Nudist Erections and Naturist Etiquette

Nudist Erection and Issues With Nude Nudists With Public Erections

Yes, erections are a natural bodily function… But a nudist with an erection is an unwelcome sight in a public nudist setting:

Public Nudist Erections – A number of articles out there deal with the (potentially overexposed!) topic of nude males with erections and nudism. Many who practice naturism feel that too much negative emphasis goes towards this naturally occurring event.

Others within the nudist community express the sentiment of “protecting” certain groups from what they perceive as an overtly sexual gesture. Religious aspects and societal views continue to make the penis and its actions an area of discussion within the nudist community.

Penis Erections and Why Men / People With Penises Get Erect

An erection is typically defined as the physical result of additional blood traveling to an organ with erectile tissue, especially the penis or clitoris. In the U.S., “erection” is typically used for penises. In the penis, local tissue is home to a number of spongy chambers that remain soft, or flaccid, most of the time. Erections are typically associated with sexual maturation and arousal. That said, studies show that prepubescent boys also experience occasional hardening of the penis.

erections public nudism naturism social nudity etiquette felicitys blog
Flaunting a public nudist erections in front of naked woman – Not cool in a naturist setting!

An interesting component to erections includes the act of involuntary hardening. Sexually oriented thoughts are NOT the only thing that causes a penis to rise to the occasion. It’s normal for guys to get erect several times a day for no particular reason.

Also, any act that generates blood flow to the lower portion of the body, like sports, can be enough to trigger an erection. It’s also normal for a man to get erect during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.

Erections can be impossible to control, especially among younger males. So an erection does not automatically signal sexual arousal; however, society still almost exclusively associates it with sexual arousal. Erections can subside on their own or after ejaculation.

erections nature nudist naturist etiquette sexual behavior felicitys blog
Nudists and Erection Issues

Average Size of an Erect Penis

While we’re on the subject, we may as well address penis size. Most naturists see for themselves that penises vary greatly in size, shape and appearance. Just for reference, the average size when flaccid is 3 – 4 inches long and average erection size is 5 – 6 inches long. But please note: most penises that fall outside of these ranges are still normal. These are simply averages.

A Naked Man's Flaccid vs Erect Penis felicitys blog
A Naked Man’s Flaccid vs Erect Penis

You might already know about sizes, but did you know that flaccid size does not determine erection size ? A small penis may grow quite a few inches in length while a longer penis might not grow much at all. For guys with the former, this is where the phrase “I’m a grower, not a shower” comes in.

Does Penis Size Matter?

Popular culture promotes the idea that small is shameful, and bigger is always better for sex. A lot of mainstream pornography features men with big penises for entertainment value. In reality, many women would agree that bigger does not mean better.

Sex educators correct this myth by saying it’s not the size of your penis that matters as much as what you do with it. Many women would prefer a small or average-size penis over a large one. (Of course there are people who prefer certain sizes – small and large! – or who fetishize certain sizes.)

flaccid vs erect penis comparison erections nudism etiquette felicitys blog
Flaccid vs Erect Male Penis Size

Sexual matters aside, in naturist settings, there is no need to feel ashamed or embarrassed about your penis size. Everyone looks different, and naturists could generally care less about the size of your penis, or any body part for that matter.

Penile Erections in Religion and Society

Massage therapist Sarah Ryan-Knox explored the dilemma of male erections within her profession. Her piece on handling the situation professionally included a section where co-workers expressed conflicted emotions about dealing with a stimulated client. While most therapists understand that massage could cause involuntary erections, some felt the session might deviate from the therapeutic and into the sexual territory.

Clients expressed feelings of embarrassment at the thought of potential erections when they really have no reason to feel shame. Ryan-Knox went on to explain why the penis still has a bad reputation in modern society.

A 5th century philosopher by the name of Augustine helped to shape religious opinion regarding the penis and all of its actions. While the seeds of Western Christianity were in their infant stages, Augustine touted the connection between erections, lust and sin. Previous generations admired the penis and its connection to masculinity. But a rapidly changing society began to see the organ as the root of evil. This shift in perception left an impression that still causes issues today.

