News of the Nude, Feb. 2025
Volume 26: Unclothed updates and nude-related news from every corner of the globe
Welcome to an all-new News of the Nude. Feburary is a short month, but it was by no means a quiet one. Holy crap, was there a lot of news this month—though I haven’t taken the time to go back and confirm, this might be our most packed-full edition of our monthly media review yet. It’s certainly a contender.
With all of the stories we see this month, there’s a transcendent takeaway: naturism and nude expression are in a state of flux. This month’s stories highlight both the progress and the pushback, the celebrations and the struggles. Around the world, we see people fighting for body freedom—petitioning for new nude beaches, defending artistic expression, and standing up to censorship. At the same time, profoundly ingrained discomfort with nudity continues to surface, whether through misguided media narratives, restrictive policies, or public protests against age-old traditions.
What’s clear is that body freedom isn’t fading quietly into the background. It remains a subject of debate, activism, and community. While the future isn’t certain, one thing is: people aren’t giving up on the right to be seen as they are. 🚀
News of the Nude, Vol. 26 🪐
‘Big Nude Boat’ cruise set sail from Miami this week
The Big Nude Boat officially completed its 2025 voyage this month, carrying 2,300 passengers on an 11-night clothing-optional Caribbean adventure. Hosted by Bare Necessities, the world’s largest nudist travel company, this annual tradition departs from Miami aboard the Norwegian Pearl, with stops in Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas), St. Lucia, and St. Maarten. The cruise provides a judgment-free environment for naturists, whether they are seasoned or first-time nude cruisers.
Bookings for the 2026 sailing are already open, with the next voyage departing February 9, 2026, and visiting Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Jamaica, and Great Stirrup Cay. Prices start at $2,000 per person. 🚀
‘People spontaneously strip off and join us’: nude cyclists send message you don’t need to be buff
This weekend, Melbourne will host their 20th annual World Naked Bike Ride, bringing hundreds of cyclists together to promote rider safety, body acceptance, and environmental awareness. The event, which has grown from a small grassroots gathering into the largest naked bike ride in the Southern Hemisphere, is part of a global movement spanning over 70 cities.
The World Naked Bike Ride began in the early 2000s and has since expanded worldwide, with upcoming rides in Byron Bay, London, and Portland. As cycling safety and climate activism remain pressing concerns, Melbourne’s riders continue using their most attention-grabbing asset—their bare bodies—to push for change. 🚀
Learn more about the history of WNBR:
Off with their threads: swimwear banned at German nudist beaches
The city of Rostock in Germany has introduced a strict new rule banning swimwear at its 37 designated nudist beaches along the Baltic coastline. While clothing had previously been tolerated in these areas, growing complaints from both nudists and non-nudists led officials to clarify that only full nudity is permitted. Those who refuse to strip down won’t be fined but will be asked to leave by city patrols.
The decision is controversial, with some arguing it’s outdated and difficult to enforce. Meanwhile, Germany’s historic Freikörperkultur is facing a decline, as the German Association for Free Body Culture (DFK) has seen membership drop from 65,000 to 30,000 in 25 years.
As Germany tightens the rules on traditional nudist spaces, the question remains: will enforcing full nudity help preserve naturist culture, or push it further into decline? 🚀
Council tries to ban nudists from being nudists on semi-nudist beach
A battle over naturism has erupted at Corton Beach in Suffolk, England, after the local parish council put up a sign warning against nudity and threatening police action. The sign declares that “Corton Beach is not a naturist beach” and warns that “lewd behavior will not be tolerated and may be recorded by CCTV and reported to the police.” It also claims that “causing an offence to others is a criminal offence.”
Naturists have pushed back, arguing that the sign is misleading and falsely implies that simple nudity is illegal. A representative from British Naturism attended a parish council meeting—accompanied by a police officer—to clarify that naturism is lawful and that the council has no authority to enforce such a ban. The sign also conflates naturism with indecency, which naturist advocates say only fuels harmful misconceptions.
