Most commonly, nudity refers to the state of not wearing any clothing on the body. But nudity may be interpreted in different ways and “degrees”. An example of an alternative definition might be the exposure of one’s genitalia (arguably a problematic definition as it sexualizes the human body). And an example of varying degrees of nudity might include that someone wearing a shirt but no pants may be considered “less nude” than someone not wearing any clothing.

The nudist community generally approaches the definition of nudity with a non-judgmental and non-sexual interpretation: the state of being unclothed. This simple definition pays no specific focus on which parts of the body are unclothed, nor does it define the extent of what is considered “unclothed”. We acknowledge that some nudists bare all while other nudists might not be comfortable being completely undressed (or they may have a reason or condition preventing them from being fully unclothed). And that does not make them any less of a nudist than others.