[Links] True Blog Stories

[krashcdm]

Some of you may know the Tour D'Afrique, a long bicycle trek across Africa. There's a tradition where cyclists (males & females, but separately) go nude for a mile in Namibia. About 10 years ago we had some epic pictures and reports from this event, including a group of 13 women who ended up spending the whole day riding in the nude, even stopping at a roadside motel (still fully naked) for drinks and skinny dipping in the pool.

Well, there hasn't been anything as great since, but it's still happening. I found a blog post from last year that doesn't really mention the naked mile, but if you scroll down there's a good picture:

hxxps://jendycksprout.medium.com/life-lessons-from-cycling-across-africa-part-2-2786617aa4c

[island101]

More stories…

1. Costa Rica - mature woman goes skinny dipping (includes covered nudity picture)
qiyamahinislam.blogspot.com/2008/08/visions-from-costa-rica.html?m=0

2. Ecuador - girls strip down on a porch and are surprised by a man
phoebebay.wordpress.com/2016/04/05/it-all-depends-on-how-you-define-it/

3. Senegal - guards talk to girls while they are swimming naked in hotel pool
nangeendefetbonjour.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/weekend-in-saly/

4. Thailand - woman given massage by a man while naked
wanderlustgame.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/thai-massage-relaxing-and-awkward/

5. Turkey - couple goes to mixed hammam
laurel3d.blogspot.com/2017/08/turkish-bath-experience.html

[island101]

More stories…

Australia - woman with a mastectomy goes skinny dipping with thousands
hxxp://www.mamamia.com.au/social/taryn-brumfitt-sydney-skinny/

Bali - woman is massaged by a man
hxxp://eatdrinkplaypray.blogspot.com/2011/12/dharma-do-i-have-wish-once-again-hes.html

Benin - host father walks in a woman in the shower
hxxp://meginbenin.blogspot.com/2012/12/first-few-weeks-at-post.html

Brazil - journalist in the rainforest meets a tribe. They are curious to confirm she's a woman.
hxxps://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/19991031mag-brazil-tribe.html

Cambodia - woman is massaged by a man. Includes a boob massage.
hxxp://crookedanddangeroustrails.blogspot.com/2014/03/another-excuse-for-holiday.html

Chad - a female doctor has a breast exposed by one of her patients in front of a crowd
hxxp://missionarydoctors.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-hoot.html

China - a woman getting examined has a friend called over to help translate
hxxp://cdngrlnomi.tumblr.com/post/52215639136/awkward

Cuba - woman goes skinny dipping in a river. Includes topless picture taken from behind.
hxxps://www.escapingny.com/home/guantanamo

Europe - woman talks about being naked at spas
hxxps://sightseeingscientist.com/getting-naked-at-a-european-spa/

[island101]

Below are various stories that take place in Japanese onsens…


Boats going by can likely see her in the onsen.
hxxp://kimonokaren.blogspot.com/2007/08/this-piece-certainly-warrants-at-least.html

Couple went to a mixed onsen.
hxxps://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/blog-548254.html

Male bath attendant had a view of the women’s bath.
hxxps://50onsens.com/2017/03/20/kamenoyu-neighbourhood-sento/

Trip to a mixed onsen.
hxxp://blunty.travellerspoint.com/12/

Guy walks in on a woman while she’s changing.
hxxps://www.theodysseyonline.com/hannah-in-japan-part-five-leave-me-in-hakone-forever

Woman’s experience in mixed mud and sand baths.
hxxp://megami-no-ushi.livejournal.com/12217.html

[The_Magical_Amount]

Woman recalls her experience at an all-girls school and how they would streak to avoid punishment from a stern teacher:
hxxps://joyamour.wordpress.com/2021/05/18/school-shenanigans-running-butt-naked-with-head-in-a-bucket/

A collection of women's embarrassing skinny dipping stories:
hxxps://www.kortnijeane.com/blogs/kortni-jeane/embarrassing-skinny-dipping-stories

[soulac]

I can imagine women watching Kate Winslet in Titanic say, "Jack I want you to draw me like one of your French girls." and dreaming they are her in that scene, feeling both vulnerable and beautiful.

