Spring is appreciated and recognized as the season of love. April, as the first full month of Spring, is often thought as the “beginning of love!”
April is a time for love!
Bromance: a combination of brother (masculine) and romance (a love affair, attachment, enthusiasm). Bromance are the feelings of affection and desire between two men.
“Bromance: the undisputed tingling sensation of every hair and nerve of your body whenever your man touches you!” ~ Roger Poladopoulos ~ March 21, 2022
A rollicking bromance!
Regardless of whether the bromantic (brother + romantic) couple is playful or serious, the duo is obviously comfortable with both themselves – as individuals – and with themselves – as a compatible couple – together.
“Body hair and nakedness are compatible and natural. They compliment one another; like a rose blooming on a bush.” ~ Aaron Michael Peterson-Poladopoulos ~ March 28, 2022
Comfortable and happy together!
Please relax, we’re simply naked together. Besides, we’re both bare practitioners and we’re in love!
“Bare practitioners find comfort, identity and recognition through nudity. Clothes are the epitome of a costume: a foreign object that creates confusion and deception.” ~ Roger Poladopoulos ~
Bromatic adoration!
It is a totally natural impression! Two bare practitioners being themselves – as honest as April itself! Bromance thrives among us!
“Two men together and in love. Ain’t it bromantic?” ~ Aaron Michael Peterson-Poladopoulos ~ March 28, 2022
ReNude Pride is the scene, bromance is the team.
All up and down the coast, bare practitioners all boast;
April is the reason that love is now in season!
Once again, grateful appreciation to Aaron Michael Peterson-Poladopoulos, my spouse, for his assistance in creating today’s posting
Take care and stay bare!
Roger and Aaron Peterson-Poladopoulos
Author’s Note: The next post entry planned for here is on Monday, April 8, 2022, and the proposed topic is: “Revival!”
The Shoneye Twins: Is Darren (left) brave and Daniel (right) modest?
Introduction:
It has been quite a few years since we visited Robert Graves’ poem, The Naked and The Nude. The entire poem is posted here immediately following this introduction. Graves, the poet, paved the pathway that continues to divide the clothes free community today: Are you naked? Are you nude? Which label best identifies you?
Graves understood nude as being without clothes. He felt that naked, although also without clothes, as being similar to “vulnerable.”
Generations of society have interpreted “naked” as being involuntary and “nude” as being voluntary. For example, a communal shower is mandatory following a required physical education class. It is part of the class routine. As a result, while showering, the entire class is naked. It is an involuntary action as the goal is personal hygiene.
A typical Sunday afternoon activity for a group of friends is to go skinny-dipping. While swimming or lounging in the sun afterwards, everyone is nude. After all, it was a voluntary choice to go skinny-dipping with friends. The end result is to have fun and relax together.
The Shoneye Twins: Overly cautious?
The two images of the Shoneye twins above, Daniel and Darren, feature them both without a piece of clothing on their body. The determination of whether they are naked or nude depends to their intent and the interpretation of the person viewing the photograph. Both twins publicly acknowledge being bare practitioners (same gender loving and body and clothes freedom enthusiasts. I am unaware of either of them, privately or publicly, ever disclosing a preference for naked or nude in describing themselves.
The Naked and The Nude
by Robert Graves
(1895 – 1985)
For me, the naked and the nude
(By lexicographers construed
As synonyms that should express
The same deficiency of dress
Or shelter) stand as wide apart
As love from lies, or truth from art.
Lovers without reproach will gaze
On bodies naked and ablaze;
The Hippocratic eye will see
In nakedness, anatomy;
And naked shines the Goddess when
She mounts her lion among men.
The nude are bold, the nude are sly
To hold each treasonable eye.
While draping by a showman’s trick
Their dishabille in rhetoric,
They grin a mock-religious grin
Of scorn at those of naked skin.
The naked, therefore, who compete
Against the nude may know defeat;
Yet when they both together tread
The briary pastures of the dead,
By Gorgons with long whips pursued,
How naked go the sometime nude!
