We have all banged our heads with frustration when we hear newsreaders and other TV presenters make embarrassing, judgemental, misguided and often rude mistakes about naturism. We love it when occasionally a newspaper or magazine shares a positive article about naturism, though we know that for every positive article there is usually 3 or 4 negative article about naturism being perverse. 

During our time building and later running ANW we have become aware of websites that do damage to naturism despite presenting themselves as "naturist" or "nudist." One website known for pestering and flirting is owned by a company that also owns a "swinging" website, and sexualised dating sites, the people behind it cannot by the law of logic be actual naturists, yet this website continues to have genuine naturist websites place links and adverts to it. We were told of another site by a genuine naturist who worked for it for a while, and complained that the owner had never tried naturism and the naturist was not surprised that the owner failed to care enough to ensure it worked as a genuine naturist source. 

It is easy to wonder just how many people out there that are trying to run a website, or present themselves as naturists are not actually naturists. The idea or excuse of nudity attracting attention, members and followers - and money - being a prime factor. There are definitely many thousands probably millions of fake profiles on social media that exist to share stolen imagery of young naked people, or allow people who want to sexually share and flirt a level of legitimacy. Using nudes of themselves to attract attention and moving that onto Patreon style accounts. The seedier the sharing of nudity becomes on the internet, the harder it becomes for naturism to properly be promoted by genuine well meaning naturists. Lost in the sea of fakes and having to deal with the comments and pestering that the sexual sharers encourage. 

What we really need is genuine naturists standing up to be counted and helping to promote something they actually care about, understand and have the right to present. 

Yet where is that reality? Only yesterday I read in a magazine that a way forward is to use AI. The author (may mean well) but owns a website that feels fake on many levels. One of them is the images shared on the site. A couple of months ago they were attempting to be photo real, but the technology failed them, now the images have stepped  up somewhat but are still fake, and created without any feel of genuine naturism. AI created images and videos used to sell harmonised messages about naturism and the site in question, and to create an illusion that there are lots of young people all over the world supporting this venture, and by signing in you will be one of them. 

The argument for using AI images and videos instead of real naturists in the small print is that by using AI they are protecting the genuine naturists that use the site from harassment, trolling and misrepresentation. Is this a fair case for presenting a fake naturism of people from all over the world urging us to join this site and be part of a global reawakening of naturism, or is it simply a way of tricking people into believing that the site has a global collection of young naturists waiting for you to connect with? Is it good to have naturism being sold by non-existent often "Playboy" style women or is it better to have genuine people present naturism, and promote it for its strengths? One of which is that you do not have to be perfect to be a naturist. 

The use of AI may be simply based on the fact that it is hard to get naturists to step forward and be counted. But this can be done with the support and care of the community. National bodies find people willing to take part in interviews and articles, and pose for images. ANW is full of people who wish t share, and the Public articles alone has many examples of naturist on ANW that are willing to be presented as naturists to direct links from social media. We have ways of doing this and allowing people to protect their anonymity and be protected. This doesn't involved creating fake people, and it is the fact that these people are all real and sharing their own personal thoughts and stories that make the message so important. Fake people from different corners of the globe delivering short messages on the virtue of a joining a website does not sell naturism to real people, it only sells a website to well meaning naturists hoping to support a promise, and people looking for pretty naked young things that they will not find behind the paywall. So does that mean that encouraging naturism can only really come from real naturists? 

My gut feeling is yes. Naturism is all about people, it is about society and community. It is about nature, the natural and the human spirit. Fake people and fake images, no matter how well practised the lines they deliver are will not encourage the average person to trust naturism. In fact many people simply do not trust AI. They do not like it. If people see through these photo real AI images and videos wouldn't they wonder why real naturists are not proud enough to talk about naturism? This most human of all life choices needs to stay real. Otherwise naturism like the website in question feels like one big scam. The website and owner may well have very genuine intentions but all the messages it sends out to me feel fake and forced, naturism cannot afford this. The non-naturist society already misjudges what naturism is about, the owner suggests he wants to reinvent how people view naturism, but it may be best to start by reinventing how people view his website, and if he cannot find real naturists to be part of promoting naturism try another way. 

Which brings me in mind of one of our national bodies. It sent out its latest newsletter today, the last to be sent out from a member of the national body and a naturist. For from what I can tell the newsletter and other promotions of naturism on their behalf are now to be carried out by a third party company, one that from my quick research seem to have no connection to naturism (I may be wrong about this and I may have misunderstood who these new promoters are, but the topic and questions raised by this concern are still worthy of a hypothetical debate).

It may well be that a professional promoting company can do a more high powered, far reaching, better job than the previous members of the national body. But is that just another fake attempt at promoting naturism. Will it have the heart and the passion that genuine naturists feel for naturism? Yes they may tick all the right boxes and say all the right things, but like AI created humans, will they actually care enough to present something that they actually mean. And will that lack of passion be picked up on by the audience. 

