Women In Nude Recreation
2025 WOW Campaign
Kathy and Beth Ann
SISTERHOOD
Through social nudism, we’ve embraced not only our physical selves but also the deeper layers of our being. Vulnerability turned into strength, and casual conversations turned into life-changing truths.
This friendship, born from shared openness and trust, is more than just companionship—it’s a reminder that when we strip away the outer layers, what’s left is the raw, beautiful humanity that connects us all.
We may have met by chance, but the bond we’ve built is anything but accidental. It’s intentional, real, and lifelong. A sisterhood, unshaken and unashamed.
Barbara
PERSEVERANCE
My wife, Marilyn, and I have been nudists for nearly fifty years, which amounts to a little over 70% of our lives. Many of our vacations over the years were spent at nudist resorts, both in America and in Canada and the Caribbean. However, I have been a transgender woman for only about nine of those years.
I have chosen “perseverance” as the sparkle word that guides me through life. It means to abide by something strictly. It means not giving up. It is persistence and tenacity, the effort needed to do something and keep doing it until the end, even if it’s hard. I persevered through many things in my life, including struggles with anxiety, depression, and near suicide an all-consuming career as an attorney, over forty-four years of marriage, alcoholism, and an exceedingly difficult and life-affirming transition.
I’ve lived two lifetimes. The first sixty years of my life were lived as someone that I wasn’t. Now, I’m living as the person that I was always truly meant to be. The only consistency between the two lifetimes was being a nudist.
Maybe that was enough to allow me to persevere.
Ginny
JOYFUL
I am joyful when I am with the friends that I've made on my naturist journey, both at my local club and online at A Naturist Hub.
I have found my people!!
My home club has become my oasis. It’s where I go to meet friends for yoga, book club and water aerobics. We go for walks, relax in the sun by the pool, enjoy a meal at the cafe, and soak in the hot tub.
Doing it all nude or mostly nude, fills me with joy!
Hannita
ESCAPE
——To My Happy Place
Being naked makes me feel like I am one with nature.
It brings me to a closer spiritual walk than I have ever had before.
With the sun shining down on me, the water touching my bare skin,
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I am free to be me!
Nisey
GRATEFUL
I am grateful I started shedding my clothes as well as my demons along the nudist path eight years ago, although I wish it would have been sooner. I am grateful my husband has walked the path beside me, although he was a nudist long before we even met. I am grateful to have met some amazing women who have mentored me through the years and many of those women I am proud to call my tribe.
With my husband and I becoming empty nesters last year, we decided to make a huge change in our lives. We decided to take a big leap, leave the textile world behind, and I am so grateful we made the move to Oaklake Trails Naturist Resort, in Depew, Oklahoma.
Of course my journey continues, and I’m so excited to see where it will lead me next.
I am so grateful for all that nudism has opened my eyes, mind and heart to. Nudism has shown me how to just take in the moments we are in and look for the good because beauty does exist all around us, in all forms. Nudism has given me the extraordinary gift of loving the skin I’m in regardless of what my past trauma would have me think. Nudism has given me the opportunity to live in an amazing place and it’s given me the courage to make that move which I really don’t think I would have ever been so bold.
Nudism has allowed me to finally open up to the possibility of true friendships and being able to put my faith and trust in other people. But I must say, I am most grateful that nudity has allowed me to become a mentor for other women. Eight years ago I would have never thought I was worthy of having anyone look up to me, I would have not thought I should or could mentor anyone.
I am so incredibly grateful that my body, my story, my journey of healing is helping lead others to a path of healing through nudism.
Monique
CONFIDENCE
I have always struggled with confidence, both in my body and life in general.
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I grew up near a nudist resort, so I had known about what it was for years. I finally decided to take some "me" time and go to the resort. I joined it before I ever even took my clothes off!
Even after joining, I struggled with gaining confidence in my body and being comfortable in my own skin. I visited over a period of four or five days and finally decided it was time to find that confidence!
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I took off my clothes and now I feel FREE and more CONFIDENT than ever before!
