This section was originally intended to be about people's overreaction to nudity.  In time it became clear that there was a lot more going on than simple overreactions.  There is a condition so common in modern society, most don't even know they have it or recognize any of their own symptoms.  It has a name:  Gymnophobia.  This is derived from the Greek word 'Gymnos' (Nude), and 'Phobia' (An intense, abnormal, or illogical fear of a specified thing.)

Gymnophobia is not a naturally occurring phenomenon - it's an acquired social pathology, passed on from one generation to the next.  It likely begins as parents overreact to nudity with their young children, and it is further reinforced throughout their lifetime by the constant association with other gymnophobes.

Medicial dictionaries exist that define Gymnophobia as "Morbid fear of the sight of the naked body."  However to this editor's knowledge, Gymnophobia hasn't yet become recognized in scientific or medical communities, nor canonized in most medical texts.  After all, why put a name to a disease that the majority of the population (at least in the USA) has lived with to one degree or another for centuries?  With so many people ailing, it's hard to see what is "sick" and what is "whole".  However it's easy to quantify by comparison to a proper "control group".

New naturists know the disease all too well.  They know by comparison.  They are able to quickly and easily compare their former anxiety about nudity with the comfortable feeling of finally being freed from it.  And it is for this reason that grown-up naturists don't revert back to a non-naturist attitude.  Once a naturist, there is no desire (rational or emotional) to go back.  Indeed Gymnophobia is irrational, and no sane adult would ever choose such an attitude when they've known otherwise.

Many look at nudism as something that is bizarre and completely outside of the norm. This section will attempt to show how non-sexual nudity isn't nearly as far-fetched as the overreaction to it.  Naturism is a movement toward "body-normalcy" - having a normalized attitude about the complete human body.  It's not an extreme thing.  It's a sensible, balanced attitude - not given to the extremes of body-obsession / -revulsion.

For this section, we would like to include your stories of overreactions to nudity (firsthand or otherwise, credited or non), discuss misunderstandings related to nudity and the issues that these misunderstandings create, and provide examples of gymnophobia - or the recovery from it.  If you've got something to say about this, please write in.  If you're a recovering gymnophobe, we'd love to hear about it.

(Click here to send an e-mail message to ldssdc@hotmail.com)

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Sandy, Utah Man writes...
I wanted to pass along my soaking experience from last weekend.  I went to Sun Valley, Idaho for work, and was up there basically all day Saturday.   I had a couple of hours for a break in the middle of the afternoon and visited the 'Russian John' hot springs - about 16 mi. north of Sun Valley, adjacent to Highway 75. You basically pull your car off on a dirt road and walk maybe 100 yards to the pool.  It's a little above lukewarm - really nice on a hot day, but not like Diamond Fork at all.

As usual, I went 'al fresco' - I didn't have a great experience.   A couple of women came up and saw that I was 'naked', as they put it, and decided to come back later.  Then some young kids came over (like maybe 12-ish, or maybe a little older.)  I told them I'd put my shorts on, but they bailed (perhaps understandably so).   So I sat in my shorts (no biggie) for the next thirty minutes or so, thinking the kids might come back.   Well they did, but they threw rocks at me - even smacking me in the middle of the forehead.

I was surprised that just because I had been naked that they would respond that way.  I guess I just need to pick my spots when being a 'naturist.'  The whole experience left me wondering why the world is so hung up on certain issues.  Anyway, I just needed to vent a little to someone who at least understands my perspective.   My whole thing is, I never want to offend anyone, especially kids, but obviously if you're in a venue that is potentially 'high traffic' you may have to compromise and soak w/ shorts on.  Not what I would prefer, but...

Alan adds...
It's stories like this that make me all the more adamant that we need more social nudity in our society.  This kind of fear-based reaction needs a good shot of reality to cause it to go away.

I can appreciate the importance of being considerate to avoid giving offense - particularly where kids are concerned.  But no offense can excuse the throwing of stones - not literally nor figuratively (and you know what Jesus said about that!)

[Also posted in Alan's writings under "Traffic Stopping Beauty"]

Today on my way to work, I saw something rather odd and disturbing.