Antiquated torture devices demonstrate the fear and hate associated with erections. Cages lined with spikes, metal codpieces and electroshock machines emerged to help men handle their “embarrassing” condition. Many households utilized these contraptions until the early 20th century.

Psychologists discovered that religion also plays a major part in sexual issues expressed by many of their current patients. A 2011 article for Examiner.com illustrated how deeply religious families teach children that sex is a dirty / taboo topic and anything dealing with the sexual organs is wrong.

These attitudes carry over into adulthood and taint everything from romantic relationships to public interactions. In situations where physical abuse did not exist, extreme religious teachings fostered many dysfunctions and strong opinions.

Nudist Views on Getting a Penis Erection in a Public Setting or Naked Event

“What if I get an erection?” is the number one question among guys looking to try social nudity. For some, the fear of getting a public erection is enough to curb their interest in it. The fact is, nudist erections are talked about way more than they actually occur in social nude settings.

Many have trouble separating nudity and sexuality in their minds and can’t imagine how a social nude setting could be anything but arousing. But once they experience it and get used to it, they can see that it’s no more overtly sexual than the public textile beach (and in reality, a nude beach is even less so which is why nudist men with erections at a nude beach are also quite rare).

penis flacid erection stages nudist etiquette felicitys blog
How the penis goes from flaccid to erect in stages

In the nudist community, the established nudist erection etiquette is to cover up with a towel or go in the water until the moment passes. In nudist resorts / clubs, having an involuntary erection or temporary arousal is usually tolerated as long as guys are discrete about it. However, flaunting or walking around with a prolonged visible erection is typically against the rules and may result in being asked to leave. The reasoning being that flaunting an erection will be seen as an inappropriate sexual behavior / advance and will make others uncomfortable.

Some naturists see nothing wrong with involuntary erections and believe there is too much shame and embarrassment surrounding a natural bodily function. In a forum discussion on the topic, users illustrate many random moments where a situation could arise, during a communal movie or in the midst of a volleyball game.

Some naturists don’t think guys should even have to cover up when it happens because it’s simply “natural.” Of course the counter-argument is that sex itself is also “natural,” yet most naturists do not have sex in public (and surely not during a naturist or nudist function).

Nudist etiquette says to be discreet if an erection occurs. Never flaunt nudist erections in public.

Some naturists feel the need to protect children and other groups from sexual exposure. Parents fear the vision of an erect male will send their progeny into a state of confusion and cause psychological scarring.

A small percentage of naturists wrote about respecting the needs of individuals who experienced prior abuse and assault. The sight of an erect penis could trigger unpleasant memories in victims of sexual crime.

Feedback wanted about nudist erections and getting penis erections in public:

So now it’s your turn to share your thoughts or experiences. Are unwanted erections as uncommon in naturism as we think they are? How do you or your local nudist club / group handle it if / when erections occur?

An erection, even an involuntary one, is often a source of shame and embarrassment and stops some guys from even trying naturism. Do you feel that naturists need to do more to address the erection question to alleviate anxiety and not promote body shame?

What do you say to guys who are afraid of getting an erection in a naturist setting?

This post about the “dreaded” Nudist Erection was published by – Felicity’s Blog

References:

http://www.examiner.com/article/sexual-dysfunction-brought-on-by-societal-and-religious-constraints

http://www.abmp.com/textonlymags/article.php?article=629

http://www.nudist-resorts.org/talk/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4539

http://the-naked-life.blogspot.com/2011/06/nudism-erections.html

http://www.clothesfreeforum.com/showthread.php?4185-Nudists-acceptance-of-erections

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/articles/lifecycle/teenagers/erections.shtml

http://www.ranker.com/list/top-10-most-brutal-anti-masturbation-devices/robert-wabash?format=SLIDESHOW&page=7

This article was originally published on July 23, 2013.

About Felicity Jones 55 Articles
Author of Felicity's Blog. 3rd-generation nudie. Avid reader. Feminist. When I'm not busy eating, I'm writing about naturism, censorship, topfree equality, body image and other fun topics. I like feedback, so plz leave a comment when you've got something to say!