4/28/13 Walter of the Week: Greece

This week our Walter Award goes to yet another country: Greece.  There are a lot of reasons why Greeks should be recognized for promoting nudity, of course.

To begin with, the ancient Greeks spent a lot of their time sans clothing.  (Those toga / cloak things they wore never covered much anyway.) We have naked workouts in the gymnasiums, plus the Olympics.  We have all those nude statues and vases.  We even have nude beaches in some parts of the Greek islands today.

The land of Athens and Sparta also deserves recognition for a story we ran on the Bare Platypus yesterday.  It seems that the Greeks loaned an entire museum exhibit worth of artifacts celebrating the Olympic games to the nation of Qatar.  When Qatar put coverings over the male anatomy of two statues, the Greek government called foul and said that would violate the spirit in which the statues had been created, not to mention interfering with their natural beauty.

Bravo to you, Greece.  Your economy may have some challenges, but you have civic pride and a history you refuse to alter for the sake of politics. 

Interestingly, this is not the first time that an audience has tried to put clothing on Greek statuary.  A statue depicting the mythical figure Poseidon---which was a gift from Greece in 1972 to the City of Sacramento, California---was once draped in things like khaki shorts and t-shirts by some attendees of a convention with lots of families in attendance. Apparently the convention ended before any Greeks learned about the clothing and had time to object.

Read that story here: Poseidon statue coverup

4/21/13 Walter of the Week: Denmark

Our Walter Award goes to a country this week... Denmark!

Denmark came to our attention when a story surfaced in the New York Times that the nation is re-evaluating its safety net of social programs .  However you feel about that subject, it got us thinking about what the country does to promote nude living and, thus, to deserve a Walter.

Leisure Time. To begin with, as the above-linked article points out, Danes enjoy significant amounts of vacation time and shorter work weeks.  That translates into more free time with friends and family and, if you're a nudist, more naked time.

Bare Platypus Visitors. Lately we have noticed more and more visitors to our blog site from Denmark stopping by, as well as visitors from Sweden, its neighbor to the North.  Welcome!

Natural Nudity. What we most admire about countries like Denmark, however, is how natural and matter-of-fact they are about nudity.

Imagine, for example, that for just a moment you were reading a blog where the author doesn't claim to be a nudist and doesn't have any hideous disclaimer about being "NSFW." Yet when summer comes round, pictures from the blogger's back yard and vacations depict nude and/or topless bathers and picnic-goers.  We've seen such blogs in "Dansk" but it helps if they use a little English too.

For another example, the famed statue of The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen harbor provides a natural depiction of a subject with bare breasts and none of the Disney seashells covering her up, thank you.

So go on, Denmark.  Just keep on being yourself.  When it comes to natural nudity, we hope that imitation will be the form of flattery paid to you!

4/14/13 Walter of the Week: "Digital Mom"

 

 



Our Walter of the Week award is named after Walter Bishop, the eccentric but very talented scientist on the hit television series, Fringe.  We named the award in honor of him because he helped mainstream casual everyday nudity by cooking naked on Tuesdays in his home, regardless of guests.

We have not awarded a WALTER since Valentine's Day when we honored Cupid.  But this week we believe DIGITAL MOM deserves one for her humorous article about her toddler turned nudist.  It's cute. It's funny. It's about classic enjoyment of one's birthday suit.

Congrats Digital Mom!  This Walter's for you...

02/10/13 Walter of the Week Goes to...

This Week our Walter of the Week goes to CUPID.  Cupid  is a perfect choice.  He's a big hit this time of year around Valentine's Day and makes people happy.  He's also usually naked or wearing only a sash.  And there is lots of artwork over the years celebrating him in his birthday suit.  So, after many years overdue, this Walter's for you.

01/01/2013 Walter of the Week

Our January 1, 2013 Walter of the Week goes to... (drum roll please)...  2013. The Baby New Year!

There are a lot of reasons to make this award.  First, a new year offers lots of promise.  It's a time of new opportunities. It's also a time for making resolutions: to eat healthy; to exercise more, to spend more time in your birthday suit.

And, speaking of birthday suits, the New Year's Baby usually appears naked. Or bare bummed and sporting only a sash.  That makes his attire just perfect for celebrating Naked Tuesday.  Naked Tuesday is a tradition started by the character Walter Bishop of the hit TV show, Fringe.

"Born" on a Tuesday and born naked, could 2103 be more promising?  We don't think so.  To 2013 - this Walter's for you!

07/01/2012 Walter of the Week

OUR WALTER of the week goes to an unlikely candidate today.  It's not a person.  It's a movie.