I came upon some traffic that was uncommonly slow - I figured there must be an accident somewhere between me and the next traffic signal.  As I moved further on, I discovered there was no accident (yet), just a woman walking naked up the road. *LOL*

She was completely naked, and without shoes (in 54 degree weather).  She was also dragging a small yellow trashcan (the kind we use in SoCal for recycles) that appeared to be carrying all of her worldly possessions (including clothes. ;-) She was facing oncoming traffic and nonchalantly walking my direction on the shoulder of the road.

What amazed me is what a stir she caused.  She was of "average" build, average height, average weight (a.k.a. "a little overweight"), average complexion (no tan lines, btw.), and what could be considered "average" age (she looked to be somewhere between 40 and 50 years - not yet gray-haired.)  There was nothing exceptional about her appearance.  She didn't bear any tattoos or any noticeable scars or wounds.

In fact, were it not for the trashcan she was dragging and the odd circumstance of her nudity, she was indistinguishable from any other citizen.  (She didn't look like a "bum" or whatever.) She could have passed for anyone's mother, sister, wife, or daughter. When naked, she was just a person - like anyone else.

As far as I could tell, she had not stepped out into traffic, nor had there been any confrontation or altercation with anyone.  Even so, the traffic was ALL OVER THE PLACE! *LOL*  I couldn't believe how people were hitting the brakes and swerving into other lanes.  I was worried that something bad would happen, and I hoped for this woman's sake (and that of the other drivers) that the police would show up and intervene.  It seemed like the public just can't handle public nudity at all!

It was truly amazing.  Had this woman been wearing her dirty, ragged "homeless" clothing and dragging her trash can, no one would have changed speed or course one bit.  She would have been as seemingly inconsequential as any other homeless person you see in Los Angeles.

Maybe that was what she was trying to say?  Maybe she was tired of being a "zero" in the public eye, and wanted to say, "Hey!  Look at me!  I am a real person!"

I would never advocate being naked where others would be shocked and offended. But even though her method may be crude, perhaps there is something to be learned in this woman's example...?

Rexburg, Idaho Woman writes...
I remember a situation that happened to my husband and me when we were dating in college.  We came over to my apartment after class one day to grab a bite to eat.  My roommate came out to the living room and only had a towel wrapped around her because she had just stepped out of the shower.  She SCREAMED so loud and made such a big deal about it that it just made everyone uncomfortable. If she would have just not made a big deal about it, things would have been just fine.  My husband and I have talked about this situation quite a lot - how people act SO embarrassed and UNCOMFORTABLE about their body and nudity. I feel that we have really done a lot of harm to people by raising people from little babies thinking that their naked bodies are "bad" and that it is such a terrible thing if someone sees you naked.  We have been given these wonderful bodies by our Heavenly Father, and we need to have more people remembering this.

Midwest Man writes...
Some years ago I underwent the repair of an umbilical hernia.  Right after the surgery and recovery room I was fed dinner. Within several hours my bladder was calling for help! The nurse checked me by reaching under the sheet to feel if indeed my bladder was full.  She encouraged me to relax.  The problem was the drugs had temporarily taken away control of the bladder sphincter muscle.  About an hour later I was mashing the button with fervor! She came back and said she would call the doctor to see if a catheter was OK!

Time passed.  She and a second nurse came to inform me that they could not find a doctor or male nurse to do the catheter!!  I told her I did not care!!!  So finally she did it! But excused herself repeatedly!

Tennessee man writes...
In the spirit of "let's talk about it..."  I don't think people ever learn by our example.

I'm reminded of just a few weeks ago, while on a deserted Island in the Caribbean a British man landed his boat and saw my wife and I naked.  He responded to my friendly greeting of "How are you?" with a stern, "I was just fine till I ran into you people."  He could see no value to being naked (too bad for him) and frankly wasn't going to change his attitude.  He had several other people with him and as they passed us, some would look directly down at their feet, others would turn their head high into the sky and look up.  None of them would acknowledge us or see us.