The Shoneye twins: who’s naked and who’s nude?
Summary
Robert Graves poem, The Naked and The Nude, presents to all of us with the reality that within our very own culture of body and clothes freedom the debate over naked and nude is all consuming for many of our people. The same applies to the conflict between those who consider themselves naturist and those who consider themselves nudist.
In the minds of many, the differing labels are practically synonymous – identical. The subtle definitions may evolve over the years but in essence the meaning of each word remains consistent. ReNude Pride utilizes “bare practitioner” as well as “body and clothes freedom” whenever possible in order to distance itself from entanglement with proponents of the different persuasions.
Take care and stay bare!
Roger Poladopoulos/ReNude Pride
Author’s Note: The next post entry for here is planned for Sunday, March 13, 2022, and the proposed topic is: “USA Goes DST!”
While growing up in predominately textile (clothes wearing) families, the majority of us are taught of the “evils” and undesirability of being seen/viewed naked or nude. No matter that we’re all born naked. Our caregivers and parents insist this is absolutely not the way to be!
Today’s posting celebrates two sets of siblings, notorious bare practitioners: bold, brave and publicly proud celebrities!
Daniel and Darren (Junior) Shoneye:
Comfortable Daniel Shoneye (left) modest Darren Shoneye (right)!
Both of these Nigerian-born, same gender loving (SGL) identical twins live in London, UK, and model as well as serve as GLBTQ+ rights advocates throughout the British Commonwealth. Daniel is also a personal trainer.
Darren (left) loses some of his modesty while Daniel (right) remains relaxed!
Both of the Shoneye brothers are featured in some SGL adult films and are more frequently receiving modeling assignments that do not require the wearing of clothing! Way to go, guys!
Bottoms-Up! Shoneye twins!
Both keep physically toned and have no guilt over appearing in their human “natural” form! They definitely “earn” their way in our world!
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Gio Dell and his half-brother, Armani:
Gio Dell (left) and his half-brother, Armani (right)!
Gio Dell and his half-brother, Armani, are from Venezuela and currently live in the U.S. They have the same mother but different fathers. Gio is the older of the duo.
Armani prepares Gio for a fresh facial shave outside!
Armani grooms Gio in the colored photo above. Below, the same image is repeated in the black/white version.
The black/white edition of the above image!
The picture below depicts Armani preparing Gio for a grooming session, inside rather than outside.
Prepping Gio only inside rather than outside!
The two half-brothers work well together and both are separately pursuing careers in the SGL film industry!
Enjoy the last weekend in February!
Take care and stay bare!
Roger Poladopoulos/ReNude Pride
Author’s Note: The next post entry planned for here is Monday, February 28, 2022, the proposed topic is: “Bottom’s Up! February, 2022”
Today represents a look back in time in order to gain a sense of the bare practices of African-American men from available images. The above image depicts our subject alone leaning against a tree. Judging from his hair style, this was probably around the middle to late 1960’s timeframe.
Another natural man in a natural setting!
Again based solely on the hairstyle, the image directly above is just a little earlier than the first one. Perhaps the late 1950’s to early 1960’s.
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Freedom and the Access to Cameras:
The official demise of slavery upon the end of the US civil war (1860’s) introduced the policy of segregation (separation of the races – aparthied ) throughout the USA. The adoption of “Jim Crow laws” (second class citizenship) ensured an even greater divide between the African-American, Caucasian and Indigenous (Native-American) people. This practice prevailed until Dr. King’s era and the civil rights movement gained acceptance during the late 1950’s to the assassinations of Malcolm X in the 1960’s and Dr. King in 1968.
This reality fueled the popular myth (untruth) of African-American disinterest in and indifference to the growing emergence of the naturist/nudist community within the Caucasian culture. The three racial groups were denied social interaction and restricted to totally different locations. Therefore, their naked/nudist attractions and practices were nonexistent (invisible) to one another. This lack of contact and common occurrence perpetuates this myth even today. Unfortunately, it is common in all the racial cultures.