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Becoming a nudist has forever changed my outlook on what life and nature has to offer! The longer I am around people who are confident with their own bodies, I find it easier to be comfortable in my own skin and have confidence in my body and my life in general.
Yael
FREEDOM
Freedom to be authentic enough to make truly aligned and honest connections.
Our bodies tell our stories whether by scars or tattoos. They reveal who we are by sharing the experiences we've lived through. We can choose whether to sulk in or hide from those stories, or to proudly display where our strength and values came from.
The textile world says, "Hide those stories. We don't want to know. Just look how you're supposed to look for what you're supposed to be."
Conversations are more authentic because there's a trust established, knowing fewer secrets are kept among us, and sharing the journeys of how those scars and tattoos came to be and what they've done for or to us since.
Rules have always been a trigger for me, as I'd guess for most people here. The rules here are all centered around respect instead of authority. (Most of) The rules here make more sense to me. If you got in trouble here, it was a form of disrespect, whether you disrespected someone, someone's boundaries, property, nature, or even yourself. As opposed to "out there" where many of the rules are about forced loyalty, authority, and meeting others' expectations.
I'm willing to bet that many people feel the same as I do about rules, whether they realize it or not. That desire for freedom, to me says, "We won't be who YOU want us to be. This is who we are. We just want to live our peaceful life among people who also just want to live their life. No drama of trying to meet expectations or be someone we may not want to be (anymore)."
Brenda
AUTHENTIC
Authentic means being exactly who you are at your inner core and accepting every part of yourself.
It’s not putting on a mask for fear of someone not accepting a part of you. You don’t have to ‘filter’ what you think or do in order for someone to love and accept you.
If you have to change your thoughts, actions or dreams in order for someone to accept/love you, then that love/acceptance is conditional. You have to perform in order to sustain the relationship.
It’s only in being AUTHENTIC that you can have the peace that those around you accept the REAL you, instead of the version that they want to be around.
To me, that is what naturism is all about.
Accepting yourself, and others, exactly like they are.
Liz & Jamie
COMMUNITY
Nudist friends give us a sense of COMMUNITY.
Sara
RISE ABOVE
When I was growing up, nudity was a natural state of being. Although my parents were not what I would consider nudists, they routinely walked around the house naked. But I never felt comfortable in my own skin. Even though I had a healthy appetite, I was thin to the point of emaciation.
As I got older, people would on occasion ask if I were anorexic. Three decades and two kids later, I find myself tipping the scales in the other direction. Not obese but definitely overweight. And it’s even more difficult to feel that I fit into this skin I’ve made for myself.
Naturism has become a life-saving outlet for me, a life preserver I can grab onto when the voices of doubt start dragging me under. I still have a long way to go, but, when I visit nudist resorts with my husband, Tim, I get to see people of all body types content and living life. It also helps to have such a supportive husband in Tim; he tells me I’m beautiful every day, and he is there for me when the doubt starts creeping in.
Little by little, I’m RISING ABOVE the monsters of doubt.
Jenny
FEARLESS
She stands
unhidden,
unashamed,
and unapologetically herself.
In the sun, in the sand, in her skin—she’s found freedom.
This isn’t just nude recreation.
It’s a bold return to who we truly are.
Anna
REAL
A huge part of naturism/nudism to me is the simple ability to be REAL.
There is an ever growing need in society to behave in certain ways, tick specific boxes and place ourselves into all sorts of categories. This behaviour can often help us explain our identity to ourselves and others but ultimately it becomes another barrier building experience, as we are distanced from others due to the resulting segregation of “tags and labels.” Clothes complete, with their own tags and labels, can represent a physical aspect of these emotional barriers. Society has a tendency to judge us by what we wear just as easily as it segregates us into professions, religions, sexualities and genders, races, and ages. In truth we wear many different outfits and all of them add up to the person we are at different times of our lives, locations and situations with families, friends, colleagues and strangers. However, all these outfits hide as much about us as they show. Life seems designed to disguise us. Many people end up even hiding from themselves.
