Viral video imagines naked gaming parties

A video purporting to document a widespread craze of nude video gaming parties in New York City has received over 100,000 views on YouTube and has been reposted by a number of blogs. But far from being a genuine documentary, the titillating video is merely a viral marketing tool designed to promote Xtendplay, a video game accessory.

The video, titled Nude Gaming Party, is the brainchild of James Percelay and Michael Krivicka of the marketing agency Thinkmodo. The carefully scripted story included a mix of actors, friends of the creators, and extras recruited from a Young Naturists and Nudists America gathering.

As with most viral marketing, the idea is to fool viewers into thinking they are watching something other than a commercial. In fact, however, the video succeeded brilliantly in publicizing Xtendplay, whose Web traffic shot up 41% in one day.

Of course, YouTube videos of naked gamers are nothing new. It's pretty easy to find home productions showing naked young men playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero. But so far, large parties of naked gamers remains the figment of marketers' imaginations.

Vet students carry on naked calendar tradition

Veterinary students at New Zealand's Massey University have a tradition of nude modeling. For the sixth year in a row, third-year vet students will get naked for cameras for their annual "Barely There Calendar."

Although stratetic use of props and positions hide genitalia in the photos, the students are nevertheless completely naked with one another during the photo shoot itself.

It's a "little awkward," commented 21-year old Rosie Keen, one of the students who modeled for the project. "But once you get over the initial stage it turned out to be an awesome day."

The July-to-June calendar raises funds for a student vacation in the North Island's adventure capital of Taupo. In addition, 10% of the money raised will go to the local SPCA to protect animals from abuse and mistreatment.

Massey University, which attracts students from around the globe, is one of the few vet schools outside North America that has received American Veterinary Medical Association accreditation for their veterinary degree. Calendars can be purchased online at the VetCalendar.co.nz site.

Bridgeport man arrested for nude photo shoot

You can add Bridgeport, Connecticut, to the long list of cities where it's probably not a good idea to pose nude for photos on the roof of a parking garage.

Last Saturday, police there arrested 36-year-old Charles Kearse, of Peekskill, NY, and charged him with second-degree breach of peace for his public nudity. Police had been notified by witnesses that a white man with a camera had been chasing a black man across a parking garage roof.

The professional photographer, Israel Guibbory, said he was photographing Kearse, fully clothed, around Yale University, when he suggested Kearse pose on the roof of the Broad Street Garage. "I thought it was an unusually good location because you have the skyline of Bridgeport in the background," he told Connecticut Post.

Guibbory also claims he was completely surprised when Kearse stripped off all his clothes, which he stuffed in a duffel bag and handed to the photographer.

"It was really bad judgment on my part," said Guibbory. "I could have put an end to it, but I didn't because he was the client."

Kearse has been released on a promise to appear in state Superior Court for arraignment on June 3.


Note: Bottom photo is for illustration purposes only and does not depict the reported events.

The size of sex

I have dated men ranging from an entire foot shorter than me to those just about the same height. One of my shorter boyfriends used to run a step ahead of me when we came to our stairway. That way, he could turn around every few steps and hug and kiss me with our faces temporarily at the same height. Another short boyfriend used to say that everyone is the same height in bed. Meaning, of course, that the height difference didn't matter too much when we were both horizontal.

But there is something about dating a tall man — which is to say, dating someone closer to my own height. Not just because it's easier to converse in loud bars (where my ears aren't a foot above everyone's mouths for once) or the easier eye contact while dancing or standing. As I discovered when dating my friend Billy, that a lot of other things are possible. Such as the way our long, lean limbs could intertwine in sex and cuddling. Or the new sex positions that I seldom get to try on normal-sized guys.

I recall some of those hot times in this week's story, Hard Date's Night, found, of course, in our usual Stories department. Check it out: I hope it gives you a sense of what it's like for two redwoods to stretch their limbs and take it up to the root.

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."

Porn this way

Congressman Christopher Lee posted a stripped-to-the-waist photo on Craigslist, retired quarterback Brett Favre sexted photos of his genitals to a lady, and nude photos and videos have haunted (or ended) the careers of senior Liberian minister Willie Knuckles, Indonesian politician Yahya Zaini, and European Commission Vice President Gunter Verheugen.

All of which seems to confirm a trend noted by a recent Playboy magazine poll that finds more and more of us taking or posing for nude photos and videos.

According to the Playboy 2011 Sex Survey, 27 percent of men and 23 percent of women have been photographed or filmed nude. The survey also found that 15 percent of men and 9 percent of women have been photographed or filmed having sex.

Though nowhere near a majority, the numbers are still startlingly high, with one in four men have been photographed or filmed naked. Clearly, the fear of nudity that seems to pervade the American legal system does not stop people from wanting bare naked representations of themselves, although presumably most don't want those photos made public.

