Have a Happy Nude Year!

Nude Yoga

Commenter:

The images inspired me to embrace me! Their authenticity - stark beauty/ straight up nakedness - allowed me to connect with ME in a way that a lot of images create the experience of comparison for me. I saw these images and thought they were beautiful! The female body is BEAUTIFUL! Thank-you for sharing these intimate images and allowing me to get a step closer to embracing myself for ME!! xo

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More Naked Yoga

Thought-Provoking Nude Photos That Challenge Conventional Ideas About Attractiveness

The media would have us believe that “attractive” and “unattractive” are fixed categories, and that all of humanity can be neatly sorted into one or the other. In practice, of course, beauty isn’t even a continuum; it is, as the cliché goes, in the eye of the beholder. And the images we see in mass culture of supposedly attractive people are made-up and coiffed and Photoshopped to the extent that they often barely resemble their subjects.

Gracie Hagen dramatizes the effects of these narrow, manipulated depictions of humanity in a brilliant, deceptively simple series of side-by-side nude portraits titled Illusions of the Body. “Most of us realize that the media displays only the prettiest photos of people, yet we compare ourselves to those images. We never get to see those photos juxtaposed against a picture of that same person looking unflattering,” Hagen writes. “That contrast would help a lot of body image issues we as a culture have.” See a selection of pictures from the series (spotted via Beautiful/Decay) below, and visit Hagen’s Tumblr to see the rest.

Full piece is here

Lessons from a Swedish co-ed sauna

I took two things away from my experience in Sweden: 1) women in America don’t see nearly enough normal, naked female bodies with which to compare themselves; 2) somewhere in their education, American men are taught that being naked equates the potential for sex.

I think a lot about behavior and how it’s formed. When we say it’s society’s fault that women feel ashamed of their bodies and men are pigs, who are we blaming? Society is us. It’s our own actions and behavior that perpetuate these ideals—and we are the ones who can change it.

What if women actually liked their bodies? What if men were taught in sex-ed that nudity doesn’t equal foreplay? What if neither sex was taught at an early age that a naked body was taboo? Would women’s near-constant quest to be more “physically attractive” cease? Would men’s ideas of acceptable sexual advances be curtailed? Would “asking for it” involve women actually asking men for sex instead of men assuming a low-cut top is a secret signal? I don’t know.

What I do know is that after four weeks of being naked in a Swedish co-ed sauna (excluding the American ogle-fest that was week three) I learned that it is possible to like my body, and for men to appreciate it without sexualizing it—two statements I never thought I’d hear myself say—which is really the saddest part of the story.

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The Body Image Movement

The Body Image Movement is a movement that recognises and values real beauty from the inside out.

Our role is to harness and facilitate positive body image activism by encouraging women to be more accepting of who they are, to use positive language about their bodies and the bodies of others, and to prioritise health before beauty.

The movement celebrates and embraces the following key messages:

Love yourself …naturally

At what point did it become so offensive to age? I feel like we might’ve become brainwashed to think that fine lines and wrinkles are a bad thing! The process of ageing should be one that is celebrated, for every line, wrinkle or sign of age means that we are alive, we are here and we are living! Why do we want to fight this process, when did ageing become so ugly and offensive?

The Body Image Movement is here to say it is okay to age; it is ok to be natural. In fact it is more than okay to be natural; it feels amazing, it feels liberating and it’s how nature intended for us to live.”

Visit the site

Michelle Pfeiffer loves to get naked at home

Michelle Pfeiffer looks forward to walking around naked now her children have left the family home.

'The Family' actress, who has two children, Claudia Rose, 20, and 19-year-old John Henry with husband David E. Kelley, admits her house feels empty since her son left for university but she can't wait to strut around without any clothes on.

Quizzed if it's difficult to not have her children at home, she said: ''I'm an empty-nester. I'm going to arrive at that place [of difficulty] but I'm not there yet. Now I'm just like, 'I can walk around naked!' That's kind of nice.''

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Can We Ever Really Love Our Body?

My sister was discussing my site with me the other morning and she said something like “Well, it’s not like a person ever really learns to love their body? They just kinda convince themselves they do, right?” And my answer was, “No. That’s not right. That might be the first step. But, you CAN actually learn to love your body. I mean we learned to not love it in the first place, so we can undo that.” Here’s what I mean.
Yes You Can

I truly believe that you CAN learn to love your body. Like any long term mature love, it is something that will have cycles, ups and downs, and most of the time not giving it a whole lot of thought. But if someone were to ask you about your long-term love, you would answer, “Yes. Of course I love my body.”
Defining Loving Your Body

Loving your body is not arrogance.