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A segregated public shower!
Once again, relying only on hair characteristics, the communal shower picture above could be middle to late 1940’s or early 1950’s. Segregation remained in practice in almost the entire country.
The same holds true for the above!
The communal shower scene and the participants are the match for the previous image. The timeframe will be identical.
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Racial and social inaccessibility are the major factors for the prevalence of this fiction within the body freedom and clothes freedom communities. Economics and “Jim Crow legalities” are strong secondary reasons for the continuance of these false delusions. The widespread oppression of the Black communities in this country and the practice of assigning to them the status of second-class – or lower/worse – citizenship ensured their economic depravity and financial insecurity. The growing fascination with the “camera” phenomenon and the obsession with the cult of photography made these novel “toys” financially inaccessible to the overwhelming majority of African-Americans. Segregation was so ingrained in society that photographers of one race couldn’t justify taking pictures of people of a different racial classification.
Black-focused logo!
Bare trio: comfortable and up-close and interpersonal!
Twentieth Century, the Great War, the Modern Era :
The arrival of the 20th Century witnessed an extraordinary and remarkable first on the American social scene. Following generations of subjugation, Blacks were abandoning rural isolation and intimidation – and worst – and migrating to the rapidly growing industrial cities of northern and western USA and beginning to earn money! Not necessarily large fortunes but enough to support themselves and to send some to less fortunate extended family members. The Great War (1914 – 1918) saw African-Americans enter the armed forces in record numbers and see action and meet people in western Europe. New societies, new practices, less restrictive! The 1920’s brought the USA into a period of prosperity and popular culture introduced a large number of Caucasian Americans (and their incomes) to the uniqueness and the pleasures of Black life and living.
Segregation remained, enforceable and legal, but the new decade’s outlook brought a relaxation of some restrictions and African-Americans entered an age of some limited accomplishment and cautious respect. Black homosexuality (same gender loving) earned some lukewarm acceptance and segregated color-oriented body and clothes freedom facilities began to appear and to prosper.
Simple message!
Gradual development of a Black-oriented financial infrastructure followed. Soon, items that were formerly considered unattainable luxuries became common and affordable. Cameras, photography and other modern conveniences began to evolve from dreams into reality. The twentieth century finally discovered Black America!
The 1920’s progress in financial resources and social gains was halted by the Great Depression that reached this country’s shores in the early 1930’s. The stoppage, though devastating, was only temporary as the election of Franklin Roosevelt as president, his wife, Eleanor, as first-lady and the New Deal as political fuel eventually brought the depression mindset to an end. The delayed entry of this country into World War II with the attack on Pearl Harbor rapidly converted the nation into an industrialized super-power.
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Bare practitioners: no doubt about it!
The vintage picture posted above leaves us with no question: they’re early bare practitioners! Arm-in-arm, they prepare to exchange a kiss. Their hairstyles are from the late 1940’s to early 1950’s.
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World War II ended in 1945 and an unsettling peace encompassed the globe. The “Cold War” era between the communist countries and the western allies was about to erupt. The economy continued to grow although no longer on a wartime frenzy. Segregation and the Jim Crow laws still managed to hinder and prevent equality. However, the need for a change was an attitude that fast covered the land.
A few years following the surrender of Italy, Germany and Japan – in 1947 – President Harry Truman signed a presidential executive order that ended the official policy of segregation throughout the U.S. air force, military and navy only. Enlisting (joining) the armed forces no longer guaranteed a single-race encounter. At least in theory, discrimination was now banned in all combat services. One positive “big step” forward on the journey towards equal rights.
In military life, discipline is the “rule of the day.” No argument, no discussion, no voting. If ordered to do something, it simply must be done. Truman’s executive order didn’t erase all military overnight, but it did represent a new direction in official policies and procedures.
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Open arms, open legs, no shame!
