Topless in Central Park: A New Yorker Puts the Law to the Test

Inspired by the mysterious Topless Bowery Lady who recently set the Internet aflame, and the publicly acknowledged legality of being topless in the city, our pal Jamie Peck took it upon herself to take off her own shirt in the outside air recently and see what happened. At the beginning of her adventure, which she chronicled for The Gloss, she found that she was initially nervous -- Could she do this? What would happen? -- but went through with it anyway in the good fight against social conventions. She headed to Central Park on a Sunday afternoon, took off her shirt -- "it turned out to be like ripping off a band-aid; once I'd done it without anything bad happening, I relaxed," she writes.

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Poll: Would You Sunbathe Topless?

Our friends over at The Frisky reported today on a group of French women who are protesting their right to go topless by attempting to get men at local swimming holes to put on bikini tops. The protest seems to be going well, with some men donning the tops bemusedly and others suggesting that the ladies bare their breasts in the name of equality instead.

Click here to take the poll

Helen Mirren Found Nudist Beach Experience 'Comforting'

Dame Helen Mirren has been to nudist beaches and found the experience "comforting".

Dame Helen Mirren, the 65-year-old actress has revealed she has visited beaches where visitors strip off naked and thinks being nude in public is very liberating.

She said: "I have been on a nudist beach about three times in my life and found it very comforting. It is a natural experience and instantly changes the way you think about nudity and sexuality."

Despite having bared her body for several film roles, Mirren insists she is insecure about her figure just like most women.

And compared to women who she considers to be attractive, the Oscar winner believes she has a "crap body".

Cont.

Hundreds Of Mothers Breastfeed In Front Of Shoppers

Hoping to raise awareness of breastfeeding, a bold group of mothers accompanied by their partners, bared their breasts at a major shopping centre today. Over a hundred mothers belonging to all age groups, stunned shoppers at the Trafford Centre in Manchester, by descending on it and breast feeding in front of them, for promoting the start of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, backed by the NHS.

Highlighting the health benefits of breast feeding, the proud mothers in full view of customers sitting in the shopping centre cafes bared all.

One of the stunned onlookers remarked it was not every day one saw so many breasts on display whilst shopping, but he fully the group in trying to get their message about the benefits of breast feeding across in an unusual manner.

The National Breastfeeding Awareness Week 2011 running from Sunday 19th June to Saturday 25th June, not only has the backing of the NHS Infant Breastfeeding Services, but also the Trafford Centre that only recently refurbished its breastfeeding facilities for shoppers.

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That’s a nude world record!

A nude world record was set today when 400 people stripped off naked and went running into the sea.

People came to South Wales from all over the globe to take part in the world skinny-dipping record on Rhossili Beach, Gower.

They tore off their clothes shortly before 8am and bravely ran into the water shrieking and whooping with delight seemingly unperturbed by the wet and wind conditions.

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Cyclists go au naturale to promote healthy lifestyle

Remarkably for such a conservative city, no one was arrested for stripping off in public as Guadalajara celebrated its first Naked Bike Ride last weekend.

More than 400 men and women took part in the ride, which took place in 140 cities worldwide on the same day.

As they passed motorists, many shouted amicably, “Get out of your car and on a bike.” Municipal police and transit officers marshaled the bikers as they rode from downtown to the Minerva Glorieta and back again.

Another Naked Bike Ride is planned for 2012.

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His (naked) body of work

Abstract artist Joe Clarke has a talent for painting naked women.

More specifically, he paints on them. Clarke is a body painter. He looks at a naked chest and sees a canvas.

Later this month, the Edmonton man will fly to Austria to compete at the World Bodypainting Festival , a huge annual event that showcases the best in the medium worldwide.

Clarke was killing some time online when he stumbled upon the festival site. He found the submissions page and decided on a whim to forward some photos and video of his work. The organizers responded, saying they'd be happy to have him. So Clarke will compete in the brush/sponge category at the festival.

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World Naked Bike Ride

Gettin' naked at the World Naked Bike Ride

The third annual event is one of more than 70 worldwide rides gathering bicyclists (both naked and not-so-much) to raise awareness of bicycles on the road.

The World Naked Bike Ride's New Orleans chapter meets 11 a.m. Saturday, June 11 — the ride begins and ends at Markey Park in Bywater.

The inaugural ride in 2009 and in 2010 hosted more than 300 riders in various states of dress — underwear, togas, body paint, strategically placed electrical tape, Speedos and bikinis, actual nudity. (Expect lots of dudes in a shorts/shirtless combo.) Their mission: "to peacefully expose the vulnerability of cyclists, humanity and nature in the face of cars, aggression, consumerism and non-renewable energy."

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It’s naked time!

The mere act of public nudity isn’t illegal, but it’s not easy to find the line between lawful conduct and criminal indecent exposure when participating in naked bike rides.

The World Naked Bike Ride is celebrated in almost 100 cities across the world on various dates in June. Additionally, more than a dozen other nudity friendly bike events are held across the state, including several in Vancouver.

A majority of naked bike rides are designed as protests against fossil fuel dependency and a way to draw attention to the inherent vulnerability of cyclists as road users.

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Nudists not deterred by winter

Strolling along an empty beach watching the last of the sun disappear a man sans clothes has not a care in the world. Despite winter kicking off in the southern hemisphere this week nudists braved chilly conditions as they continued their philosophy to go about their daily lives naked.

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What is Nudism?