Nudists want clothing banned on beach – it makes them ‘uncomfortable’

Maybe they just have to grin and naked It.

Nudists in Spain want people to stop wearing clothes on the beach – and are even urging the government to do something about it.

The Naturist-Nudist Federation of Catalonia sent a letter to the Catalan authorities urging them to deal with “the discrimination that nudists face on Catalonia’s beaches”. The Guardian reported.

The group hopes to protect the decades-old tradition associated with about 50 beaches in the area and has raised potential demands including signage for naturist beaches and a public naturist awareness campaign.

Seigmon Rovira, head of the Naturist Federation of Catalonia, told the media in an interview: “People used to come to a naturist beach and either go away or undress.

“Now stay and keep your bathing suit on. However, what they don’t realize is that when there are a lot of them, we end up feeling uncomfortable. It’s a lack of respect,” he continued.

A big part of what has led to this ‘invasion’ is social media and tourism, with travel bloggers and influencers putting the spotlight on the most beautiful and secluded beaches – but ignoring the links to nudism.

In other cases, the beachgoers know about the nudist nature, but still ignore it.

“We’ve lost a bit of civility,” said Rovira, 56. “There are nudists who don’t go to some beaches anymore because they’re too crowded and too many people are wearing swimsuits and they feel uncomfortable.”

He also claimed that the social media boom has damaged the naturist tradition, forcing people to stay clothed to keep their naked bodies from ending up in the background of strangers’ pictures.

“People who are naked don’t want their photos to end up on social media,” he said.

However, some nudists continue to strand naked even though they are now the subject of laughter, stares, and derogatory comments.

“Unfortunately, women tend to be stared at or harassed more,” Rovira shared. “So you are being discriminated against twice; for being nudists and women.”

Rovira pointed out that respect goes both ways.

Just as they hope tourists won’t bother them on nudist beaches, they don’t want to bother others either.

“Naturism is not forbidden in Spain, you can practice it on any beach,” said Rovira. “But in order not to disturb people, we prefer to go to beaches that are traditionally nudist beaches and where most people are naked. We want people to respect that.”

The group hopes that their efforts will help keep the tradition alive and that some beaches remain explicitly safe spots for naturists.

“Starting to practice naturism when surrounded by clothed people is very complicated. That’s why we think it’s important to have naturist rooms where the majority of people are naked, so that people are encouraged to try it out,” Rovira said.

“We do it for the feeling of freedom. There is no comparison between swimming naked and swimming in swimwear,” Rovira added. “You are freer, calmer and more relaxed.”