The Blue Lagoon made its debut 32 years ago on July 5, 1980.  Set on a tropical island the film---based upon a novel by Henry Stacpoole---told the story of two shipwrecked youngsters growing up alone but for each other.  There was romance, there were corny lines at times, and there was actress Brooke Shields.

But there was also quite a bit of nudity, first as the young tyke versions of the characters skinny dipped in the ocean. Later, actor Christopher Atkins also skinny dipped and strolled about on the island in little more than a loincloth.  (For her part, Shields did not do much actual nudity.  Body doubles and discreetly placed objects were more commonly used.)

Despite what could be said about the dialogue or the plot, one must admit that the movie got a lot of people thinking about how much fun it would be to frolic about in little or no clothing.  While aspects of The Blue Lagoon were clearly meant to titillate and exploit sexual tension, other elements simply highlighted the beauty of experiencing naturism in nature.  (Those interested can purchase it for download on Amazon .   Or consult the Internet Movie Database .)

We at the Bare Platypus have met more than one person who first thought about nudism after watching The Blue Lagoon. For that reason, combined with the anniversary of its release this week, we present it this Walter. 

06/24/12 Walter of the Week

JODI JAECKS is the distinguished recipient of this week's Walter award for significant contributions to "normalizing" the human body.

Jaecks is a breast cancer survivor who underwent mastectomy surgery twice as the disease claimed parts of her body, but didn't conquer her spirit.  She pursued swimming for exercise and to build stamina, but couldn't get a swimsuit to fit properly. Moreover, nerve endings in her doctored chest caused her pain when the suit tugged in the water.

Ms. Jaecks asked the Seattle Parks and Recreation department if she could swim topless in department pools and was initially told, "no."  When her story made local headlines, the Parks and Recreation department reconsidered and said it would make an exception to its rule requiring "gender appropriate" swimwear.

Realizing that a sole exception will benefit her but leave other breast cancer survivors to potentially the same experience she endured, Ms. Jaeks is now pressing Seattle to change its rules on topless swimming for all who have had to undergo the surgeon's scalpel.  You can read more by clicking Seattle .

To Jodi Jaecks who overcame breast cancer and made us all rethink what is "appropriate" swim attire, this week's Walter is for you!

06/17/12 Walter of the Week

AS YOU may know, Bare Platypus presents the Walter Award every Tuesday to honor the “cook naked on Tuesday” tradition observed by Dr. Walter Bishop of the TV series Fringe.

Given that the award got started in commemoration of naked cooking, it seems only natural to present one to the Richmond Ham company in recognition of their new ad campaign entitled “As Nature Intended.”

The Richmond Ham ad features real naked people singing the virtues of this naturally delicious food.  It is obvious that they are, indeed, completely naked and we see more than one bare bottom.  Especially the narrator / singer.

See it by clicking You Tube .

To the Richmond Ham company, we honor you with this week’s Walter Award.  And we hope you’ll cook naked!

6/10/12 Week’s Walter Award Goes to…

SOME WEEKS the choice for our Walter Award---which is named for Dr. Walter Bishop of the hit television series Fringe and announced each Tuesday in homage to his “cook naked on Tuesday” philosophy---comes so naturally.  This was one of those weeks!

We simply must recognize Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda of The Today Show for answering the questions, “Is sleeping naked normal?” and “Is skinny-dipping normal?” with an emphatic 'Yes!"  The women provided those answers while playing a few rounds from a new game show that polls the general public on what’s normal, and then challenges contestants to match the results, like the Family Feud game show of old. (The poll found a majority of those surveyed didn’t think sleeping starkers is normal, but what are you gonna do?)

The Walter Award also recognizes Kathy Lee and Hoda for saying some very positive things about nudity when they opened a Nakation-in-a-Box live on the air some years ago.  They actually held up copies of nudist park guides, Nakation towels, temp tattoos and sunblock while conceding that the whole idea sounded fun.  Hoda also relayed her experiences on a nude beach while visiting Europe as a college student.

For answers that embody the true spirit of Dr. Bishop, we wish you this Walter ladies!

06/03/12 Week's Walter Award Goes to...

BEFORE ANNOUNCING this week's Walter Award we should note that one of the roles we see for the Bare Platypus is preserving an element of nudist history.  The movement for black equality remembers Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall.  The womens' movement remembers Susan B. Anthony.  We think nudists should do the same.

In that spirit, our Walter of the week goes to Robert Page---not for anything especially noteworthy occuring over the past seven days so much as a lifetime of service.

Bob was already an up-and-coming lawyer when Saul Stern, one of the first attorneys to represent organized nudism in North America, recruited him to be Stern's successor.  For many, many years thereafter, Page represented the American Sunbathing Association and its related organizations. 