In ReaLity we all have a Right and Left side and who we are lives in the middle. A wonderful mix of ideas, beliefs and characteristics. To me naturism is a simple way to strip away the disguises, remove the tags and labels, break down the barriers, kick off the disguises and just allow myself to naturally be. Be the human I am. Naturism is much more than a REveAL of the skin. The nudity is just a by-product of being REAL. Some may think: Isn't naturism or nudism just another tag? We do have to give this aspect of living “labels” to discuss and explain it, and to allow people to find places where, and people with whom, they can Get Real with. However, tags help to create stereotypes of who we are to each other; naturism allows us to be purer in our nature and offers people a chance to get to know the Real us.
Consider the amazing way naturism makes you feel and the wonderful connections you make with fellow nudists/naturists. It is because naturism allows you to feel free and natural – REAL. The people you meet, the conversations you have, and the friendships you make are a reflection of that basic truth. On the rare occasions you meet someone who leaves you feeling awkward, uncomfortable or wary, the likelihood is they are still wearing a disguise, albeit an internal one – and wearing naturism for specific ulterior reasons.
On the website anaturistworld.com, that I run with Steve (my husband, friend, confident, companion, entertainer, partner, fellow parent...you see we are all have so many possible labels for each other), we have a campaign called Get Real that captures the multitude of ways naturism allows us to be ourselves, while considering the reality of the world in which we live in. The community shares a love of naturism first and foremost, all are invited to join regardless of naturist experience, or who they are. Get Real combats the obsessional and divisive fakery found in social media, AI, in trends and through society; while encouraging the sharing of naturism in a genuine, natural, open and honest way. Get Real recognises the concerns and issues we have to deal with for a strong and positive future for naturism, and never forgets that naturism is a joy for all – families, couples and individuals.
Ronna
ADVOCATE
From the moment I first experienced social nudism over thirty years ago at a family naturist camp, I felt something click. It was as if I had stepped into a world where comfort, relaxation, self-acceptance, and joy all came together. That day marked the beginning of a way of life that I could totally embrace.
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Life took its turns, and when my naturist partner and I parted ways, my nudist journey paused—temporarily. But when I met my future husband, I expressed my desire to return to the naturist life and without hesitation, he supported me. We eventually became members of Solair Recreation League in Woodstock, Connecticut. It was there that I reignited my passion—not only for naturism but also for sharing it with the world.
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With the guidance and encouragement of two remarkable mentors, the late Susan Weaver and Fred Van Ness, I began a deeper journey of advocacy. My involvement with AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation) started with public relations roles in AANR East, eventually leading to national positions. In 2016, I was honored to begin a three-year term as an AANR Trustee, and the following year, I took on a seven-year commitment as the Public Relations Chair.
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Throughout the years, I've seized every opportunity to educate and advocate. From radio and online interviews to being featured in a CNN video about nudist etiquette for newbies, I’ve worked to demystify and humanize naturism. I've presented academic papers, written extensively for the Bulletin, and created a multi-issue series, published simultaneously by the Bulletin and N magazine on how to share that you’re a nudist—proudly and responsibly. I even did a presentation for the residents of our large condominium complex, which drew a larger crowd than usual! But one of the proudest milestones of my journey was being inducted into the AANR Hall of Fame.
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Together with my husband, I’ve made it a mission to speak openly and honestly about being nudists. We believe that telling our story, clearly explaining what nudism is—and what it isn’t—is key to changing public perception.
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Perhaps my most ambitious and enduring goal is to inspire researchers, students, and social scientists to study the real benefits of social nudism. We need data—hard scientific evidence—to educate the public, counter misconceptions, fight discrimination, and influence policy that promotes and expands space for nudist-friendly environments.
Above all else, the greatest gift naturism has given me is community. The sense of belonging, caring and acceptance among naturists is unique. My husband and I often reflect on how our physical and emotional well-being have flourished within this community.
That’s why I remain a loud and proud advocate—not just for myself, but advocating for those who are still secretive because they fear retribution or judgment. I speak up because we all deserve to feel seen, understood, and free to be our authentic selves.
