I鈥檝e never been outright opposed to the outdoors, but I鈥檝e long felt that the outdoors and I don’t always make a good team.

Ever since I was little, I鈥檝e been clumsy, prone to sweating profusely, and I seem to suffer from some form of seasonal allergy鈥攏o matter the season. My parents, gratefully, did not force the outdoors on me. We never went camping or hiking, and only on vacation would we go on longer bicycle rides.

But I鈥檝e long enjoyed a more casual means of being outside. I have a favorite path through a wooded area, a 10-minute drive from my home that I like to visit on the weekends. I love snacking on fresh farmer鈥檚 market raspberries while gazing at the river I live near as it rushes by. And I鈥檒l never say no to a chance to stand in my yard and stare at the sky when there鈥檚 a chance of an aurora sighting.

It turns out, in聽the words of 聽I鈥檝e been outsidey鈥攏ot outdoorsy鈥攖his whole time.

国产吃瓜黑料y Versus Outdoorsy聽

The term was introduced more widely to the online lexicon earlier this month by a TikToker named Brandon (). The video, seemingly shared from Cleveland Metropark in Ohio, has been viewed more than 5.1 million times and racked up some 550,000 likes.

learn the difference

In the video, Brandon is standing barefoot on rocks along the edge of a tranquil stream as he states that he鈥檚 always told people “I鈥檓 outsidey, not outdoorsy.鈥� He then goes on to explain the difference between the two.

鈥淩ight now, I鈥檓 in the babbling brook, OK? Notice, see, I just have my feet in here. I鈥檓 not going to go all the way out there,鈥� he continues, motioning further into the stream. 鈥淚鈥檓 just gonna, you know, stroll. I like to peruse, I like to gander.鈥�

Brandon goes on to argue that swimming in the stream is outdoorsy. Hiking in the nearby woods? Also outdoorsy, and therefore not really his thing.

鈥淣ow, will I have a little nice table out there with some chairs and have a nice charcuterie board? Absolutely. 国产吃瓜黑料y,鈥� he continues. 鈥淗iking? No. Charcuterie? Yes.鈥�

To further his point, and in light of the initial TikTok鈥檚 success, Brandon has shared several follow-up videos offering more examples of what qualifies as an activity fit for an outsidey person vs. an outdoorsy one. , he鈥檚 enjoying some grocery-store sushi with a book on a picnic blanket in a park. , he鈥檚 lounging poolside near a beach on Catawba Island, where Brandon says the outsidey vs. outdoorsy distinction also applies.

According to Brandon, being outsidey is all about 鈥渘ature for leisure鈥� as opposed to the 鈥渘ature for adventure鈥� element of outdoorsy activities. Backpacking, mountaineering, mud runs, and wearing hiking boots are outdoorsy, Brandon says. 鈥淏everaginos,鈥� Mary Oliver, mushroom foraging, and donning Birkenstocks are outsidey.

Is 国产吃瓜黑料y on the Rise?

As a newly identified outsidey type, these distinctions make perfect sense to me, but I had to wonder what bonafide outdoorsy folks would make of all this outsidey fuss.

Nathan Unsworth is about as outdoorsy as they come. He’s the deputy director of in eastern Iowa, and he previously served on the . He is also an avid hiker and runner. And he tells 国产吃瓜黑料 he鈥檚 on board with anything鈥擳ikTok trend or otherwise鈥攖hat gets more people outside enjoying the outdoors.

Replying to @bigfatteddycat

鈥淎s park professionals, we try to provide recreational opportunities that match all levels of recreation,鈥� Unsworth says. 鈥淎nybody that wants to get outdoors should definitely embrace it and just figure out what their niche is, whether they want to go bike riding or hiking or kayaking.” Indeed, these are all outdoorsy examples, it should be noted.

As a result of the pandemic, Unsworth says his Iowa county鈥攍ike 鈥攅xperienced a surge in usage of its public parks. Some of聽the聽newcomers were taking part in decidedly outdoorsy activities like kayaking or camping, but others were engaging in more casual, outsidey strolls.

Using federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, Scott County installed new one-mile paved trails in two of its main parks. The trails have proved popular, as Unsworth says nearby parking lots that previously sat empty are now frequently packed.

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen so many new faces in our parks just by providing this new amenity,鈥� Unsworth says. 鈥淭hese are the people that aren’t the hardcore outdoorsy people. They’re just coming out for a stroll with their kids, their significant others, their friends, or their dog.鈥�

Jenna Valdespino is the global brand marketing lead for , the popular campsite booking platform that offers thousands of options鈥攊ncluding 250,000 new sites it recently added鈥攔anging from pitch-your-own-tent, off-grid sites, to swanky glamping spots. She says the company has also seen a rise in its glamping-style arrangements in recent years, particularly among families and first-time campers who might even consider themselves outsidey. Still, she added, customer interest in its more rustic offerings 鈥渋sn鈥檛 going anywhere.鈥�

Simply put, Valdespino tells 国产吃瓜黑料, there鈥檚 room for both outdoorsy and outsidey types in the outdoors. After all, there are all types of micro-genres of outdoors enthusiasts, from dirtbag climbers and overlanders to birders and beyond.

鈥淭he video feels like a nice reminder that there鈥檚 no single 鈥榬ight鈥� way to enjoy the outdoors,鈥� Valdespino says.

Emily Mills, a Madison, Wisconsin-based marketing professional for a large environmental and conservation nonprofit, agrees. Mills tells 国产吃瓜黑料 they identify as 鈥渇irmly on the 鈥榦utdoorsy鈥� side of the spectrum鈥� but also enjoy outsidey activities, too. In other words, maybe appreciating the outdoors doesn鈥檛 have to be such a binary matter to begin with.

鈥淚’m all for making space for and welcoming anyone and everyone into connecting with outdoor spaces in any way that’s ultimately respectful of those spaces and of each other,鈥� Mills says. 鈥淭hat can only help lead to a better world.鈥�

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