Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Bald and Nude for Art

A University of Utah professor has shaved her head and her eyebrows and appears completely naked in a production of the play "W;t.".
I only get freaked out when I look in the mirror," (Sarah) Shippobotham says, laughing. "I have way too little personal vanity. I don't consider myself particularly brave because I had the choice to do it. And it's an amazing role for a woman, to have that much stage time and be able to tell that story, whether it's six times or 200 times, it's the fact that the story is out there." But there's also the nudity required as Bearing dies, a plot twist the character reveals to the audience early in the story. "I've never been naked on stage before, and that was an interesting aspect of the project, that sense of physical vulnerability," Shippobotham says. "Although as I have discovered, it's the emotional vulnerability that's the difficulty at the level I'd like to achieve."

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Charges Dropped Against Naked Prosecutor?

The charges of indecent exposure have been dropped against Ohio prosecutor Scott Blauvelt due to a technicality, but Sheriff's officials say that charges will be refiled with corrections. Mike Gmoser, Blauvelt's attorney said,
"There has been a great deal of public humiliation in the Blauvelt family we're very happy the charges have been dismissed. It's time for Scott to rebuild his reputation in the community."
Certainly law enforcement officials have better things to do than persecute someone who's only crime was being naked in a government building, seen by nobody except a security guard watching a monitor.
Chief Deputy Tony Dwyer said the additional words will clarify that Blauvelt is accused of being near others while committing the crime.
Near others? Can this argument possibly stand up in court, that somebody might have seen the man naked, and therefore he is guilty of indecent exposure? 45 million people without health insurance, Americans are dying every day in Iraq, Iran and North Korea have the bomb, and the best we can do is waste time prosecuting a man because somebody might have seen him naked? Sheesh.

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Sunday, November 19, 2006

Orgasm for Peace - December 22

The founders of Baring Witness are politically active again in organizing the Global Orgasm for Peace on the Winter Solstice, December 22.
I can understand how the connection between sexuality and the problems of the human race might seem tenuous, frivolous or in bad taste. But when you understand that most male human behavior, from violence and war to generosity and kindness, is a form of sexual display, the whole perspective changes. What better way to bring attention to, and perhaps make less acceptable, the kinds of displays that are threatening us and every other organism on the planet than the root cause of all the displays - the orgasm?

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Friday, November 17, 2006

The Weekend Newds


  • If you are naked in public and a policeman is nearby, you might be considered an extremely dangerous person.
  • In the Twin Cities, there is apparently an outbreak of nudity on theatre stages.
    "Sometimes it's to show a sculptural beauty, especially in dance," said Philip Bither. As senior curator of performing arts at the Walker, he's responsible for
    booking many of the acts that disrobe there. "And sometimes it's to shock us and oppose decency norms," said Bither. That would be Karen Finley sliding naked through honey at the Illusion Theater or vacuum-cleaning in the buff at Intermedia Arts.
  • A Tennessee television station visits a nudist resort, here is a link to the story that includes video.
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I'm Looking Through You

Body scanners will soon be everywhere. One is being installed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in India, which will allow security personnel to see, in effect, what passengers look like completely naked. It occured to me that this could be a good thing, that perhaps this technology will begin to reverse this incredible hang-up that modern society has about the naked human body. It's just a matter of time before this scanning capability is miniaturized to the point where anyone at any time and in any place will be able to see everyone naked. Tear down the walls!

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Sex and Nudity on Campus

A student at Pomona College in California stumbles upon a late-night campus party and describes the uninhibited nudity and sexuality as if writing a Terry Southern novel, but the writer does make one bullseye obervation:
Could the fashion industry be to blame for our divergence from nature, by subliminally telling us that we need clothing to improve our appearances and social status? In actuality, it may be hindering our capacity for social interaction by disguising our identities and presenting false ones to society. If we felt comfortable enough with our own bodies, then maybe we’d be less judgmental of others and be able to communicate more.

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Heroin OK, Nudity Not

Wow. A meteoroligist at a Virginia television station has been fired because a nude photo of him taken by a former friend was posted on the Internet. The photo showed Jamey Singleton in the shower, a normal everyday activity and completely non-sexual. The amazing thing about this story is that Mr. Singleton previously admitted to a heroin addiction and the station stood by him through that crisis. Perhaps the nude photo was the straw that broke the camel's back, but in the year 2006 we should not be persecuting people for their own bodies. On one hand, we elevate the celebrity of people like Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson for their explicit sex tapes on the internet, and then cry "morals clause" for simple, natural nudity.

