Naked Las Vegas

I watched a documentary the other night about Greg Friedler’s newest book release, Naked Las Vegas. He’s photographed a few other books along the same theme: Naked New York, Naked LA and Naked London. Basically, he takes a photo of the person fully dressed as they would be if they were headed to work. Then he has them strip and he takes another photo of them naked. In his book, the two photos are placed side-by-side with their employment listed below.

As you would expect, an attorney would show up in his business suit and then when the clothes are removed, he’s tattooed all over. Not what most of us would think when we’re thinking of attorneys, but that’s why I loved this documentary and the idea of the book! Rarely are folks what they portray to the world, we hide ourselves from people all the time, not daring to show our true inner selves. Another was a sweet looking housewife tattooed from her feet to her arms. Homeless posed, show girls, strippers, prostitutes, accountants…you name it and they came to pose for this book. All body types and a hermaphrodite even showed up, not that she looked any different than anyone else, but the uniqueness of the individuals was captivating. What I loved the most about Mr. Friedler’s artwork was that some folks were comfortable with their bodies and posing nude for the camera, while others were trying to overcome their fear of being naked in front of others. What guts that took knowing they’d forever be immortalized in a publication!

For those of you brave enough to venture into the world of Naked Las Vegas, here’s the link to Greg Friedler’s website with a sample of his photos: http://www.gregfriedler.com/

Maybe I’m a tad strange—don’t ask my family, they think I’m really, really weird…LOL—but I’m fascinated by the human body. The curves, the creases, the rolls, the muscles, the different shapes of breasts and penises, and I find everyone beautiful, from the too skinny to the too big. Bodies are beautiful and each person is unique and I think we should celebrate our differences rather than criticize the less than ideal body type. Sure, I’d love to be thinner, but I don’t want to be skeletal either. And while I love Hugh Jackman’s buff ‘bod’ and gorgeous face—I just finished watching Australia, so my brains on drool overload—I actually prefer and am attracted to men that aren’t so gorgeous and put together. Yes, I find the average, everyday man much more appealing than Hugh Jackman! Women that I find to be the prettiest, typically have more weight on them than the emaciated chicks that come out of Hollywood.

I wish we could all glorify our bodies and be comfortable in our skins, but as long as we have society telling us we have to be perfect, none of us will ever be perfect enough. Why is nudity taboo when it’s so natural? Is it because we’re exposed to the world, open to criticism and can’t hide behind the masks of clothing? Kind of like hiding our real inner personalities from people, too, and I’m sure guilty of that. And has female pubic hair become taboo? Almost no women have it!!!

I’d love to hear what you think! Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

~huggles~