Maureen
JOY
I’d rather be naked (British Naturist slogan)
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All my life I have felt that I have had to hide who I am. I’ve hidden my sexuality and then my naturism. I’ve had to ‘come out’ as a lesbian and ‘come out’ again as a naturist. But no more! I now live in my British Naturism (BN) hoodie with the slogan ‘I’d rather be naked’. I wore it in Paris around thousands of people. I wear it to go to the supermarket. I wear it to walk the dog. I wear it to gigs, at the cinema and at festivals. You get the picture.
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Baring all goes against societal norms. Naturists are segregated to naturist beaches and campsites. We are kept hidden away behind the campsite walls as ‘’being naked offends others’’. If we wish to bare skin, we are limited to naturist only zones behind closed doors.
Most of us have run around naked in public places as children but once we become 'adults' this is no longer acceptable. Humans originally washed in rivers before modern conveniences of plumbing, hot water, and showers existed.
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In London, within Hampstead Heath you can find some wild swimming lakes. I have visited only one of three, the ladies only pond where there is a secluded grass area where it is normal to find 100 confident women all topless in this safe space. It’s such a nice feeling to be in public amongst other women and sunbathe topless in the centre of London. I’m obviously not the only one who enjoys being topless.
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Naked women have been used in art throughout history and are displayed in museums alongside their male counterparts, yet women’s bodies are still being sexualized. It is acceptable for a male to be topless in public but not so for a female. Many female statues have cloth draped around their bodies whereas the males are full frontal nudity.
Skinny dipping is usually seen as a naughty little secret to be done under the cover of darkness, not in broad daylight.
During the summer months I can be found around lakes, rivers and the coast having spontaneous skinny dips. I hate wet swimwear, some designed to hardly cover you anyway, and leaving little to the imagination alongside the rigmarole of trying to change discreetly under a towel. I won’t wear ‘swimwear’ when wild swimming anymore, if I go in it has to be naked. Putting a bra on when my body is still damp is the worst!
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There’s nothing like the feeling of a cool breeze running over your body or the hot sun warming your skin, and the silky-smooth water cooling you back down. I feel present and fully alive. I can be me. It is after all natural. The skin each and every one of us is born in.
Being naked is very important to me. It’s completely natural. This is my body, a vessel to live life. It makes me genuinely happy; I feel pure unadulterated joy. Wherever I am, when I’m naked, I’m in my happy place. It is a priority when travelling so I’ll make sure there are locations where I can be naked (usually beaches) so Morocco, India and Turkey are excluded from my travel destinations as nudity is generally unaccepted here.
I’m happy to go it alone when I feel comfortable and it is safe to do so, which is difficult sometimes being a single female. I do my best to keep myself safe. Unfortunately, I have encountered a few incidents where men have made me feel uncomfortable, but it hasn’t put me off, it’s a minority.
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I am always looking for interesting and unique locations, or things I come across that I can use as props. I’ve definitely gotten more creative over time. I always have footwear (used as my tripod) my phone and my body to do spontaneous shots if the circumstances are right. I don’t bother in busy touristy areas. I’m respectful and definitely don’t want to cause offense or be seen as voyeuristic. I picture the shot I want in my mind, then decide if it will work logistically. I’m just an amateur with a camera phone, no fancy, expensive, hi-tech equipment.
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Phone in position, I will do a practice clothed shot, making any adjustments needed. Check the coast is clear, strip off, one final scan of my surroundings, set the timer and get into frame. Beep, beep, beep, click. Check to make sure I’m happy with it. Get dressed reveling in the after buzz as ‘I’ve gotten away with it’. It's exciting and a bit of harmless fun where I get to combine my love of photography with my love of being without clothes in the natural outdoor environment.
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Everyone flocks to Arthur's seat in Edinburgh, resulting in the opposite side of Holyrood Park having much less footfall so I had the place to myself for some time. I had taken my shots all well and good, I had put my pants back on but remained topless as I was enjoying this freedom of air on my skin on such a hot day. Out of the lush coconut smelling vibrant yellow gorse below, came some dogs, not one or two but nine, followed by their two humans where they may or may not have seen me topless, which again is not a crime. In fact, I’m trying to promote more equality for women to be topless in public just as men are allowed.
