Gymnos

There is a certain irony in the word gym, those modern day temples to calisthenic eye candy. For while it derives from the Greek word for naked (gymnos), fitness clubs today, like most public places, have strict rules about how much skin you can actually show. In fact, a friend of mine was once scolded by a club employee for wearing shorts without an adequate lining; apparently his genitals flopped around too much for her sensibilities.

But wouldn't it be great to go back to classical times, at least for a little while, and enjoy the kind of nude exercise that gave us this word to begin with?

That's the premise that I, and trusty photographer Andrew Adam Caldwell, decided to put to the test — in a very risky way. While a lot of porn movies are set in gyms or weight rooms, most are performed on a video set dressed up to look like a gym. Those that are filmed in real gyms are almost always shot when the gym is closed to the public and reserved only for the filmmakers.

Every inch
of my naked skin
and bouncing cock were
on display for anyone who
should happen to open the
door, or even peek in
the large windows.

In contrast, I took the personal challenge of stripping naked in an all-night gym (one with no attendant) when any of the regular patrons could have walked in and seen me lifting weights or otherwise exercising in the buff. Every inch of my naked skin and bouncing cock were on display for anyone who should happen to open the door, or even peek in the large windows.

As a kid, I used to find gyms, locker rooms, and public showers — even empty ones — so erotic I would get a boner just exploring them fully clothed, thinking of the communal nudity of the showers or the fit manly bodies that would rub shoulders as they went about their workouts. Now that I took the chance to get naked not just in the lockers, but the main gymnasium, I was so turned on I could barely finish a workout. I knew I had to get off right there in the gym.

Fortunately, no one caught me. Except, that is, on video. Now you can catch the whole thing in Nakedism's Video room. Just head over there and pop into Naked workout cinema. And to get in the spirit, maybe you should get naked, too.

Men of muscle

However common it is to give lip service to the relativistic nature of sex appeal or the diversity of body types to which people are attracted, the fact remains that the mass media (especially but not limited to adult entertainment) is rife with a particular idealized look that purports to be the very definition of seethingly hot sexual beauty.

That look, of course, consists of very low body fat, and for men a V-shaped torso with ripped, defined, muscles — the bigger, better.

Debate rages over the degree to which the media promotes and fetishizes a look or merely represents the zeitgeist of society's sexual desires. Whatever the case, most of us are affected by these images, and many of us strive to emulate them through diet and workout regimens or to attain them in our sexual partners.

In my own life, the daily struggle for a better body is never far from my mind. But despite my own limitations, I have been lucky enough to share intimacies with a few men of this same legendary beauty — impossibly built studs with jaw-dropping physiques and handsome faces. I learned very quickly that a great body is no predictor of great sex, a great personality, or pretty much anything else.

Still, I'm not complaining. In this week's true sex story, I look back on a day in which I was lucky enough to bone two serious muscle studs in one day. Despite the differences in the two men, it was a double helping of hotness any way you look at it. For the full scoop, go to our Stories department and check out the memoir I call Ordering In.

Naked in the city

Risk. There is no question that you are inviting the real possibility of problems when you choose to violate society's rules of covering up. Even just taking off your shirt in the wrong situation can get you anything from angry looks to being thrown out the door.

But to get naked in public — really naked, completely bare-assed — takes the danger to an higher level.

It's a chance I've taken a number of times now, heading out with a photographer or other friend to pose for photos or just act on a dare. Often we choose to minimize the risk by going out after dark or on a holiday when few people are around. But sometimes I've even gotten buck naked (without even shoes) in broad daylight.

One such adventure took place just over a year ago. Talented photographyer JayBee took me to several urban locations, including a strip mall, a Krispy Kremes drive-in, a power substation, and a synagogue. I was standing where any passerby could see my 6-foot 5-inch frame completely bare from head to toe.

