The Naked Party: Not Naked

A few years ago I wrote for PW on the experience of going to a nudist camp. At first, I thought I wouldn’t take off my clothes. But being there made me realize that clothing is actually quite artificial. I turned into Brooke Shields in The Blue Lagoon in about five minutes, and visited other nudist retreats thereafter. In fact, I would go again—I think it’s especially freeing for women, who aren’t even afforded the possibility of throwing off our tops in the puritanical U.S.

So though I’m not a nudist, or naturist, I sympathize with the cause. That’s why I was intrigued to see a “Naked Party” invitation in my mailbox at work. There were, however, problems that quicklys surfaced. First of all, the event was being held in Old City. If you’re from Philly, you’ll understand why that’s problematic: Nothing creative or culturally unconventional happens in an Old City club. Second, the advertisements for it featured women who looked like Victoria’s Secret models in exquisite lingerie. What, now? That’s not naked. That’s just a level of hotness most Philadelphians could never hope to achieve. And what about men? Do men not get naked?

The photos of the event taken by Irina Zhorov are here. They have confirmed my suspicions. You’ll see that people are not naked, though the women are dressed scantily. The guys? Clearly just there to ogle. Depressing.

liz | 10:39 AM | philadelphia, random