feminine. I have been into both, especially at Rainbow Gatherings.

[MarinaTwelve200]

Ther appeard to be an interesting connection for ME too---only a bit different.

I feel the same about being SEEN naked as I do about being seen Cross dressed.----I dont CD publicly for the same reasons I dont go out naked in public.

Thats why I call myself a "private" crossdresser rather than "in the closet". A "closeted" CD, to me, is one who is frightened to go out.

I just think its "innapropriate" or a "private" thing just as when I am naked for my shower. being seen like that is simply 'not done"----its interesting how I have the same personal attidudes towards nudity and CDing.

This is not to judge others, more power to y'all who may have a different opinion. I just thought I would mention this as I find it peculear how I link nudity and CD as a similar state----it might be an interesting clue to something in my psychology--and that of others who may feel the same.

[darla_g]

is the social nudism like when you hang out with other people? (never did it, not sure I'm into it) Fun at home when i'm alone.

[VtVicky]

For the last couple of years I have been trying to figure out how to do a survey of our members to see how many are interested in Nudism. It is a topic I have been thinking about for several years.

I find it interesting that I experience similar feelings in a nudist resort that I feel while CDing. On the surface one would seem mutually exclusive of the other. Yet, in my experience, there are some strong parallels.

My current operating hypothesis is that both have an element of uncovering the "real me", etc. The shedding of male clothing would eliminate the cultural trappings of someone feeling trapped in socially dictated "maleness". Therefore both activities would present the world with the "real me".

Having said that, that theory really doesn't seem to speak to people like me, who don't have a sense of "inner female", only a joy in the sensation of wearing female clothes. (You can see now why, after thinking about this for several years, I still haven't come up with a good survey yet.)

Regardless, I still experience being outdoors nude or CDed very similarly pleasurable.

One thing that Nudism has over CDing for me, and I suspect others, is that while I will never, ever pass as female, I can easily pass as naked.

I look forward to others' thoughts and experiences.

[CharleneT]

Nudism more accepted that crossdressing? I have to disagree. Think about this..

1.) Which one will get you arrested at Chuck E. Cheese?

2.) Which one does everyone use Halloween as an excuse to do?

3.) How many open-minded bosses will let a transgendered person cross-dress, as opposed to come to work naked?

4.) How many nudist resorts do you think there are around the world, compared to drag bars? Thailand alone would probably answer that question!

5.) Mayor Stu Rassmussen is a hetero full-time cd. I can't recall any openly nudist mayors. George Davis does run for mayor in San Fran as a nudist, but he doesn't get a lot of votes.

Don't get me wrong, we're still looked down upon, I just think that this particular point is way off!

But as far as correlation between the two, while I think that a person who does one might do the other, it would be coincidental. It's a lot harder to fulfill that fantasy if you're naked. Now if they came out with convincing prosthetics (Like in ::shudder:: Norbit) That might be a different story!

1. Both or neither, depends on what city you are in !

2. Well ... both, depends on whether you are coming to my party or not There isn't a National Nudism Day where they can get away with it in a subtle manner. But that doesn't mean there are fewer of 'em

3. Hmmm.... you got me with this one ! I am guessing there are a fair number of nude workers in small shops around the country, but there are laws in some states/countries that ensure that a cross dresser can come to work dressed.

4. Not sure of the exact number, but I am still convinced there are more people who practice nudism, or would, than cross dressing. As for resorts, there are more Drag bars in Iowa than nudist resorts, but the resorts are bigger... Now, take the example of Le Cap D'Aude France. A town of about 20,000 who are all nudists. I have never heard of a similar town for cross dressers.

5. I do not know of a nudist mayor here in the USA, but I bet there are several. Whether they do it every day like Stu, I do not know. Now the mayor of that town in France, along with the city council .... yuppers !

6. {this one is mine} In most of Europe, and vast parts of the rest of the world, it is perfectly fine to appear nude on beaches and many other places. The number of people who sun bath, swim, recreate etc, nude at parks/beaches etc, in europe alone probably out numbers all of the cross dressers in the world.

I think there are people here who do both, but they are separate interests ... definitely !!

I do not have any hard numbers on either group, but I'll bet you a night of drinking at our local drag bar ( Studio 13 ), that the nudists are the larger group. While I can't think of how, it would be fun to count the two groups

[JoAnne Wheeler]

But how can I be a Crossdresser if I don't have any clothes on - yikes !
JoAnne Wheeler

[audreyinalbany]

Part of the problem--for me at least--is the dichotomy. Joanne had said "how can I BE a crossdresser if I don't have any clothes on?" and therein lies the conumdrum. We all seem to make this mistake that what we do necessarily identifies what we ARE. hat I am is a male; a father, a husband, a productive member of society, a guy that smokes, a guy who sometimes drinks too much, a guy who pays taxes, a guy who cooks dinner, a guy who cleans the house, a guy who dresses in women's clothes sometimes, a guy who dresses in NO clothes sometimes. None of these things, in and of itself is who I am, there are all aspects of who I am. Being one thing, a crossdresser, is not necessarily mutually exclusive of the other things that I am. I don't have to choose to be one OR the other.
I think the thing that captured my attention is that I am both a guy that likes to dress in women's clothes and a guy that sometimes enjoys going naked and I just wondered if this was an uncommon intersection of aspects of others on this forum. I'm getting the sense that it may be at least somewhat more of an aspect than random chance would admit.

[Diane Elizabeth]

I was /am into nudism for decades. Haven't done it for quite a while. That came about from being a swinger. I have found that not everyone that is into nudism camps is into swinging, or GLBT of any sort. However as a swinger, they frown on most GLBT activities. One that they accept is girl on girl sex. There are some that accept the gay/bisexual lifestyle, but most do not. Just as most of the general public do not accept swingers or glbt or crossdressing of any sort. The general society (publicly, at least) want men to be men and women to be women. Anything else for society(and laws) is not readily accepted. I think though that most people on this forum is already aware of all these conotations. I am just stating the obvious observations here.

[StacyCD]

For me as a nudist I would lose the thrill of imagining myself in her clothes! I guess I would rather wear women's clothes than be naked.

[AmandaM]

I enjoy crossdressing not crossUNdressing!!

CrossUNDresser, Queen of Transsexula!

[CharleneT]

It appears there are more CD/nudists than one would at first think !!!