Nude weddings, also known as naked marriages, are weddings that may include the couple, bridal parties, and/or guests in the nude. Participants may be committed to the nudist lifestyle or want a different kind of wedding.
The wedding couple may be nude while the guests may come nude or dressed, or with the couple and all the guests naked. There are 270 clubs in America that are clothes-free or clothes-optional, and some of these serve as locations for nude weddings.
In China, "naked wedding" has come to mean a simple, low-budget wedding, not involving the purchase of a house, car, or wedding rings. Such weddings have become more popular. The term does not refer to actual nudity.
The first publicized nude wedding took place at the Garden of Eden at the 1934 World's Fair in Chicago. [1] There has been an increase in nude weddings with the growth of nude recreational practices. According to the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), founded in 1931, nude recreation grew 75 percent during the 1990s. Today, the AANR estimates it has grown to be a 440 million dollar industry, from $120 million in 1992. [2]
Nude weddings can include traditional flowers, veils and accessories, music, and food. An official conducts the ceremony and legal requirements are as for any other wedding.
The largest nude wedding took place 2003 in Jamaica with 29 couples married at the same time. [3] The wedding was at Hedonism III in Runaway Bay, Jamaica on Valentine's Day. Couples included a Russian, a Canadian, and a Native American from the Crow tribe. The ceremony was conducted by Rev. Frank Cervasio of the Universal Life Church in Florida. [4] Participants were required to stay a minimum of 4 days, and arrive on February 12, two days before the marriage ceremony. [5]
Nude weddings are the norm in the fictional Betazoid culture in Star Trek because of their ability to see thoughts and emotions of others. This gift evolved their society into an open one, which allowed nude weddings without taboo.
A nude wedding scene appears in the 1968 film Girls Come Too (later re-titled How I Became a Nudist ). [6] Maria Stinger and her real-life husband Harry Stinger (credited as Dick Powers) play a couple who marry in a nudist ceremony at a Miami nudist camp.
Naturism is a lifestyle of practicing non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms are broadly interchangeable, nudism emphasizes the practice of nudity, whilst naturism highlights an attitude favoring harmony with nature and respect for the environment, into which that practice is integrated. That said, naturists come from a range of philosophical and cultural backgrounds; there is no single naturist ideology.
The Naturist Society (TNS) is an American naturist organization based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. It publishes a quarterly periodical called Nude & Natural which contains articles on naturist activities and issues related to naturism. The Naturist Society was established by Lee Baxandall in 1980. Baxandall was the Society president for a number of years. Baxandall formulated the initial TNS motto: "Body acceptance is the goal, nude recreation is the way." This statement incorporates the belief that the human body is not intrinsically offensive and that the practice of social nudity can be affirming, not degrading.
Hedonism II is an adults-only vacation resort in Jamaica, owned and operated by Marshmallow Ltd, headed by Harry Lange. The resort has areas reserved for naturism and it is known for its sexually liberal culture. As of 2020, only Hedonism II is in operation. There was never a Hedonism I, and Hedonism III closed in 2010.
A clothing-optional bike ride is a cycling event in which nudity is permitted or expected. There are many clothing-optional cycling events around the world. Rides may be political, recreational, artistic, or a unique combination thereof. Some are used to promote topfreedom, a social movement to accord women and girls the right to be topless in public where men and boys have that right.
The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) is a naturist organization based in the United States.
Ed Lange was a nudist photographer, and a publisher of many nudist pamphlets and magazines showing the nudist lifestyle.
IlsleySilias Boone (1879–1968) was a charismatic speaker, a powerful organizer, a magazine publisher and the founding father of the American Sunbathing Association (ASA)—later reorganized as the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR). As a publisher he distributed the first nudist magazine in the United States. That publication eventually led to a challenge to the U.S. Postal Service's ban against sending obscene materials through the mail. Boone took his challenge all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court which struck down the ban.
Christian naturism is the practise of naturism or nudism by Christians.
Social nudity is the practice of nudity in relatively public settings not restricted by gender. This occurs both in public spaces and on commercial property, such as at a naturist resort.
Nude recreation refers to recreational activities which some people engage in while nude. Historically, the ancient Olympic Games were nude events. There remain some societies in Africa, Oceania, and South America that continue to engage in everyday public activities—including sports—without clothes, while in most of the world nude activities take place in either private spaces or separate clothing optional areas in public spaces. Occasional events, such as nude bike rides, may occur in public areas where nudity is not otherwise allowed.
Nudity is sometimes used as a tactic during a protest to attract media and public attention to a cause, and sometimes promotion of public nudity is itself the objective of a nude protest. The use of the tactic goes back to well published photos of nude protests by svobodniki in Canada in 1903. The tactic has been used by other groups later in the century, especially after the 1960s. Like public nudity in general, the cultural and legal acceptance of nudity as a tactic in protest also varies around the world. Some opponents of any public nudity claim that it is indecent, especially when it can be viewed by children; while others argue that it is a legitimate form of expression covered by the right to free speech.
A nude beach, sometimes called a clothing-optional or free beach, is a beach where users are at liberty to be nude. Nude beaches usually have mixed bathing. Such beaches are usually on public lands, and any member of the public is allowed to use the facilities without membership in any movement or subscription to any personal belief. The use of the beach facilities is normally anonymous. Unlike a naturist resort or facility, there is normally no membership or vetting requirement for the use of a nude beach. The use of nude beach facilities is usually casual, not requiring pre-booking. Nude beaches may be official, unofficial, or illegal.
This timeline of social nudity shows the varying degrees of acceptance given to the naked human body by diverse cultures throughout history. The events listed here demonstrate how various societies have shifted between strict and lax clothing standards, how nudity has played a part in social movements and protest, and how the nude human body is accepted in the public sphere.
Social nudity is somewhat accepted in Seattle and perhaps similarly treated as in other large communities of the West Coast region, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. There are a few non-sexualized clothing-optional and topfree events, including cycling.
World Naked Gardening Day (WNGD) is an annual international event generally celebrated on the first Saturday of May by gardeners and non-gardeners alike.
Gypsy Taub is a Russian American activist in the San Francisco public nudity movement.
A naturist resort or nudist resort is an establishment that provides accommodation and other amenities for guests in a context where they are invited to practise naturism – that is, a lifestyle of non-sexual social nudity. A smaller, more rustic, or more basic naturist resort may be called a naturist camp.
| Nakedness and clothing | |
|---|---|
| Nudity and sexuality | |
| Issues in social nudity | |
| Naturism | |
| Nude recreation | |
| By location | |
| Social nudity advocates | |
| Depictions of nudity | |
| See also | |
