Even though Flanders has an estimated 500,000 naturists, being naked is accompanied with a sense of shame. Speaking is Liesa Schoukens, who did a Master in Social Agogic and wrote a thesis on naturism. "You only have a few areas in Flanders where you can be naked, you even have to watch your step in your own garden", she told Radio 1. "If we had more places, people may start to realise being naked is not so strange after all."
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An estimated 500,000 naturists in Flanders, but being naked remains a taboo: "You even have to take care in your own garden"
Michaël Torfs
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Naturists are people who like to be naked to feel one with nature. This is different from nudists, who want to be naked for various (other) reasons, e.g. comfort or protest.
The thesis is titled "is being naked still a taboo in Flanders?" Schoukens says that the simple answer is yes. "It still involves a lot of prudishness. In fact, many people are not familiar with the concept, because there are not many places where we can be naked. You have the nudist beach in Bredene and some recreational areas and camp sites. For the rest there are not many options. On the other hand, people hardly talk about it. If they would talk about it more often, maybe a part of the embarrassment will vanish."
Belgium also has strict rules on nakedness in public places. Even in your own house and garden, you have to take care. "If your garden is not adequately hidden from the outside and people launch a complaint, you may get punished", Schoukens explains. She says the situation is a lot different in other countries. "In Spain, each beach is a nudist beach, except when stated otherwise. Germany has the Freikörperkultur and in the Netherlands naturists have a lot more options."