Spring: Naturally!

At a neighborhood park!

The arrival of the Spring season is usually noted as a time of rebirth, renewal and hope. Our world opens up, gradually, as nature returns and the barren, cold and drab days of winter slowly begin to disappear. Growth and foliage are restored to our environment.

For those of us who are loyal bare practitioners, excitement accompanies this transition from one season into the next. Why all the anxious energy? Anticipation! A return to our home, our essence – and our nakedness in our natural world!

I know at this point some people are rolling their eyes, shaking their heads and thinking, “What the hell is his problem?” Seasons change. True. It happens annually. True. Why all the excitement? Anticipation!

Let us face reality. Some people become eager at Christmas. Some for weddings. The same is true for graduations. For births. For retirement. For the arrival of yet another weekend away from the job.

For those of us who are bare practitioners (gentle reminder: same gender loving naturists/nudists), our eagerness is the return of Spring and our return – clothes free, of course – to nature! Anticipation! Our excitement is based on the fact that we view nature as part of our bare existence: our home. This phenomena becomes our homecoming!

Spring stripper!

The 19th Century American author, poet, essayist, journalist and humanist Walt Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an advocate for both nature and clothes freedom during his lifetime. Below is a sampling of his thoughts entitled: “A Sun-bathed Nakedness.”

“Never before did I get so close to Nature; never before did she come so close to me…Nature was naked, and I was also…Sweet, sane, still Nakedness in Nature! – ah if poor, sick, prurient humanity in cities might really know you once more! Is not nakedness indecent? No, not inherently. It is your thought, your sophistication, your fear, your respectability, that is indecent. There come moods when these clothes of ours are not only too irksome to wear, but are themselves indecent.”

Given the title and theme of his work, Whitman leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind on his observations regarding nature and nudity. Both my spouse, Aaron, and I agree with his opinions – to a certain extent. Our dissention is based on his generalizations about urban (city dwellers) feelings about nudity.

Even though his observations are from an earlier era and ours are on a more contemporary basis and the variations in language usage, the reality is that persons, regardless of where they live, usually have similar reactions to nudity. Aaron and I live in an urban environment (Arlington, Virginia – less than five miles south of Washington, D.C.) and despite the congestion, we were able to get bare together in an expansive neighborhood public park. The first picture above confirms this.

A park trails entrance!

The above photograph supports our position on urban bare practitioners. Just as in our own personal experiences, Aaron and I are most definitely not the only two in our neighborhood who consider natural social nudity as “indecent.” We may be a minority, but we are absolutely not alone!

Be fore we condemn through assumptions and stereotypes, we should all take a moment and carefully consider every alternative. Certainly, not all of Walt Whitman’s neighbors endorsed his philosophy on the compatibility of nature and nakedness!

Naked hugs!

Roger Poladopoulos/ReNude Pride

Author’s Note: The next post entry here is planned for Wednesday, March 29, 2023, and the proposed topic is: “Your Buttocks = Historic Artifact!” (reprint)

My Leaves Legacy!

Posing for photography class!

AKA: “Hey, I’m Gay And Bare For Pay!”

Background:

Now that I’ve captured your undivided attention and curiosity with my AKA (also known as) alternate title for today’s posting, Modelling Legacy. Growing up, I’d never even considered modelling while bare as a job option. Our parents always emphasized education, specifically university, which, for a Deaf gay adolescent eliminated posing clothes free as a lifetime career. The sole focus was knowledge, then employment.

While studying to earn my baccalaureate degree, I learned the both the fine art program and the photography art program at my university employed post-graduate students to pose as naked models for respective under-graduate (baccalaureate) classes. An ideal job for me to begin after being awarded my inaugural degree! Perfect for my bare practitioner (gay nudist) self! I could now be paid to be clothes free all day long on campus!

The summer after my university graduation seemed to me as endless. I was anxious and eager to begin my “career” as a nude model. I wasn’t an art student at university and had almost no interaction with any of those who had posed clothes free prior to me.

Leafy posing!