Corton Beach has been used for naturism since the 1970s, though its official designation was revoked in 2009 due to coastal erosion reducing available beach space. However, East Suffolk Council clarified in 2010 that nude sunbathing was still legal at Corton. Now, East Suffolk Council has confirmed that Corton Parish Council had no authority to install the sign and has requested its removal. 🚀
Georgia’s nudists plead for help saving Serendipity Park as longtime family-friendly resort goes up for sale
Serendipity Park, a 42-acre family-friendly nudist resort in Cleveland, Georgia, is up for sale for $1.8 million, sparking concern among its devoted community. Planet Nude first reported the listing back in July 2024 (read here), yet major outlets have only just picked up the story.
Serendipity is widely cherished, with longtime visitors calling it “the perfect first-time nudist experience” and praising its accepting, body-positive atmosphere. With the sale underway, Georgia’s nudists can only hope their retreat will remain a true naturist haven. 🚀
More reading:
Naturist village condemned by Bordeaux court for having too many people
Euronat, France’s largest naturist village, has been found in violation of local regulations by a Bordeaux court after three residents and the nearby village of Grayan-et-l’Hôpital raised concerns about overcrowding. The complainants argued that Euronat has exceeded its legal capacity of 5,000 people—set by prefectural decrees dating back to 1973—by as much as threefold, leading to congestion in shared spaces and disrupting the village’s original atmosphere.
The court ruled against Euronat on January 30, prohibiting further bungalow or campsite expansion unless offset by the removal of existing accommodations. Additionally, the village was ordered to compensate the three residents with €30,000 each for “loss of enjoyment” and additional economic damages ranging from €19,000 to €53,000.
Euronat’s director, Jean-Michel Lorefice, expressed shock at the decision, arguing that the village has complied with all administrative regulations. He plans to appeal to France’s highest court, the Cour de Cassation, and lamented the residents' legal challenge, calling it an act of hostility. 🚀
Could Los Cabos become Mexico’s next big nude beach?
Nudist activist Héctor Martínez, a longtime advocate for body freedom and organizer of Día al Desnudo, has formally submitted a proposal to establish Los Cabos as Mexico’s second official nude beach. The proposal, now under review by the municipal government, argues that a designated clothing-optional beach would boost international tourism, positioning Los Cabos alongside world-famous nude beach destinations in Spain, France, and the U.S.
Municipal tourism head Ana Gabriela Navarro acknowledged the proposal, stating that while her department is open to ideas that promote inclusive tourism, a multidisciplinary review is necessary. If approved, Los Cabos would join Playa Zipolite—Mexico’s only officially recognized nude beach—on the country’s naturist map.
Planet Nude has featured Héctor Martínez before, both for his efforts to normalize social nudity in Mexico and in a New Nudist Podcast interview. We wholeheartedly support his push for a second official nude beach in Mexico and hope Los Cabos seizes this opportunity to embrace body freedom and inclusivity on its shores. 🚀
More reading:
NaturismRE, ANF, and GNA stand united for naturist rights in Australia – a call for global support
A coalition of Australian naturist advocacy groups—NaturismRE, the Australian Naturist Federation (ANF), and Get Naked Australia (GNA)—has joined forces to support the 2025 Australia Public Decency & Nudity Bill, an initiative aimed at securing legal protections for social nudity and body freedom. Recognizing the potential global impact of this legislation, the coalition has reached out to the International Naturist Federation (INF-FNI) and other international bodies to rally broader support.
As part of the effort, a petition has been launched to garner public backing for the bill. Supporters worldwide are encouraged to sign and share it to help push for legislative protections. The petition can be found here:
🔗 Draft Bill: Australian Public Decency and Nudity Clarification Bill 2025
NaturismRE is calling for clubs, activists, and individuals to support the effort, emphasizing that victories for naturism in one country can pave the way for broader legal recognition and acceptance elsewhere. 🚀
Sponsor shout-out:
Shocking moment naked Iranian woman jumps on police car and sits on windscreen 'in protest of Islamic Republic's treatment of women'
In a bold act of defiance, a naked Iranian woman was filmed climbing onto a police car in Mashhad, Iran, in what many believe to be a protest against the country’s oppressive clothing laws. The footage shows her sitting on the windshield, raising her arms, and refusing to move as officers attempt to remove her—one reportedly reaching for a weapon while another, armed with a rifle, tries to reason with her. Passersby honked their horns in apparent support.