It is not conceit.

It is not feeling superior to others.

Loving your body is kindness. Loving your body is appreciation. Loving your body is compassion for “imperfections.” Loving your body is adopting humor in place of anger.

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The Right to Bare Breasts

It's hot.

So take off all your clothes... or at least the ones you can legally lose in public. A shirt, perhaps? As long as you're not dining at the Four Seasons, go for it! Guys in New York City do it all the time! And gals? Well...

Last summer -- which rivaled this one in its Al-Gore-foreshadowed, end-of-times heat -- I was walking on a Manhattan street when I noticed a naked back ahead of me. It appeared to be that of a petite, professional woman. Her shoulder-length, strawberry blonde hair was neatly cut and styled. She wore Capri pants, flats and a small purse over her left shoulder. But unless there were seashells or pasties on the other side, she was completely topless -- a fact that the hateful looks of passers-by from the other direction seemed to confirm. Now, the day was a scorcher. Doffing the top is logical, I thought. But is it legal? I didn't know. I also didn't know why I cared.

Come to think of it, why did anyone care? The man with the disdainful eyebrows, or the giggling gaggle of teens, or the woman of the hand-on-hip-superiority, dangling cigarette and grave eyes? No one could fathom the woman's shirtlessness as a right and/or choice, so instead, we all indulged in aggravated confusion. Did she have a costume malfunction on the way to work? (Corporate casual from the waist down, after all.) Were we witnessing a meltdown? Was she insane?

Then I changed the channel from confusion to curiosity. Was she a performance artist? An activist, perhaps? Maybe it's legal, I pondered, and we're all the fools! Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! Yup, with this last thought I was right.

Huff Post has the rest

Nudist, Naturist Or Clothes Free?

What exactly is the difference between a nudist and a naturist? For the most part, the terms are used interchangeably, although there is some debate over nuances of meaning. The generally accepted distinction between the two terms is that "naturist" has more of a philosophical and political connotation than "nudist." Both nudists and naturists may enjoy nudity as part of an everyday lifestyle. Someone who identifies as a nudist but not as a naturist may view nudity as a leisurely pursuit or as a facet of his/her lifestyle that is not grounded in any particular philosophical belief. Someone who identifies as a naturist may have specific convictions that nude recreation promotes body acceptance and self esteem. People who identify as naturists have been the most active in advocating legal statuses for nude beaches and often work tirelessly to oppose anti-nudity legislation.

These nudist/naturist distinctions are not precise, and some people are not satisfied with either term. Must a person who enjoys sunbathing naked on the beach be labeled one way or another? Is a person who is perfectly comfortable soaking naked in natural hot springs necessarily going to be comfortable standing in line naked waiting for a serving of coleslaw at a nudist potluck? Perhaps it is the implication that nudists or naturists live naked as much as possible that some people find not to be indicative of their nude recreational pursuits. Sure, some people hang around the house in the buff all day, but we guess that most people you'll find sunbathing naked on a beach on a given afternoon are probably not naked around the dinner table later that evening.

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The Male Nude In Eighteenth Century French Art Explored

Classes were complemented by courses on anatomy, perspective, geometry, literature and history. The Academy’s training was learned and structured, and, although it was sometimes criticized for its rigour and its insistence on discipline and uniformity, it produced superb draughtsmen. Some of the artists featured became painting Masters of their generation, focusing on historical and allegorical pictures. Others utilised their training in a variety of artistic fields, including Bachelier, who went on to assume the role of Director of Design and Decoration at the Sèvres porcelain factory, influencing many of the pieces exhibited in the Wallace Collection.

Variety and beauty are omnipresent in The Male Nude. The works show figures – sometimes single, sometimes two together - in an enormous variety of poses and in various degrees of light and shade. The study of physiognomic expression was also taught at the Academy, and the facial expressions of the figures always complement the poses they adopt, whether they show, say, serenity, exertion, pleasure or anger.

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True Nudists :: Interview with "hikergirl"

True Nudists :: Interview with "hikergirl" from True Nudists on Vimeo.

