The Daily Newds 2/7/08

• While Americans are struggling with issues over normal non-sexual nudity, private sex clubs are legal and thriving in Canada. [ottsun.canoe.ca]
• In Dayton, Ohio, getting nude on stage did not come easily for many in the cast of "Hair".

  "Several of the guys started doing it during the first run-throughs," said Lloyd, a computer systems supervisor for the city of Beavercreek. "The week after, several of the girls removed their tops. Others have gradually joined in. Almost everyone is removing some clothing." [daytondailynews.com]

• Former lap-dancer and screenwriter Diablo Cody bares her soul in her scripts.

  "I feel much more naked as a writer than I did as a stripper,'' she says. "When I was stripping I felt pretty emotionally neutral because it wasn't a massive event in my life.
  
  "But when I watch Juno, there are bits I can only watch through my fingers because I cringe at how personal it is." [independent.ie]

• An Arizona State University woman understands that American society fears the live nude body, but loves the dead mutilated one.

  It would be scary to have generation of kids desensitized to the type of violence seen in movies, especially when it's glorified. Yet I don't see a more casual display of the human body causing issues but instead allowing people to appreciate the body instead of fearing it. [asuwebdevil.com]

• A group of hospice patients in the UK are planning a nude fundraising calendar.

  Imelda, a mum of three, said: "All we know is that we want it doing very tastefully, we are not all young women! None of us have ever done anything like this before so it's quite nerve-racking." [wigantoday.net]

• An art teacher explains the difference between naked and nude.

  "Nakedness is basically being ashamed with your clothes off. Nudity deals with an artistic tradition where you look at the science and the expressiveness of the human body." [sdsucollegian.com]

• A samba group in Rio de Janeiro's Carnival was dropped to second place because its dancing queen paraded naked.

  Viviane Castro, 25, a model and dancer, had lost her original "tapasexo" -- a small triangle of glitter used to cover the most intimate parts. An improvised substitute glued between her legs right before the show also fell off on the parade strip.
  
  She symbolized native Indians as they appeared to the Portuguese. [news.yahoo.com]

• What was the real reason for police seizing those Abercrombie & Fitch posters in Virginia Beach?

  (Police Spokesman Adam) Bernstein said Saturday's police action resulted from complaints by several shoppers in the mall. He also said the ads made it difficult for police to enforce City dress codes, specifically noting teens who wore droopy jeans. [wavy.com]

• A University of Washington student offers advice to both men and women on how to dress to get naked on Valentine's Day. [thedaily.washington.edu]
• Two Charleston galleries are featuring exhibits focusing on the nude. [charlestoncitypaper.com]
• Margaret Cho has advice for people who want to be more confident with their own bodies.

  "I think the best way to get over your body issues is to just flaunt your body at every opportunity." [huffingtonpost.com]

• An advice column on teenagers taking nude photos of themselves makes some good points, but errs when it states that Vanessa Hudgens "nearly ruined her career" with her well-publicized nude. The fact is that the photo elevated her profile worldwide, she was hired by Disney for another "High School Musical" film, is set to star in a new movie "Will", is ready to release a new album of songs, and is a spokesperson for Neutrogena. So much for ruin. [ljworld.com]
• Three women with bodies that most would die for have posed nude to highlight the issue of body hang ups, and the point is completely missed.

  "My feet are too big, my thighs wobble, and my bum isn't toned," she (Bianca Gasgoine) said to Closer. "I wouldn't be happy unless I looked like Angelina Jolie." [femalefirst.co.uk]

• A Conservancy group in Indiana was able to pay $1.5 million for an island, in part with funds raised from the sale of a nude calendar. [wibc.com]

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Waiting on the NAC

Still waiting to hear from The Naturist Action Committee as to what specifically is being done to organize support for Elizabeth Book on her International Women's Day Topfree Stand. In a response to a previous post, the NAC stated "The Naturist Action Committee has been working closely with Liz Book since the early stages of this matter", and all I want to know is exactly what constitutes "working".

Both The Academic Naturist and this writer have pledged real monetary support for the NAC if they would simply outline what steps are being taken to organize support. The silence from NAC is a little troubling.

