Planet Nude

What happens when a mass nude installation moves from city to city, culture to culture, continent to continent? This episode follows Spencer Tunick beyond the familiar story of arrests and controversy and into a global tour shaped by cooperation, resistance, vulnerability, and quiet moments of connection. As bodies gather in public spaces from Montreal to Melbourne to Antarctica, the focus shifts from spectacle to participation—and to what nudity reveals about power, politics, and belonging when it crosses borders. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

There is a particular kind of love that does not insist on joining you in the sun. It waits at home, half dressed, cheering you on. In this reflection on marriage, autonomy, and social nudity, Dustin Cox traces what eleven years with a nudity-neutral husband have taught him about acceptance. The story moves through resorts and private balconies, through queer identity and the quiet negotiations of long partnerships, toward a simple truth: support can be more intimate than participation. As an audio piece, it lingers on gratitude, on the rhythm of separate passions, and on the rare freedom of being fully yourself while someone else stands beside you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

A platform built on openness now faces a test of its own boundaries. As investigations reveal how extremist publications are monetized and amplified, creators are left to weigh something few independent publishers ever planned for: the reputational cost of the infrastructure beneath them. This is a story about speech, responsibility, and the fragile scaffolding that holds digital communities together. It unfolds as both warning and reckoning, asking what happens when neutrality becomes an active choice. 🪐This episode is an audio reading of the Planet Nude article “An open letter to Substack.”More at www.planetnude.co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

For decades, Vermont has stood apart for its unusually permissive approach to public nudity. A new bill in the state legislature would end that era. This episode tracks the introduction of House Bill H.683, which proposes a statewide criminal ban on public nudity, including on private property visible from public spaces. As local restrictions give way to a broader legal shift, the measure raises questions about civil liberties, local control, and how quickly long-standing norms can be rewritten through statutory language. 🪐More at www.planetnude.co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

A long-running conflict at one of Southern California’s oldest nudist communities has taken a sharper turn. As residents of Olive Dell Ranch report electricity shutoffs affecting homes, medical devices, and basic utilities, a legal battle over clothing rules and tenant rights moves into more dangerous territory. This episode documents the latest developments in a dispute that blends housing law, disability access, and the slow unraveling of a historic naturist space—now headed toward a critical court date. 🪐More at www.planetnude.co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

Naturist spaces promise relief from judgment—but that promise can fray when unspoken standards creep in. This episode listens closely to how body positivity, despite its good intentions, can quietly reproduce pressure and exclusion, especially around weight and health. By centering body neutrality instead, the essay reframes nudity as an experiential practice rather than a visual one, asking what it really means to share space without appraisal when every body is visible. 🪐Read the original article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

A forgotten Virgil Tibbs novel drops the famously restrained detective into an unlikely setting: a Southern California nudist camp at the height of America’s mid-century nudist boom. In this episode of the Planet Nude podcast, we revisit The Cool Cottontail as both pulp mystery and cultural time capsule, following Tibbs through sun-bleached pools, polite prejudices, and a world imagined by an author who knew organized nudism from the inside. The result is a relaxed but revealing listen about race, respectability, and the strange places nudism has quietly surfaced in American popular fiction. 🪐Read the original article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

Brett Marcella traces a curious pattern he’s noticed in recent comics, where women grow to kaiju size, shed their clothes, and find themselves at the center of both the action and the reaction that follows. Moving from mainstream titles to an indie standout, the article looks at how nudity shifts from a passing gag to a deliberate theme, touching on power, spectacle, public judgment, and what it means to stand exposed—literally and figuratively—while saving a city. Read the original article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

As a lawsuit threatens the future of Seattle’s oldest clothing-optional beach, Friends of Denny Blaine is moving to intervene in the case, seeking a direct role in court to ensure that the voices of LGBTQ+ and clothing-optional park users are represented alongside the city’s defense. The move marks a shift in a long-running dispute over public space, nudity, and access at Denny Blaine Park as the legal fight continues into 2026. 🪐More at www.planetnude.co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