Nakedism hopes that, if accurate, the results point to a gradual body acceptance that will make its way into the public sphere.

New Nakedism wallpapers available for download

Three new jumbo images are now available for download in a variety of sizes at Nakedism's Wallpaper Downloads page. These pictures are designed for use as use as backgrounds for your computer desktop. But of course you can do anything you want with them — add them to as screen-saver slide show, print them out and fold them into gift cards, or laminate them for use as placemats. And hey, Father's Day is coming up! Maybe Dad would like a framed copy?

To access the new images, simply use your mouse to point to the Photos menu at the top of any page. From the drop-down menu, click on Wallpaper Downloads.

Once you’re at the Desktop Wallpaper page, you’ll see miniature versions of the currently available, with links for different sizes listed underneath. (Sizes show the dimensions in pixels.) Click the link for the size you want to open it in a new browser tab or window. Then use your browser’s save feature to save the image file to your computer.

Once you’ve saved an image, you can use it as a desktop background or wallpaper. Refer to the help system for your particular computer operating system for instructions.

New wallpaper files will be added in the future, so check back from time to time.

The Wallpaper Downloads are only available to registered members.

Idaho boy gets naked for a cause

It's rare for a lone individual to strip off in public in order to make a statement about clothing-free rights. It's even more rare when that individual is a young man of barely 20. And rarer still when he makes such a public display in the conservative state of Idaho.

But that's exactly what Jonathan Palmer did last Thursday in the 15th and Hill area of Boise's North End last Thursday evening. After receiving several calls from witnesses, police arrested the 20-year old for walking down the street completely naked.

But unlike many instances of public nudity, Palmer was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. On the contrary, the arresting officer, Lt. Kent Lipple, described Palmer as cooperative and articulate.

"He wanted to face his fear of being naked in public," Lipple said in a news report.

But Palmer's goal was much more than personal. He was out to help the public conquer its own fears as well. According to Lipple's report, Palmer told arresting officers, "I want the public to understand it's okay to see a naked man walk down the road."

Palmer was charged with public nudity, a misdemeanor.

National Masturbation Month: Give Yourself a Hand

Yes, you read that right: It's National Masturbation Month. Every May. All month long. At least in the United States.

NMM was started in 1995 by the San Francisco sex toy and education company, Good Vibrations. The previous year, America's first black Surgeon General, Jocelyn Elders had been forced to resign because of a single masturbation-affirming sentence she uttered in response to an audience question at a World AIDS Day speech.

In reaction, Good Vibrations began NMM to keep the focus on the issue, enhance public awareness, and to provide education and support for a simple, pleasurable, and healthy act.

A recent article by Examiner health columnist Jefferson Adams explains all this and goes on to point out that masturbation has a number of important health benefits for both men and women.

Nakedism joins Good Vibrations and others in promoting and supporting this enjoyable, healthy activity. Have you loved yourself today?

World Naked Gardening Day celebrates more than just a green thumb

In case you missed it, Saturday, May 14, was the seventh annual World Naked Gardening day. Begun in 2005 by Mark Storey, the event encourages people to do their usual gardening and yard work in the nude. Storey is a board member of the Naturist Action Committee and editor for Nude & Natural, the magazine of the Naturist Society. It's one of several ways naturists encourage acceptance of nudity and enjoyment of outdoor nude activity.

"Why garden naked?" asks the WNGD.org, the World Naked Gardening Day Web site. Because it's fun, it continues. "Moreover our culture needs to move toward a healthy sense of both body acceptance and our relation to the natural environment."

There are no rules for naked gardening. Wear gloves of whatever protective gear you need. Just enjoy the outdoors with as little clothing as possible.

Spying neighbors dig up dirt on naked gardener

ABritish naturist who likes to do his backyard gardening nude will stand trial next month on the charge of outraging public decency. The charges stem from complaints made not by his immediate neighbors, but from those living 150 meters away who filmed him from their balcony using a long-distance lens.

Currently out on bail, Donald Sprigg, 62, has pleaded not guilty and denies that his behavior causes "harassment, alarm or distress" to residents near his home in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Sprigg claims that he only does his weeding and digging naked when he knows his next-door neighbors are away. He further denies committing "indecent" acts in his yard.

According to his attorney, Mohammed Iqbal, the neighbors who complained "must have a very good lens to be able to film him at that distance. [Sprigg] is surprised they are able to see whether he is clothed or not from that distance away," he said in a story in the DailyMail.co.uk.

Iqbal goes on to say his client takes reasonable precautions to ensure that no one would see him or be offended.

Another news site, News.gather.com, defends Sprigg's action, saying he "has the right to do whatever he wishes on his own property. . . . One has to wonder if neighbors would be forming the same sort of complaints if Sprigg was a strapping young man in his 20s or 30s. Would they, instead simply be enjoying the view?"

