What an interesting question!

My biggest problem in responding is your definition of "exhibitionism." For me, an exhibitionist is a flasher, be it the proverbial guy in the trenchcoat or the panty-less girl in the short mini on the train.

Is it really possible to be a nudist without an erotic thought? Is that a necessary qualification?

I'm male (duh!). I can totally enjoy the below erect level of eroticism that is part of the nudist experience.

Being on a nude beach that doesn't have females is a major disappointment. But I don't at all think that would define me as an exhibitionist.

What do you think?

I'm not talking about flashers or others who expose themselves in inappropriate places or situations. I'm not sure what their motivation might be--although I suspect that it too is the sexual thrill. (So maybe it IS the same thing.)

But what I meant was perhaps more like what you described in being disappointed if there aren't women at the nude beach. That is certainly a sexual reaction. I'm sure that I wouldn't go to a nudist beach and get naked if there weren't men there to see me. It is the sensation of feeling their eyes on me that I crave.

I'm largely indifferent about looking at the nude men, with one exception: It excites me to see them get turned on, in a way they can't hide, by looking at me.

I do a lot of rafting on rivers in the west (and used to be a river guide), and I've found nakedness to be a fairly common occurrence on raft trips. It isn't just the groups I go with, either. It is fairly common (though less so than 20-30 years ago) to see people get naked or river trips, sometimes while floating, but more often on shore. In my rafting group, the nudity always is part of the build-up to sex. We have swingers, swappers, singles, and faithfully committed couples in our group, all using community nakedness as part of the pre-sex ritual.

You will find the same thing to be true if you ever attend "amateur night" at any strip club. Most of the girls who go on stage do it because it turns them on--a few because it turns their dates on. In either case, it is the prelude to sex.

Where can I sign up for one of your rafting trips?

And does discussing this turn you on because you think you are turning others on? Are your goals even here on the internet the same as on your rafting trips?

Whoa! Harsh question. But I have to confess that you are right.

Thank you for being honest. I appreciate that.

I'm not sure if I'll get the right words out but for my two cents worth I think it's where your head is at.

Nudists/naturists are people who just enjoy living without the restrictions of clothing. A feeling of freedom from restrictions of all kinds. A natural lifestyle where you are doing natural things naturally. I'm sure you've heard it said that the types of people attracted to naturism are those kinds of people you don't want to see naked anyway. You're running around in your alltogether because it feels good and you don't care what others are thinking. Your thoughts are focused on how it affects and feels to you. Of course, because we are sexual animals, the towels you carry around aren't just for sanitary purposes sometimes. I'm sure if we were both at a resort, I'd have mine in my lap all the time anyway.

On the other hand, exhibitionism is more about being sexual. Instead of being focused on the whole body/lifestyle thing, it centers around eroticism and how you influence others. Instead of being focused on how your nakedness feels to you, the focus is your affect on others around you.

I'll even go out on a limb here and suggest that exhibitionism may be a power thing. Meaning, using your sexual being to get the attention of someone you are wanting to notice you. In other words, you are using yourself to get the attention of others. This is the whole point of exhibitionism, right? BTW, I'm not saying that power is a bad thing in this context.