1 Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW2 4NS United Kingdom, Department of Psychology, Regent’s University London,
2 Roehampton Ln, London SW15 5PH United Kingdom, School of Psychology, University of Roehampton London.
Review Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 19(01), 1326-1335
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2023.19.1.1501
Received on 17 July 2023; revised on 24 July 2023; accepted on 27 July 2023
For many decades naturism has been viewed as a controversial behavior. The term naturism is sometimes used interchangeably with nudity, though failure to differentiate these expressions highlights the current lack of knowledge surrounding this activity and can lead to sexualization of the behavior. The research method adopted here was an electronic search of the published literature on stigma and its components (discrimination and stereotyping). The results of the search revealed a considerable gap in the existing literature surrounding the link between stigma towards the act of engaging in naturism. Perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs towards naturism are complex, multifaceted, and vary dependent on factors including law, location, religion, and the situation-specific feature of naturism. Naturism has received sizeable presence on social media and in press. Anecdotal evidence from media representation suggests that naturists can experience severe consequences associated with engaging in this behavior. However, there is currently a shortage of empirical research studies to support this assumption that have focused on stigma towards naturism so no firm conclusions can yet be drawn. Given the reported rise in those engaging in naturism, and the provocative media portrayals, it is imperative that attitudes and beliefs about naturism are further unraveled empirically through rigorous research. This review draws attention to the ill-understood and complex relationship that exists between stigma and naturism.
Naturism; Nudity; Stigma; Beliefs; Attitudes; Review
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Kerem Kemal Soylemez, Joanne Lusher and Marina Rachitskiy. A review of the literature on the complex relationship between stigma and naturism. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 19(1), 1326-1335. Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2023.19.1.1501