Ghildrell , Social Nudity and Academic Research

counsel in Baby and Child Care and fied as one who "aims to get the child Mark Storey accepted his word as academically rep- comfortable seeing nudity."' utable.' Other authorities in turn take The fear those claims at face value and, without that seeing naked people checking to see what researchers in some way harms children is not EARLY EYERY MOTHER WILL have actually said, pressure parents into supported, however, by academic attest to her toddler's readiness research. The small number blinkering their children from ever of studies to scamper about the house and viewing the nude human form. on this topic in psychology and sociolo- backyard naked. Children feel at ease gy have shown, instead, that children in the nude until parents teach them Nowadays legislators are among reared in an atmosphere containing that it's "wrong," "indecent," or those who continue to spread the myth family social nudity may benefit from "shameful." Children must also be that nudity regardless of context is the practice. If this is true, then laws taught that it is somehow inappropri- bad for children. Bob Morton, chair of prohibiting either social nudity in the ate to see their family nude, for such the Naturist Action Committee, points home or children's presence in natur- ideas would not come to them naturally. to a trend in North America for ist settings are unjustified. proposing legislation banning family Popular authorities on child care, social nudity on the grounds that the Naturist parents have long from Benjamin Spock to advice colum- affirmed the value "offending" adult may be "grooming" of raising their chil- nists Ann Landers and Abigail Van dren in a home environment the child to be more receptive to sexu- in which Buren, have often warned of dangers optional nonsexualized al abuse in the home. According to nudity is casu- to children should they see others Morton, the National District Attor- al, informal, and nonthreatening. For naked. For Spock, this ill-formed mes- five years, Dennis neys Association now says that a Craig Smith and sage arose from his early reading of William Sparks potential child molester can be identi- studied the effects of Freud. Advice columnists read Spock's social nudity on children. Their 1986 book, The Naked Child: Growing tlp Without Shame, was written in part from their personal experiences with naturism, and remains a solid piece of descriptive self-reporting on the effects of social nudity on children. They conclude that "the viewing of the unclothed body, far from being destructive to the psyche, seems to be either benign and totally harmless or to actually provide positive benefrts to the individuals involved.", Scholars publishing in academic journals have come to the same conclusion. In 1995, UCLA psychology profes- sor Paul Okami published a review of clinical and empirical studies of child- hood exposure to parental nudity. In his review, Okami expresses concern over an increasing number of behav- iors being redeflned in terms of child- hood sexual abuse. More and more social scientists are referring to parental nudity in front of children, for instance, as a form of"subtle sexu- al abuse."'The problem as he sees it is that there is simply no clinical or empirical evidence to support this con- cern and the attendant desire to turn naked parents into outlaws. Keith Mueller CHILDRENAR,E NATURAL NUDISTS, but the myth persists that children and nudity shouldn't mix.

M Nude & Natural23.4 have been condemned in much of the clinical literature-there is little evi- dence to support dire predictions [of harm to childrenl. In the case ofexpo- sure to parental nudity, the very scant available evidence points to generally neutral or perhaps even positive corre- lates, particularly for boys..'. [N1o empirical evidence links such experi- ences with subsequent psychological harm."e In 1998, Okami Published the results of his own study on early child- hood exposure to parental nuditY. Working with Richard Olmstead, Paul Abramson, and Laura Pendleton, Okami's lS-year longitudinal study followed 200 male and female children from birth to age 17-18. Okami's study was the first to use the longitudinal design in examining the long-term effects of parental nudity on children. 