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Thursday, November 16, 2006

The Daily Newds


  • Russian photographer Sergey Besousov and his 30 nude studies are featured in a gallery exhibit in Tbilisi. "Working on the Art Nude collection was very difficult for me. If you are a real artist you should ignore your human feelings while taking photos of nude models and see their beauty only from an artistic point of view," Belousov said, adding that, "to tell you the truth this was a serious problem for me, especially when you are working with so many beautiful women. It is like walking on a knife-edge, but today I can say that, as a photographer, I reached my goal," Belousov said at the opening.
  • The Ohio prosecutor who was fired for walking aroung naked in a government building after hours wants his job back.
  • A nudist resort has invited actor Will Ferrell to recreate his nude streaking scene from the movie "Old School", but this time with a lot of people joining him.
  • The Pensacola Sketch Club is struggling to gain acceptance for offering the general public an opportunity to draw nude life models.
    The region's somewhat puritanical distaste for nudity, particularly breasts, is only one of the reasons that Sketch Club prefers to remain somewhat anonymous. Delles recalls when the group met at The Belmont Arts Center Sometimes there'd be someone who wasn't there to draw," he says. "They were there to see the model."
  • A chilly nude life model has gone on strike until the art studio gets some heat.
  • A Santa Cruz nude beach is on the market.
  • Here's a nice story about how a visit to a nudist resort helped to dissolve differences between a man and his wife's annoying co-worker.
  • An Australian radio station has produced a worthwhile 30 minute program on nudism. You can download or listen to the audio here.
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Wednesday, November 15, 2006

The Daily Newds


  • A group of women in the UK have posed nude for a calendar to raise money for families hit hard by the collapse of a local business. "All the girls were great sports and they really enjoyed themselves once they had a few drinks and built up a bit of Dutch courage."
  • A woman in the UK seeks advice because she is ashamed of her body and keeps something on during sex to cover up. One of the main benefits of nudism is that people develop a healthier attitude about body image, this woman needs to just strip down with some other size 14 women and she will see that not everybody looks like an airbrushed supermodel.
  • A Kentucky photography exhibit has barred the nude photo that won the top prize in the black and white category. The photographer removed his photos and left the blue ribbon behind. As usual, it's about "the children". "They're not appropriate for this type of event," says Cindy Rullman, associate director of marketing and public relations for the Horse Park. "I think it was really a very simple decision. It's not at all an indictment of nude photography."
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Monday, November 13, 2006

The Daily Newds

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Sunday, November 12, 2006

On Nudism and Sexuality: A Response to Naked Nudism

Naked Nudism has undertaken an ambitious essay regarding the relationship between nudism and sexuality. I think that it's important for the nudism/naturism movement to engage in discussion, to constantly raise issues and work to resolve conflicts and promote the benefits of the nude lifestyle. Naked Nudism is a strong voice and deserves to be heard.

But there are some misconceptions in his conclusions, perhaps stemming from some lack of life experience. First of all, the nudism community is not "anti-sex". Even Christian Evangelicals are not opposed to sex (as long as it fits their definition). The general sensitivity of nudist organizations to overt sexual behavior is no different than attitudes you will find at most every social gathering in America, from the local church, school, business, or club. One would no more make an inappropriate gesture or remark at a naturist event than at a dinner party at the home of a friend.

Naked Nudism has made it clear that he believes that nudity is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution, as it is a form of expression like speech. But this ignores the stark reality that nudity is not generally accepted by the vast majority of American society, that it is considered "indecent", and in most jurisdictions being naked in public will land you in jail.

