When Marilyn Monroe said "the body is meant to be shown off, not all covered up", she must have got resounding nods from the naturists societies.

Being a naturist, or a nudist, is being part of a lifestyle that chooses to forgo any clothes, and simply go about your daily life without so much as covering your bosom.

While the concept may be horrifying to many, naturists are of the opinion that it is the most liberating experience and that it actually comes with a lot of advantages.

To get a peek into this unconventional lifestyle we spoke to Lofty, the marketing manager of the South African National Naturist Association (Sanna) about what the naturist lifestyle entails.

"The International Naturism Federation's (INF) definition of naturism is as follows: 'Naturism is a way of life in harmony with nature characterised by the practice of communal nudity with the intention of encouraging self-respect, respect for others and for the environment', and a naturist is a person who practices communal nudity in terms of this definition," Lofty says.

"The most popular way of starting the lifestyle is to do research on the internet. After doing research, most people first start off as 'home naturists' until they are enjoying the lifestyle at home. Many potential naturists have 'body issues', so they need to understand that naturists are not models with perfect bodies.

"Once 'confident' enough to go nude in the company of complete strangers, then it is time to try a 'day visit' to a naturist resort - but phone first to find out the rules. After the day visit, most people are already addicted to the lifestyle and they cannot wait for their next visit - this time book a weekend in a chalet, safari tent or camping."

So does being a naturist mean you never wear any clothes at all? Lofty says one can begin by wearing a towel until they are comfortable to go nude.

"Resorts are very strict about guests going clothes-free, but first-timers are given a few hours to become accustomed to the naturist way of life. G-strings and bikinis are not permitted.

"First-timers sometimes start off completely nude (which is recommended), and some wear a towel around them or a T-shirt until they are happy to go nude. You might ask where a naturist keeps their money and cellphone? The towels have a pocket with a zip," he adds.

Lofty adds that there are great benefits to being a naturist, and that the backlash is often being misunderstood by the general public.

"The benefits are numerous, including the sun on your skin (vitamin D), the feeling of freedom and a stress-free lifestyle. Business persons find that the stress is removed when the clothing is removed.

"The pitfalls are that there are misunderstandings about naturism, and so the one pitfall could be that a naturist could be criticised by their family, friends or work colleagues mainly because they might link naturism with sex."

Lofty stresses that naturism has nothing to do with anything erotic or sex. This might be a concept that is hard to grasp, as all the nakedness is surely bound to evoke sexual feelings - but Lofty reassures that sex is the last thing on naturists' minds.

"In a naturist resort, there is no sexual atmosphere - there are children and a few very old people and it would be 'weird' if a man had an erection if he was not thinking about sex.

"The naturist websites suggest that a man with an erection could cover it with a towel, or lie on his stomach or dive into a cold swimming pool.

"Having said that, I have been to many naturist resorts in SA and Europe and I have never seen a man with an erection in a naturist resort. There is a code of conduct at approved beaches and resorts."

Lofty also addresses people who may say that a naturist lifestyle is promiscuous.

"There is no connection between naturism and sex. The security at resorts is good and naturists feel safe there.

"The rules are strictly applied and anybody who does not keep to the rules is likely to be blacklisted and will not be welcome after that. Promiscuity is not rife in the naturist lifestyle."