Would it be good to have meat eaters sell vegetarianism? Or atheists encourage people to get involved in the church? 

I started of this topic with a consideration of how journalists make mistakes in presenting naturism, can we really expect a non-naturist promotion company to not be giggling behind their hands and thinking we are all a bunch of oddballs or perverts? Surely they will be no more persuasive that AI creations! 

I guess what this all comes down to is surely it takes real naturists to present real naturism. To care about it and promote it. You can say all the right words, tick all the right boxes, share lots of meaningful ideas and present an idealised and perfect version of naturism and what it can offer, but if the words have no genuine passion and belief behind them do they all just sound a bit superficial?

Can naturism really be positively encouraged by non-naturists (real humans or otherwise) or do we need real naturists who care about naturism and the nuances of what naturism has done for then and others to do the job? After all, even the simple process of swimming without swimwear can not be imagined with out actually trying it. And naturism offers much more than that, it reaches deep inside you: your body, mind and soul. How can any one other than a naturist get that?  

Do share your thoughts on the above. 

We completely agree with you. Before joining ANW, we visited several other websites, and we always found that true naturist sites are really rare. Often, they promise a lot, but then you end up being very disappointed with the site and its content. Here, we both feel very comfortable; especially Angelika has no problem at all showing herself openly nude. There are so many like-minded, genuine naturists here, and most of them are verified, which makes it easy for us to connect with them. In a short time, we've made many friends here, and despite the language barrier, we have lively conversations. Thank you for letting us be part of this wonderful ANW family as natural naturists. Please keep up the great work with your fantastic website, created by naturists, for naturists, and about naturism!

We can only echo the above by Jurgen and Angelika.

We have seen and read a lot of naturist websites and blogs. We spent a decade doing it and all we ended up was mass disappointment. At first all looks good and well, but then you dig deeper and out come the exhibitionist and sexual sharers, and to make things 100 times worse, along come the messengers with their full descriptions of what they would do with your wife alone and a bottle of lube. It is sickening, and one can only wonder what those poor curious members of dressed society, who have discovered they enjoy being naked at home together, do when they find these sewers of sites? No wonder the public distrust us.

We have said it many times, ANW was built for naturists by naturist and to encourage real naturism, which is why it has grown so large. Most of us finally got to step out of the swamp of mainstream sites, (Usually American owned by none naturists) and up onto the dry fertile soils of ANW’s decent and truly naturist in every sense community.

Naturism can only be promoted by true naturists, because be honest, unless you have been naked in the sea, or walked bare footed, naked across a meadow, or simply laid back naked to absorb the sun, how can you possibly talk about the true joys and feelings naturism give you?

Can you trust a naturist site that self censors the images? Can you stay on a site that shares with exhibitionist and swingers? Do those bloggers who pay nothing for naturism as their tickets are paid for by others really give an honest opinion? We really do not think so, which is why only true naturist who live with the passion and dedication to their lifestyle can and should be the ones leading the charge. A simple conversation with a dressed person can do far more than any fake website can, and that is what we have always recommended people to do. Share you experiences in real life or on a website built only by naturists.

I am in total agreement with everything above, I know which websites you are mentioning Anna, I was part of one of them well before joining ANW. 
As a single male I was either always messaged sexually by both female and male, usually not verified so I had no idea who they really were. Or I was basically treated like a pervert by couples even though I was a verified member at the time. I understand the reaction of the couples as they would have been bombarded by rude sexual messages by mainly single unverified males. 
But it still hurt to be lumped in with those sick people and it did affect me negatively.
However when I found ANW I found an online home away from home where common sense and common decency rules. Not your sex, age, marital status, religion, politics or any of those common day issues.

So I also don't see how real Naturism can truly fight back without becoming more vocal and loud when naturism is misrepresented in the media especially.
So while we get misrepresented so often and while those kinds of site are owned and run by none Naturists. It just becomes about money, not about real naturism! 

Being probably the newest person to naturism in the forum I am realizing how fortunate I was to have found genuine naturists who helped me discover this wonderful naked life. Looking back I see how it could have gone horribly wrong, and I would have likely just given up in frustration. As a newcomer its really hard to tell starting out what is genuine naturism or not. I appreciate everyone's observations in the forum that does help me to be discerning. Its easier to discount sites that only show perfect people, or are only inclusive of the adult crowd. Not so easy to identify the sites that seem legitimate but then you get lewd messages or comments that are not welcome once you open yourself up in posting something. It's probably just my American Pollyanna thinking but it would be great if there was some kind of rating system or list to guide that newcomers could use to avoid really bad experiences. 

I'm just happy I found such a loving and kind group of people in ANW. Love you all 💕