Nakedism agrees. If anyone is at fault here, it seems that blame should perhaps fall on the complaining neighbors for intruding on Sprigg's relative privacy with their telephoto lens.

Hundreds go bare for UVM naked bike ride

Upholding a twice-yearly tradition, hundreds of naked students at the University of Vermont ran, walked, skated, and rode blocks through the school grounds to celebrate the end of the term.

Despite rainy weather and temperatures in the 40s, students thronged through a defined route doing laps around the University Heights section of the UVM campus at midnight on the last day of classes. Although called the Naked Bike Ride, most were on foot, with some on skateboards, skates, and shopping carts.

The festive event lasted about 40 minutes and included body painting, creative headgear, and a uncertain amount of intoxication.

After several incidents in 2008 involving groping and even assault, the university has taken steps to ensure safety at the event, erecting barricades to hold back spectators and adding extra campus police and private security guards. Student volunteers in special t-shirts also patrolled the area to keep the event safe and fun. Annual cost of these measures is estimated at $14,000.

According to the Burlington Free Press, students give a variety of reasons for the event, including stress relief, freedom, and "Why not?"

"It's UVM and we love to be naked," one student explained.

Note: Photo is from the university's 2004 ride.

I M Porn

The Stories section of Nakedism includes true tales of erotic happenings. But this week, we bring you a story that is true in another way. It is a true account of an actual instant messaging chat, including a verbatim transcript. But as you will see, my chat partner and I decided to weave a fantasy role-play story as we chatted. I got caught up in the spirit of the game and spun out a yarn that is pure fantasy.

If you're curious about what came to my pervy mind, check out Instant (messaging) porn in the True Stories section. And see if you enjoy the fictional phantasm I spun within a real conversation.

High school star athlete arrested for public nudity

Police in Naples, FL, arrested a 18-year old Robbie Anthony Rakoski for being naked with a half-naked female companion early Saturday morning. Police found the pair at Ninth Avenue South and Gulf Shore Boulevard just after 2:00 AM after a witness reported seeing them driving north.

According to arrest reports, police charged Rakowski with indecent exposure in public ($1,000 bond) as well as the more serious lewd and lascivious behavior with a victim less than 16 years old ($5,000 bond).

A star athlete at Lely High, Rakowski had already signed to play football at Concordia College in the fall.

When the story was reported on NaplesNews.com on the weekend, the post originally displayed several reader comments in support of Rakowski, noting that his age was not very different from his female companion and criticizing the arrest for relatively normal behavior so near a beach. Perhaps for legal reasons, the site has since removed all comments and disabled further commenting.

Unlike many reported cases of public nudity, there is no indication of any intoxication or drug use. Just simple nudity at a time of night when few would normally be around to be offended. Although Rakoski's companion was under age 16, she was apparently not much younger than him and there is no reported indication of coercion or fowl play.

Nakedism cannot help but wonder what possible public value is achieved by criminalizing such simple, arguably wholesome, behavior.

Note: Photo is for illustration purposes only and does not depict the reported events.

Police stun and arrest nude runner

Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon came to a painful end for one runner, who was tased and arrested while trying to complete the race in the nude.

According to Associated Press reports, police saw 35-year-old Brett Henderson of St. Paris, Ohio, running naked through downtown Cincinnati, and ordered him to stop and get in a police car. When Henderson refused, police stunned him with a taser and arrested him.

But according to the nude runner's mother, Lee, Henderson didn't set out to run naked. She says her son had borrowed a pair of running shorts from his father, but they kept slipping down as he ran. So he chose to finish the race he had trained for, even if it meant running completely bare.

In later interviews, Henderson confirmed his mother's stories and told reporters that runners have a kind of "show must go on" attitude.

"I've run in marathons all over the country, and I think I know the running culture pretty well, and I know that anything goes on race day," Henderson told the Urbana Daily Citizen. "This is something that happens and is tolerated in the running culture.... In fact, running naked was encouraged in a marathon I ran in San Francisco, so I don't know why this was such a big deal."

After drawstring problems forced him to abandon his shorts, Henderson tried tying his tank top around his waist, but that didn't work either. "All the other runners were supportive and kept encouraging me to continue, so I was running naked," he explained.

Henderson has pleaded not guilty to charges of public indecency and obstructing official business. His trial has been set for May 13, two days before San Francisco's Bay to Breakers, a 12K race in which people routinely run naked without fear of getting stunned.

Too bad for Henderson that Ohio isn't a little more like Northern California.

Note: Photo is for illustration purposes only and does not depict the reported events.

Australia holds Nude Olympics

The Noosa National Park in Queensland, Australia, was the site of last weekend's Nude Olympics. Over 500 competitors stripped down to bare skin in order to engage one another in tug of war, marathons, and beach sprints.