The Academic Naturist makes a good point that waiting for the NAC to do something could be counterproductive to the issue, and perhaps nothing will be done to help Liz, so he set up a page on the WWNCW to help people organize. If you wish to donate directly to Liz, she has a website here with a PayPal link.

But I would still like to hear from the NAC.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

The Daily Newds 2/5/08

• More than 100 Orthodox Israelis have taken to wearing Muslim-style burkas.

  The women see themselves as motivated only by piety. As one of them told Ha’aretz: “The entirety of a woman is considered ervah,” or a naked part of the body which must be covered up, “even one’s wrist. A man who isn’t your husband must not see it.” [israelenews.com]

• A Virginian-Pilot columnist believes that the seizing of the Abercrombie & Fitch posters in Virginia Beach only served to give the clothier millions in free publicity.

  Since when are police in charge of mall decorations?
  
  Every cop should know it's devilishly hard to make obscenity charges stick. There's that pesky matter of the First Amendment. Unless materials show private parts, it's almost impossible to get a conviction. These photographs aren't even close. [hamptonroads.com]

• Olga Kurylenko wants to be nude for the next James Bond movie.

  "I've never had a problem going topless or being naked for a film.When you're on the beach you're almost naked anyway. It was the same with my naked scenes in 'The Hitman', which I did last year. I sent my body double back because I wanted to do the scenes myself." [allheadlinenews.com]

• In Tallahassee, a visit to a local strip club just might help pad the entertainment expense accounts of nursing home patients. [heraldtribune.com]
• A new magazine called the Diamond will soon feature nude photos of Harvard coeds.

  Michelle E. Crentsil ‘10, an editor of H Bomb, said she supports Di Pasquale’s efforts. “I think artistic magazines involving the way people think about their bodies is always a great thing,” Crentsil said. [thecrimson.com]

• A man in the UK has exposed himself 700 times over six decades.

  Judge Anthony Scott-Gall told him: "Again, sadly, you stand in the dock convicted of indecent exposure.
  
  "You quite deliberately decided to go down clad in a towel which, as ever, happened to fall from around your midriff.
  
  "You are somebody who is determined, whenever the urge takes you, to expose your genitalia to anyone in range. You have no shame and no desire to
  curb this rather unpleasant criminality. You have been sent to prison over the years and it has had no impact whatsoever.
  
  "You will be released shortly, no doubt to offend again." [theargus.co.uk]

• Playwright Douglas Carter Beane is upset that a Chicago production of "The Little Dog Laughed" omitted the nudity which is clearly required per the script. [chicagotribune.com] But in Hartford, actors in a TheatreWorks production of the same play embraced the nudity. (Chad) Allen said grinning. "I had one audience member tell me that I had one nice ass." [courant.com]
• UK actress Javine Hylton has posed naked and pregnant for Closer magazine. [metro.co.uk]
• Celebrity Cruises now offer top deck topfree sunbathing for adults. [dallasnews.com]

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Coming to Their Senses

It is reported that police in Virginia Beach are seeking to drop obscenity charges against an Abercrombie and Fitch manager for two slightly revealing posters that were seized in a raid.

(Deputy City Attorney Mark)Stiles said Monday afternoon that the city concluded that, the photos might technically meet the nudity portion of the City Code that makes it a crime to display "obscene materials in a business that is open to juveniles." But they thought it would be difficult to meet the other standards of the law, which say the display needed to appeal to prurient interersts, have no redeeming artistic merit and be offensive to the prevailing standards in the community.

Stiles said, of the photo with the men "You might see that typical vision walking down a street." [hamptonroads.com]

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Unintended Consequences

First the FCC levies a huge fine against ABC in order to protect the children, and then the clip plays to over a million viewers on YouTube. Then police in Virginia Beach charge a store owner with obscenity over a couple of Abercrombie & Fitch posters, and the images are all over the Internet today.

Now the Associated Press is reporting that the Ohio stripper law is actually spawning a new generation of "speakeasys" and prostitution.

“They have succeeded in creating this underground, sleazy, cash-only business that cannot be regulated, taxed or secured by police,” said attorney Skip Lazzaro...smokehouses are comparable to the illegal gin houses, or “speakeasys” that operated during Prohibition in the 1920s and early 1930s, Cleveland police Detective Tom Shoulders said.