As the September of my post-graduate student life arrived, my limited (non-existent) contact with the university’s “model” team was solely with a member of the adjunct art faculty also served as the academic advisor to the school’s Lavender Club (at that time, the bisexual, gay and lesbian student group). As the club’s advisor, he knew that I was same gender loving but only aware of my nudist preference upon receipt of my application for the modelling programme.

He immediately acknowledged my enthusiasm for any and all opportunities to pose naked. He inquired of my knowledge of and/or interest in Washington, D.C.’s gay nudist social group, Lambda Soleil. He later introduced me to the organization and sponsored my membership therein.

Leafy prostration!

The Leaf Incident:

My first working day as a bare model was a “double” engagement. In the late morning, I posed inside one of the art studios for a class of first year art students. It wasn’t a surprise job as all it entailed was sitting on a stool in front of the class – totally naked. The major task was remaining still (lifeless) for ninety minutes.

Later that afternoon, with two other nude models, we posed outdoors in a massive pile of leaves for a photography class. This assignment, as explained by our model coordinator, involved us interacting with one another and, of course, with the leaves. The students were expected to capture on film a series of photos depicting autumn play.

Once the class assembled, I realized that all five of the students were gay. Our model advisor had not shared this to any of us before we agreed to this session. As an openly gay man myself, it was no problem for me. None of the other models seemed bothered by this. While the class was taking pictures, it was revealed by our modelling “boss” that the purpose of this photo-shoot was to show gay men in autumn play!

The two others that were modelling with me on this project were both several years older than me and with previous modelling experience at the university. One – whom I recognized – had been a member of the Lavender Club and identified as a bisexual man. The other one I never knew his sexuality.

Our “boss-man” appeared on site just as we were about to start our modelling exercise. He was introduced to the class by the instructor and as he reviewed the university’s guidelines for working with bare models (no personal or intimate contact allowed) he began stripping off his clothes! He was present to “supervise” our photo-shoot!

Receiving directions for a photo-shoot session!

I immediately began asking myself: did he need to be naked in order to supervise us posing nude? Was he going to be at every photo-shoot clothes free? Given all the attention he had given me during the last couple of weeks, the other models let me know that he obviously had an ulterior motive for stripping off his garments!

Once the photography instructor signaled “commence” we became active with our pile (mountain) of leaves. We took dives into leaves, we rolled in the leaves, we buried ourselves in leaves and gave each other leaf “showers!” There were only a small number of activities that we didn’t attempt to engage in. Cameras captured our images as we caroused ourselves in leaves!

After an hour of “playing” and posing in the leaves, I became light-headed and had trouble breathing. Suddenly, I fainted! Down on the ground! The next thing that I was aware was lying on my back after being revived by a nurse from the university clinic. A few minutes later, a mobile trauma unit arrived to transport me to the GWU (George Washington University) hospital. My face and neck were flushed (red) and heavily swollen, I continued to have shortness of breath and a severe bruise and laceration on the back of my head. I was kept overnight in hospital for monitoring and test results.

I have a severe allergy to leaf mold. It had never affected me previously. However, I never remember being that involved with that amount of moldy leaves before for that amount of time – almost 90 minutes.

Shortly after I returned to campus, a notice was displayed on the message board adjacent to the administration offices of the School of Art, Photography and Media:

“Roger does not play well with leaves!”

Naked hugs!

Roger Poladopoulos/ReNude Pride

Author’s Note: The next post entry for here is planned for Sunday, November 6, 2022, and the proposed topic is: “Clocks Back!”

Bare Icon!

Naked painting nude!

Openly gay artist, Ainor Bagner, of Denmark – himself plainly nude – paints a fellow naked subject reading a book. The sexuality of the reader is unknown. Bagner was an admitted same gender loving man in an age that was hostile to those types of attractions and relationships. The clothing status and sexuality of the photographer is also unknown.

In the lower right-hand corner of the picture image is etched “1910.” More than a century ago. The photograph was made on the North Sea coast of Denmark.

A photographer from our past!

