Nudism may get confused with exhibitionism, but they are two entirely different things, and it is important to know the difference. Exhibitionism is the act of exposing one's self with the intent to draw attention to themselves, create shock or disgust, or to get aroused.

Let us break down the key distinctions between nudism and exhibitionism:

• Consent: With nudism, no one is being forced against their will to be nude or to see someone who is nude (e.g. nudist locations are indicated as such, and others know what to expect when going there and can decide whether or not to go). With exhibitionism, people are unwillingly exposed to the undress of others in situations or locations they would not otherwise expect nudity to occur. This can create feelings of shock, disgust, discomfort, awkwardness, anger, etc. for the onlooker.
• Intent: A common motive of exhibitionism is to get a thrill from it, whether that comes from adrenaline, power, or sexual arousal. Such intentions do not exist within nudism; while nudists, especially first-time nudists, may feel a bit of adrenaline from being in their natural state, it is ignored and quickly dissipates naturally once one starts getting comfortable and used to being nude. Nudism also has no sexual connotations associated with it; it's just nude people participating in activities much in the same way clothed people would, except nude. And since everyone around also knows they are in a nudist location and expects nudity, there are no feelings of shock or disgust.
• Exposure: Along the lines of intent, exhibitionism also has the intent of exposing one's self (e.g. paying particular attention to one's private parts). Nudists don't "expose" themselves such that their state of nudity draws particular focus to intimate parts of the body. Nudists see each other as a whole, not as the sum of their exposed body parts.