Nudes in the news

[Peter S]

It's like characters on the radio. Those of whom I've eventually seen photographs look nothing like them!

[BlueTrain]

My photographs look somewhat like me on a good day. I haven't been able to figure out how to post a photo yet, though.

Mention of other members prompted me to look at the membership list. Only a handful have made very many posts and it looks like the majority of members have not made any posts at all, curiously.

[Peter S]

Australia leads the way it seems


https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/wtf/why-millennials-keep-getting-naked-in-public/news-story/c037f37c6f0d83808b584e0e78b82750

[Greenbare Woods]

Australia leads the way it seems


https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/wtf/why-millennials-keep-getting-naked-in-public/news-story/c037f37c6f0d83808b584e0e78b82750

Hooray for the AU millennials.   Acceptance of nudity on Internet is the culture they have grown up with.  Now they accept it in real life. 

[John P]

Australia leads the way it seems


https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/wtf/why-millennials-keep-getting-naked-in-public/news-story/c037f37c6f0d83808b584e0e78b82750

I'm afraid that article is reporting events on the distant planet where most naturists are female, and young.

[BlueTrain]

Well, that's Australia for you. Just like California. I've been to California and I know! I've been to Oklahoma, too.

[HillwalkerDundee]

I do love the US view of small Government and freedom from Government. Well, I dont really as it can be the only safety net some people have. I do like the self reliance bit. I am all for taxes and benefits but would hate to be the recipient.

In the UK we do have the National Health Service which is generally free at the point of need. I dont think anyone would go back to the bad old days.

Definitely a case of thread drift

[BlueTrain]

Nude definitely make the news, no doubt about it. The thing is, some are negative, as in notices in the weekly crime reports in the paper. A few are neutral, as in the incidental mention of a clothing-optional beach in the travel section. And a few are positive, although unfortunately,  sometimes written for the humorous effect. One article that I recall, but I don't remember where, was about childhood nudity, that is, pre-school age children being nude in the home. Overall, it sort of averages out. Outside of nudist publications, though, I don't recall any that urged general nudity.

[nuduke]

There has been a very nudist positive programme on UK Channel 4 called Naked Beach.  Here's a link but I doubt the US contingent will be able to view it.  You may do better with this one
Basically 2 psychologists who believe that people can be 'cured' of their serious negative body image hang ups by being 'exposed' in all senses to a group of naked people who were far from perfect but with no body problems.  They shipped the nudists and the body negative candidates for the cure off to a Greek resort for a week where the body positive group were naked throughout and the phobics were gradually coaxed to get naked on the beach at the end of the week.  The nudies helped the phobics over their fear and loathing of their body.  It seemed to work - the phobics said they felt better about themselves at the end of the week (but wouldn't you if you got an all expenses paid holiday on a sunny Greek island!).  Nobody was over 30 it seemed.


It was the usual sensation seeking stuff and a tad on the prurient side as close ups above the chest and pixellation were rife.  The naked body-confidents in fact often had a lot of body paint and brief thongs to cover their lower bits.  So not so naked after all. I think this is because the programme was screened at 8pm before the notional 'watershed' of 9pm before which programmes with an adult theme or sexual connotations are not shown.  This one was obviously targeted at a family audience hence the on screen/on body censorship. However, amongst all of the mainstream TV programmes or news reports that I have seen in many a year, this one was promulgating the benefits of nakedness in a positive and un-hysterical way.  Mind you, the theme was a cure for unnatural embarrassement about one's body, but nevertheless one of the best adverts for naturism - or rather for being naked - I've encountered in the media lately.


Now why, I ask, are some parts of the body pixelated and others not?  Pubic regions and female nipples are pixelated presumably because they are the secondary sexual characteristics and may shock or provoke inappropriate intumescences in the groinular regions or shock and horror for the sensitive and impressionable.  This aspect was the most prejudiced and ill thought out.  Why didn't they pixelate everything?  One of the body confident nudies had only one arm.  The limb-excised shoulder might have shocked some.  One lady had operation scar blemishes.  Several of them had fat arses (I use this latter term only for hyperbolic rhetorical emphasis and auxesis by juxtaposition rather than any prejudice against the corpulent.  Perish the thought ).  Who's to judge?  The programme makers obviously do.  Pectoral muscles and buttocks are also secondary sexual characteristics.  Why were these things never censored?
Dual standards indeed when another CH4 programme 'Naked Attraction', which is simply there for titillation, shows fully naked people and indeed close ups of their genitalia and other regions albeit at 10pm.  Naked Attraction is also a good advert for nakedness really as it treats the exposed body very matter of factly with one contestant selecting a date from half a dozen contestants who are naked and their bodies gradually revealed feet upwards, stopping at key regions so that the choosing contestant can remark on each 'feature' (e.g. "No 3 nice size of boobs", "I don't like bushy pubes so I'll reject No4", "I go for tattoos", "I like multiple piercings" etc etc) and eliminate the contestants they don't like until the last 2 whence the chooser gets naked and the 2 contestants make complimentary or otherwise remarks about the other.  Eventually the chooser chooses one contestant for a date and then they go out for a date fully clothed. Having got the physical body stuff out of the way the premise is that they can strike a relationship more easily when they get to know each others' characters. Oh yeah, tell me about it!  
I have only watched it a couple of times but I do appreciate a show that treats nakedness in a real, open minded and useful way and not a subject for derision, humour or ridicule.