This protest comes amid Iran’s intensifying crackdown on women’s rights, including a proposed law that would allow authorities to immediately arrest any woman deemed “naked, semi-naked, or improperly dressed” in public. Since the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for wearing her hijab “incorrectly” and later died in police custody, acts of public defiance—such as women burning their headscarves or appearing unveiled—have become symbols of resistance against Iran’s authoritarian rule.
This latest protest echoes a similar act of defiance last November, when Iranian student Ahoo Daryaei stripped to her underwear in protest after reportedly being assaulted by Iran’s morality police at Azad University in Tehran. We covered Ahoo’s arrest in that month’s News of the Nude. 🚀
Topless feminists protest against the hard-right AfD party as polls open in high-stakes German elections
As Germans headed to the polls in a pivotal election this month, a topless FEMEN activist staged a striking demonstration outside the German embassy in Kyiv, using her bare body as a megaphone against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. While body freedom itself was not the subject of the protest, the choice to go topless was strategic—leveraging nudity’s inherent ability to grab attention in a media landscape saturated with political noise.
FEMEN has long employed topless protest as a form of radical visual activism, where the nudity itself isn’t the message, but rather a tool to amplify it. The shock value forces onlookers—and the press—to engage with the protester’s underlying cause. In this case, the activist’s body became a literal billboard, covered in anti-AfD and anti-Putin slogans, using spectacle to critique the growing far-right influence in Germany. 🚀
Himanta vows to protect nude Jain monks’ procession amid protest
In Jorhat, Assam, a religious procession led by two nude Jain monks has sparked protests from local groups, prompting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to vow protection for the monks and their right to religious expression. The procession, a long-standing practice within Jainism emphasizing ahimsa (non-violence) and spiritual renunciation, drew sharp criticism from groups like Bir Lachit Sena, who claimed public nudity—even in religious contexts—was unacceptable in Assamese society.
Protesters marched to the district commissioner’s office, demanding intervention, leading to the arrest (and later release) of eight individuals, including local Bar Association President Hemen Bora. In response, Sarma reaffirmed Assam’s commitment to religious tolerance, stating that any attempt to obstruct the Jain community’s sacred traditions would be dealt with decisively. 🚀
Models hit out at ‘stigma over nudity’ in life drawing class safeguarding row
A decades-old life drawing class in Hampstead has been forced to relocate after the Hampstead Community Centre deemed its nude models a “safeguarding concern” due to its time slot overlapping with children’s sessions. The decision has sparked outrage among artists and life models, who argue it reinforces the harmful stigma that equates nudity with impropriety.
The class, which has run for 30 years without issue, was told to either move to an evening slot or require models to wear clothing. Its organizer, art teacher Tony Swann, attempted to comply but found that students were unwilling to shift to a later time or compromise the essence of life drawing. Several professional life models condemned the decision as driven by ignorance, with one stating that “the naked body is not inherently sexual—it is a tool for education, body positivity, and human connection.” While the center denies prudishness played a role, the incident exemplifies the creeping censorship of natural nudity under the guise of “safety.” 🚀
45-foot-tall nude woman sculpture planned for Union Square canceled
Plans to install R-Evolution, a 45-foot-tall sculpture of a nude woman by artist Marco Cochrane, in San Francisco’s Union Square have been canceled due to engineering concerns. The towering artwork, originally debuted at Burning Man in 2015, was meant to be part of an effort to revitalize the struggling shopping district. However, just days before its scheduled February 6 unveiling, organizers determined that the plaza’s tiled foundation—situated atop an underground parking structure—could not support the massive installation.