1:+irl The research team hypothesized that given the paucity of empirical counter evidence, children would experience no "deleterious main effects of early Carl Flick childhood exposure to either nudity or THIS IS SUBTLE SEXABUSE? Sadlv, some would say it is' primal scenes."'o The results of the studY were clear: Okami cites the three studies of found that those children whose fami- "Consistent with the cross-sectional Robin Lewis and Louis Janda, M. S. Iies practiced social nudity at home retrospective literature (and with our Oleinick et al, and MarilYn Story as and at naturist camps scored higher in expectations), no harmful main effects the sum total of empirical research terms of body image than those who ofthese experiences were found at age addressing the consequences of child- practiced social nudity only at home.' L7-\8." Okami continued: "Exposure to hood exposure to Parental nuditY. The causal relationship between fami- parental nudity was associated with Other writings in academia consist of ly social nudity and high body self- positive, rather than negative, sexual "experts' relatively short commen- image was thus also supported by con- experiences in adolescence, but with taries nested in articles related to var- comitant variation. reduced sexual experience overall. ious other aspects of childhood devel- Lewis and Janda surveYed 210 Boys exposed to parental nudity were opment and experience."u male and female undergraduate col- Iess likely to have engaged in theft in used various psychi- lege students to determine, in Part, adolescence or to have Oleinick et al examined L60 marijuana.-.- com- what effect childhood exPosure to psychedelic drugs and atric outpatient children and add weight hospital parental nudity had on them as young Thus, results of this study pared them to nonpsychiatric have opposed to determine if the adults. The results of the study sug- to the views ofthose who inpatient children characterizations of child- two groups differed as to early social gested that "childhood experiences alarmist hood exposure...to nuditY."" ization experiences. No sig:nificant dif- with exposure to nudity and sleeping ference was found between those chil- in the parental bed are not adversely Okami gives voice to what manY dren who had seen their Parents related to adult sexual functioning naturist parents ask: "WhY is it so naked and those who had not.u and adjustment. In fact, there is mod- widely believed in the United States est support that these childhood expe- nations that early expo- and certain European Story hypothesized that riences are positivelY related to detri- improve these practices are uniformly sure to parental nudity would indices of adjustment." In their discus- mental health of chil- ofpreschool chil- menta[ to the the body self-concept sion, they conclude that "for boYs, notions, certainly where 264 children and dren?... Such dren. She examined exposure to nudity in early childhood parental nudity is con- guardians, noting that exposure to their parents or appears to be modestlY related to perhaps better conceptual- were nudists while oth- ceined, are some families greater comfort levels with regard to myths. Whereas anY of these found that the chil- ized as ers were not. She physical contact/affection."' course maY be exPeri- nudist households had a behaviors of dren from an abusive context-and may self-concept than Okami believes that clinicians, leg- enced in more positive body under certain cir- She deter- islators, and social workers who auto- also occasion harm the non-nudist children. for certain individuals- her findings that coming matically assume that parental nudity cumstances mined from appearance se does not from a nudist family a more is harmful to children have little or no their Per PlaYed appear to constitute cause for alarm."" signifrcant role in the children's posi- reason for their stand. "Surprisingly tive body image than their race, gen- then-especially considering the vehe- Okami's study focuses on childhood der, or area ofresidence. Moreover, she mence with which these behaviors exposure to parental nuditY in the

Nudity and Kids: An Acadetnic Oueruiew 45 home. Given the brouhaha over the but the children still ate and slept in RelefenCes press coverage last year of "youth their onn camp area. camps" hosted by the American S9e Mark Storey, "Dr. Spock and Family "I was able to interwiew several L Association for Nude Recreation, of Nudity," Nude and Natural 18.3 (1999): 69- fi these children, in addition to a num- t many who are opposed to childhood 70; and Benjamin Spock, Baby and Child I exposure to nudity may be more con- ber of older children who visited Care Ath ed. (New York: Pocket Books, it cerned with such exposure taking Sunshine Village with their parents 1976),420-2r. place outside the home at nudist but were not involved in the children,s camps. Researchers have provided camp. For the younger children, nud- 2. Bob Morton, "NAC Legislative Update,,, Nude and. Natural 23.3 (2004): even less insight on the effects ofnud- ism chiefly meant nude swimming, L6-I7. ist camp experience having fun without getting oneis on children than 3. Dennis clothes dirty, being with friendi, etc. Craig Smith and William Sparks, they have on exposure to at-home The Naked Child: parental Growing tlp Without nudity. "For the older children, nudism Shame (Los Angeles: Elysium Growth. City College of New York professor seemed also to have a more