But the annual event wasn't all traditional sports. Among the other competitions were the "best bum", conga lines, and egg throwing.

According to organizers, emphasis is less on winning medals and more on having fun and enjoying camaraderie. Naked camaraderie, of course.

Noosa National Park is 130km north of Brisbane.

Barcelona bans public nudity

If you were planning on visiting Barcelona to enjoy the freedom of public nudity, you may want to change your itinerary. Recently, city officials banned nudity and "near nudity" in the city center, imposing a fine on violators.

Lawmakers, backed by the tourism business leaders and the local Catalan newspaper El Periodico, are trying to promote a less carefree look within city areas, expecting people to put on more clothes when they leave the beaches and enter the urban center.

For many years, Barcelona treated public nudity as an issue of personal freedom. But now concerns for tourists interests and the sensibilities of the local populace have led to a change in regulations.

According to a deputy mayor interviewed by the New York Times, the law is less about banning nudity than it is about appropriate attire at museums and churches, where people sometimes wear the same minimal clothing as on the beach.

But that's small comfort to nudists like Jacint Ribas, who routinely rides his bicycle through the city wearing nothing more than a smile. "This is nudaphobia," says Ribas, who is also chairman of the Association for the Defense of Nakedness. Ribas was quoted earlier this year in an article in El País. "Elections are coming up," he adds, "so we got it in the neck."

The new law may bring an end to sightings of the infamous tattooed (and hung) nudist (seen at the Aurel Manea Photography site), naked tourists like the one seen in the photo above, or certain YouTube videos.

Dr. Phil "naked man" lawsuit moves forward

A hearing date has been set in a lawsuit against TV therapist "Dr. Phil" McGraw and CBS over an incident in which a naked man confronted plaintiffs in a reality-style TV show. In 2007, Shirley Rae Dieu of Irvine, California, and Crystal Matchett of Michigan were among six guests at "The Dr. Phil House," for a CBS Television program. The group was there to work through issues of personal interaction while cameras and microphones recorded the events. On the third night, the participants were told to expect a special guest. According to reports, the guest was a completely naked man who showed up at the front door.

"As a naked man ran into the house, I was in shock and total disbelief of what was happening, feeling violated and disgusted," Matchett said in court documents. "I heard... Dieu scream, 'How dare you' while covering her eyes and running into the bedroom."

The two women are suing for unspecified monetary damages, charging fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The women said they expected to receive counseling as part of the show and now say they were misled. The cases were originally brought separately, but have since been combined into a single suit.

Attorneys for CBS and "Dr. Phil" McGraw point out that all the program's participants signed liability waivers. The attorneys are calling for a dismissal on free-speech grounds. However, in January, a three-judge appellate court ruled that the case can move forward. Last week, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Fahey scheduled a hearing for July.

That our culture
has programmed
anyone to feel
threatened by a
naked body is
nothing short
of appalling.

Whether or not the women and other guests were deceived in a fraudulent manner is something for the courts to decide. However, Nakedism cannot help but note that there is something profoundly wrong with a society in which seeing another human body in its natural state of undress is cause for emotional distress. Humans claim to be the most evolved and intelligent of species, but still end up expressing shock over things that other animals just take in stride.

Of course, humans have to contend with culture. It's pretty safe to say that those who grew up in a naturist culture ever complained of being traumatized by seeing one another naked. Unfortunately, that enlightening experience is foreign to most people. That society has programmed women (or anyone) to feel threatened by the appearance of a naked body is nothing short of appalling. It's biology, people. Get over it.

According to an attorney for CBS and McGraw, the naked guest was intended to challenge the tolerance of the participants. Looks like they got their wish.

Note: Photo is for illustration purposes only and does not depict the reported events.

Peen, trains, and automobile

For years I had no qualms about strolling through San Francisco's gay street fairs completely naked but for a pair of boots. After all, the streets were cordoned off to make a private, adults-only space, and other people were doing the same thing. The next step in my nakedist evolution was to walk through SF's Castro neighborhood naked with no particular event to justify my exposure.

But for a long time, I was loathe to expose myself much around my home town of Seattle. What if someone sees me!? I thought.

Recently I broke even that barrier. The first major exposure was at a World Naked Bike Ride event, safely surrounded by other nudists. But a few months ago, I went with photographer friend JayBee to pose naked outside at various public locations without the moral support of anyone else.

True, we chose a holiday when businesses were closed. But it was still mid morning, and there were plenty of cars and pedestrians (which we did our best to avoid). I walked down city streets, stopped by a gas station, waited at bus stops, and wandered around train tracks as naked as the day I was born. It was nervous-making, sure. But also very liberating. Which is what, I think, a nudist life should be.

So head over to the Photo Sets collections, and check out Clothes-free Commute, our meditation of imagination on what it might be like to get to work or other destinations without the encumbrance of fabric.