The couple published above hair dates from the middle 1950’s. Their open arms and legs indicate comfort with being photographed bare together publicly.
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Soon, another historical change rose on the horizon. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the segregation inspired Jim Crow law of mandating “separate-but-equal” public school (education) systems throughout the country unconstitutional. The only legal quality this law contained was “separate.” The best, newest equipment and facilities were assigned to Caucasian students. The older, used and dilapidated (poorer quality) equipment was assigned to the African-American or Indigenous (native) American students or to Hispanic students. Separate? Yes! Equal? Unlikely!
This landmark judicial decision led to integration (coming together or mixing together) replacing segregation as the standard quality of the U.S. public school systems. The court ruling didn’t automatically end segregation overnight but it did lead towards a more accountable and equitable type of public school that continues to be sought today.
An integrated men’s changing room!
Following the Brown vs. Board of Education verdict by the Supreme Court, the civil (equal) rights movement gained momentum with the arrival “on the scene” (forefront) of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Their leadership strategy was nonviolence (first and foremost) and involvement (engagement). This tactic quickly brought both national and international attention to the equality protest movement and highlighted the inequality and unfairness of life in the USA (the supposed symbol of freedom).
The growth of Black financial resources and services now gave the community to now have absolute proof (documentation) of existence. Cameras and photography provided evidence that justifies the reality of bare practitioners (same gender loving and naked/nude) in the African-American world. We can all admire and salute the bravery and commitment to a freer life for all Americans. We are grateful for their dreams and their efforts!
The reluctant acceptance and welcome offered to bare practitioners of one racial heritage when visiting the traditional site of a different racial group has caused problems within the same gender loving and body and clothes freedom communities. Both sides of the conflict have received negative reactions from all sides of the spectrum. The resolution of these concerns remains an unsolved issue within the larger bare practitioner community.
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The basic bare truth!
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As dedicated bare practitioners, my spouse, Aaron, and I know from our shared experience that we encounter both judgment and ridicule based on our sexual orientation, marital status and our racial category (interracial). Our clothes freedom preference is another source of discomfort for many outside our community. We understand that any difference we can create today offers hope for a better tomorrow for us all!
Naked hugs!
Roger Poladopoulos/ReNude Pride
Author’s Note: The next post entry here is planned for Monday, February 21, 2022, and the proposed topic is: “S’Naked Virgin!”
The very first Spring that Aaron, my spouse, and I were together, March, 2010, he took this picture of me. We were in a local park adjacent to the Potomac River that flows between Arlington, Virginia (where we live) and Washington, D.C., this nation’s capital city. In case anyone is wondering, a squirrel caught my attention just as Aaron flicked on the camera. The daffodil flowers had just begun blooming for that season.
Monday, February 17, was the USA President’s Day holiday. This is the day that honors all the presidents of this country and is the only federal holiday observed during February. In the past, a friend invites five or six same gender loving couples to his home so that we can all skinny-dip in his indoor pool in celebration of the holiday! The wearing of clothes is discouraged between the time of arrival and the time of departure!
The purpose of this posting is to share images of same gender loving (bisexual or gay) African-American men featuring their appreciation of the bare practitioner lifestyle. ReNude Pride is focused on both bisexual and gay men and nudity, so this is an appropriate occasion to honor those men and celebrate our similarities in our lifestyles!
In honor of Halloween being the very last day of the month of October, it is only fitting to observe the occasion with a nice body painted pair of buttocks with a pumpkin face! In this instance, it sort of incorporates the celebration of both the Bottom’s-Up! feature of ReNude Pride and the Halloween event. It absolutely makes my job easier combining the two!
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.
One of the most unexplored topics of our community history is the growth and development of bare (naked, nude) culture within the modern GLBTQ movement. For far too long, we bare practitioners (naturists or nudists) have been ignored and overlooked by the overwhelming majority of our society. The purpose of this posting here is to offer a brief and minimal accounting of our heritage.
ReNude Pride: Guys Without Boxers! 