Wednesday, 23 June 2010 12:59

The Bare Truth About Being Naked in the City

 

Lights! Camera! Activism? Toronto is full of liberal minded people; someone's always pushing the "norm" or trying to shift any law that infringes upon personal rights. Whether it is the pursuit of gay marriage, legalization of marijuana or freedom of expression there is always some form of social movement attempting to bring about change. But what about nudity on the streets? How do Torontonians feel about baring it all? A photographer from Liberty Village recently held nude a photo shoot in and around the streets of Liberty Village.

Naturism in Toronto

Naturism is the cultural and political movement advocating and defending social nudity in private and public places. The law currently in place states that in Ontario both males and females can be topless in public, yet very few people are choosing to do so. How often have you seen a topless woman walking her dog around Harbourfront or a person biking in the buff along Queen Street? Maybe not in the city of Toronto itself, but elsewhere across the country Canadians are really taking a skin dive into the naked scene.

Biking in the Buff

Out on the West Coast, British Columbians are "dropping trow" for a good cause. Vancouver's annual World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) is a nude protest against oil dependency and car culture that never fails to makes the news due to its "au naturel" shock tactic. Started in 2001 in Spain, the event has since gone international with annual events taking place across Europe, Oceania, The Americas as well as Japan, Taiwan and Russia. According to a Chicago WNBR participant, the WNBR is to "inject the hearts of our neighbourhoods with the reality of our beautiful bodies which have developed over millions of years into their current perfect beingness and join hundreds of naked compatriots in a free, non-sexual, fun bike ride."

In Canada however, Criminal Code Section 174 states that individuals can be charged if they are completely nude in public, so how can an event like this take place? In Vancouver such charges are extremely rare and in the case of World Naked Bike Ride, non-existent. This is because the prosecution for this charge has to prove that the community is not tolerant of the public nudity. In the case of the WNBR June 12, 2010 ride, it appeared the community was quite accepting."Laws against public nudity stem from people's unease with the human body. It makes people uneasy that others are comfortable enough to be naked in public, when they are not." (Katie Mann, from article in Going Natural, Vol 17, No 2)  

The Lewd-ity of Nudity?

But beyond this special occasion, you wont find many naked wanderers anywhere but on designated naturism beaches. Canada currently boasts about ten prominent nude beaches, including Toronto's Hanlan's Point Beach, on the Toronto Islands. But who is going to be the brave exhibitionist who brings bare naked from the seclusion of the islands to the streets of the city? What better way to legitimize the lewd-ity of nudity than through the lens of a camera?  Would this offend the average passerby or would it be viewed as art? Toronto is well known for its progressive art scene and mainstream creative culture, but it is ultimately in the hands of the people to decide whether a clothing optional movement is going to develop.

No social norms have ever been shifted without a movement by the people, whether it's by holding a parade or a protest it is up to a few daring souls to take naked to a new level. “Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." (Apple Computers, Think Different' advertising campaign)

Caitlin McAuliffe