To visit hikergirl's profile on truenudists visit truenudists.com?track=hkg

True Nudists :: Interviews "hikergirl" about why she's a nudist and what nudism means to her. Visit truenudists.com to find more videos, learn about nudism and meet other nudists.

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Miley Cyrus Wanted To Perform Topless During MTV VMAs

Miley Cyrus has revealed that she originally wanted her MTV Video Music Awards performance to be even racier than it was.

The singer, who caused controversy during her performance with Robin Thicke, revealed during her new hour-long special for MTV that she originally wanted to perform her single "We Can't Stop" and then with Thick on his hit "Blurred Lines" half-naked.

"Miley The Movement" debuted on Wednesday night, and in the special, which chronicled the months leading up to her VMAs performance, she told Britney Spears about her original plans.

"You're not going to be topless onstage, are you?" Spears asked.

"I tried but I don't think MTV's going to allow it," Miley replies.

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Clothing is optional in Germany

Naturism is big for Germans. Around 1 in 10 take a naked vacation at least once a year, according to Kurt Fischer, president of German Association for Free Body Culture.

Lately, however, nudism has been getting some additional exposure with the circulation of a photo purporting to show a young Angela Merkel and a couple of friends out for a waterside stroll in the buff.

The photo’s authenticity is contested, but there’s no doubt that naturism was popular in East Germany when Merkel — who’s expected to stay on as chancellor after elections later this month — was growing up there in the 1960s and ’70s.

Tolerated by the Communist authorities, stripping off became a way for East Germans to commune with nature and break with the regime’s conformity. The DDR Museum dedicated to showing daily life in East Germany in Berlin has exhibits illustrating the role nudism played there — with dioramas depicting naked sunbathing and volleyball.

Even today, naturism is more widespread in eastern resorts like Glowe, on the holiday island of Ruegen, which is part of the district Chancellor Merkel represents in parliament.

Full piece is at Salon

Topless Iggy Azalea calls for BOOB REVOLUTION as she embraces 'small boobies'

Following its release, the Aussie blonde took to Twitter asking fans to support women with boobs of all sizes.

After making #fashiont*ts trend worldwide, she wrote: "If you have small boobies, I think us girls should still feel good about them... Work what you got.”

The video has been labelled 18+ on YouTube, meaning viewers must sign in to see the video.

But, Iggy refused to upload a clean version of the vid, arguing that she shouldn't have to change it for the world wide web.

She wrote: "nah, should have to censor my vision for the Internet. That's lame.”

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Is Topless Sunbathing Good for American Tourism?

Is America ready for topless sunbathing beaches? Will it be good for tourism?

August 25th marked the sixth anniversary of Go Topless Day. It's always held right around Women's Equality Day, which this year marked the 93rd anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving American women the right to vote.

Celebrations and protests in favor of top-free rights were held around the world, including in over 30 U.S. cities.

Some women feel since American society has sexualized women's breasts for so many years, it's going to take much more than an annual celebration/protest to change attitudes allowing topless sunbathing, so why even bother.

Other women point out how liberating it is to be top-free, especially at beaches. And it's immaterial whether some people in society sexualize breasts or not. Going topless wherever men can be shirtless is a matter of legal equality. And the New York Supreme Court agreed with these women in 1992, making it legal to be topless in New York.

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Top 10 naked hotels in the world

By Lu Na (China.org.cn)

Famous German travel website Trivago.com recently published its top 10 most welcoming "naked hotels" as favored by travelers.

Germany's FKK (Freikörperkultur or "free body culture") movement is a cultural phenomenon across Europe, proposing people spend their days naked and in harmony with nature. It goes without saying that most of the hotels are located in Europe.

Most of the hotels allow their guests to remain in the nude when sitting in their restaurants, bars, gyms and hot springs. However, some hotels only allow their customers to be naked in the hot spring area.

Take a look at the following 10 unique hotels and resorts:

Here

Stand Up For Women's Rights: Show Us Your Boobs

If you really gave two nipples about women's equality, then you'd take off your shirt already.

In conjunction with Women's Equality Day, women and fans of women will descend on Dolores park sans shirts on Sunday at noon for Go Topless Day, because if men can walk around topless, then damn it women can, too. (Note to prolific nudists: This bare-chested bash is permitted).