The nonprofit Union Square Alliance, which led the project, has now shifted focus to securing a new site, with Embarcadero Plaza emerging as a potential location pending approval by the San Francisco Arts Commission. Despite the setback, organizers remain committed to bringing large-scale public art to Union Square. 🚀
Largest nude museum visit in the Low Countries takes place in Liège
Today (Friday, February 28th), more than 300 naturists from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg are gathering at the Boverie Museum in Liège, Belgium, for a special nude viewing of Paul Delvaux and His Universe. This marks the largest naturist museum visit ever held in the Low Countries.
The event was organized by Blootgewone Eva’s en Adams (Bltgwn), a Ghent-based naturist collective founded in 2024 dedicated to opening cultural spaces for nude-friendly experiences. Exhibition partner Tempora welcomed the idea, seeing a natural connection between Delvaux’s dreamlike compositions—often featuring classical architecture, surreal elements, and idealized nudes—and the philosophy of naturism. 🚀
Why the best modern artists returned to nakedness to find the truth
A new exhibition at the Worcester Art Museum, showcasing 20th-century nudes from the Tate collection, explores how modern artists abandoned classical idealizations of the naked human form to uncover deeper truths about the body, identity, and mortality. The exhibit features works by Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Willem de Kooning, Marlene Dumas, and others who painted flesh not as an aesthetic ideal but as something raw, vulnerable, and deeply human.
The show challenges traditional representations of nudity, shifting from allegorical figures of “Truth” to more visceral depictions of real, imperfect bodies. Freud’s meticulous portraits, de Kooning’s frenzied brushstrokes, and Picasso’s bold distortions all serve to strip away societal illusions, emphasizing that nudity in art is not just about beauty but about honesty—sometimes unsettling, always revealing. In an era of image curation and digital manipulation, the show is a timely reminder of the power of nakedness to confront reality. 🚀
Army of nudists to descend on remote Scots train station from iconic film
This summer, a group of naturists will gather for a unique “Scottish Highland Adventure” at Corrour, Britain’s most remote train station, made famous by Trainspotting. Organized by British Naturism, the sold-out retreat will see around 20 nudists staying at the Loch Ossian hostel, where they’ll enjoy nude hikes, wild swimming, and a clothing-optional three-course meal.
Corrour, accessible only by train, foot, or bike, sits 17 miles from the nearest public road. Its isolated location makes it an ideal setting for a naturist getaway, with participants free to remain nude throughout the hostel and its grounds. Those unable to secure a hostel bunk have the option to wild camp or stay in a boutique railway signal box.
Public nudity is not a crime in Scotland, provided it does not cause alarm or distress. Police Scotland guidance advises officers to take no action unless disorderly conduct or harassment is involved. 🚀
I tried it: Going nude at Black’s Beach
In a humorous and self-aware first-person account, San Diego Magazine’s Cole Novak details his chilly but enlightening first visit to Black’s Beach, the famed clothing-optional stretch below the cliffs of Torrey Pines. While he doesn’t describe a grand personal awakening, Novak acknowledges that the experience—though cold—was one worth having.
Black’s Beach, long a haven for both seasoned naturists and curious newcomers, remains one of the most stunning and well-known nude beaches in the U.S. Novak notes that, on this particular winter day, most of the nudists were men—many fully embracing the beach’s free-spirited ethos with activities ranging from handstands to cold plunges. Though he stayed bundled in his nervous energy, he left with a newfound appreciation for those who let it all hang out.
While mainstream media’s take on nude recreation often leans on humor or novelty, Novak’s piece offers a glimpse into the unpretentious reality of social nudity—just people enjoying the sun, sea, and sand, as nature intended. 🚀
Maslin's - Australia's first nudist beach celebrates 50 years of freedom in SA
Maslin Beach, located approximately 40 kilometers south of Adelaide, South Australia, holds the distinction of being the nation’s first official nude beach. On February 14, 1975, under Premier Don Dunstan's government, the southern portion of Maslin Beach was legally designated as a “clothing optional” area, acknowledging the growing number of nude bathers and aiming to reduce conflicts with law enforcement.