BTW, on a different Island a couple days later we ran into another British couple and before anything could be said, I opened our conversation with, "Sorry about the nudity - it's just our thing, hope it doesn't offend you." He responded very positively and stayed and chatted for several minutes. I think if you're open-minded about "things" in general, nudity is no problem.  If you're a closed-minded person, then it doesn't matter what you do: you're wrong and they're right.

Tennessee man writes...
Funny thing happened to me at Orient Beach.  We'd been nudists for only a couple of years (this was about 10 years ago) and we rented a beachfront cabin right on the water in Club Orient.  The problem with Orient Beach is the gawkers.   The club owner feels that if 1,000 people in clothes come to his beach and one decides to come back and stay there, it's worth it.  To us nudists, it was just a very big pain in the tail.

Nevertheless, we stayed there for some time and began to know the schedule of the cruise ships.  On certain days two ships were in port, others one, others none.  Every cruise director would tell their disembarking passengers, "Be sure and go up to Orient's nude beach and see the naked people."  Every Tom, Dick and Harry (and wives) would board the bus (the cruise director gets a percentage - he'd say anything to get them on the bus) and head off for Orient beach, their camera and drooling tongues in hand.

This one day, my wife suggested that soup and some of the fresh baked bread that they carried in their on-premise store would be good for lunch.  I agreed, so off to the store I went, sans clothing.  (Don't need clothes in the store).  I decided to take a short cut from the beach across the property alongside an access road.

Right when I'm smack in the middle of the short cut, I hear this drowning of a several large buses coming over the hill.  Darn, it's Tuesday - two ships in today.  I'm all alone on the road.  I look up and hear the unmistakable sound of airbrakes hissing the large buses to a halt. I'm the very first naked person these drooling tourists have seen.  Suddenly, the inside of the buses look like someone set off a fireworks display.  FLASH, FLASH, FLASH, FLASH, FLASH.    I was mortified.  (Again these were our early days - today I'd just bend over as far as I could and wave between my legs).

We haven't been there since.  Of course the two hurricanes that destroyed so much of the vegetation didn't help.  This was pre internet days, so I only ended up being in 40 or 50 scrapbooks.  Today, I'd be on every computer in the world.

Posted on Usenet:
In his 1848 publication Females and Their Diseases, U.S. physician Charles Meigs stated that he is proud "- that there are women who prefer to suffer the extremity of danger and pain rather than waive those scruples of delicacy which prevent their maladies from being fully explored."

In other words, he felt that women should suffer and die rather than remove their clothes for a careful medical examination. It is frightening to note that Dr. Meigs trained physicians at the Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia.

Olde San Diego Gazette
San Diego, California
[Modesty over Malady, August 1998]

(Anonymous) writes...
A former SP told our HC that there were several members of our stake who firmly believed that a child was not BIC - born in the covenant - if conceived when the parents weren't wearing their temple garments.

The Minneapolis Tribune was doing a series of stories on pornography and obscenity, particularly discussing the difficulty defining such things. As part of their story they published a photograph of a bare human torso, with two exposed breasts. Of course, the reaction was predictable. The next week they published many of the letters that objected to the publication of this "filth." So, they printed the whole photograph. The breasts belonged to Johnny Weismuller, and the photo was from an old Tarzan movie. There was no comment. None was necessary. Nobody can define the line where art ends and pornography begins.

Alan comments...
I love this illustration. I have seen others at various times and places. It brings out just how pervasive the public overreaction to nudity is - the mere PERCEPTION of nudity stokes the illogical fires of outrage. It's amazing that outrageous and uproarious nudity suddenly becomes benign once it is proven to be other than what was perceived. I believe the same is true of non-sexual, social nudity. If a spectator sees a snapshot of it, they may fly off the handle - but once they get the context that goes along with it, their worries may be considerably mollified.

