Planking gets naked

Planking — the fad in which individuals pose for photos lying face down in a variety of locations, their bodies held in a straight line like a plank — appears to have entered a new phase: Naked planking.

The planking fad itself is thought to have begun earlier this year. But recently, more participants in the activity have begun posting photos of themselves planking nude. The photo blog "Nude Straight Guys" recently posted several examples of Naked Planking (some of them not quite nude, however).

In addition, there are now one or more Facebook pages devoted to Naked Planking.

Recently an man from Australia (thought to be the place of origin for the term planking) made headlines by stripping naked and posing in the arms of "Eliza," a statue of a swimmer that stands in the Swan River near Perth.

"I nearly
lost my nerve
when I realised just
how many people were
going to witness what
I was about
to do."

"I wanted to show people that extreme planking doesn't necessarily have to involve danger to yourself - that there are other ways to push the envelope without putting yourself in harm’s way," he is quoted as saying.

The man, Simon "Spuddy" Carville, swam up to the statue, climbed up, threw his shorts in the river, and then posed while a friend took the photo. Then he leaped back into the river to retrieve his shorts before coming ashore.

"There were pedestrians, runners, cyclists, and pretty heavy traffic coming down Mounts Bay Rd, so I nearly lost my nerve when I realised just how many people were going to witness what I was about to do," he commented.

Carville has reportedly received an overwhelming supportive response via Web sites, social media, and text messages.

"My mum recognised me straight away and texted me. My folks are pretty easy going, and they know me well enough to not be mortified by something like this."