The electrical substation was particularly scary, as it lay in the middle of a bend in the road. I could hear traffic in the distance but not see it well enough to judge how close it was getting. It was on a normally busy road and I was fucking nervous. (You can easily tell that from the photos!) But I wanted to push myself to take the risk. And to show in a hopefully artful way, that there is more than one way to generate electricity.

And now it's time to get naked again, figuratively, as we post the results of this photo safari in our photo set for February: Naked in the city. As you look at the photos, ask yourself this question: Would you dare do the same?

The long view

Have you ever admired someone from afar? Maybe it was someone at your workplace or the gym or the neighborhood watering hole. Someone who made your jaw drop and your mind go a little bit crazy with fantasies?

You know the kind I mean — the kind of guy who is so beautiful and perfect that you figure you don't stand a chance with him. Someone whose magnetism is so striking that you don't dare say hello to him, much less flirt or ask him out.

If not, well then you're probably just not as shy as the rest of us. You don't have to worry about the longing and the hoping and the wondering. You don't have to put up burden of wanting, whether it be from an aching heart or an aching hard-on. You're lucky.

But I'm lucky too. Because one such fantasy man finally came my way. Not after a few days or weeks or even months. But in a random, magic moment some twenty years after I first clapped eyes on his perfect face, eyes, and body.

In this week's true story, I recall the events of many years ago, the seed of desire that was planted, and the way it finally blossomed. If you're curious, head on over to our Stories section and read the memoir, The Twenty-year Seduction.

Get a new look for a new year

Anew year has begun, and such beginnings are a traditional time for making changes. You may already be well on the way to fulfilling — or ignoring — your own New Year's resolutions.

But here's a change you can make in just a few seconds: How about a new look for your computer screen's background? To help you out, Nakedism has published a series of new vistas in our Desktop Wallpaper department. You'll find echos of our recent Super Moon photo set, as well a study in window light to brighten your virtual desktop. Finally, we've included another in the ever popular theme of public nudity.

Check them out. Just head over to Wallpaper Downloads, click the link closest to your desktop size, and save the file on your system. Then apply it to your desktop.

A role in the hay

Of the bazillion fetishes one could name, a fairly common one is the attraction some guys have to those in a particular career or life role. Some straight men, for example, might have a fetish for flight attendants. Among gay men, you might find some attracted specifically to marines, construction workers, bartenders, or porn stars.

If you think about, many of these attractions make sense. On the one hand, marines and construction workers are the stereotypical apex of masculinity in our cultural lore. And on the other, bars and porn studios tend to hire only the finest of male specimens.

I don't have any such fetish myself. But without actually seeking it, I have gotten lucky with men from a number of different walks of life, including a truck driver, a couple of hot bartenders, and even a porn star or two.

In this week's True Stories section, I recall an encounter with one of Seattle's best looking and sexiest bartenders, a story I call Friday's harbor. Although we only had a few sex dates, I still recall them as among the best sex I have had. Maybe it will help you recall some fun times of your own.

Full-on moon

Our moon has an elliptical orbit, which causes it to draw closer to us on some occasions and move further away on others. When those close passes coincide with a full moon, the effect is called a super moon. Such a so-called perigee-syzygy makes for a slightly larger light to rule the night, and, perhaps, a little more lunar-inspired mischief.

So when such an event rolled around last March, it seemed like a good time for friend and photographer Andrew Adam Caldwell and I to go out and capture a few full moons of our own. Pedestrians and passers by were still pretty common at the relatively early hour of moonrise on America's west coast. Because of that, and the low spring temperatures, I was a little shy about getting completely naked at our main chosen location.

But the show must go on, and I tossed my shirt and dropped my pants repeatedly, mooning Andrew's camera for my art and for those who comment that I don't show enough butt shots.

For the results, turn to this month's photo set, Super Moon, and check out the examples of moonlit (and public) nudity, with a few doctored studio shots thrown in for good measure. And remember: This butt's for you.