An eccentric prophet, a naked Eden in the Everglades, and a man who claimed to have visited Venus. This episode excerpt from Nudetopian Nightmares traces the strange, contradictory life of Floyd M. Gurley, a figure who fused Christian fundamentalism, naturism, vegetarianism, and cosmic prophecy at the fringes of American nudist history. Pulled from Olaf Danielson’s latest archival deep dive, the story offers a vivid glimpse into a forgotten world where utopian belief, nudity, and delusion often shared the same ground. 🪐www.planetnude.co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

A tribute to Bruce Frendahl, a longtime Florida nudist organizer and advocate whose writing and leadership helped affirm that public nudity is lawful, nonsexual, and part of ordinary civic life. From free beach battles to civil liberties fights across the state, Frendahl spent decades challenging selective enforcement and moral panic with persistence, clarity, and care.Read the original article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

A Brazilian court has expanded legal protections for naturists at Praia do Pinho, issuing a collective safe-conduct order that blocks arrests for nonsexual nudity while a broader legal challenge plays out. The ruling reinforces earlier injunctions won by the Brazilian Naturist Federation and draws a clear line between municipal regulation and criminal law at the country’s first officially recognized naturist beach.Read the original article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

The city of Rostock, Germany, has just implemented a compulsory nudity rule at designated nude beaches in the seaside districts of Warnemünde and Markgrafenheide. This local ordinance mandates that visitors to these naturist-only zones, encompassing 37 beach sections along a 19 km stretch of coastline, must be entirely unclothed. Swimsuits, bikinis, and any form of clothing are prohibited in these areas. If you’re caught clothed on one of these beaches, you may be asked by authorities to strip down or vacate. To be perfectly clear, this regulation applies only to Rostock’s official FKK beaches and does not apply nationally. The city’s beaches are now categorized into three distinct zones: naturist-only, mixed-use, and textile-only, ensuring that visitors can choose areas that align with their comfort levels. ​Enforcement measuresThe decision to enforce this ban arose from numerous complaints by naturists who felt uncomfortable due to the presence of clothed individuals in designated nude areas. Incidents involving clothed visitors allegedly gawking, taking photos, or otherwise disrupting the nude-friendly environment were reported. Rostock officials noted that many naturists felt their privacy was being compromised, prompting the city to adopt stricter guidelines. ​Rostock has a longstanding tradition of FKK culture, particularly in former East Germany, where social nudism was widely practiced. City officials believe that this rule protects the integrity of dedicated naturist spaces and ensures that naturists can feel at ease. Additionally, the increasing prevalence of smartphones has raised concerns about potential privacy violations, further justifying the need for clearer regulations. Beach wardens and local authorities will oversee compliance with the new rule. These officials have the authority to request that clothed individuals either disrobe or leave the FKK zones. If someone refuses to comply, they may be issued a Platzverweis (order to vacate the area). Notably, no fines are planned; enforcement will focus on resolving conflicts rather than imposing penalties.According to reports, wardens will patrol the nude beaches on foot or by beach buggy, but they themselves will remain clothed. The rule does not apply to passersby who are not staying on the beach—for example, someone briefly walking along the shoreline. Rostock has also designated textile-only zones to accommodate all preferences, ensuring that those who prefer to wear swimwear have separate spaces.Public reaction and controversyLocally, the rule has been welcomed by naturists and city officials, who view it as a reinforcement of proper etiquette and a deterrent against clothed onlookers. The Rostock city council broadly supported the measure, emphasizing it as a practical response to user complaints. However, international reactions have been mixed. Media coverage highlighted the unusual nature of the rule, as most laws regulate nudity by requiring clothing—this one does the opposite. Some headlines humorously framed it as a crackdown on “half-hearted naturism.” ​Critics argue that the rule might deter newcomers who are curious about naturism but hesitant to go fully nude. However, no major protests or legal challenges have emerged, and officials stress that common sense will guide enforcement. Germany’s approach is unique. While the country has a strong FKK tradition, most of its nude beaches have historically been clothing-optional, much like those in other nudist-friendly nations. Even in places with long-established naturist cultures, mandatory nudity remains rare. France, home to its famous plages naturistes, generally allows swimwear even in designated nudist areas. Some beaches, like Port Leucate, post signs explicitly stating “le port du maillot de bain est interdit” (swimsuits forbidden), but enforcement is largely social rather than legal, relying on peer expectations rather than official action. Elsewhere, no such mandates exist, at least that I can find. Spain, Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. all have well-known nude beaches, but they remain clothing-optional, without any formal requirement for nudity. Rostock’s decision stands apart—by legally enforcing a nude-only policy at its designated FKK beaches, the city has taken a rare step in formalizing naturist etiquette through law rather than tradition. In doing so, it extends the principle long observed in German spas—where nudity is required for hygiene—into the open, ensuring that its historic naturist beaches remain truly clothing-free.A model for naturist beachesRostock’s enforcement of a nude-only rule is a significant milestone for preserving dedicated naturist spaces. The growing issue of textile encroachment on nude beaches has been a concern for years, with many naturists feeling uncomfortable in what should be their own spaces.This rule provides a clear solution: if a beach is designated as naturist, then it should be exclusively for naturists. By eliminating ambiguity, it strengthens naturist culture and protects privacy from unwanted intrusions.​ The rule now also provides a precedent. Naturist groups worldwide might consider advocating for similar policies in areas where textile beachgoers disrupt naturist spaces. 🪐 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