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After seeing what Brighton has done, I researched my region of the UK, East Anglia, and there is nothing like this, so I’m hoping to start something here to support women being topless in public spaces, particularly on beaches. If this interests you, please request to join the private group on Facebook ‘East Anglia Go Topless’ to follow and support.
Patti
EVOLUTION
My life has evolved in ways I never thought it would
by becoming a nudist.
The first change was in my own personal confidence.
I was able to speak up more at work,
I was able to approach people more in public.
I have also evolved into The Bowling Lady.
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I not only evolved at work but within the naturist community.
It is part of me to try and let others know
you can be the best you
by uncovering yourself and being open.
You can go from being a homebody with no friends,
to being able to travel across the oceans to places like Hawaii, The Netherlands and Norway.
You can dream about going to Australia.
Evolve from day to day to living each day and planning for a great future.
Debbie
BELLISIMA
You be You!
Don't let anyone try to change you.
You need to be you. Comfortable with yourself mentally and physically.
It's not always easy. No one is perfect, we all have flaws.
Some are visible and some are not. Just because I have
a smile on my face and I look and act like I don't have a
care in the world, that does not mean I'm ok.
Today, I feel Bellisima! Tomorrow I may not.
I am here, and it is now.
You be You!
YOU are Bellisima!
And don't let anyone tell you anything different.
Nancy, Sharron, & Kim
FRIENDSHIP
Nancy (Star Ranch, Texas), Sharron (Mohave SUN, Arizona and Serenity Mtn Retreat, Oregon) and Kim (Kiata, Australia), met 20 years ago on the Big Nude Boat sailing through the Caribbean.
Nudism has brought us together and started an incredible journey around the globe, renewing our friendships by visiting each other’s home/clubs, having fun touring nudist clubs in New Zealand, Australia and the United States, meeting on nude cruises including the Royal Clipper in the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas.
It’s been an incredible nudist journey building enduring bonds of friendship and camaraderie, enriching all our lives.
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FRIENDSHIP
F Fun and joy as we explore new nudist places together
R Relationships enduring over time and distance
I Interesting as we challenge and learn from one another
E Enduring friendships
N Nudism helps us show our real selves and get back to nature
D Dedication to balance our nudist holidays together
S Sensitivity to one another
H Honesty
I Inseparable over time
P Positivity and non-judgment based
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Andrea
LIBERATION
Free to Be: My Journey into Nudism and Self-Love
Growing up in a deeply Catholic household, I was immersed in a culture of guilt, modesty, and discipline. My body was something to be hidden, controlled, and rarely celebrated. Before I fully understood it, I learned to be ashamed of my body. There were always rules about what was appropriate, what was holy, and most of all—what was shameful.
By the time I entered my first marriage, I was already conditioned to view myself through a lens of inadequacy. I tried to be the perfect wife, the good girl who followed the path laid out for her. But my first husband? He looked at other women like they were art, like they were alive. And somehow, I was invisible. Not because I wasn’t enough, but because he didn’t see me. That marriage left me feeling even more disconnected from my body, like I was just a shadow of the woman I was meant to be.
Then I met my forever husband. From the very beginning, he saw me. Not just the outer shell, but the real, raw, radiant me. He often told me, without hesitation, that I was gorgeous. That my body deserves to be celebrated. At first, I didn’t believe him. The years of conditioning ran deep. But he was patient. And he introduced me, gently and lovingly, to a world I had never imagined for myself: nudism.
At first, it was terrifying. I felt like I was breaking every rule I had ever been taught. But something unexpected happened. The more I let go of the shame, the more I began to feel. I felt the sun on my bare skin, not as something forbidden, but as something sacred. I felt the breeze, the water, the earth—all as if for the first time. I felt alive.
Nudism wasn’t just about being naked. It was about being free. Free from judgment, from shame, from the heavy expectations I had carried my whole life. I began to see my body as mine, not something to be criticized or covered, but as a part of who I am—a vessel of joy, strength, and beauty.
I started to stand taller.
I smiled more.
I danced, literally and metaphorically, in ways I never had before.
I began to love the woman in the mirror. Not just accept her, but celebrate her.