The end result is that the "indecent" images that the moralists are trying to prevent are actually reaching a far-wider spectrum of the population, and the "immoral" behavior that they are trying to prevent is actually getting worse, and far more dangerous. Sometimes stupidity knows no bounds.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Morality Police Strike Virginia Beach

Police confiscated two posters from a Virginia Beach Abercrombie & Fitch store and cited the owner for obscenity.

The images in question?

One poster shows a group of males running through a field, with one either pulling or pushing his pants down. "You can see the whole top portion of his buttocks," (police spokesman Adam) Bernstein said. "The other sign includes a female who's topless from the waist up, and you can see her breasts, with her hands covering the nipple portion." [dailypress.com]

All this in a town where people parade their nearly nude bodies on the sand, wearing skimpy bikinis and Speedos that leave nothing to the imagination.

The definition of "obscenity" is expanding to include almost any display of human flesh, even when exposed in non-sexual situations. The recent FCC fines over the exposure of buttocks is a troubling development which opens up this portion of the anatomy as something to be feared and criminalized. "Mooning" someone could now be perceived as an obscene or perverted act.

What's next? The prohibition of male nipples? The banning of cleavage? Since some people have a foot fetish, are we now going to ban open-toe shoes or sandals? It's completely ridiculous, this American fear of the human body.

What is most disturbing about the Virginia Beach situation is that the officer himself thought that the posters were "pretty racy" and issued the citation.

"We strive for voluntary compliance, but when they weren't taken down we had to issue a summons," Bernstein said. "This is steps our city takes, because we have a reputation of being a very family-friendly city."

These irrational censorships always take place under the auspices of being "family-friendly". No politician wants to be seen as being anti-family, so they always err on the conservative side in these issues, even when they turn a blind eye to the First Amendment rights guaranteed to the American people.

Censoring posters in a clothing store is stepping over the line, with police taking action that is outside their jurisdiction. Back in the seventies I remember shopping at Spencer Gifts, which was always filled with tons of "racy" material, and nobody ever complained. Today you can walk into any "family-friendly" bookstore, pick up any fashion magazine, and see a lot more skin that was on display in the Abercrombie store.

This type of police action has to be seen for what it is: fascism. The Nazis and the Fascists used censorship and violence to keep the population under control, to force them to get in line behind the warring policies of the dictators. Today we see a frightening rise in censorship, a growing trend in police using tasers to bring even peaceful protesters under submission, all under the shadow of a government who has taken us into a foreign war without end.

I'm surprised they just didn't taser the Abercrombie store owner.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Everybody's Equal

Coming on the heels of one of the worst-ever published articles on nudism, this objective and well-researched Australian article tackes the issue as it pertains to the folks down under, wondering why nudism is perhaps the "last public taboo" that stubbornly refuses to die, even in the face of lessening restrictions on social concerns.

The Australian Nudist Federation has only about 2000 members, a quarter of its stocks in the 1960s. President Lindsay Parkyns says Australians are becoming increasingly prudish about nudity. "Back in the '60s and early '70s, it was the done thing to go nude as part of the hippie cult of freedom," he says. "Now we have grown out of kilter with the majority of the rest of the world. In the US, there are two major nudist organisations, each with 40,000 to 50,000 members. France has got nude cities where everyone is nude all year round. But in Australia we seem to be going in the other direction." [theage.com.au]

It's a complex issue, ranging from public perceptions that nudists are perverts, fears over "indecency", and the fact that people have not challenged regulations against nudity. Basically society has gradually adopted a policy of body control, treating a nude person as someone to deal with in a criminal manner.

The good news is that one local mayor in Australia sees a change in attitudes coming, that people are being raised with more progressive attitudes, and that nudity should not be an issue in a decade. Also, the mayor admits that the real problem with "perverts" is not the nudists themselves, but with the gawkers.

Body issues are another concern, since spikes in obesity are causing more people to cover up, and the majority of people simply don't like the way they look.

Werner Jacobs, 72, says doctors have described his body as "an especially good specimen". "I can still see my toes quite easily," he says. But he says once everyone takes off their clothes we will all be equal — fat or thin, short or tall.

