Walk, walk, fashion baby

The perfect accessory is one that will compliment the outfit, not distract from it.

Apparently a handbag designer at a Madrid fashion show didn't want to risk that their models' outfits might distract from their handbags, so they had the models wear nothing at all.

And the models carrying the handbags were male.

That's right... nude male models carrying handbags down the runway.  CLICK HERE for the NSFW video.

CLICK HERE to view the NSFW video

Don't you think Project Runway should have an accessory challenge where the designers' handbags, scarves, or jewelry is modeled with no distracting clothing??

Censorship

So I log into Blogger yesterday or today (I forget which) and happen to see this notice at the top of the dashboard about a change to blog content beginning in late March.  I clicked on the link and read the notice.  Blogs that contain nudity that isn't considered 'artistic' or 'educational' will have to either remove that content or Blogger will make the blog private.  

I guess it remains to be seen how 'artistic' is defined.  I mean, I find almost all nudity to be artistic.

The interesting thing is that some blog writers received the notice via email, indicating their blog would likely be affected.  I did not get the email, so I'm assuming mine is not affected, but I'm really not sure.  My blog does not contain nude genitalia so I do not have content advisory that other blogs do.  Maybe that has something to do with it.  But my blog definitely does have nudity, so I'm not sure if nudity without showing genitalia is 'artistic' or not.

But I must say that I find all of this disappointing and bothersome.  YouTube and Facebook have always censored content and prohibited nudity.  I believe a big part of Blogger's popularity has been the fact that it did NOT censor content.  Blogger writers have been able to say and post whatever they want, be it 'artistic', 'educational', titillating, or smutty.  Its the very reason why we're HERE and not on Facebook and YouTube.

If blogs are forced to go 'private', how does a blog writer invite readers to the newly private blog?  How does a reader ask to be invited to a private blog?

I guess the other option is for blog writers to change platforms.  But whose to say that WordPress and other blog platforms won't follow suit?

I'm really not sure what to think about this whole situation, but I definitely feel disappointed that Blogger has decided to censor blog content.

Its Friday,,,

Its 5:00 on Friday - are you ready to throw in the towel??

Rugby

Thanks to fellow blogger BosGuy for keeping me on top of what's going on down under.

Apparently there is a nude rugby team called The Nude Blacks (although the term 'black' has nothing to do with race or uniform color since they don't wear uniforms) that's been playing for 10 years now.  How did I not hear of this before now, I ask you?  

Check out BosGuy's post here.  And then if you want more, check out this NSFW video here.

Sleep

I began sleeping nude in my early teens.  Prior to that I'd slept in just underwear.  I'd never been fond of pajamas because they seemed to get twisted when I rolled over.  However, I do wear flannel pajamas around the house in the evenings after changing out of my work clothes.

When I stopped sleeping alone my 1st boyfriend (actually he was my partner for 3 years) also slept nude so there seemed no need for me to change my sleeping preference.  Spouse also slept nude so when we got together there was again no need for me to change what I was doing.  For the last 30+ years I've been sleeping nude.  Its comfortable and easy.

But a few days ago I felt like I might be starting to come down with a cold or flu.  I felt tired and a little achy.  I took Spouse's suggestion of going to bed early that night in the hopes that getting extra rest would help me not get sick.  But as I mentioned a few posts ago, we don't keep the thermostat very high and the thought of being chilly in bed when I might be starting to get sick was not a pleasant one.  So I decided to wear my flannel pjs to bed, despite the potential for twisted legs and sleeves.

Oh my god, I can't remember a time when I slept more comfortably!!  I was so nice and toasty warm in my flannel pjs, with the sheet and down-filled blanket pulled up to my neck.  It was great!

Spouse is a cover clutcher so there have been many times when I've woken up cold and had to wrestle the covers back from him.  And sometimes when he was turning over he'd lift the covers, letting all that nice warm air escape and allowing the chilly air in.  But none of that mattered the other night when I slept in my flannel pjs.

Sure, its not nearly as sexy or seductive to sleep in head-to-toe flannel, but it sure is warm and comfy!

Naked office

To boost morale after 6 rounds of layoffs, a British marketing company decided to drop the dress code AND the dress, inviting employees to be nude on Naked Friday!

Naked Friday: British Marketing Co. Works In the Buff

Like a scene from the 'The Office,' the employees of British marketing company onebestway came in to work one Friday and proceeded to get naked. The idea came from David Taylor, a cheeky business consultant and psychologist hired by the company to boost team spirit.

"Inviting an organization to go naked is the most extreme technique I've used," he told The Sun. "It may seem weird, but it works. It's the ultimate expression of trust in yourself and each other." The move to bring in Taylor came after onebestway was forced through six rounds of layoffs.

The staff underwent a week of counseling and nerve building activities leading up to the big day. Tasks included photocopying body parts, sketching nude models and discussing at length. Finally, they were asked to strip down to their birthday suits -- but only if comfortable.

Amazingly most turned up in the nude. One man chose to fashion a pouch, and two female workers wore black underwear. The only female to go fully naked was front-of-house manager Sam Jackson, 23.

"It was brilliant. Now that we've seen each other naked, there are no barriers," she said. "We weren't put under pressure. If we wanted to come in clothed or in our underwear, we could. But I love my body and wasn't ashamed."

The team was filmed for a one-time TV special, Naked Office, to be aired July 9 on British cable channel Virgin 1. Click here to watch a short clip of the show on The Sun online.

But did the stunt work? According to Managing Director Mike Owen, "We have been so much closer since, professionally and personally. It's given us that boost I wanted." He added, "I recommend anyone to do what we did. It's not a sexual thing. If you do anything scary as a company, it encourages bonding."

Crush du Jour: David Gilkey