(Anonymous) from Usenet:
My Mother back in the 20's was at a teen get together at Santa Monica beach. One of the girls climbed in the car to change into a swimsuit and placed towels all around the car to shield herself from view. One of the towels slipped just as she was pulling up the suit and her [breasts] were exposed to her boyfriend who was standing guard for her. This is the truth - she freaked so bad she wound up in a mental institution that night and my Mom never found out what happened to her after they released her, if they did. The family moved away and were never seen again.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP)
A fourth-grade student was reading a magazine when his teacher, Wanda Nelson, grabbed it, called it "pornography," ripped up the offending pages and threw them in a trash can. The magazine was National Geographic, and the pornography was an article on anthropology that included drawings of naked humans.

Midwest Man writes...
My wife claims that Doctors use shields and gowns to make sure that we are not totally naked [during examinations] - otherwise they would have a more sexual response.  Also, he has, in a word, been "brainwashed" not to respond sexually.

Alan responds...
Not all doctors use shields.  Much less nurses.  Our LDS friend who is a nurse said that she had a tough time washing immobilized patients at the hospital at first.  And of course this involved more than SEEING the genitalia of others, but actually TOUCHING it as well.  The first time that she had seen an uncircumcised penis she also had to wash it - including drawing back the foreskin.  It was a mental hurdle for her, but she doesn't feel that she's been brainwashed at all.

And brainwashing is highly over-sensationalized.  We are all brainwashed every day - by TV advertisements that promise 30-second solutions to imaginary problems.

Brainwashing is just an archaic word to describe mental conditioning. Anything that we study is mental conditioning, right down to reading the Book of Mormon on a daily basis.  Some mental conditionings are more desirable and valuable than are others.

Naturism doesn't require much mental conditioning though - rather, it's the simple removal of the negative conditioning that's been forced upon us by societal norms and traditions.

And besides, if we could be "brainwashed" into thinking that nudity is not sexual, would the result be good or bad?  It doesn't seem to have hurt the medical professionals at all. ;-)

Los Angles, California woman writes...
Watching a snippet of "Politically Incorrect" last week, the topic came up of the woman who was arrested in Ocala National Forest while on a camp out  for being topless.  The article I read about this can be found at http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991013/od/breasts_1.html

Just a brief synopsis: She was on a campout, in a National Forest, in 90F temperatures, and took off her shirt.  No one complained to her.   Apparently an anonymous phone call was made to the rangers in complaint and she was subsequently arrested for disturbing the peace and then served 20 days in jail for her "crime."  She appealed, and won on appeal.

I was amazed at the reaction of the guests on the show.  The majority felt it was terrible that anyone should be "forced" to look at "those!"   I don't believe anyone taped anyone's eyes open and MADE them look at those...barbaric THINGS!!

The topic of breastfeeding came up also.  Again, it was stated (by a woman), "I shouldn't be forced to look at THOSE! That's gross!"   Personally, I feel that they have the option to NOT look.  Certainly no one is forcing them to look.  And how horrible that our society (at least some of them) think that breastfeeding is "gross" and is something that should only be done behind closed doors, as though it is something to be ashamed of!

The equation that was being explained was: nude (or topless) = sex, sex = behind closed doors and private, breastfeeding = behind closed doors.....because breasts = sex??  How can anyone equate breastfeeding one's baby as sexual?!

I was truly amazed...not only because of the strong opposition to a woman "walking around half-naked" (the show tends to invite more  "open-minded" or "liberal" thinking guests), but also at the negative reaction to breastfeeding!  I had no idea that people felt that way!  (at least not mature adult people!!)

Why would anyone be opposed to breastfeeding anywhere?  I mean if the one who is receiving nourishment isn't over 4 ft tall! ;)  Where do people get these strange ideas?!

What is it that makes people SO uncomfortable about women's breasts? Women's breasts are not "just" sexual things...as a matter of fact, they have a higher purpose than that!!  They are (as I recently read somewhere) a mark of the nobility of womanhood/motherhood!  :)

Why is it that a woman's breasts are considered to be sexual organs (even while a mother is breastfeeding her sweet infant), and a man's are not?!? Btw, what are a man's "breasts" for?  Many people include them in their love making....so, then, they would be "sexual" organs, right?  What other noble purpose do they serve?  Perhaps we are covering the "breasts",  "nipples", "areolas" of the wrong sex!!

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