I did an interview with one of the girls from the Cheerleading photo (hopefully firstnwat doesn't mind I took some questions from him this time). She says that, at least for Cheerleading, they were fully naked the entire time of the shoot and that entire time was around 2 hours!!
So, while there is no doubt some photoshop applied to the calendar (the interviewee dodged my question about photoshopping) it appears that most of what you see in the calendar, outside of the obviously touched up areas, is real.
Full interview:
1. Do you view the nudity in the calendar as primarily something fun and playful, or do you feel it has some elements of flirting and sexiness as well? Feel free to use your own adjectives to describe the nudity.
1.) The nudity was definitely fun and playful. Nothing sexual about it. At moments it was kind of ridiculous that we were naked cheering and we just had to laugh. silly. very light.
2. How do you react to people who suggest nudity in calendars is demeaning to women?
2. I would say that there are very different ways in which someone can be displayed naked in a calendar. A naked photograph can be anywhere from demeaning to beautiful and empowering. Lots of pregnant women get their bodies photographed naked before they give birth.
3. Please tell me about the photoshoot process with Bobby Bru****. Did you have anxieties or was it more relaxed? Please briefly describe your thoughts and emotions that occurred during the process. Who decided what the pose would be and about how long did it take to get it right?
3.) The photo shoot was very relaxed. The photographer was so tired from shooting all day I don’t think our nakedness really fazed him one bit. We decided along with him how to pose because he really didn’t know about cheerleading and we didn’t really know about his process. It took a while (2 hours) to get it right, but I was told we took direction better than some of the other groups. Everything has to be at the perfect angle to make sure everything is covered.
4. Is the photo you were in something you'd be embarrassed to show your children (if/when you have them) and parents, or are you proud you were apart of it? How did friends and family react when they saw the Cheerleading photo (if any did)?
4.) I would not be embarrassed to show my children. My family thought it was hilarious, although they did think the gun club shoot was a little weird.
5. For those girls on your team who didn't take part in the photo, what reasons did they have for not attending the photo shoot?
5.) We could only have a small number of people. One girl felt uncomfortable before she was sure whether the boys on the team would be in it, so she opted out all together. I think it made it more relaxed that there were only naked women.
6. Did everyone dare to bare during the photoshoot, or were some underclothes worn and later edited out? Photoshop appears to have been used on some private areas in the calendar. Was this just to remove pubic hair from the images?
6.) Everyone was completely naked during the shoot. I’m not sure if other clubs wore underwear and stuff or not, but we had nothing on.
7. A few images in the calendar are a bit more explicit than others (for instance, the girl on the left of the Dressage picture). Do you think this was intentional, or just accidental? How would you personally feel if more of you was exposed in a calendar photo than you intended? Did your team have editorial controls over the final photo?
7.) I don’t have the calendar in front of me, but if my nipple was showing, I would be pissed. Mostly because we were told nothing would be shown like that. I don’t think selling a calendar with your nipples showing is a very appealing idea to me.
8. After deciding to take part in the calendar did you have any doubts about participating? If so, were any of these doubts related to self-consciousness concerns about your body?
8.) No doubts. I didn’t eat any huge meals about a week before though.
9. Is the calendar meant to be mainly for students to buy or is it indended also for a wider audience outside of the school? Would you be flattered if someone bought the calendar just to see you naked, or would you find that inappropriate?
9.) I didn’t really care if someone bought it to see me naked. That’s what we signed up for. The calendar is mostly intended for the school, but I didn’t care if someone else bought it.
10. Has participating in the calendar changed your personal views on nudity in any way?
10.) Probably has made me more alright with nudity.
11. Overall, was participating in the calendar a positive or negative experience? What was the best and worst moment of being involved?
11.) Overall it was a good experience. The most fun was the shoot. Lots of laughs.
12. In The Netherlands, the show Blootgewoon focuses on the making of a naked calendar. The show features behind the scenes footage featuring interviews with participants and their feelings about the shoot, as well as footage of the shooting of the photos for the calendar. If a similar show in the US had wanted to feature a "making of" of the UVM calendar, would you have been comfortable with that level of publicity, especially knowing that it's possible that extraneous naked footage of you could end up on the show (as happens in Blootgewoon)?
12.) I don’t think I’d go on a reality show in general, never mind the nudity.
13. Most people in the US have a conservative attitude towards nudity compared to those European countries. Do you believe that other universities in the US are likely to run with the charity naked calendar concept in the coming years, or do you feel like it has a limited national appeal?
13.) I don’t know about that. My church had a naked calendar with the old women (like the movie Calendar Girls) for a fundraiser as well. I spent a year in Italy and some areas were much more conservative than Americans… much. American girls wore much more revealing clothing. I also feel like UVM is a very liberal school, so I’m not sure how much it would spread to other universities.
14. What was your opinion of the finished calendar when you first saw it?
14.) First reaction was to laugh.
Also, thanks to the last poster for the SWAGS scan. Good work!