The artistic painter, Ainor Bagner, featured in the iconic photograph, was openly a gay man, then it is within reason to anticipate the same from both the subject model and the photographer. In the very early days of the 20th century, the tolerance for gay people was very restricted, even in a fairly progressive society such as Denmark (Scandinavia). The fact that this image survived all this time contributes to it’s historical significance.

Somewhat ironic is the fact that in the iconic photograph, a bare model is painted by a bare artist and that they are both posing on a barren (rocky) landscape. Bare – as opposed to barren – comfort and freedom for everyone!

The secondary image, above, is a vintage picture of a photographer posing with his camera on a ladder. This has no relationship to the Bagner photo except to represent the possible source of the image. This is not the actual photographer!

Naked hugs!

Roger Poladopoulos/ReNude Pride

Author’s Note: The next post entry here is planned for Friday, October 7, 2022, and the proposed topic is: “Waving Above Us!”

World AIDS Day, 2019

Today, Sunday, December 1, 2019, is World AIDS Day all across our globe. It is the day when it is appropriate for all of us to wear a red ribbon – if a bare practitioner (naturist or nudist) such as my spouse, Aaron, and myself, paint a red ribbon – and proudly display to everyone you encounter that you recognize the importance and significance of the date. The quality of life living with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) has improved but we do not have a cure – yet!

Continue reading World AIDS Day, 2019

Halloween, 2019: Body Painting

In preparation for the Halloween date, October 31, here’s a suggestion for all of those who feel the uncontrollable urge to disguise themselves. Simply use body paint to adorn your body and conceal your identity. It doesn’t involve a costume and is relatively easy for most bare practitioners to enjoy. Our man above simply used black body paint to place a Halloween pumpkin face on his buttocks. How appropriate!

Continue reading Halloween, 2019: Body Painting

Photo-blog: GLBTQ Bare History Month Friday #4

This is another Friday, the fourth, during 2019 GLBTQ Bare History Month. The post today is the last one in this series for this annual celebration. The heading picture, shown above, features a man in the early days of color photography poolside with his beach ball. Judging from the man’s hairstyle, the picture dates from the middle 1960’s. There is no information of the photographer.

Continue reading Photo-blog: GLBTQ Bare History Month Friday #4

Autumn Leaves: Bare Model

For those readers here who’ve followed ReNude Pride for awhile, you already know that as an undergraduate student at university, I posed bare (naked, nude, without clothing) to earn some extra spending money. The job was for the art classes and photography classes at my university. The pay was good and the work wasn’t too demanding or difficult – all I had to do essentially was take off my clothes – which was fine for me. I had no issues being bare – and the same is true today!

Continue reading Autumn Leaves: Bare Model

World AIDS Day, 2018

World AIDS Day turns 30 years old today. The very first global commemoration to raise awareness of the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) was observed on December 1, 1988 – seven years into the struggle against HIV/AIDS. Normally, this type of anniversary would be a cause of celebration. However, the fact that humanity still suffers from this disease is no reason for jubilation. Yes, we have had a few remarkable successes in fighting this pandemic; but the fact remains that we continue to lose both lives and talent.

Continue reading World AIDS Day, 2018

Halloween Prelude #2: Bare Body Canvas

Our skin covers and protects our bodies. Few people realize that it serves another equally important purpose – that of a living canvas for our noble expressions of creative art. Since the beginning of time, humanity have used our bodies as a natural inspiration for both design and interpretation. We decorate it to share our own messages and stories, both fact and fiction. We use it to caution and warn, to amuse and to frighten or to beautify for the admiration of others

Continue reading Halloween Prelude #2: Bare Body Canvas

Friday #3: Bare GLBTQ History Month

This is the third installation published on ReNude Pride in honor of October as GLBTQ History Month not only in the USA but also in Australia and Canada. The theme for this week’s featured series is Gay Photographer, Gay Models. This post offers a departure from the earlier postings in this series as both the photographer and his subjects were gay at a time when simply acknowledging being same gender loving was illegal throughout the world. The were no “safe havens” from the law or prosecution.

Continue reading Friday #3: Bare GLBTQ History Month