There is an artist in Toulouse, France that advertises an experience called, "Take off your clothes and let yourself be drawn." Girl-next-door, everyday women who are looking to have an interesting travel experience book with him and have a piece of art to take home as a souvenir. What better way to live that fantasy, and how appropriate in France.

The reviews on travel sites give a glimpse of the emotions ladies feel as they choose to experience an ENF situation - from nervous at the outset to euphoria afterwards. One says, "I’ve always wanted to be drawn naked but was terrified going into this experience. [He] was very professional and made me feel comfortable. Definitely something to do while in Toulouse and check off your bucket list. The drawing also came out amazing!"

The first link is to a travel website with most of the reviews I've seen. The second is of the artists website with examples of his work.

https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/235250
http://www.olivox.com/dessin/index.html

Be warned. Many of the blog stories in this thread are women declaring their embarrassment loud and proud. This is different. In truth, many of the reviews are too subtle for our purposes. It takes quite a bit of empathy to appreciate what these ladies are feeling.

[Fango]

peacefuldumpling.com/nude-beach

"How Baring It All On A Nude Beach Changed My Perspective About The Human Body"

Enjoy

Fango

[five5]

hxxps://www.routard.com/forums/t/immersion-mentawai/362049

An interesting read, its in French but Google translate exists. She talks about going topless and even includes a pic of herself in tribal garb!

[aktdrawing]

Hi all,

I wanna revive this thread with a series of posts about nude modeling for art classes. I've got loads of real-life texts on that, like articles, interviews, etc, so it can be a really long series if there is some interest.

If anyone here has their own stories/texts/anything on that topic, please share them; I'd love to see them too.

Unless it's directly related to the posted text, I'll not put any pictures here, as there are two other excellent threads for that:
forum.oneclickchicks.com/showthread.php?t=67756
forum.oneclickchicks.com/showthread.php?t=269720 (new one)

So let's get to the thing. Here's an article about two student girls doing nude modeling for art classes in Alaska (I'm not giving the link as it's already dead):

Undressing the highest-paying student job: nude modeling

In the Fine Arts Building, in room 101, adjunct professor David Pettibone teaches Life Drawing and Composition, where twice a week, a model stands up on a platform surrounded by budding artists, completely naked. For $14.86 an hour, models stand on the stage and pose for anywhere from a minute to 20 minutes to give the artists an in-depth experience with figure drawing. Some may think it’s taboo or uncomfortable, but for nude model Dylan Kenyon, a cultural anthropology major who works about once a week and occasionally on weekends, it’s a sweet gig.


Kenyon said that she felt less nervous once the professor explained that the students have been studying models for weeks and that the environment is very mature. The artists should know not to be inappropriate or make anyone uncomfortable because models are there to aid the learning process.

“I’m glad I’m doing it because it’s a great experience, I can look back at it and know I was a nude model in college,” said Kenyon. “It’s a cool job, you just have to try to get over the fear of it. I had to sit in the office for about ten minutes before I went out for the first time just trying to gather my thoughts and not freak out, but once I got up there it was totally fine. This guy model told me a story about how another male model once got a boner on the stage and it was the most embarrassing thing, but he said some comment like ‘my girlfriend gets back into town tonight’ to break the ice and not have it be so awkward, and everyone laughed and that was the end of it.”

All around the room, posters of the human body with detailed diagrams of muscular and skeletal structures hang on the walls. During one class period, Kenyon did one pose at a time in between five-minute breaks. In between poses, the models can wear a robe and mingle with the artists.

“Using the figure itself is a great way to learn all the elements of design, composition, line, and weight. If I could get all types of shapes and sizes and colors of people in here that would be ideal. A good model is someone who is able to hold their pose and also give us some sort of energy in their pose, like a twist of the rib cage in relation to the pelvis which gives the students a rhythm to work from. First we did gesture and now we’re doing specifically anatomy, so we’ve covered the skeletal system and now we’re doing the superficial muscular system, so all the muscles that you see on the model.”

While the students sketch the model, Pettibone had Johnny Cash and the Beatles playing quietly from speakers in the room creating a comfortable and respectful vibe. Occasionally, the artists held up their pencils to estimate the proportions of the model or take a moment to check out the angles. The professor casually roamed the room to check on the drawings or give advice.

