Naked or Nude?

At first glance, the two same gender loving (gay) bare practitioners (naturists/nudists) in the photo above appear entirely indifferent to one another. The man on the left (Daniel) epitomizes shame, whether because of his nakedness or because of his sexuality (or both), we’ll never really know. The man on the right (Mike) exudes confidence in himself, his nudity and his sexuality. Right? The body language suggests it but are we sure? Do these attitudes determine if they’re naked or nude?

Body language tells an amazing story about an individual but often this message is mistaken by others. The two men above may be comfortable and relaxed with their nudity both with one another and the photographer. This could very well be reflected in their stance or pose. Whether naked or clothed, Daniel, the man on the left, could simply be in his natural position. There are men who just keep their hands in front of them, no matter what they may or may not be wearing. If they have nothing to hold onto, this is how they stand. My husband, Aaron, shares this characteristic. If we’re not holding hands, his “relaxed” stance is to clasp his hands in front of himself.

Some may argue that Daniel, the man on the left, is naked, whereas Mike, the gentleman on the right, is nude. Is there a difference? Apparently.

I’ve had a number of bare friends of mine state that naked implies that a person is involuntarily without clothes. The example they use is of a locker room or other communal changing area when one can be viewed without any covering by others. In keeping with their thinking, a person who is naked is probably uncomfortable when clothes-free.

They go further to offer that a person is nude when they shed their clothing of their own free will and are unconcerned if others see their bare body. They are indifferent to being clothes-free and if others are around or not. To their train of thought, when they’re nude, they’re nudists. They don’t mind others seeing their nudity. 

Personally, I can understand the logic involved in their way of thinking. A person is naked if they are clothes-free and they have no choice. A person is nude if they’re clothes-free because they choose to be. One is bare and cares about his state of undress and the other is bare and doesn’t care if he’s dressed (clothed) or not.

“There are those who so dislike the nude that they find something indecent in the naked truth.”  ~ F. H. Bradley

I also think that my friends are being overly technical in their opinions. For the vast majority of us, the two words, naked and nude, are synonymous. They have identical meanings. It’s merely a matter of preference as to which term one uses. Both words describe the state of being without clothes, whether by choice or by circumstance.

In writing ReNude Pride, I use both words interchangeably. To avoid repetition, I may use “naked” in one instance and “nude” in another. I also use clothes-free and bare for the same reason. I have no personal preference although I admit to being partial to using bare, above all others, for no other reason than when I bare my body I unburden my soul (I can’t remember where I read that but it resonates with me). As some of you may have noticed, I also am partial to using bare practitioner  rather than nudist. It’s nothing more than personal preference.

Now, back to Daniel and Mike in the photograph above. They’re both clothes-free and they’re both naked and nude. They’re two men who are posing bare and apparently it doesn’t bother either of them in the least. They have both worked as professional models and their images are more often than not without clothing just as often as they are wearing clothes. I don’t think they even care whether they’re naked or whether they’re nude. 

And if they don’t care, then why should we? As long as we’re clothes-free, what difference does it really make. As a bare practitioner, I’m content to stay bare!

My nudist blogging buddy, Kenn, author of the site, Gay Black Nudist, addressed this topic in an article on his blog this past January. To read his posting, What’s the Difference Between Nudist and Naturist?  (click the title to view). We both hold similar opinions on this subject and I think we use both words in our compositions. Kenn was recently featured in an interview on this site, to read this interview, please click here.

Naked hugs!

Roger/ReNude Pride