The Substance is a mad, mad film. At times it’s more like a particularly unhinged episode of Black Mirror or the Twilight Zone than it is a movie, and it revels in violent and grotesque body horror. It's not subtle, and often feels like it’s bludgeoning you with what it wants to say. It is absolutely the wildest movie that I saw in 2024, nothing else even comes close. It is certainly not for the faint of heart, especially those who hate needles.But why am I reviewing it here? Because, while it’s a pretty simple, gruesome movie, all things considered, its messages should be strikingly familiar to the naturist community.Read the full article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

Planet Nude was suspended from Facebook Saturday, after months of escalated warnings and content removals. Each time, I appealed the takedowns, and each time, my appeals were repeatedly denied with little explanation. The content in question? Mostly links to our articles and webcomics—material that follows the general guidelines of Substack and other publishing platforms but, apparently, does not sit well with Facebook’s algorithmic enforcers.Read the full article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co/p/they-dont-want-us-here This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

Social media’s censorship of naturist content continues to stifle body-positive messaging and community building. In this article by Evan Nicks, the case is made for returning to newsletters as the foundation of the naturist movement. Direct, sustainable, and free from algorithmic barriers, newsletters can help organizations reclaim their voice and grow authentic connections.Read the original article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

In a welcome win for the naturist community, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) has withdrawn a proposed rule change that could have made it easier to alter the well-defined boundaries of the clothing-optional area at Rooster Rock State Park. The decision came during an online public hearing held on January 15, 2025, which saw robust participation from advocates and concerned citizens.Read the original article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

In 2011, JP Riley’s Act Naturally introduced audiences to Bear Lake, a fictional nudist resort inherited by two estranged stepsisters. The film became a cult favorite among naturists, praised for its humor, heart, and authentic portrayal of nudism. Now, after over a decade, Riley is ready to unveil Act Super Naturally, a sequel that’s been as tumultuous behind the scenes as the fictional resort’s drama.Read the original article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

Wildfires in Southern California, fueled by Santa Ana winds up to 100 mph, have caused massive destruction. Embers carried miles have ignited new fires, consuming over 35,000 acres and forcing 180,000 evacuations. Hard-hit areas include Altadena and Pacific Palisades, with power outages affecting nearly a million people. Insured losses may surpass $20 billion, making this potentially California's costliest wildfire disaster. Over 8,000 firefighters struggle against relentless winds, as neighborhoods turn to ash. Among those impacted is Southern California’s naturist community, demonstrating resilience and solidarity amid disruption, offering a poignant glimpse into the human toll of this catastrophe.Read the original article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

In an unprecedented global effort, naturist organizations and leaders from over forty countries have united to demand an end to the censorship of non-sexual nudity on social media. Spearheaded by the International Naturist Federation (INF-FNI), the open letter calls on platforms like Meta to reform their moderation policies. It has been sent directly to Meta and made public for other major tech firms, urging immediate action.Read the original article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe