Events - Part 25

 Key West Fantasy Fest

Key West is a gay mecca, not just tolerating but welcoming gay visitors.  This guy is standing at the end of Route 1, which runs up and down the entire East coast, ending at Key West.

Fantasy Fest was started in 1979 by local merchants to attract tourists during October, which was a slow season.  It's a 10-day festival leading up to Halloween, a combination of Mardi Gras with parades and floats, and Halloween with costumes.  Public nudity is officially illegal, though that law seems not to be enforced.  Some costumes are more daring than others, like this clever Peter Pan costume.

This guy's costume is absolutely minimal - bare in back and just a pouch in front.  I don't know what's holding it on.

Whatever was holding Batman's pouch on seems to have slipped.

Some people just ignore the nudity ban, like this guy whose costume advertises that he's good and plenty.

This guy's swimsuit covers him in front, but in back, it's a case of extreme sagging.  

Here's a guy in a tutu who doesn't seem to mind a little attention.

Perhaps this tutu-clad guy is looking for a little attention.

And this costume is sure to grab your attention.  Shall I say he's hard to ignore?

Indoors, the nudity ban doesn't apply.  Here's a bartender, dressed in a mask in the spirit of the festival.

"Sir, what would you like?"

"Um – sex on the beach?"

During the 10 days of the festival, there are multiple side events and parties, like the male-only "Bowties and Birthday Suits" pool party at Island House, which claims to be the "best gay resort in the world."  At this party, guests wear just their birthday suit and a bowtie (which they are given at the door). 

Here's a waiter at Island House serving drinks.  Looks like Key West Fantasy Fest might be a place where fantasies come true.

Vintage Military - Part 27

 WWII - D Day and Normandy

The Allied invasion of France, code-named Operation Overlord, began on June 6, 1944, known as D-Day.  It was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.  156,000 American, British and Canadian troops landed on five beaches on a 50-mile stretch of the coast of Normandy, in the largest seaborne invasion in history.

After the heavily-defended beaches were taken in fierce fighting, the Allied forces continued Operation Overlord by moving inland and liberating French towns and cities.  The Battle of Normandy lasted from June to August, 1944.

The continuing fight required continuing supplies.  The video above from June 26, 1944 shows soldiers on the beach who had been unloading supplies, at least one of whom did so naked.

Troops in Normandy tried to grab a bath or shower whenever possible, which was not often, like these guys bathing in a ditch or canal.

This soldier is taking a makeshift shower at a captured German military installation on June 26, 1944.

The invasion was supported by planes stationed in Britain.  Here, American airmen in Britain are washing by their plane on July 7, 1944.

These are Americans showering in Saint-Lô, Normandy, in July, 1944.

LIFE photographer Frank Scherschel captured these American troops enjoying a shower that they had set up in a road in Saint Georges d'Elle, Normandy in July, 1944.

Another view of the troops showering in Saint Georges d'Elle.

British troops on July 12, 1944 at a field hygiene station set up by the Royal Army Medical Corps.  The caption said: "Troops have a wash in hot water.  A tin full is supplied to each man.  Afterwards, they wash down under a cold shower."

This caption of this photo said: "French Luxury Hotel is now rest club for British troops.  Having a shower bath: Dvr. Lumley, Sheffield, Spr. Norris, Yeovil, Spr. Barrett Bude, Cornwall.  3rd Div Rest Club Hotel Belle Plage, Luc sur Mer."  Luc sur Mer is a coastal town in Normandy.

This photo shows men of the American Army Air Corps showering at a base camp in Normandy on Aug. 26, 1944.  By August, troops had captured airfields that were used to support the continued liberation of France.

We end with a video of American soldiers taking a break and swimming (naked, of course) in a lake in Normandy on June 26, 1944.

Ads - Part 22b

Pietro Boselli

Yesterday we saw a commercial for Equinox gyms featuring Pietro Boselli.  Pietro was born in Italy but moved to London in 2007 to study Mechanical Engineering at University College, London.  In 2010 he got his degree and started graduate school.   He had been doing fitness training and modeling on the side.  In 2014 he won the WBFF European Fitness Model competition.  The clip above shows him in the competition.  He's the guy in the center with the white shorts.

In 2015 he was lecturing at University College, London while studying for his PhD, teaching math to a Mechanical Engineering class.  One his students apparently appreciated his teacher's physique (above left).  The student Googled him and discovered his modeling career.  The student's Facebook post about his math teacher (above) went viral.

Pietro quickly became known as the "world's hottest math teacher."  He continued modeling.  He also continued his PhD studies, getting his degree in 2016.  His thesis was on "An Inverse Design Methodology for Long Last-Stage Steam Turbine Blades."

This is not a photo of Mr. Boselli.  It's a photo of Dr. Boselli.

A picture of him naked in a motel room with the door open.  Hmmm, what fantasy does that suggest?

He evidently had no problem with rear nude photos.

Frontal shots were different, although he posed for this wet underwear shot that's pretty revealing.

And he's teasing us in this shot.

We end with this part-frontal shot of the world's hottest math teacher for the cover of Yummy magazine.  Do you wish that he had been your math teacher?

Ads - Part 22a

 Equinox Gyms

Equinox is a chain of "luxury fitness clubs," otherwise known as gyms.  Their advertising has often featured beautiful naked bodies, with the implication that if you go to Equinox, you, too will look like this.

This 2008 ad showed a man posing naked as an art model for nuns who look like models themselves.  The Catholic Action League called it "perverse."  Equinox replied, "Our ad campaigns are based on personal motivation and fantasy and throughout history the body has been considered a form of art."

A 2013 series of ads by photographer Terry Richardson depicted female models in skimpy clothing with male models in suggestive positions.  Equinox dropped Richardson after some models accused him of sexual harassment, including the photographer being naked during photo shoots.  We'll see more of Terry Richardson's work (including him being naked during photo shoots) in a future post.

A 2015 ad campaign had the slogan "Equinox made me do it," again featuring models with beautiful bodies.

Apparently Equinox made them run naked at night.

The naked runners were also shown (very briefly) as part of a longer TV commercial.

In 2020, their ad slogan was "make yourself a gift to the world."  Usually, their ads featured a man and a woman, so this ad with two men, saying "play forever" and "more love for all" was breaking new ground for them.

We end with this 2015 commercial featuring Pietro Boselli, the world's sexiest math teacher.  Would you have paid more attention in math class if you had him for a teacher?  We'll see more of him tomorrow.

Festivals - Part 24

 Nambassa

Nambassa was a series of hippie-oriented festivals in New Zealand from 1976 to 1981.  Not just music festivals, they also featured workshops and displays about alternative (i.e. hippie) lifestyles, holistic health, alternative medicine and sustainable energy.  Above, a holistic workshop in 1978.

Above, the "village market" at Nambassa in 1981.  The market was the center of the festival, with hand craft outlets and health food eateries.

The beach at Nambassa in 1978.  Naturally, clothing was optional.  It was optional throughout the whole festival.

Public showers at the 1979 festival.

Another view of the showers.

Wikipedia says, "An atmosphere of personal freedom and discovery prevailed and this led to a considerable amount of nudity in the most innocent sense ...

"Thousands of people simply got naked and wandered the festivals with little or no clothing."

Like other festivals, some people liked to get muddy.  This is Nambassa 1981.

More mud people at Nambassa 1981.

And there was music.  In 1979, the New Zealand band The Plague performed with two women and one man wearing only paint.

We end with a short video clip of The Plague's performance.  The naked guy's contribution seemed to consist of howling like a dog.

World Naked Bike Ride - Part 26

 WNBR Los Angeles 2012

Today's photos are from the 2012 World Naked Bike Ride in Los Angeles.  Above, sunblock is always a good idea, especially if you're fair-haired and fair-skinned.

These guys appeared in several photos.  The guy in the sunglasses  looks like he just got vaccinated.  Of course in 2012 it wouldn't have been for Covid, but whatever it was, good for him.

Is he looking at his friend's watch, or looking past it at something a little lower down?

The same two guys.  We'll see who's holding the CFI microphone in a minute.

The guys have gotten a little decorative body paint: a peace symbol and some lightning bolts pointing to a feature of interest.

Here they are riding.  The guy with sunglasses is still looking his friend's watch – or maybe at that feature of interest.

The CFI microphone was being held by Aaron Stewart.  Aaron was reporting for a feature called Nudes in the News by Clothes Free TV, run by Clothes Free International (CFI).

But Aaron didn't just report on the bike ride.  He was in it, wearing a hat saying "surf naked."  Aaron is one of my favorite unashamed males, and I have more photos of him, so you may see more of him in the future.