While there, Page authored two amicus curaie (Friend of the Court) briefs submitted to the United States Supreme Court.  None other than Justice William Brennan quoted from the brief in Massachusetts v. Oakes.  (The other brief was part of City of Erie v. Pap's A.M., which considered the constitutionality of bans on nude dancing.)

As such, Robert Page distinguished himself among First Amendment advocates and scholars... and his work didn't stop there.  Page also petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to strike down an Iowa state law prohibiting nudity wherever a sales tax was collected.  While unsuccessful, the case (US v. Farkas) may nevertheless have helped provide a "thumb in the dike" to stem an ever-growing onslaught of anti-nudity legislation by giving folks reason to pause about the implications of such laws.

Bob's spouse of many years was a distinguished figure in the legal community and leant her talents to the nudist cause as well.  Though the couple later divorced, they remained friends.

About ten years ago Robert Page passed away.  But he left a legacy of championing nudist rights that has inpired others to follow.  For this we are most privileged to submit his name to you, our readers, as this week's WALTER recipient.

The Walter is named in honor of Dr. Walter Bishop from the hit TV series, Fringe. Dr. Bishop has a matter-of-fact attitude towards nudity. In his name the Bare Platypus presents a "Walter" award each week to the person, group, or event that best depicts nudity naturally.
Read more at www.bareplatypus.blogspot.com

5/27/12 Week WALTER Award

THIS WEEK the Bare Platypus Walter award goes to actor Mark Ruffalo, who plays Dr. Bruce Banner in the blockbuster summer movie, The Avengers.  Ruffalo’s scene in which he sits “naked” amidst rubble after crashing into a building as The Incredible Hulk, then morphing back into Banner is among the more classic moments in the film.

Although we don’t see any skin “below the waist,” the matter-of-fact way in which Ruffalo deals with having no pants after shrinking from a giant creature to mere mortal again deserves some accolades for acting.  There’s a touch of sheepishness and embarrassment mixed with the confidence of a hero who probably deals with this “side effect” of his super powers often as he discusses his predicament with actor Harry Dean Stanton in the role of a helpful janitor.

We have to believe Mark Ruffalo captures the essence of an episode between President John Quincy Adams and a female reporter who snatched his clothes while he skinny-dipped in the Potomac.  She wouldn’t return them until granted an interview.  Or lads from a Saturday Evening Post cover caught playing hookey from school to skinny dip: slight chagrin at getting aprehended sans trou, without a hint of anything tawdry.

And so, Mr. Ruffalo, we are very pleased to wish you this week’s Walter Award.

The Walter is named in honor of Dr. Walter Bishop from the hit TV series, Fringe.  Dr. Bishop has a matter-of-fact attitude towards nudity.  In his name the Bare Platypus presents a "Walter" award each week to the person, group, or event that best depicts nudity naturally.

The Walter of the Week Goes To…

BESTOWING OUR very first Walter award is a significant event. That’s why the Bare Platypus Team put considerable thought into choosing its recipient. We wanted someone (or something) that would embody the following elements: (1) making an impact on society; (2) conveying respect for the human body;
(3) embracing natural nudity; and (4) setting an example that encourages others to follow.

Four members of the Team submitted nominations and six members selected a winner among those nominees.  We’re pleased to announce that The Walter for the Week beginning May 20, 2012 goes to…

The American Skinny Dipper

Whether it took place at night or in daytime…

Whether Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn…

Whether it’s the people who helped set a Guinness World Record…

Katharine Hepburn in On Golden Pond…

Boy Scouts in camp during a bygone era…

A summer idyll celebrated on a cover of The Saturday Evening Post…

You all helped prove one thing. Stripping off your clothes to go swimming bare is naturally a lot of fun. That’s a great start! So to ALL of you great American skinny dippers from ALL of us, we wish you THIS WALTER!

Bare Platypus Note:  The Walter is named in honor of Dr. Walter Bishop, a character on the hit television series "Fringe." He appears naturally nude on the program from time to time and he always cooks naked on Tuesdays.  A Walter recipient is announced each Tuesday on The Platypus.

BARE Naked Award: “The Walter”

BARE PLATYPUS is very proud to announce our latest blog development: The Walter awards. 

The Walter is named in honor of Dr. Walter Bishop, the genius-crazed scientist on the hit TV series, Fringe.  As you will see in this film clip about Naked Tuesday on Youtube , Dr. Walter brings a matter-of-fact approach to nudity to the small screen that is both humorous---without mockery---and non-sexual.

We will present a Walter each week to a person, celebrity, or story that most depicts nudity as a positive or everyday aspect of life.  We will announce The Walter on “Naked Tuesdays” in honor of his signature scene (linked above). This one’s for you, sir. 

There’s a life lesson for the rest of us in this:  Cook naked on Tuesdays!