Over the decades, Maslin Beach has become a symbol of body positivity and freedom, hosting events like the annual Nude Olympics—later renamed the Pilawarren Maslin Beach Nude Games—which featured lighthearted competitions such as sack races and “best bum” contests. These gatherings fostered a strong sense of community among naturists and attracted participants from across the country.
Despite facing challenges, including issues with voyeurs and the decline of organized events due to insurance hurdles, Maslin Beach remains an iconic destination for those embracing a clothes-free lifestyle. Its legacy continues to inspire discussions about societal norms, personal freedom, and the acceptance of naturism in Australia. 🚀
Naturist dubbed ‘The Naked Carpenter’ tried to murder police officer
Robert Jenner, a man from Maidstone, Kent, previously known as the “Naked Carpenter” for doing woodwork in the nude, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the attempted murder of Police Constable Sean Quinn. Jenner attacked the officer with a pair of scissors, stabbing him 23 times in the head, face, neck, and limbs after barricading himself inside his apartment.
While media coverage repeatedly refers to Jenner as a “naturist,” his history of criminal behavior and violence has no connection to the naturist movement, which promotes lawful, non-sexual social nudity. Associating naturism with indecent exposure and violent crime is both misleading and damaging to genuine naturist communities. 🚀
‘I’m a nudist mumfluencer and sick of exhibitionist celebs like Bianca Censori setting a terrible example’
Estelle Keeber, a self-described “nudist mumfluencer” and body positivity advocate, has spoken out against the growing trend of celebrity nudity-as-spectacle, criticizing figures like Bianca Censori—who appeared at the 2025 Grammys in an extremely sheer, netted dress—for using nakedness as a publicity stunt. Keeber, who has spent years promoting authentic body confidence through naturism, argues that when nudity is framed as shock value, it undermines the deeper message of self-acceptance.
While Keeber defends the right to body freedom, she notes that Censori’s recent sheer-dress appearance at the Grammy Awards seemed less about empowerment and more about media manipulation. In contrast, Keeber’s approach to nudism—embracing social nudity through naturist beaches, spas, and activism—centers on personal liberation and connection with nature, free from exhibitionism.
Her advocacy includes promoting nudist-friendly spaces, fighting social media censorship, and even staging protests to challenge body-negative policies. Keeber hopes to shift the conversation away from performative nudity and toward genuine body acceptance. 🚀
The evolution of female nudity in art: pornographic or profound?
This piece offers an interesting and compelling exploration of how attitudes toward the female nude in art have evolved across history—though the discussion could have gone significantly deeper. It examines how classical depictions of nudity in Ancient Greece emphasized power and beauty, while the rise of Christianity reframed the nude female body as vulnerable, shameful, or even sinful. Later, artists like Manet (Olympia) and Courbet (L’Origine du Monde) disrupted these narratives, forcing society to confront its hypocrisies—exalting nudity as high art in some contexts while condemning it in others.
The article also highlights how contemporary feminist artists use nudity to challenge beauty standards and normalize real, unfiltered depictions of the body. Yet it raises lingering questions about the line between empowerment and commercialization—especially when vulva art is sold on mugs and T-shirts. While the piece touches on fascinating themes, a deeper dive into the ongoing tension between artistic freedom, censorship, and cultural perception would have made it even stronger. 🚀
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That’s it for February.
That’s a wrap for this edition of News of the Nude! If this month’s stories tell us anything, it’s that naturism remains a battleground in a mad world—one where body freedom is constantly challenged, yet people refuse to back down. Some fight for nude spaces, while others cling to outdated fears, treating nudity as something to be censored, hidden, or condemned.
And yet, naturism endures. People continue to petition, protest, and push for a more accepting world, proving that the desire for body freedom isn’t going away. 🪐
Extra newsy news! The NYT of Naturism?
But why are there censored body parts in this thread? Part of the issue we have already.