John

[ric]

i saw the naked beach thing last week, all in all it was a pretty good program,  though i noticed the thongs on the "naked people", sometimes a bit difficult on the body painted females,  i cant say i actually noticed any pixillation, perhaps all the lurid body paint hid it?.

[jbeegoode]

I therapist in this state would be hard pressed to stay licensed without a TV network to broadcast this process. But it works, doesn't it? The body image difficulties will go away. They no longer have to live afraid, or have something to hide. This is why many people get into social nudity. It is therapy. It is a safe place to be oneself.
Jbee

[Greenbare Woods]

I found this photo on Facebook.  It shows a naked homeless guy standing on a city street pissing into the gutter.   San Francisco is getting a reputation for shit on its sidewalks, but pee is not as much of a health problem.  It would also appear that the SF police are becoming tolerant of nudity among the homeless.  Maybe they will become more tolerant of nudity in general.   Anyway, here's the picture.

[BlueTrain]

I have the impression from this thread (skipping over the previous post) and from other forums that people have different ideas about what the current, meaning younger, generation really thinks about nudity. The assertion in this thread is that younger people are more comfortable with the idea while someone on a different forum is constantly claiming that kids today are "bashful," although I think he is usually referring to boys. My opinion is that they are simply not like we were when we were kids and nothing more. We certainly weren't like our parents when they were kids (probably).

One of my wife's students in fifth grade a couple of years ago was discovered to have sent nude photos of herself to someone else. I don't know how it was discovered but supposedly it didn't happen at school. The whole thing managed to avoid being a big deal, fortunately for everyone involved. That is surprising, too, since overreaction to a trivial incident seems to be routine these days, or perhaps it's only over-reporting instead. Anyhow, that young girl was anything but bashful. Her class was quite varied in national origin and she frequently remarked at the differences in certain behavior among different cultures. The kids did not yet separate themselves into different groups by ethnic origin, understand, but supposedly that happens in the upper grades.

Well, at any rate, I doubt that many of us really have much of a realistic idea of what others think, especially for different age groups and for people in other parts of the country. I suspect that many of our opinions of current thinking is, may be more in the nature of wishful thinking than anything else. Our reasoning is that "we think this, therefore they think this, too." Both our real life associations and our virtual associations (such as this forum) merely reinforces that because of how we choose our associations.

Doesn't much matter anyway.

[jbeegoode]

I found this photo on Facebook.  It shows a naked homeless guy standing on a city street pissing into the gutter.   San Francisco is getting a reputation for shit on its sidewalks, but pee is not as much of a health problem.  It would also appear that the SF police are becoming tolerant of nudity among the homeless.  Maybe they will become more tolerant of nudity in general.   Anyway, here's the picture.

"Them that don't know him won't like him and them that do
Sometimes won't know how to take him
He ain't wrong, he's just different but his pride won't let him
Do things to make you think he's right."
Waylon and Willie

I'd say that the poor fellow has misplaced one of his shoes. Why make fun of a guy standing there trying to remember where his missing shoe might be, or the obvious question, "Should I just take the one I've got off?
Jbee

[Greenbare Woods]

"Them that don't know him won't like him and them that do
Sometimes won't know how to take him
He ain't wrong, he's just different but his pride won't let him
Do things to make you think he's right."
Waylon and Willie

I'd say that the poor fellow has misplaced one of his shoes. Why make fun of a guy standing there trying to remember where his missing shoe might be, or the obvious question, "Should I just take the one I've got off?
Jbee

Waylon and Willie have long been favorites of mine.

This guy is not the model citizen, but its interesting that the cop tolerates his nudity (and body function) in the city.   The more people are seen naked, all  people, in all situations, the more common and acceptable it becomes to see naked people.