Public nudity 'should not be treated with hostility'

I write to comment on "Topless walk turns into carnival" in the Saturday, May 1 newspaper. The young woman, Andrea Simoneau, having attended a topless march in Portland, also did recently in Farmington.

It is unfortunate that such an act would be greeted with hostility and confusion.

Some European countries have nude beaches. And I think there is at least one town in France that is totally nude.

An individual's misconceptions are due to their obvious lack of education related to this subject.

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A nude beach for Seattle?

It looks like Seattle residents want some of what we've got in spades: Nude beaches.

The mayor, Mike McGinn, has created a site polling residents for ideas to improve the city. In third place — with 1,711 votes as of Friday night — is the suggestion to set aside park beaches for recreational, "European-style" optional nudity.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/opinion/nude+beach+Seattle/3085231/story.html#ixzz0pWLZF5my

Naked Hiking Suggestions

"When contemplating going for a naked hike for the first time, there are three major points which come to mind. While some of these might appear obvious, at first sight, they are really core to the activity and deserve a little thought.

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Nudists expose 21st-century reality

Some nudist resorts are closing and membership numbers declining, but those who drop their clothes say that's no reason to go undercover.

In fact, naturists, as they prefer to be known, insist that their hobby is alive and well. It's just adjusting for the 21st century.

[...]

Members of the Crocus Grove club have said poor marketing and mismanagement were to blame for the declining turnout. But Ryynanen said naturists no longer feel the need to gather in an official resort to shed their clothes. With just a few clicks of a mouse, naturists can find a beach or park where being nude is tolerated — and no rental or membership fee is required.

"A number of people have said, 'Well, the beach is free,' and as a business, we certainly can't compete with that," she said.

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Organizer: Women have same right as men to go shirtless

Topless protest planned

Proponents of a clothing-optional beach in Key West are challenging the city's anti-nudity law, claiming it is unconstitutional in its unequal treatment of men and women.

Tracy Leigh, president of Florida Keys Free Beaches, is organizing a Gender Equality rally for July 4, and hopes to encourage women to appear topless within the city, and thus claim the same rights as men to appear shirtless in public.

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Can ‘Naked Fridays’ Help Productivity at the Office?

Each episode tracks a company over the course of the week as they grapple with the usual office issues, culminating in the dreaded event, “Naked Friday,” where everyone is asked, but not required, to show up in the buff.

The idea, according to the show’s behavioral expert, who, by the way, has done consulting for HSBC and IBM, is that if you get such a huge fear/ inhibition out of the way, it will make your team stronger. More open. More honest.

So, does it boost productivity?

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Top Ten Naked Moments In Art

As part of Sky1's Naked Britain series we take a look at the top 10 naked moments in art.

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Katz apologizes to breastfeeding mom for pool incident

MAYOR Sam Katz apologized Wednesday to a local mother who was told breastfeeding at a public pool was "offensive," and human rights officials have offered to educate all city employees about a woman's right to nurse a child.

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Update May 21, 2010: Moms plan nurse-in at Pan Am Pool
 
A group of local mothers is planning a mass "nurse-in" at Pan Am Pool after a staff member told a woman it was offensive to breastfeed her 11-month-old at the public facility.

Jenna Baker breastfed her daughter, Ocean, following the infant's morning swim class at the public pool on May 10.

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See Australia The Naturist Way

The idea of whipping your clothes off on a crowded beach may not appeal to everyone, but nudism is a growing trend. A recent Gallup Poll showed that people are much more tolerant of nudism than in the 1980s and in fact a growing number of people embrace the naturist notions. In Australia, social nudism has existed for more than 80 years and has spilled out from private clubs into everyday life. There are dozens of beaches and resorts that now cater for naturists and those who just want to be able to sunbathe in the nude without being stared at.

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Breastfeeding in Public: A Christian Father Speaks Up

The following is a letter from one Christian father to another regarding the topic of breastfeeding in public.