“Models are great, models are really appreciated,” Bryce Fredrick, a print-making major who also does some nude modeling herself, said. “I know how it is, in terms of getting naked in front a bunch of people you don’t know. My other model friend Iris really said that she gets meditative because it’s all about directing attention and being okay with eyes on you.”

Fredrick has been doing life drawing for over six years and appreciates nude modeling as crucial to the learning process for artists.

“The best way that you can connect with people is to draw people. It’s much easier than looking at a flower and being like ‘what is this flower feeling?’ We’re so tuned in to body language and facial cues and even tiny, subtle gestures that having live models is really essential,” said Fredrick. “Every single time you learn something different, and something new and awesome. It’s not just skinny girls like in fashion, it’s every single shape that you can imagine, every age you can imagine, and you learn something from absolutely everyone so it really helps deepen your appreciation for people in general.”

Even as an artist Fredrick has had to grapple with some of the awkwardness about nudity, but through supportive friends and confidence in her own work she was able to feel more comfortable.

“I just put up two pieces in Middle Way Cafe and it’s a nude portrait of myself and my boyfriend, and I’m getting a lot of people who tell me they’ve seen my pieces and could recognize that it was me. It is sort of weird, but a friend of mine commented on an Instagram post and said something really nice: ‘if anyone complains about it they need to look in the mirror at their own humanness.’ Like, everyone is naked at some point, it’s about vulnerability and recognizing beauty.”

Kenyon said she feels more comfortable in her own skin and about nudity in general as a result of being a nude model, even though being naked is often considered a taboo topic in society.

“Some people are really against this whole thing, like my grandma freaked when she found out. She was like ‘I cannot believe you’re letting people see that, that’s sacred.’ I think this generation takes it differently, which I’m glad about because I do really think it’s helps people learn. I think the human body is beautiful in every shape and size and I’m glad that they have to learn that. They paint everything and they think everything is beautiful and they make it beautiful in their art. I feel comfortable getting naked, so everyone else should too.”

Fine arts and modeling plays a big role in self-exploration and understanding the world, and nude modeling is one way to see a whole new side of art and humanity. Student-run life modeling sessions hosted by the Art Student Association will start around mid-March on Saturday evenings in the Arts Building room 101. The first session is free and all are welcome.

Hope y'all find it interesting

[aktdrawing]

Time for another story.

It's an article about university models in Michigan. It's long, I shortened it by removing some parts about male models. If you're interested in those too, just read the original:
hxxps://www.michigandaily.com/uncategorized/nude-models/



“You know that dream that everyone has when you wake up and you’re in the middle of a classroom and you’re naked?” Colleen Cirocco asked rhetorically.

“I’m over that.”

Cirocco, an LSA senior, is “over” the age-old naked-at-school nightmare because she faces it head-on. She gets naked at school, and she does it a lot. Cirocco is one of about 30 models employed part-time by the School of Art & Design to pose nude before students in figure drawing, painting and sculpture classes.

Naturally, the idea of walking into a well lit classroom, mounting a stage and disrobing in front of a group of University students doesn’t appeal to everyone. Nude modeling pays well, though, and it offers an unorthodox employment opportunity in a college town where part-time work can be excruciatingly normal.

Nude modeling gigs at the University are available to students and non-students alike, and while many models came to pose after hearing about the money-making endeavor through friends, others stumbled upon it as a new avenue to self-enrichment.

In Cirocco’s case, nude modeling offers the chance to interface with art and participate in its creation.

“I really am interested in helping people learn how to do art,” she said. “This was another way for me to offer myself, to show people a different skill and to help the students learn how to draw better.”

When she’s not modeling, Cirocco commits her time to the Prison Creative Arts Project, through which she gets another chance to contribute to the conception of art by assisting prisoners with writing. Nude modeling offers her something different, though, because it allows her to challenge her self image.

“Growing up, I always had body-image issues, and I think I overcame a lot of those in college,” she explained. “And modeling — being naked in a room full of people who are looking at you really closely and drawing all of your imperfections — was a way for me to sort of conquer that, once and for all.”

More than self confidence and social courage, what models depend on to survive a posing session is a creative mind capable of keeping itself stimulated. The strategies vary, but the models all have a few go-to methods for preserving their sanity while they arrest their motion in the center of the classroom.

