Bare in the bar

Wouldn't it be great if there was a place where people could get naked in public anytime they want? Sure, there are places like that in Europe. But in the uptight western hemisphere, such locations are harder to find.

But one state in the U.S. has a constitution that protects free expression, and with it a fair amount of public nudity. As long as you are only nude and not being "indecent," you're free to be naked pretty much anywhere. That state is Oregon.

In Portland, I have seen a woman ride a bicycle down the street completely nude. And every Thursday night for years, the Eagle bar has had Bear Naked Billiards, a time when anyone can play pool clothes free. For that matter, they don't mind if you're naked in the bar ever — as long as you behave yourself.

(Sadly, a man was convicted of indecency in Corvalis, OR, last year for riding his bike naked. The jury believed police who said the man admitted he enjoyed his nudity for sexual excitement, even though he denied the statement in court.)

Although I don't get to Portland as often as I like, I definitely drop trou anytime I'm in the Eagle. The first time I was there, I also met a couple of hot young guys who were likewise enjoying a little billiards in the buff. Sadly, that is a stark difference from other cities and their uptight attitudes.

This week I chronicle some of those differences from an erotic point of view in our True Stories department. For all the arousing details, head on over and check out the memoir, Bare Naked Bar Room.

Shadow dancing

Buster Sly (often just "Sly" to his friends) is beautiful and sexy man, besides being a talented and versatile performer both on and off the adult video screen. I was lucky to make his acquaintance a few years back, and luckier still to have him join me for a Nakedism video and photo shoot last autumn.

It was a hot session, and Nakedism chief photographer Andrew Adam Caldwell captured many eye-catching and mouth-watering images that day. I hope to post more of them in the future. But this first set focuses on Andy's artistry at working not only with models but also the shadows they cast.

Why care about shadows? Perhaps because less is more: Shadows always suggest more than they show. Body shadows can be beautiful yet cryptic, erotic but not explicit.

Shadows also provide a haunting symbol of sex itself: These ephemeral shapes not only mirror the naked bodies who cast them, but serve as a metaphor for the passionate acts they imply — simple, dark, and fleeting, but also compelling, entertaining, and fun.

Decide for yourself as you click through this month's photo set, Shadow play, now open for your viewing pleasure.

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.