VESTURISM NO MORE

"...I will see in my lifetime when we will be able to walk down the streets of some cities and see a mix of people of both genders, of all races and religions, some wearing clothing and some not."

VESTURISM NO MORE
By Daniel D. Ziegler

Let me add a new word to your vocabulary and to the dictionary--vesturism, based on the word vestures, which means clothing or apparel. I define vesturism as: prejudice based on whether or not one is wearing clothes.

We already have the word racism, which is prejudice and discrimination based on race, and we have sexism which is prejudice and discrimination based on sex or gender, but until now we have not had a word for prejudice and discrimination based on the wearing or not wearing of clothing. Up until now this has not been a public issue and so we have not needed a word for this but there is a growing movement now for clothes-free recreation and clothes-free living and a word is needed to describe those fighting against this movement.

This movement I am talking about is not just about nudists and naturists, either. The nudists and naturists have their movements based on their organizations and beliefs and are pretty much content to stay in their private parks or otherwise designated areas. They seem to be operating alright and not really bothering anybody. We seldom hear about them. So the need for this word hasn’t arisen from their activities, although many of them are involved.

The need for this word is based on a movement made up of people who feel they should have the right to be nude anywhere, anytime they please, even in public places. They call themselves Body Freedom and their numbers are growing. The participants in this movement feel they are being discriminated against by laws that mandate that clothing be worn outside private nudist parks or other legally designated areas. They feel that they should not be forced to segregate as such, hence the word vesturism—prejudice based on their not wearing clothes. (The word nudism, based on the word nude might be a better word here but it is already taken with a different meaning.)

One might think that on the surface the idea of this word may seem a bit trite. I mean, come on, this doesn’t carry the same weight as the words racism or sexism do, behind which we understand their significance, does it? Vesturism, come on, isn’t that carrying it a little too far?

I posit that it is NOT carrying it too far, and that we need to take a serious look at the issue of prejudice and discrimination based on the wearing or not wearing of clothing, because many of the same issues and reasons that made racism and sexism morally wrong are equally at work here.

Before we compare these issues, however, let me first say that the argument for clothes is often based on the highly questionable idea that people can be offended, shocked, and even psychologically damaged by seeing naked people. The concern is particularly intense with regard to children. The idea is that we must protect children from seeing nude bodies at least until age 18 (somehow designated as the age when it will no longer harm them). The truth is there is no proof that any damage actually occurs to adults OR children by being expose to the nude body. The idea that nudity is harmful is not based on research but rather on preconceived ideas and learned behavior that have no logical or scientific basis. On the contrary, there is evidence, as the psychologist Abraham Maslow presented in his work in the 60's, that seeing and being in the presence of nude bodies promotes body-acceptance which promotes self-esteem and good health.

Now, as a comparison, let’s take a look at our past history regarding racism. Prior to the civil rights movement in the early sixties (and prior to the word racism), many white people living in segregated areas of the south (but not exclusively in the south) felt that association with African American people (then called Negroes) was wrong and degrading, even harmful. Many whites certainly would not live in the black neighborhoods nor risk having their children suffer trauma by attending the same schools as black children. These were very strong beliefs, and political leaders such as George Wallace, as well as even some religious leaders, fought hard and were willing to put their lives on the line for their beliefs.

But we know that these beliefs were based on nothing but learned behavior. They ideas were simply passed down from one generation to the next and there was no inherent substance to them, however, to those who fostered them, there seemed to be. We now know they were largely based on ignorance and fear--fear of each other and fear of the unknown. It is a human trait to fear the unknown, and since we had not ever known a totally integrated society, we were afraid of it. Today, we see the fallacy of these beliefs and all you have to do is look around in our schools to see how children of all races get along. While we still have room for improvement, things have changed. We live in a different world and are no longer afraid, and even many of the George Wallaces acknowledged that they were wrong.

A similar comparison can be used with the women suffrage and feminists movements. Today we know that many of the ideas and beliefs used to keep women down in the past no longer hold water. They were simply learned from those who came before us.

Many of our beliefs that are passed down to us from prior generations have strong roots but that does not mean they are morally right or valid. To evolve as a species and to create a peaceful world we must be willing to look at our beliefs and continue to test them to find out which are false and holding us back, and then let those go.

We acknowledge intellectually that the human body is a marvelous creation, and yet we as a society still believe that if certain parts of it are exposed in public, it would destroy society. This is one of these beliefs that seems inherent in us but simply has been passed down to us and is now so firmly ingrained in our thinking that people actually feel they have been violated and traumatized if they see another human being nude. Well, there are probably many people still around who believed that society would tumble if our schools and the rest of society were integrated, too, and may still even believe that their children were irreparably harmed by attending school with children of other colors, but we know that did not happen. In fact, most would agree that we have a better society today.

In the same vain, there are many of us who belief public nudity would not cause our society to crumble, either. On the contrary, we believe, based on our experience and understanding of the human spirit, that simply being able to be ourselves and not hide behind clothing will lead to a higher levels of self-esteem and self-acceptance and therefore to happier, healthier and more tolerant human beings AND a better society.

So, let’s take a serious look at vesturism, and be honest with ourselves. Are we being vesturists, that is, are we irrationally discriminating against those who feel free enough to be themselves, and not wear clothing? Or are we simply reacting irrationally out of fear of the unknown again?

Just like with the women suffrage, racial equality and feminist and movements, it will require a lot of brave people doing a lot of work before changes are made and we as a society overcome vesturism. But the work is already ongoing and slowly things are changing again. I believe I will see in my lifetime when we will be able to walk down the streets of some cities and see a mix of people of both genders, of all races and religions, some wearing clothing and some not. We will look at each other no longer afraid and realize that, as with racism and sexism, our previous fears were unfounded. And we will look back and know that we have really progressed in making a better world by freeing ourselves from another irrational and harmful prejudice, from vesturism—a word that will no have meaning in our society. * * *

To receive a free e-copy (PDF file) of my book NAKED BEFORE GOD: A Look At Healing, Self-discovery and Spiritual Growth Through Social Nudism, go to http://less-onsfortruth.com/ or email me ddziegler44@yahoo.com