Cirocco, on the other hand, takes an approach less steeped in reality, often role-playing characters as she poses for a class.

“Most of the time I direct my own poses, and I try to really tell a story with them,” she said. “I try to think of a person who might be doing this pose. Like, where are they? Who are they? Where are they going? And I try to create a persona.

“I don’t know if that comes across for the artists in the class,” she conceded.

In Cirocco’s estimation, the role-playing method not only serves to keep her occupied, but also acts to the benefit of students because it lets her find more authentic human body positions. While she models though, she’s dedicated to remaining aware of her situation, because she appreciates the novelty of the opportunity. In her eyes, modeling lets her “walk the line between fantasy and reality.”

For other models, the mid-session mental aerobics tend toward banal survivalism. Jenny Cunningham, a recent University graduate, spends her time posing thinking through grocery lists, reflecting on her other part-time jobs and coming up with ways to make rent.

“It still gets boring,” she said, despite her best efforts to make the experience stimulating.

Most poses, however, do not allow the figure models the pleasure of kicking back in a reclining position. Instead, they often take positions which become surprisingly strenuous, especially when the model holds them for a particularly long amount of time. The models are given a few five-minute breaks every session, but, in the end, the physical exhaustion of modeling rivals the mental exhaustion.

In the most extreme cases, exhausted models have been known to faint on their feet and slump to the ground. Cirocco, who nearly lost consciousness while holding a standing pose in one of her first sessions for a sculpture class, recalled one story told to her by a professor.

“He told me about one time when a model passed out, she fell off the pedestal and he had to catch her,” she said.

Shockingly, none of the students in that particular class even rose to help the professor shoulder the burden of their fallen model, ostensibly because they were so ingrained in their work that they had begun to perceive of the model as an infallible object.

Of course, the models are never perfect in their posing, even if their injuries and mishaps don’t require heroic professor intervention. Most of the time, they simply get tired and sore.

It’s natural to assume that the greatest impediment facing any nude model would be sheer nerves, but after talking to them, it’s no surprise that most of them claim to have gotten over their inhibitions in the first few minutes of a session and never looked back. Indeed, by allowing themselves to appreciate the artistic process they are making possible, or by temporarily perceiving themselves as merely a collection of lines and shapes, the models can approach their work high on satisfaction and low on reservations.

Impressively, the models all seem as cognizant of the importance of nude models as the professors and students do.

“It’s never about me as a naked person. It’s about the body in its natural state, and it just happens to be my body that day,” Jenny Cunningham explained. “It’s really professional.”

“I understand the importance of having live bodies to work off of. It’s totally different if they’re wearing a leotard, or if it’s a sculpture that’s already there. You really need an individual’s body so you can study how the muscles react when you shift weight, and how somebody’s bones look and where everything’s situated.”

Amanda Olson, an Art & Design senior who has studied nude models in figure drawing classes, agrees that studying nude models, as opposed to clothed models or objects, is essential to “understanding the form of the human body.”

Jeremy Daly, also an Art & Design senior, put it similarly: “There’s nothing like drawing from life.”

In a form he hands out to students at the onset of drawing classes studying nude figures, Art & Design and Residential College professor Larry Cressman offers his feelings on the importance of nude models.

“Drawing from the nude model is considered an essential part of artistic training. It refers to the larger experiences of life, with all its shifting meanings and nuances.”

He also shows a deep appreciation for the figure models making the art possible.

“For the model it is hard work. We treat them with great respect.”

Given the propensity of part-time work to crush enthusiasm through monotony, it’s encouraging to see how seriously most models take their work — Jenny Cunningham quickly recounted how immensely guilty she felt after accidentally sleeping through a scheduled modeling session. Not to mention how much most of them enjoy it — Steve Cunningham said that, even if modeling didn’t pay, he’d pursue it as a part-time hobby.

Because of the professionalism and commitment of the models, and the context in which they’re working, there’s simply nothing weird about nude modeling for the parties involved. The study of nude figures is a time-honored educational technique that endures for good reason: The students, professors and models all find it constructive.

Fortunately, university education can provide a learning environment free of taboos, and in Jenny Cunningham’s opinion, nudity is no exception.

“It’s totally normal here in the art school.”