But this isn't totally about getting rid of those bikini top tan lines -- it's about getting rid of inequality.

Go Topless Day always falls on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day, which is Aug 26. It was that day in 1920 that women (aka people with boobs) earned their right to vote on the basis of Gender Equality. In 1971, the U.S Congress declared Aug. 26 Women's Equality Day, and the president is summoned to celebrate this day each year.

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Gaga embraces being naked

Lady Gaga was comfortable shedding her clothes from a young age.

The singer often turns heads for her outrageous costumes and earlier this month featured in a video for performance artist Marina Abramović in which she walks around nude.

The star, real name Stefani Germanotta, admits she was never a modest child and her mother often went to great lengths to control her extrovert daughter around company.

"I definitely walked around naked a lot as a kid," Gaga revealed on Sirius XM's The Morning Mash Up.

"And my mom used to joke with me because I would always try to freak the babysitter out and... hide behind the couch and rip all my clothes off and run around and singing The Little Mermaid or whatever."

The Applause singer is now finding great purpose in feeling free to be in the buff.

She's fascinated by how well she can express a new character by using little more than her nude body.

"And now really what it's more about is I find it very interesting to be able to transform as much as possible with very little makeup and nude," Gaga explained.

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Shirtless Goes the City

California strikes. Manhattan is becoming Malibu. Once, in the long-gone “Mad Men” days, it was considered de rigueur for New Yorkers to wear a hat and gloves in town. Now dress codes have devolved to the point where folks wear fleecy slippers on the subway, flip-flops to the ballet, running tights for every occasion, repurposed pajamas as daywear and, recently, very little at all.

We are referring here to a curious trend among men in the city to go walking about without shirts.

Note, for instance, recent tabloid pictures showing Orlando Bloom strolling through TriBeCa with his dog on a leash and son in a stroller. The British actor was dressed in shower shoes, a baseball cap and cargo shorts slung low enough to brand-check his red briefs and to see a solar tattoo inked south of his navel. And that was about all.

Sure it was hot. Temperatures had been hovering in the 90s for seven days running. Furnace blasts radiated off sidewalks. To stand on a subway platform felt like getting too close to a Weber grill.

Naked above the waist, Mr. Bloom was doing what a sensible person might to stay cool, if that person lived on the Pacific Coast Highway and was headed to Malibu Country Mart for an iced cappuccino.

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Every Little Bit Helps Wake America Up

Girlrillaz, a film about a group of radical women in NYC, fighting the backwards censorship laws in America. Their central question: What is more obscene NUDITY or VIOLENCE?

If we have the courage to decorate our bodies with many tattoos, I think we should have the courage to go au natural like our cousins in Europe. It's just one tiny step from showing off skin art, and actual skin art, the natural body. It's a natural progression we should go ahead and take. Like riding a roller coaster, it thrills for a while and we can come out of it safe and sound, but much happier. And that's a good thing.

Justin Timberlake's New Song 'Tunnel Vision' Has Artful Nudes

Youtube comment: This is a really beautiful music video. Everyone's comparing it to Robin Thicke's music video, where he, Pharrell, and T.I. are all staring at these topless women, but actually that music video is just a playfully sexual video (hence why there are two versions). This is just the blatant beauty of the human body. He's not even touching or gaping at these women, they're just gracefully moving with the music. It's really art. W o w.

When is topless sunbathing OK?

Amazingly today is 'Bikini Day' (who knew?), which marks the 67th anniversary of the invention of the two-piece swimsuit by a Parisian fashion designer, Louis Réard. With a UK July heatwave expected and New Yorkers stripping off in Central Park, Dr Brooke Magnanti offers a cheeky guide as to when it's OK to bare all.

News has broken that police have been warned to let topless women sunbathing in Central Park do their thing. I love that this is happening, and especially, that it's happening in New York. You could not pay me to put on a swimsuit in New York, but not because of fear of having my wobbly bits on display so much as being from Florida, where natives don't even think about leaving their scarves and coats at home until the mercury tops 35 degrees. The middle of New York City sure does get warm in summer, but the way they go on about it, you'd think it was the surface of Venus. I've been there in August (New York, not Venus). It ain't.

Still, more power to the topless lasses of New York, because this is a huge step for the US. Where I grew up has approximately the same climate as the inside of a boiled kettle, only with mosquitoes. Sadly it is also at the tail end of the Bible belt so going topless was out of the question. There came a point every summer where it felt like we weren't living, so much as swimming at the bottom of a boiling ocean. Less garb up top would have been a welcome relief.