He is more worried by the sight of Australia's brutal sun, which snaps at his naked skin much more than that of the relatively mild summers he experienced growing up in East Germany. "You've got a horrible sun, it really burns the cinders out of you," he says. "It is tough being a nudist in Australia, you've got to be really dedicated."

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Aging and Nudism

It's a well-known fact that most nudists fall into the 40+ age bracket. The drive to attract a younger crowd is one of the prime concerns for traditional nudist venues.

There has been much speculation about why younger people are not into nudism, with theories like they are too busy, this generation does not "join" any clubs, that it's impossible for young people to separate nudity and sex, that they lack the funds, etc. But just maybe the fact that older people suddenly get into nudism is that they are happier.

Across almost all cultures, happiness follows a U-shaped curve, say US and British scientists: we're happiest at the beginning and end of our lives, and miserable in the middle, hitting rock-bottom at age 44. The findings applied to men and women, the single and the married, the rich and the poor, parents and the childless.

Basically, we get miserable in our 40s because we realise we're not going to achieve our dreams, and we start to get happier in our 50s as we accept that fact and get over it. Seventy-year-olds are as happy as 20-year-olds, researchers found. [smh.com.au]

This makes a lot of sense, especially in the US, where college students upon graduation begin the difficult job search, saddled with tuition and auto loans, and young married couples work two jobs just to pay the mortgage. With a couple of kids in the nest on top of all that, nudism is certainly not a priority.

Nudism is an anti-depressant, and can be very therapeutic. Perhaps the new slogan should be "don't worry - be happy". Promote naturism as a means to shed your problems along with your clothes. There's a reason all those naked people in nudist photographs are grinning ear-to-ear.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

The Weekend Newds 2/1/08

• The 16th annual African-American art exhibit in Morristown, New Jersey, is still a censored show.

  Two pieces featuring full frontal nudity were voluntarily withdrawn..."We edited the works to make sure this is a family-friendly show," said Vicki Craig, a teacher in the Morris School District. But mixing art and government always has a volatile potential, said artists. [nj.com]

• Journalist Dawn Porter is taking off her clothes for a BBC television show.

  In the first programme, Dawn Gets Naked, she explores the intricacies and phobias of female body image by hosting a naked flashmob in central London, going to a life-drawing class, visiting a burlesque show and finding out what it's like to be airbrushed. [tvscoop.tv]

• Participants on "Make Me a Supermodel" find out what it takes first-hand to be a nude art model. [blog.meevee.com]
• What's up with all these lawsuits over police strip-searches? Here's another one. [wltx.com]
• "Dear Prudence" advises a husband with a wife who won't sleep naked with him to "Drop the discussion and let it go". [slate.com]
• In Berlin, lingerie models are wearing so little they might as well be nude. [metro.co.uk]
• The Sex Workers Art Show is becoming an annual event at the College of William and Mary.

  (Organizer Mea) Geizhals says bringing it to the college is a not to glorify sex and explains, "It's not an erotic show. There's nudity in the show and there are parts that are raunchy, but it's all for a very specific purpose." [wavy.com]

• Lily Allen's brother Alfie showed off his newly trimmed pubic hair in his "Equus" debut. [holymoly.co.uk]
• Philadelphia area college students are planning a semi-nude run so people can take off their clothes and donate them to charity. [thetriangle.org]
• A New Zealand man wonders if enthusiasm for breastfeeding has gone too far.

  After a quick exam and quiz on nutrition, the doctor got down to business. He had my wife unbutton her shirt and instructed her how to use her forefinger and thumb to "express" a dollop of milk onto his finger.
  
  And then he licked it. "Sweet," he said. Whereupon he extended a finger to me. I declined. [stuff.co.nz]

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Joe Scarborough - Racist Comment

On MSNBC's "Morning Joe" this morning, while talking to Dana Milbank, Joe Scarborough referred to the Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama hug after their debate as "looks like 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'". If he doesn't get a call from Al Sharpton on this remark, there is no justice. The Don Imus comment was bad enough, but in my opinion Scarborough shows true inner racism with this comment. The show should be "Morning Mika" anyway.