And freedom of speech does not allow any person to say or do anything to anyone else. Social mores are developed over hundreds and even thousands of years and are not likely to fall by the wayside overnight. In our lifetimes, I feel quite certain that the right to be naked in public will not become the law or custom of the land.
The primary assumption in the argument is that others think nudity is wrong only because they link it to sex. It ignores the possibility (IMHO, the reality) that these people think nudity is immoral in its own right, regardless of whether or not it's sexual. Making the distinction does nothing to win them over, because they think nudity itself is wrong.
This is primarily a disease of the United States. Whether it's the result of years of Puritanism, Victorian morality or religious pressures on society, is a subject for more extensive debate. I tend to think that today's American attitudes towards nudity are based in popular culture, primarily in the sexualization of the female nude body in magazines like Hustler, Penthouse and Playboy, and in mainstream media like television and movies. The public is virtually never exposed to a naked body unless it's in a sexual context. As for the naked male figure, rampant homophobia has taken hold of many young men who hold the belief that the mere sight of another man's genitalia is a homosexual act.

Of course it's all more complicated than that. The bottom line is that Americans are in fear of nude people, having been conditioned to believe that a person who takes off his or her clothes in a social situation is either mentally ill, a pervert, or a sexual predator. This is a huge misconception to overcome.

So nearly all nudist resorts prohibit sexual behavior. This is done out or respect for those people who know and understand the the simple, normal and healthy act of being nude is not a sexual act, it is a sensual experience, it is fulfilling a basic aspect of just being human. Sexual behavior is also stifled to adhere to local laws and ordinances that would force the businesses to close down if identified as adult-oriented activities. And let's not forget the fact that children also come to the resorts, and I don't think there is anyone that would argue that the innocence of youth is something we all want to protect and preserve. Nudism is, in a large sense, an attempt to recapture some of that magic of being young, before the weights of the world rested on our shoulders.
If you believe that your "right not to be offended" by sexual activity is more important than the freedom of others to engage in it, then you completely abandon the moral authority to argue against someone who believes their "right not to be offended" by nudity trumps your freedom to be nude. To do argue otherwise just makes you a hypocrite.
Well, I guess that I am a hypocrite. The "golden rule" is always a good way to measure appropriate behavior - "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". The fact is that society as a whole dictates what is offensve and what is not, it is not a simple matter of just declaring something to be OK and then expecting everyone else to go along. I do not have the right to be nude in public, that's what the law says, and the law is based upon the general consesus of the majority. Society does accept some nude beaches, nudist resorts, and certainly the right to be naked at home (as long as others cannot see you), but I must accept the fact that I cannot strip down and sunbathe nude in a downtown park. If enough people work to change public opinion and the law, then perhaps someday we will be a bit more like Europe with more designated nude areas, but this is not a given.
On a final note, it needs to be pointed out that it really is counterproductive for nudists to be anti-sex. Sexual expression is unquestionably the bigger taboo than nudity, so as society in general becomes more tolerant and accepting of sexuality, it follows that nudism will benefit from that. Sexual liberation helps nudism - so it makes little sense for any nudist to try to impede social progress in that area.
Well it seems that Naked Nudism just tied sexuality and nudism together in terms of public acceptance. The sensible way to promote nudism is to try and separate the two. Nudists are not anti-sex, but in social situations sexual behavior is not tolerated. When you go to work, or to Wal-Mart, or to McDonalds, you do not expect to find sexual activity, and the vast majority of people visiting nudist resorts do not want the experience complicated by open sex. Pure nudism is found in the acceptance and celebration of the human form as it is, that people should not be ashamed of any part of their body, and that the shedding of clothes in social situations is a means to find a more honest sense of self. As the slogan says above, "Nude, we resemble one another", we are no longer doctors, lawyers, construction workers, ministers, etc., just people.

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The Weekend Newds


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Saturday, November 11, 2006

Public Memorial for "The Naked Guy"

There was much more to the person known as "The Naked Guy". Before he became famous for being naked on the campus of The University of California-Berkeley, Luis Andrew Martinez was an extraordinary individual. A memorial celebration of his life will be held Sunday in Cupertino.