And it wasn’t just physically. Emotionally and spiritually, I was reborn. I found peace where there used to be anxiety. I found self-worth where there used to be doubt. I found community among others who weren’t obsessed with appearances, but with authenticity.
I learned that vulnerability is not weakness—it’s power.
Becoming a nudist has been one of the most liberating, healing decisions of my life. It’s been a reclamation—not just of my body, but of my identity. I’ve shed more than clothes; I’ve shed fear, judgment, and the lie that I’m anything less than whole. Thanks to my forever husband, I know now: I am gorgeous. I am worthy.
And I am finally, gloriously, free.
Margie
RELAX
In 1970 I got married. Every day we took the train to work, and when we got home, we took off all our clothes. It was my first experience with nudity outside the shower, and I was amazed at how relaxing it was.
We never experienced social nudity as a couple, but my second husband was already a nudist when we got together. I finally was able to see if that relaxation extended outside the little 1970 apartment. To my great delight, it did!
Relaxation is one of the great advantages of nude recreation.
Jackie
FREE
One of the great benefits of being a nudist is the freedom that it has given me. I'm free to be me. I don't have to impress god, my husband, work, friends, or family . . . I don't have to live up to societal expectations. I can just be Jackie. She's a pretty cool person. She's a great friend. She's loyal to a fault. She's figuring out if god has a place in her life. She swears too much. She's bisexual and always has been, even when she tried so hard for 40 years to pretend that she wasn't. She's a voracious reader. She's really great at her job. She's a nudist. She's overweight, but that's OK. She's working on eating healthier and taking better care of her body, which has done an amazing job over the past 58 years.
ImPerfect . . . and free.
Maureen
DETERMINED
Hi! I’m Dr. Maureen Hughes, originally from Northwest Indiana! When this photo was taken, I had just left my career in biotech sales, was teaching yoga part time, in massage school, in the middle of a breakup, and scared to death to be able to make ends meet as a new independent business owner. Well, everything turned out just perfect,10 years later.
My journey included being diagnosed as critically ill in 2017, blowing out my knee and having a meniscus repair surgery in 2018, a shattered big toe in 2019, and COVID demolishing my business in 2020. I moved to Arizona December 2020 and lived between the Shangri-La Ranch and Sedona. Then, I moved back to St. Louis, June 2021, and my Dad became critically ill after a major stroke in May 2022. He was in hospice for 11 months before passing away. I was traveling to Indiana more than once a month, but luckily found a place to work a bit while in Indiana. He passed away 2/22/24.
I’m still doing Thai Massage, Health and Wellness coaching, and teaching naked yoga all over the U.S., both in person and online!
It is because I am DETERMINED!
ANDEE
GLORIOUS
What social nudism has done for me is GLORIOUS! I am a more confident, bolder, stronger woman, and my mental well being is better than it has ever been. I never would have imagined ten years ago that I would find such serenity by becoming a nudist. It is glorious to not have to get dressed each day. Glorious to walk around the club, sunbathe, swim in the lake, soak in the hot tub, and all without the confines that clothing creates. It is a glorious freedom!
WOW 2025
Trying to meet social media expectations is unrealistic and damaging to our well-being. The WOW, Women One Word, campaign breaks those expectations. Women from all walks of life have chosen to show what nudism has given them:
A sense of freedom and well-being
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Words such as: Freedom, Liberated, Blessed, Empowered, Strong, Comfort, and Self-Confidence. There are also many women who needed to share their story as well. Stories of loss, rebirth, family, removing barriers, and so much more.
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To be a part of this powerful campaign, follow these steps:
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1. Choose your word or words
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2. Choose a photo of yourself-nude or nude but not nude
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3. Write your chosen word somewhere on your body OR you can use an app to superimpose it on your photo-I can help with this also
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4. Write a story to go along with your word and photo-opt.
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5. Fill out the photo release below
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6. Send your photo and photo release to andee.rodgers@aanr.com
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Submissions go out on AANR social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, and X. They are also posted on this website, A Naturist Hub, and A Naturist World. Submissions also automatically go into the WOW 2026 Calendar.
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DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS JULY 20.