Since living in Britain the rules on when to don and when to doff bikini tops have been difficult to parse. Bathing topless has that sometimes-common, sometimes-posh air that makes the apparent rules absolutely impenetrable to someone like me. Marbella fine, Margate not fine. Cool to do on a continental holiday, unless you're Kate Middleton, in which case you've let the royals down. Lack of tan lines is classy, until you get a sunburn, then it's mug shots and the dole queue all the way.

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Victorian Breastfeeding Photo Fad: Shifting Discourses Of Motherhood

Last year Lynne Grumet set the Internet a-flutter when she appeared on the cover of TIME magazine breastfeeding her toddler. Reactions were largely negative, often reflecting unease at the open display of a sexualized body part being used to feed a child older than the age we generally find acceptable. Others objected to what they saw as the sensationalism of the photo. Grumet later posed on the cover of another magazine in a pose that focused on bonding and intimacy, commonly cited as benefits by breastfeeding advocates. The entire episode tapped into larger cultural anxieties about appropriate mothering.

And as Jill Lepore explains in The Mansion of Happiness, it’s just the latest round in the changing discourse about breastfeeding; in the mid-1800s, images of breastfeeding mothers became a fad in the U.S. The use of wet nurses had never been as common in the U.S. as in Europe, and it became even less popular by the early 1800s; breastfeeding your own child became a central measure of your worth as a mother. Cultural constructions of femininity became highly centered on motherhood and the special bond between a mother and her children in the Victorian era.

As daguerreotypes became available, women began to pose breastfeeding their infants, capturing them in this most essential of maternal roles:

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Miss USA Winners For PETA: Four Crown-Holders Pose Naked To 'Say No To Fur'

Four Miss USA crown-holders became the latest faces -- and bodies -- of PETA's anti-fur campaign.

In a video for PETA, the Miss USA winners posed naked alongside a Miss USA sash and crown to lend their support to the animal rights organization.

In addition to baring it all for the PETA ad, Susie Castillo, Shandi Finnessey, Shanna Moakler and Alyssa Campanella also pledged to go fur-free in their own lives.

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Naked bike ride in Mexico City – video

Hundreds of cyclists strip off to take part in World Naked Bike Ride Day on Saturday. Participants ride on the capital's main streets, bringing traffic to a standstill as onlookers take photos. The international event is designed to raise awareness of road safety for bikes, though some in Mexico also use the event to promote the normality of nudity

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Nudism/Naturism: One of the crowd

“Seek and ye shall find,” the sages have instructed us, along with this: “The answers often lie within.”

Those two pearls of wisdom, basically, are what led me to Ottawa on Saturday to answer a question I had about nudists/naturists, and about why I was so interested, personally speaking, in this subject as opposed to, say, in hot-air ballooning.

My question for the naturists was: Why do people want to be naked in non-sexual public or semi-public social settings?

I had been invited by the Ottawa Naturists organization to an evening swim event at an indoor pool, one of 18 they hold annually. The group is celebrating its 20th anniversary and has about 200 members, with a strong contingent from Quebec, I’m told. They also hold other social gatherings, such as a summer barbecue and a weekend camping event.

I accepted the invitation, but told them I would be attending as a private individual, not as a journalist on assignment for my paper. Sure, I would probably write about it in both my blogs, but they are labours of free love, i.e. I am not paid for writing them.

I spent a good part of Saturday afternoon chatting with my host for the event, Ted, the president of the board of the Ottawa Naturists. I asked him about the appeal of public nudity, and about the origins of his passion for naturism.

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Nudist Resort Etiquette: Top 4 Tips To make You a Classy Nudist

Everything, everywhere and every place has protocols to follow. Nudist resorts aren’t any different. It’s one thing to go free and shed your clothes in the name of pure freedom but it’s another thing to be all goofy on a nudist resort and embarrass yourself (and your family or friends, if they accompany you). Here are at least four tips to make sure you get the etiquette part right and enjoy yourself instead of embarrassing yourself:

There are boundaries there, even if it doesn’t appear to be so

Yes, it’s a nudist resort and there’s no stopping you from shedding your clothes and going naked. There are, however, clear boundaries. Even if it appears to be a free for all, check the fine print of your admission ticket or ask someone. Most nudist camps and resorts do have clear rules for you to follow. The guidelines are often strict and are developed that way for a reason. Be aware of them; You don’t want to make a fool of yourself.

No photos, absolutely

Most nudist resorts will check your baggage for cameras or disallow you from using cameras. Photography isn’t allowed. Never do the mistake of thinking that you can roam free and shoot pictures of anyone you like just because they are naked. It’s a fact that they are naked and they are under the impression that everyone there respects privacy. Don’t be the only one to breach this trust.

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Average breast cup size in the world

cup size infographic by Raj Kamal.

Nudity: The Health Benefits of Being Naked - Female Naturist

The Sun

There shelves full of sun screen products in many stores because you hear about how bad the sun is for you. You hear about how damaging the sun can be to your skin. The sun can cause discomfort at least and skin cancer at worse. The truth is the sun is good for you and have some good benefits for your body, particularly in the production of Vitamin D and mentally also.

Nudity and Air

Many people don't think of it but like you feet needing to breathe, so does the rest of the skin on your body. Exposing yourself to the open air (of course in the privacy of your own home) is always a good idea. Allow your body to breathe and cool itself in the open air in your home. This will work wonders for your skin staying health.

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Although Thailand outlaws public nudity, people can legally shed their clothes at private resorts. Wanna-be naturalists sometimes worry that having an imperfect body prohibits them from enjoying a clothing-optional vacation. However, nudist resorts allow people to relax in their natural state without fear of judgment. The naturalist concept doesn't endorse overt sexual behavior---just a relaxed state of nude being.

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Chan Home and Resort

At the Chan Resort, the pool and area around your villa is clothing-optional. Property features include cable television, a refrigerator, kitchen area, free wireless Internet and swimming pool. Guests stay in one-bedroom villas that include a living room and porches. They also receive breakfast. The Chan Resort is located in Pattaya, a coastal town about two hours from Bangkok. A Thai family owns it.

Chan Resort

391/98 Thap Phraya Road, Soi 15

Banglamung

Chomburi 201510, Thailand

0066-81-6646003

chanresort.com

Phuket Island Villa

This privately owned one bedroom villa on the island of Phuket sleeps two. The villa offers a secluded sunbathing area and pool, and the property owners have a boat in which they can show you the island, pointing out snorkeling hot spots. Phuket offers beaches, golf and eco-adventures in tropical forests. Several restaurants also lie within walking distance from the villa, owned by a pair from the United Kingdom.

Phuket Island Villa

44-07786-245274

naturistproperty.com

Why topless and nude sunbathing should now become common

With so many states legalizing gay marriage, and so many men in touch with their feminine side, how long before the United States legalizes topless and nude beaches? The reason is many woman can now feel safe knowing most males will not try to pick them up or bother them while nude or topless sunbathing. I believe this is how it became common in Europe, just take a look at all the guys in Speedos over there! There is also a long tradition in the West of admiring the nude human body, since at least the statue of David, but also going back to the original Greek Olympics. Movie stars and other celebrities can't wait to show off their sheer dresses, side boob, cleavage, or window boob, side butt, etc. And when on vacation even the British love to sunbathe topless, remember Kate Middleton's topless pictures. So I think we're ready, ready to enjoy this short life we've been given to its fullest! Nudism is about freedom, not sex, and as this becomes common knowledge the US can finally begin to accept and tolerate the nudist lifestyle.

Let's Get Naked

We enter the world without clothing so why not live life with out them too? We examine what life is like being a nudist with those who believe it's better wearing your birthday suit.

Does Snap Show German Chancellor Aged 18 At Nudist Beach With Two Other Women?

A photograph of what some say reveals a young Angela Merkel strolling nude on a pier is circulating online.

The image, which features two other also naked women, reportedly shows a then 18-year-old Merkel, several European news outlets have suggested.

It was apparently originally posted online in 2009 on nudist lifestyle blog Nudarist.

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How To Shoot 2,000 Nudes a Second

Photographer Shinichi Maruyama’s new work, NUDE, uses cutting-edge technology to create elaborate images from simple origins: the naked human body.

Maruyama collaborated with choreographer Jessica Lang on the series, which involved testing several dancers doing specific routines before pairing up the dancers with picture-perfect movement.

In the past, Maruyama, who was introduced to photography by an elementary-school teacher, has done a lot of work capturing motion, mostly with water.

See the art work, read more here

Brassiere Support Is A Lie, Say French Scientists

Strapping breasts down won't keep them from their inevitable journey south, according to the preliminary results of a 15-year study.

In a 15-year study from the University of Besançon in eastern France, sports science professor Jean-Denis Rouillon found that wearing a bra may not actually keep a woman's breasts from sagging, nor alleviate back pain.

Though the results from Rouillon's study were only preliminary and might not apply to all women, previous work on the science of breast-cages has supported the theory that bras are way more about fashion than function. A pair of D-cup breasts weigh between 15 and 23 pounds, but studies have shown most sports bras can't contain their rampant bouncing. And yes, there are researchers that study the way boobs bounce.

Since 1997, Rouillon and his team have been measuring the incremental changes in orientation of the breasts of 330 female volunteers using a slide rule and caliper. (Apparently breast science has not advanced past the slide-rule era.) Rouillon has emphasized that the volunteers, ages 18 to 35, didn't necessarily encompass the full range of breast diversity, and might not be representative of the global population.

However, the researchers found that the nipples of women who didn't wear bras lifted an average of 7 millimeters toward the shoulders in a year, and the breasts became firmer, according to The Connexion.

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We Are Femen, The Naked Shock Troops of Feminism

Femen is at war with a patriarchy that sees women as sex objects. What weapons do we have? Our bare breasts

You can hear us shouting "Fuck off, dictator!", "I'm not your sex toy!", or "Religion is slavery!" You can see our half-naked bodies facing Berlusconi, Putin or the Pope. You can feel how deep our anger is by looking in our eyes. We are feminism's shock troops, a spearhead unit of militants, a modern incarnation of the word fearless.

We are Femen. Our nakedness attacks the raw nerve of the historic conflict between women and "the system". We are nothing less than its most visual and fitting embodiment. Our activists' bodies represent undisguised hatred for the patriarchal order, and display the new aesthetics of a rejuvenated woman's revolution.

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Men's Bikini Wax Preference? NOT A Brazilian, Poll Finds

Raise your hand if you've ever gotten a bikini wax.

Now raise your hand if you've ever gotten a bikini wax simply because you thought that's what guys wanted.

If you've got that hand in the air, we've got some good news: That guy might not care as much about your bikini line as you thought. Or he does care, but a full-on Brazilian wax might not be necessary. A new study commissioned by hair removal company Nad's surveyed 1,000 men and found that their most preferred "look" was not a Brazilian, but rather "'trimmed and tidy' –- a well kept 'lady garden.'"

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Nudist Vollyball: nudistvolleyball.com

WELCOME to nudistvolleyball.com. We are dedicated to enhancing and promoting volleyball at family nudist resorts, beaches and clubs. We provide nudists/naturists with information on tournaments and places to play the game the way it should be played. This site celebrates the sport of nudist volleyball and is funded solely by those who love the sport. It is our hope that you can find a location to enjoy the same spirit and comradere that we have discovered.
Support and Sponsorship

Various clubs and private individuals have joined together to support and provide sponsorship funds in support of this effort. Any club or group providing sponsorship will receive prominent display for your yearly volleyball tournament. Your club or group is invited to join this effort. To learn more choose the How To Help link.

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Gymnophobia

Gymnophobia (from Greek γυμνός - gumnos, "naked" and φόβος - phobos, "fear") is a fear (phobia) of nudity. Gymnophobics experience anxiety from nudity, even if they realize their fear is irrational. They may worry about seeing others naked or being seen naked, or both. Their fear may stem from a general anxiety about sexuality, from a fear that they are physically inferior, or from a fear that their nakedness leaves them exposed and unprotected.

Gymnophobia should not be confused with avoidance or shunning of many forms of nudity on modesty or other rational or moral grounds. Many people avoid public nudity as well as nudity in private situations, and some have an aversion to nudity as an aspect of prudishness or body shame.

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Why Nudism is Good

Nudism is a wholesome, healthy lifestyle and there are innumerable reasons to be nude when you can. Being nude in a comfortable and relaxed situation is a serene and wonderful experience and offers the freedom to be happy, healthy, active, productive, sane, social, bold, unashamed, and truly alive. Social nudism is an interesting and effective way to communicate and bond with others. Nudity is relaxing and stress-relieving, which is healthy for the body and mind. Nudity also has other positive physical health benefits. Moderate exposure to sunlight increases Vitamin D intake and actually improves many aspects of skin health, discouraging fungal and bacterial infections. In fact, sunlight exposure is even sometimes prescribed for people with some skin diseases. Nudity allows more exposure and gets sunlight to body areas normally neglected.

One of the most compelling principles of nudism is the ideal of body acceptance. Mainstream society and mass media makes harsh judgments about and often discriminates against those who don’t match the unrealistic air-brushed and digitally enhanced ideal promoted by Madison Avenue. In the past women have born the brunt of being made to feel shame by not living up to these unrealistic ideals of the body, but now many younger men are also being made to feel insecure because they don’t match up to similar unrealistic ideals. Most nudists and naturists make you feel welcome no matter what you look like. Nudists have developed some very positive ideas about what nudity should be about and promote acceptance. This in turn helps many to develop a better self-image and improved body image.

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Laid-back beach, lost in time, in Zipolite, Mexico

It feels light years away from the areas of Mexico that tourists now avoid due to drug violence. Not only has the U.S. State Department spared Oaxaca from its travel warnings about Mexico, but Zipolite in particular seems lost in time, a place where visitors think nothing of leaving their belongings unattended on the beach and backpackers sleep in hammocks strung along the coast.

Zipolite also has a few claims to fame. The climactic beach scenes in the Mexican blockbuster movie "Y Tu Mama Tambien," were filmed here. And it's gained notoriety as one of Mexico's few nude beaches, although the majority of sunbathers remain clothed. (Farther east, past an outcropping of rocks is the cove known as "Playa de Amor" where nudity is more openly practiced.)

Mike Bolli, a retiree from Vancouver, Canada, says he has been visiting the area for the last 10 years without "accident, issue or injury."

"I have only ever met the nicest and friendliest eclectic mix of locals and visitors — it's a great throwback to the '60s," Bolli said. "So it's all good and safe from my viewpoint."

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Social Nudity: Nothing Is Better

Of course, it wasn’t such a big deal being among naked men; that happens in locker rooms all the time; but it was very different seeing a woman undress in mixed company. I was particularly struck by how casually a slim redhead removed her clothes while continuing her conversation with her husband, totally unconcerned about others — including me, a stranger — being present.

But those in the car were correct: Within five minutes, being among naked people of both sexes seemed just as natural as being among clothed people in any other setting. While I of course noticed the naked bodies, I was paying more attention to what they were saying and being impressed by the diversity of people there. For they were a diverse and interesting group, ranging from puzzle-makers to computer gurus, telephone executives to truck drivers, bankers to factory workers and nurses … and even a Baptist minister. I would discover that naturism fits everyone from fundamentalist Christians and conservative Catholics to atheists and agnostics. There is a spiritual element to being clad as we came into the world, feeling all the effects of heat, cold, wind, and rain.

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The "Labia Pride" Movement Is on the March

Rebelling against the porn aesthetic, women are taking to the Internet to sing the praises of "endowed" women.

Underneath a self-portrait snapped of the ruffly pink flesh in-between her legs, a woman writes, “I am 23 and so embarrassed of my labia that I still have never shown it to anyone — to a guy or even a doctor!” It’s a post submitted by an anonymous reader on the Tumblr “Large Labia Project.” The blog is filled with similar photos accompanied by tales of vulval shame. One woman writes of distress over the fact that her labia are lopsided. Another worries that she’s lost lovers in the past because “they all thought my vagina was weird.” There are concerns about taste and smell, too, but mostly vulva shape and size.

It’s just one of several new sites calling on women to bare all — to benefit womankind.

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Naturist Wreck Beach on CBC TV

How nudism works in Europe vs. America

I've been thinking about how men, and women, in Europe can see nude and topless people at the beach and not be sexual, unlike most Americans who think it's an invitation to sex.

I believe there is long tradition of intellectualism in Europe, unlike in the U.S. and this is why men, and women, there can see nudity in an intellectual way. Some might mistake that as them being gay, when in fact most are not gay. So if Americans can evolve to the level of people in Europe, we can be nudists like them and not see it as dirty, sexual, immoral, or corrupt. It's a change in mindset I think we are capable of.