Everybody Can Be Botticelli's Venus

Photo from Emily Ratajkowski's Instagram account @emrata

I've said it many times before on this blog, especially around the time I announce my Celebrity Naturist of the Year. Just because a famous person likes posing nude or issuing nude pictures to the world, does not mean they are naturists.

For most celebrities, we just don't know whether their preference for nudity only exists in front of the camera or extends into their daily lives. As celebrities, they are unlikely to appear at nude beaches with Jack and Jill Naturist, but will prefer a more private environment, at a villa or on a yacht near an isolated beach.

Emily Ratajkowski is a case in point. She became famous for wandering topless in the Blurred Lines pop video, condemned by many  as an example of pure sexism. Since then, she has been frequently posting topless or 'near-naked' pictures of herself on her Instagram, ensuring they get picked up by the world media.

Is she a true naturist? Difficult to tell. Eva Mendes, Heidi Klum and Rosario Dawson - to name but a few of my past Celebrity Naturists of the Year - are known to hang around naked in their homes or on the beach. If you look at the past Instagram offerings by @emrata, you must come to the conclusion, that at least when she's at home or at a villa with pool, Emily Ratajkowski enjoys it too.

Of course, there is the issue of looks and fame. The all-too-frequent reaction to nudity is that it's allright if the person in case is good to look at, but if they somehow don't conform to general ideals of beauty, they should remain dressed.

This is where naturism comes in. At a naturist resort, on a nude beach, it doesn't matter whether you look like Emily Ratajkowski or not. Everyone is free to enjoy the sunshine and the water on his or her skin, and doesn't have to worry about what other people will think. Not only social class distinctions disappear with the clothes, but notions of beauty as well.

In the naturist world, everybody can become Botticelli's Venus, just like Emily Ratajkowski.

Maybe that's an idea for a new photo album, people of varying body types posing for The Birth of Venus. Anyway, whether she's a naturist or not, I personally feel Emily Ratajkowski - and other nude-friendly celebrities like her - are promoting the idea that nudity is OK, nudity is relaxation and nature.

More about Emily Ratajkowski's Botticelli pictures: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-5266209/Emily-Ratajkowkski-evokes-Birth-Venus-nude-photo.html

Kim Kardashian also went 'one step further' with her most recent nude post, according to the media: http://www.tmz.com/2018/04/24/kim-kardashian-almost-shows-off-vagina-nude-photo/



To Heidi Klum or not to Heidi Klum?

As the time quickly approaches to select our Real Naturist and Celebrity Naturist of the Year 2014, a person who is always a strong contender for the latter title reemerges. German supermodel and Project Runway host Heidi Klum, our Celebrity Naturist for 2011, had loads of advertising posters put up in Las Vegas. But not for long, because the authorities thought there was too much nudity and the pictures might not sit well with 'families.'

While as usual, in no way related to naturism, the pictures are absolutely innocent, tasteful, and on the whole, I can't imagine them offending anybody's taste. They're sexy but not provocative, artistic but not cheap, and they look a lot more high-class than say, pictures of baseball players tasting burritos.

The news about the ads being taken down incited sniggers in the media about this being Las Vegas of all places, the city of sin. Yet, the pictures have nothing to do with sin, and those who might have objected to them are not aware that naturism is a family movement. No family should be offended by the ads, because families are one of the mainstays of naturist movements, holiday resorts and beaches around the world.

The ads have now reportedly been put back up, but in a 'sterilized' version, without what the authorities would have termed 'excessive' nudity.

So in the end, there is a victory but hidden within a defeat.

The same could be said about the Miss World decision to end bikini parades for its contestants. At first sight, it is a victory for people who object to women being paraded as just 'chunks of meat,' beautiful 'objects' to look at, but not to listen to. In that sense, the abolition of the bikini contest is a victory, though it could also be interpreted as a defeat to 'neo-prudishness' fueled by conservative religious beliefs. Just wait and see.

And finally, Kate Upton was named the sexiest woman alive. While I might not share that assessment, the good thing about Kate is that she is not one of those 'heroin chic' models who are too thin for their own good. Again, Kate's victory has nothing to do with naturism, but it could tell young women that thin is not the only way. On the other hand, it might be a defeat of sorts if it tells women that they should have larger breasts.

Everything is open to interpretation, but the fact remains that naturism is the way to a positive body image. When people are naked, they are all equal in their imperfections. Naturism breaks down barriers, images and unnecessary demands on the human body.

 

No, no, no, Ryan Gosling

In 2007 I chose Eva Mendes to be my first Celebrity Naturist of the Year because she was already known for liking to work in her garden naked and for appearing on posters and in movies with few clothes on. Last week, we got another confirmation that she likes the naturist lifestyle.
Boyfriend Ryan Gosling says she walks around naked at home all the time. Unfortunately, the news is that he wants to stop her doing so. Why? Because when he brings friends around to the house, she doesn't cover up.
What would I do if I had a partner/wife/husband/relative at home who never covered up? Well, the simplest and most reasonable thing to do would be to call ahead and say you're bringing somebody home to visit. If she says she's not planning to cover up, then I would tell my friend that people at home are naturists, so would they be shocked or offended if they found somebody at your home not wearing clothes?
It's all so simple really. If people really are shocked, you could time visits to coincide with your naturist family member's absence, or you could just meet elsewhere, at somebody else's home, or at a restaurant.
Is Eva Mendes being rude?
I don't think so, it's her home so she can do pretty much anything that's legal. Yes, she can show respect to Ryan Gosling's friends by covering up when they're there, but a/he should let her know beforehand and b/he shouldn't be ordering her what to do.
Having a mixed household - mixed anything, whether tastes, lifestyles, or cultures - is always an affair of give and take, and the same counts when one half is naturist and the other one isn't.
I hope the actor couple can work out what is after all a small problem and not let it divide them. As to the way things are developing according to the media, my words are:
No, no, no, Ryan Gosling - Yes, yes, yes, Eva Mendes.