That Old Nude vs. Sex Thing

By Steve Jacobson

Assuming that most people who read this blog are nudists, this may be preaching to the choir, but even within the nudist lifestyle there are a lot of people who cannot separate the idea of being nude with the sexual act. Going from club to club, it’s truly amazing the different attitudes concerning what is sexual and what is not.

There are clubs that will not allow anyone to hold hands while being nude. There are clubs that will not allow tattoos or piercings for fear of being too sexual. At some clubs you cannot repeat an “off color” joke, no matter how funny it is. Then there are clubs that require clothing to be worn while dancing. And, of course, there are clubs that promote themselves as sexually open and have no problem with overt sexual activities. Yes, there is a third type of club that has found that balance between being overt sexually or scared to show any sexuality. The fact that you have these three different types of clubs makes it more confusing to separate the idea between being nude and having sex.

Talk to most anyone who is not a nudist and they will automatically assume that there are some sort of sexual implications associated with being a nudist. Some nudists go overboard trying to deny any sexuality with nudism. Hey folks, we are human and in being so, we are sexual in nature. The fact we are nudist has nothing to do with our natural sexual drive and enjoyment. As nudists, we may be better at controlling any overt sexual advances being more aware of what is appropriate and what is not.

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Scientists May Have Found Humankind's Original Addiction

In studying how ultraviolet radiation affects skin, scientists may have stumbled across humankind's original addiction: sunlight.

A new study in the journal Cell shows that UV radiation, even in modest amounts, prompts production of the "feel-good" hormone beta-endorphin that numbs mice to pain. When scientists blocked beta-endorphin with the drug Naloxone (used to combat heroin overdoses in hospital emergency rooms), UV-exposed mice experienced withdrawal symptoms: shaking, teeth-chattering and jumpiness.

It's the first time scientists have thoroughly mapped out the pathway in mice from UV exposure, to rising beta-endorphin levels in the blood, to physical dependence on sunlight. The findings add to a field of research that examines extreme tanning as a possible addiction in humans, and could explain why people love to sunbathe -- even though it's clear that UV rays damage skin cells, age skin prematurely and cause skin cancer.

In addition, the findings could pave the way for more research on battling opiate addiction in general, since beta-endorphins are opioids -- our body's own natural version of opiate-like drugs.

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Model Natalia Vodianova Instagrams Stunning Breastfeeding Photo

Blogger Mama Bean recently addressed the question many breastfeeders have heard before, "Do we really need to see it?"

To that question, she says, "Yes... because if we continue to treat it as a secret art form, reserved for private rooms and hushed conversations, it will remain a taboo. It will become lost in the passage of time, further misunderstood and out of reach for future mothers."

Her declaration makes it all the more refreshing to see a supermodel sharing a breastfeeding photo on Instagram.

Natalia Vodianova, a Russian model notable for her work with Calvin Klein, released the first photo of her son, Maxim, who was born in early May. Unsurprisingly, it is a beautiful moment between mother and baby.

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Rihanna’s practically naked dress: Why it might be one of the most powerful feminist statements the pop world has made to date

The world’s media are still talking about Rihanna and her ‘scandalous’ near-naked dress this morning.

How very dare a woman turn up to an awards ceremony looking so brazenly intimidating, the press cried? How could she possibly eschew society’s norms of how a woman should dress at such an event and look so defiantly sexy? Why isn’t she wearing a bra?

“The naughty outfit left nothing to the imagination,” wrote one publication, adding that “one wonders what Anna Wintour [another show guest and the editor of US Vogue] thought” of the attire.

“Rude girl Rihanna is trend-setter, but let’s not copy this one girls,” bemoaned another.

But few British newspapers and their online counterparts went as far as to boycott the image and not publish it at all, despite seemingly taking the ‘moral high ground’. Whether they agree with the shimmering statement or not, Rihanna succeeded in shocking everyone – which is probably exactly what she wanted.

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