Get naked! American nudists celebrate summer au naturel

Sorry I was late posting this, but it goes on all summer National Nude Week is the kickoff date. So drop the duds, and visit a nudist facility in your area. DO YOU DARE TO GO BARE? As Americans across the country take off for the holiday weekend, a select group will be going even farther. They’ll be taking it all off. National Nude Recreation Week kicks off with a metaphorical bang July 4, and nudists are inviting all of America to doff the duds, slap on the SPF 30 and join them for a skinny dip, a hike au naturel or an outdoor frolic in their birthday suits. “We’d like everyone to know how much better off we’d all be if everyone knew the physical, spiritual and emotional benefits of nudism,” says Dr. Gerry Goodenough, a Corona, Calif., nudist. “The constricting emotional doors all drop away, and pretty soon we’re all playing like little kids again.” Well, like naked little kids again. “If people would only try it once, I think they’ll see the joys of being naked outdoors,” says Carolyn Hawkins, spokesperson for the American Association for Nude Recreation in Kissimmee, Fla. “During Nude Recreation Week, most clubs open the doors for free and let people come in and see how much wholesome fun nude recreation can be.” Get naked! American nudists celebrate summer au naturel

Get Naked: It’s Good for Your Brain

According to The Heath Freedom Alliance and H + Magazine, going naked is good for the brain

Going naked is good for the brain

Denmark's Naked Run (Nøgenløb)

As some of my Second Life friends know, I greatly admire and respect the Danes for a number of reasons.  They certainly seem to have a healthier altitude towards nudity than a lot of other western cultures and one example of this is the Roskilde Festival Naked Run (Nøgenløb på Roskilde Festival).  The festival, held in late June of every year features a sponsored naked run as these photos, taken from the Danish tabloid Local Eyes, show.

 

You can see the videos on the Local Eyes site as well as Vimeo

                     Roskilde 2013 naked-run from F U T U R E on Vimeo.

Body Image: watch your posture

There is a wealth of advice out there about body acceptance and how nudity can work to overcome what one perceives as their poor body image.  Photographer Gracie Hagen has added a new dimension to this in a photo series that she describes as "made to tackle the supposed norms of what we think our bodies are supposed to look like". 

Her main emphasis appears to be between real bodies and the media illusion which involved angles, lighting and photo editing. Her series shows the subject in an ideal pose and in an unflattering one.

According to the photographer, "Celebrate your shapes, sizes & the odd contortions your body can get itself into. The human body is a weird & beautiful thing."

You can see the rest of her images at Illusions of the Body - Gracie Hagen

Mormon Women Bare

"Through photography and personal narratives, women are seen as beautiful, flawed, vulnerable and real. Women of different shapes, sizes, and ages demonstrate that bodies need not bring shame but can be owned, celebrated, and honored."

Once again, I stumbled upon something interesting and powerful... a photographic exhibit by Katrina Barker Anderson called Mormon Women Bare.  Included is each woman's own words how they feel about their bodies. Culture, religion, media,  even the men in their lives, all play a role in the expectations women create for themselves...how we think, how we dress, how we act. I'm not a Mormon, but I am a woman and this exhibit spoke to me. See the rest of the photographs here.