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Friday, November 10, 2006

Streaking Students Provoke Complaints and Indifference in Pomona

Seriously, if you can't streak in college, what's the point of even going in the first place? At Pomona College in California, streaking is on the rise and the administration is clamping down on what is being termed "indecent behaviour" stemming from an incident during a recent soccer game.
“People didn’t have much of a reaction because it’s so common,” said Nora Kuby ’10, a member of the women’s soccer team who was on the field at the time of the incident. “I was definitely not offended, just indifferent.”
But it's not the students who are having the problem, it's the alumni and local residents who were at the game.
“Public nudity is actually not allowed,” said Dean of Students Ann Quinley. “I just think students are pushing the envelope, and this is something that should be discouraged.”
Pushing the envelope? Isn't that what college is supposed to encourage students to do? Streaking is the most innocent of college protests, it is a pure "in-your-face" statement that does no harm. A student who bares his or her body while running across a sports field or through a science building is only telling authority that no matter what the institution, no matter what the curriculum or the activity, that "here I am" in the flesh, unencumbered by the trappings of institutional authority. It's an expression of simple freedom, a burst of youthful energy from out of the bonds of stress and the complexities of life.

Despite the existing policy and Quinley’s warning, students continue to act out.
With the number of incidents on the rise, it is clear that college policies have
not prevented students from streaking.
Of course not, the more you tell them not to do it, the more they will. When I was in college in 1973 the streaking phenomenon was at its peak, sometimes there were literally dozens of people, both male and female, running around in groups. One time a group of 4 male students donned masks and tennis shoes and nothing else and streaked the dining hall. The only reaction I recall from authority was the comment of one of the Deans who was quoted in the student newspaper as having said, "The fact that they wore masks proves that they had no balls".

Banning streaking on college campuses is like banning sex. Better to let the kids have their innocent fun to vent a little bit of steam than to impose unenforceable rules.

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The Daily Newds

  • The Loveland Visual Arts Commission has caved in to a handful of prudes and a request from the City Council, and has voted to move the nude sculpture "Triangle" to a location where it cannot be seen from the road.
  • A writer for Wired spent a weekend at a clothing-optional spa. "Aside from the inconvenience of not having pockets, it quickly becomes natural to walk around in the buff. And there's nothing like hanging out with a bunch of naked people to remind you what human beings really look like, especially if most of your nude recreation happens in virtual environments."

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Thursday, November 09, 2006

The Daily Newds


  • Several female Kentucky National Guard soldiers will not face courts-martial for allegedly posing in the nude for photos before being shipped to Iraq.
  • Jean McDonald, at the tender are of 90, has posed nude for a fundraising calendar. She said: "It was really great fun to do. I was completely up for it and my family love the idea. They have ordered about a dozen calendars already." Also, a San Antonio area senior center is working on their own nude calendar. One participant declared "he could understand how people become nudists."
  • A student writes a tongue-in cheek article in the student newspaper of Luther College in Iowa, where a ban on student nudity is being proposed.
  • A UK artist is being given a second chance to exhibit his paintings of nudes after the first gallery balked because "he was told some of the nudity in his work might offend the public".
  • In Montreal, a Hasidic Synagogue is embroiled in a flap about scantily clad women working out at the YMCA next door. One member "believes those women in tights are corrupting the young boys at the synagogue across the street".
  • A Cleveland photography show celebrates the natural beauty of women. One woman who posed recalls her experience: "And when we got to the park, I was so comfortable and felt so natural, you'd think I'd have done it every day of my life. It was kind of a dream, to run in my birthday suit."
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Sunday, November 05, 2006

The Daily Newds


  • A Glasgow art school is requiring its nude life models to undergo background checks.
  • A soccer team in the UK does not have changing rooms where they play so they have been getting dressed in the street for the past 50 years, and now someone has complained about their bare bottoms.
  • Daniel Radcliffe is 17 and appearing fully naked on the British stage in a revival of "Equus". This play has been running for 23 years and only now is there controversy regarding the nudity, and that is only because the young actor who exposes his privates also plays the cinema's Harry Potter.
  • Marcia Cross wants her nude photos back after someone found them in her trash. When you throw something out, it it still your property?
  • Jon Lovitz assaulted on beach by two topless women!
  • The kerfuffle over the nude statue in Loveland continues as the head of the Arts Commission resigns in protest of the city council's plan to create oversight.
  • At Missoula's Hot Springs you are likely to encounter naked strangers and an expolding mule.
  • All sorts of Canadians are getting naked.
  • A British Golf Society is raising money for testicular cancer with a nude calendar. Expect a lot of jokes about balls and putters.
  • Naked Nudism has assembled some YouTube clips of a Libertatian talk show on nudism.

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Thursday, November 02, 2006

The Weekend Newds

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