When asking whether nudity is truly ok or not, (original posting here: http://skinbook.ning.com/forum/topics/nudity-is-truly-ok-or-not), it struck me that while some people were perfectly comfortable for their naked photos to be seen online, the main reason given for the opposite reaction was the possibility of someone in a position of power over them knowing about their nudity. In particular, the opinions of family and friends, work colleagues and other ofessionals, were high on the list of people who "must not find out". Mostly because of the possibility of the ultimate modern social rejection; being sacked from their job. This is essentially moral/social/behavorial blackmail.

I'm sure this is (unfortunately) a reasonable fear in many cases, but for this situation to change, people have to be prepared to stand up and say they are (sometimes) naked, and to prove it. Posting naked photos on the 'net is one sufficiently positive way to prove it, and while this should clearly be a personal decision, the question remains as to whether this is not actually necessary for societal change to occur. If we can equate choosing not to wear clothes with, say, choosing to wear a particular type of watch, or a turban, or owning a cat, then there is no way anyone can blackmail you on the basis of your preference for a particular type of pet, or headwear, etc. When sufficient people do this, no-one will be able to go to your boss and say: "look, here's a naked photo of whatsisname I found on the 'net", because the boss will just say: "so what, and I don't pay you to spy on the personal habits of your fellow workers, this isn't nazi germany, or communist russia, and aren't you supposed to be working anyway...?"

So, the question really is: "do we give in to blackmail of our personal behaviour, every single day of our lives, or do we do something positive about stopping it?"

Rich.

ps. Here's a page of organisations and people who want to do something about it: http://www.naktiv.net/change.html