serious 1986), 183. Lawrence Casler, however, offered meaning. These adolescent boys and some girls seemed unusually alert and 4. Paul Okami, "Childhood Exposure to interesting observations at the Parental Nudity, aware of the impact nudism had on Parent-Child Co-sleeping, end of one of his studies on nudist and 'Primal Scenes': their lives. With only one exception, A Review of Clinical camps. Casler wrote "Some Sociopsy- Opinion and they stated that they Empirical Evidence,,, Journal chological Observations in a Nudist would like to be of Sex Research 32.1 099il:51-b2. nudists even Camp: A Preliminary Study" in 1g64, iftheir parents were not. In addition when North America had more nudist to the usual 'fun'reasons, 5. Ibid., 54, many camps than today. The study is based of the teen-agers referred to the on interviews and questionnaires benefits in mental health and emo- 6. ibid., 55. See also, M. S. Oleinick. A. K. Casler conducted over six alternate tional stability. Many of them recog- Bahn, L. Eisenberg, and A. M. Lilienfeld, nized weekends at a New York nudist club. that nudism was giving themi "Early Socialization Experiences and more Intrafamilial Environment: Study The study was intended to provide a 'realistic' outlook toward sex A of than their nonnudist friends pos- Psychiatric Outpatient and Control Group reliable and quantifred desciiption of Clrildren," Archiues sessed. When with these friends, or of General Psychiatry the ages, backgrounds, occupations, 15.4 (1966): 344-53. marital status, and motivations of out on dates, they could only feel sorry for people whose attitude adult nudists. toward thl 7. Marilyn D. Story, "Factors Associated human body was not as healthy as What with More Positive Body Self-Concepts in makes Casler's study of inter- their own. Preschool Children," Journal est to the discussion of Social ofchildhood expe- Psychology 108.1 (1979): 53. rience is found at the conclusion ofhis "Unlike the responses of some adult camp members, these seemed com- article- In the process of interviewing 8. Robert J. Lewis and Louis H. Janda, the adults, he also encountered pletely genuine and spontaneous. and Furthermore, "The Relationship Between Adult Sexual talked with many children. Many of the impression was Adjustment and Childhood Experiences inescapable them, he reported, were members of ..a that these children, taken Regarding Exposure to Nudity, Sleeping in children's nudist camp, purportedly as a group, were extraordinarily well- the Parental Bed, and Parental Attitudes adjusted, the only one in the United States, huppy, and thoughtful.",, Toward Sexuality," Archiues of Sexual Behauior 17.4 (1988): 349,357. which was then located within the con- What Casler wrote about childhood fines of Sunshine Village" fCasler,s fic- experience with naturism in 1964 9. Okami, pp. 59-60. titious name for the New York camp applies just as well to children 40 serving as the basis for his studyl.i, years later. There is nothing harmful 10. Paul Okami, Richard Olmstead. paul R. Since Casler was not himself a nudist, with either being human or appearing Abramson. and Laura Pendleton, "Early his description of the nudist youth fully human. Children's welfire must Childhood Exposure to Parental Nudity camp and the reactions the children be safeguarded, but so too must chil- and Scenes of Parental Sexuality (,primal had to attending it should be ofinter- dren be given the chance to learn to Scenes'): Arr 18-Year Longitudinal Study of Outcome,"Archiues est to those who are trying to ban all respect their own bodies and those of Sexual Behauior i7.4 of (1998): 365. such activities for children. others. There is no evidence that chil- dren are harmed "The members of the camp-all by nonsexualized 11. Ibid., 376,377. children of Sunshine Village-would social nudity, and there is good reason spend the entire three- or four-week to believe they benefrt from it. Laws 12. rbid., 379. s_ession living in tents, swimming, banning children from the innocent doing arts and crafts, and performing experience of being human, appearing 13. Lawrence Casier, "Some Sociopsycho- human, other typical children's-camp activi-- and seeing others as such are logical Observations in a Nudist Cimp: A unwarranted, Preliminary ties-except that the members usually unfounded, and have no Study," Journal of Social scholarly Psychology 64 (1964): 321. did these things unclad. (Boys and basis. girls slept in separate tents.) The age This article 14. Ibid., 32t-22. range was approximately b to 16. For was originally written for Naturisme the older children, there were occa- Qu6bec magazine, and will sional lectures and discussion groups be translated by Michel Vais into French. on the nudist way of life. When the children's parents came to Sunshine Village on weekends, family activities partially supplanted camp activities,

46 Nude & Natural23.4