Here

World Naked Bike Ride

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How Nudism Can Save You Money

That dirty word – “Laundry”: Let’s start with the obvious. Nudists tend to wear as little clothing as possible, usually nothing at all, as often as possible or whenever conditions allow. Most live in climates that are tropical enough to maximize this opportunity. Wearing less clothing means washing less clothing and washing the clothing that they own less frequently, requiring the repair and replacement of clothing less often. They also tend to have less of a wardrobe, requiring less storage space. So here, we are seeing a saving in money spent on laundry detergents, gas and electricity to operate a washer and dryer, replacement clothing and repair costs, home closet or storage space. We also see less chlorine, phosphates, ozone and carbon dioxide pumped into the environment as well as a reduction in health issues related to exposure to the chemicals needed for properly washing clothing. (Chlorine bleach is one of the deadliest chemicals we can expose ourselves to).

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Top 10 places to go skinny-dipping

Loosen your buttons & shake off your inhibitions with this extract from Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences: our rundown of the world’s best nude bathing.

Here

The naked truth: Out and about with Scotland's naturists

For years it was the norm for naturists to use first names only or nicknames. It wasn't the done thing to ask where someone lived or what was their occupation. These days, though they are more relaxed, there is still a reluctance to be named in public. "People get funny ideas about naturist clubs; that we're all swingers and so on," says Colin, steering the boat past a small island that is home to a colony of shags. "But nothing could be further from the truth."

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Nude Gardeners ring in annual celebration

Mesa County, Colo: Fenced in and out of sight a group of Grand Valley residents let it all hang out as they participate in World Naked Gardening Day. Party host, Guy, a self declared naturist, or nudist, if you will, says, "Celebrate the freedom of naturism and nudism by gardening." His girlfriend Karla, and fellow nudist, echoes the same thought, "Its liberating it's an amazing experience, you feel more close to nature than you would in any other way."

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Get Naked: It’s Good for Your Brain

Specific studies have not yet proven that full-scale nudity directly benefits brain performance, but here’s peripheral evidence indicating that skin-only is superior:

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World Record Skinny-Dip

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One thing that was exciting to me last year was to see the number of first-time nudists participating.  Here is a chance to reach out to one of your friends and say “just give it a try for five minutes.”  They may not become members but they will have stories to tell their friends, and they will have a better understanding of who we are.  And, they will have a better understanding why you are a member. 

I would like to see 20,000 participants this year.  Can we do it?  It depends on each of us.

For more information about the AANR World Record Skinny-Dip or to find a location, click here.

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World Naked Gardening Day

Get ready for the Fifth Annual World Naked Gardening Day (WNGD)! People across the globe are encouraged, on Saturday, May 8, 2010 to tend their portion of the world's garden clothed as nature intended. 

Gardening has a timeless quality, and anyone can do it: young and old, singles or groups, the fit and infirm, urban and rural. An elderly lady in a Manhattan apartment can plant new annuals in her window box. Families can rake leaves in their back yard. Freehikers can pull invasive weeds along their favorite stretch of trail. More daring groups can make rapid clothes-free sorties into public parks to do community-friendly stealth cleanups.

Why garden naked? First of all, it's fun! Second only to swimming, gardening is at the top of the list of family-friendly activities people are most ready to consider doing nude. Moreover, our culture needs to move toward a healthy sense of both body acceptance and our relation to the natural environment. Gardening naked is not only a simple joy, it reminds us--even if only for those few sunkissed minutes--that we can be honest with who we are as humans and as part of this planet. 

More here

The Bare Pit

Happy May Day!

Today is international labor day, happy nude May Day.  Hopefully on this Saturday we can spend a little time practicing a bit of naturism at home, at the beach, or elsewhere.

Tunick tribute to Lowry with nudes in Manchester

 [...]

The volunteers are all of different body shapes and sizes.

Michael Simpson, from The Lowry, said: "I think Lowry would really like it because his whole mission for him was to paint ordinary, everyday people going around their daily lives.

"The people who feature in this project are doing something extraordinary, with no clothes on, but they are just ordinary people, all different colours and shapes and sizes.

"He would like the fact that it is not high-brow or pretentious, just ordinary people. He would be amused, even a bit bemused probably."

Read more at BBC News