Breastfeeding article should help open people’s minds

Breastfeeding is a wonderful way to feed your child, and is recommended by most pediatricians and health experts. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding exclusively for a minimum of six months (up to one year), and the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding up to two years.

Mothers should not feel guilty about the method they choose to feed their child (bottle or breast). Breastfeeding is not dirty or shameful.

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The Caribbean's Best Nude Beaches

Given the right mix of sun, sand and solitude, impromptu skinny-dipping can happen (and does) most anywhere in the Caribbean.

But going full monty on a whim can be a dicey proposition in these parts. Most Caribbean islands are devotedly conservative, and public nudity is frowned upon – if not downright illegal. Fortunately, however, textile-averse travelers have a few options. In addition to a variety of clothing-optional resorts, the region has a handful of exquisite public beaches where the uninhibited can freely – and lawfully – pursue the perfect tan.

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Host of Jeopardy Alex Trebek Sleeps in the Nude

So you've heard about Alex Trebek chasing a burglar in a San Francisco hotel early Tuesday morning, right?

He will have surgery tomorrow because he snapped his Achilles tendon and injured his other leg in his daring take-down.

But what's capturing everyone's imagination is Trebek's description of what happened. "I woke up and saw a figure in our hotel bedroom and I thought I was dreaming," Trebek says.

"And I realized immediately someone had been in the room. I put on my underwear and ran down the hall to see if I could find her."

Said Matt Lauer in a random moment on Today this morning: "Alex Trebek sleeps in the nude?"

Comment: Indeed he does, and there is nothing wrong with that.

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Are You a Nudist and Don't Know it?

Have you ever been skinny dipping, even as a child? Have you ever undone your top to get a better tan in the backyard or on the beach, even if you were careful to lay on your stomach the whole time? Are you able to stand in front of a mirror after a shower completely nude while you shave or fix your hair? (There are some who even feel the need to cover up even when they're alone!)

If you are one of those "closet nudists" then you may be on your way to a life of true freedom. Being free of clothing can also free your spirit. Most true Nudists I know seem to share this thought more than any other when asked why they came to the lifestyle and stayed in it all these years.

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Video: World Naked Bike Ride

G4 TVs segment on the World Naked Bike Ride. Sara Jean Underwood is a cohost and is from Oregon where this takes place. She doesn't get naked, but close enough.

From Bashful to Brazen: The Indiscreet Breastfeeder's Manifesto

• I will nurse my child anytime, anywhere, no matter who is present or what I am wearing.
• I will bare my breast with pride and confidence.
• I will not apologize for nourishing and nurturing my child.
• I will not smother my child with a napkin or blanket.
• I will smile at everyone around me and ignore rude stares.
• I will know that I am giving my child the perfect infant food from the most efficient, ecological, and economical delivery system.
• I will know that I am giving my child the healthy start that is his or her birthright.
• I will set an example for women and girls, educate the public, dispel breastfeeding myths, desexualize the breast, and make the world a better place, all through the simple act of feeding my child. 

Read full article on Mothering.com

Where in North America Would You Like to See a Nude Beach?

Clothing optional vacations are becoming increasingly more popular every year. Nearly one out of every two people surveyed by TripAdvisor last year said they were willing to go au naturel on a nude cruise or at a nudist resort or nude beach.

The TripAdvisor survey also included the top 10 nude beaches recommended by members, including popular nudist spots like Black’s Beach in San Diego and Haulover Beach in Miami, plus eight more in  and outside of North America.

We want to know: Where in North America would you like to see a nude beach? Tell us your 3 favorite cities or vacation areas.

See results here

Women's topless court victory 20 years later

"The whole point is we have the right to divest ourselves of our tops.… It's not a moral issue. It's a civil rights issue," said Williams. "If a woman is hot and wants to enjoy the sun all over, why is it that she can't, while a man, who may have larger mammary glands, can?"

Williams, a retired teacher, said she occasionally goes topless "and no one blinks an eye" in Vancouver, where the practice has also been accepted after a court fight.

"Canada needs to grow up like our European brethren. There are enough oppressive laws and social mores that restrict our freedoms," she said.

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The naked truth is, we're used to public nudity

In advertising, in entertainment, on Facebook, at the mall, for better or worse, skin is in.

"Nudity doesn't have the shock value," said Gary Moore, who has owned the Whispering Oaks Nudist Resort in Oxford for 33 years. He has been a nudist for 50 years and told me during our phone conversation that he was naked.

"At one time, nobody would say they were a nudist. Nowadays everyone says. Who cares? You don't have a social stigma to it that one time it did have. The world has gotten a little more modern in their thinking. In the old days, reporters would call up and they'd ask silly questions and they'd chuckle-chuckle-chuckle, hee-hee-hee. You don't find that much any more."

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Zappos uses nude models to sell you clothes

Zappos made its name online by selling shoes, but now it's branching out into other apparel. And it's using naked women to do it.

The company just kicked off a new campaign featuring nude (except for the shoes) models hailing a cab, riding a scooter and, in the one above, running.

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Nudism helped me to love my body at last

I pondered for a moment before heading towards two sun loungers by the pool, then said: ‘I think we should take our clothes off.’

Though nervous, I didn’t feel uncomfortable. Slowly, I slipped out of my clothes, and for one nerve-racking minute while I stood nude, I looked at others’ faces to see if they were laughing at my wobbly bits.

To my surprise, not a soul even so much as glanced my way.

‘Your turn,’ I said to Joe. His eyebrows raised, a grin crossed his face as he stripped off, too.

We arranged our towels before laying down and enjoying the sun. I felt an intoxicating rush of freedom. The sunshine on my bare skin was too delicious for words.

For so many years, I’d worried about what others thought of me. I suddenly realised what a huge waste of time that had been.

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Do Canadians have the right to be naked?

Ordering a double-double in your birthday suit would likely get you arrested under Canadian law – but that could change, if an Ontario man gets his way.

Brian Coldin, a self-described nudist, is fighting criminal charges after being naked at a Tim Hortons and A&W in Bracebridge, Ont. He will appear in court on Tuesday to argue that public nudity should no longer be a criminal offence, according to The Canadian Press.

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USA Today Travel

Do you think women should go topless at the beach?

In a beach etiquette survey of about 1,100 U.S. travelers by TripAdvisor, released this morning, 78% of respondents think toplessness is OK in destinations where it's culturally acceptable. That certainly goes against the stereotype of Americans as being prudish when it comes to public nudity.

The survey also found that 6% say "European" sunbathing is acceptable at any beach or pool.

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Heidi Klum: "You're never too old to sunbathe topless"

But the 38-year-old mum-of-four has revealed that she's got no intention of covering up and will continue to sunbathe topless as she gets older.

"I love tanning my body and I don't love tan lines necessarily," Heidi told US website PopEater.

"I don't think too much about what other people think or if they think this woman is too old to wear just a bikini or a bikini bottom.

"I come from Europe so I'm not American. I grew up with men wearing Speedos on the beach and topless women on the beach at any age."

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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?