The Nude Photo Revolutionary Calendar is here — and I’m in it!
Today – 8 March 2012 International Women’s Day – the Nude Photo Revolutionaries Calendar is being launched in homage to Egyptian atheist, student and blogger Aliaa Magda Elmahdy who posted a nude photo of herself, announcing the post on Twitter under the hashtag, #NudePhotoRevolutionary.
The calendar is the idea of campaigner Maryam Namazie to support Aliaa Magda Elmahdy and join her ‘screams against a society of violence, racism, sexism, sexual harassment and hypocrisy’.
Namazie says: ‘What with Islamism and the religious right being obsessed with women’s bodies and demanding that we be veiled, bound, and gagged, nudity breaks taboos and is an important form of resistance.’
The calendar is designed by SlutWalk Co-founder Toronto, Sonya JF Barnett who says: ‘I felt that women needed to stand in solidarity with Aliaa. It takes a lot of guts to do what she did, and the backlash is always expected and can quite hurtful. She needed to know that there are others like her, willing to push the envelope to express outrage.’
Others who join the ‘scream’ include mother and daughter Anne Baker and Poppy Wilson St James, teacher Luisa Batista, We are Atheism Founder Amanda Brown, atheist bloggers Greta Christina and Emily Dietle, FEMEN activist Alena Magelat, photographer Mallorie Nasrallah, actress Cleo Powell, freethinker Nina Sankari, writer Saskia Vogel, and Maja Wolna. The women are photographed by Julian Baker, Adam Brown, Grzegorz Brzezicki, Lucy Fox-Bohan, Agnieszka Hodowana, Ben Hopper, N. Maxwell Lander, Mallorie Nasrallah, Mark Neurdenburg, Vitaliy Pavlenko, and Michael Rosen.
The women in the calendar stand firm in solidarity with Aliaa Magda Elmahdy and the countless women across the world who are denied basic rights, freedoms and dignity. You can join the ‘Scream’ on Facebook and on Twitter under the hashtag #NudePhotoRevolutionary.
The calendar is available for purchase, with proceeds going towards supporting women’s rights and free expression. You can also download a PDF.
For more details, visit Maryam Namazie’s blog.
Now you can have both sides of the story, Nones and Nuns.
Greta, you look wonderful! (And as a woman close to your age who is currently losing weight, your healthy, strong body is an inspiration.)
the calendar is great. and your picture is especially good, the joy of lying among your books. kind of a nice metaphor.
PDF download isn’t working for me, all I’m getting is a blank tab. What’s the size of the file?
For those having problems downloading the PDF, got to Maryam’s blog and go to the bottom of her opening post. There you’ll see “To Download the Calendar, click here.” Click on it and you’ll get a clean download (at least I got one from there).
Love it. Bought it. Thanks for letting us know it’s out.
This is really beautiful.
April is my favourite. Becoming a father made me realize just how screwed up our attitudes towards breastfeeding are in the West.
Love your photo! Really cool concept and you look awesome (my wife loves that you’re surrounded by the books too — was that your idea?). Great photography throughout the calendar too.
This is foul and does NOTHING to help the cause of oppressed women!
What is foul about it?
Beautiful calendar. As a man looking at it I felt humbled. All these women are strong and confident. I find it very moving that they all dared to stand up for themselves and show they will not be oppressed. These women are far braver than I am.
I think the nudity is a strong symbol because patriarchal society does everything it can to cover women up, to oppress them.
Greta, I think your photo was particularly great, because you are smiling. It gives a statement that you are not afraid to enjoy yourself while being yourself.
How sad for you Amy that your mind is so corrupted that you see foulness in beauty. Such a pity because a mind is such a precious thing to waste.
I am impressed by the courage and self-confidence of these women. I hope this encourages and strengthens others.
Ha you come out in aug my bday month but indeed this is important that the view of woman change from objects to people
Science and scicioty lose a valuable perspective when woman are excluded to objects decorating the sidlines
Showing off your body isn’t empowering to women, it’s just giving the men who objectify you exactly what they want.
Rilian,
The simple act of being nude is not “showing off” You wouldn’t think anyone would have to say this here, but nudity is simply the absence of something that is usually present.
And if “what they want” is artistic expression from happy healthy women and men (because male photographers expressed something here to), then that is fantastic news.
And if you mean a peak at our bodies then that is a pretty unimaginative person.
Rilian has a point- it’s the responsibility of women to not be objectified! Don’t all these women know that they’re not allowed to be naked whenever they want? It’s as if they’re trying to make their own choices for how they display their bodies, or something.
Clearly these women don’t know how to make wise choices on their own, so I’m suggesting we issue each one a mandatory burka as punishment for being naked when other people didn’t want them to be. That’ll show ’em.
(Snark aside, that’s a fantastic picture Greta. Most of the women are serious and somber looking, and then there you are with a big damn smile on your face surrounded by books)
LOL @ Grimalkin.
Will this help with the ugliest atheist cracks?
Amy – thinking those pictures are foul certainly does its bit to help the cause of oppressing women.
Absolutely fantastic! Will definitely be purchasing. Well done to everyone involved. And to those who say that nudity is disgusting or disempowering: I feel sorry for you.
Greta Christina, you are an August Lady! As are all who took part in making the calendar, August Persons.
The calendar is awesome. Greta Christina’s caption got me thinking: Thinking that other people’s bodies have a purpose defined from without, a purpose you can impose on them, a purpose stated by prophets, leaders or gods is the first step on the way to violating human rights. A purpose chosen from within is another matter altogether.
Rilian, as a man I think the point isn’t that “we get what we want” by seeing our idols (or enemies) naked rather than realizing that seeing the nude of someone still doesn’t give us any right to impose anything on them, to overwhelm them in sexual innuendo or anything like that. However I do realize there are a lot of men who do not want to see the point.
I want to stand up and applaud this calendar right here in front of my computer. I won’t do so because I might wake people up. 🙂
Nothing wrong with breastfeeding, nudity, toplessness, or our bodies. The hang-ups we see, especially in America, are a direct result of religious oppression. Anytime somebody fights it, I applaud it.
It’s amazing how nudity can be an act of rebellion. Great job Greta.
I was thinking of the women who think they are sexually liberated and go on those girls gone wild videos. “I’m so liberated, I can pose naked for a calendar!! I’m not a prude!”
But uh, I can see how this might be different. I’m not saying that nudity is inherently bad.
I’ve posted a thank you and some thoughts on Maryam’s blog but wanted to thank you too Greta.
A horizontal jump for joy was a wonderful idea and I love the quote.
Great work!
Oh NOES, I think I see a mons pubis! Someone bring me a fainting couch!!!!!111one! *faints*
[…] grupo de 12 mujeres iranÃes y occidentales han posado desnudas para el llamado Calendario Revolucionario Nudista, con el que pretenden apoyar […]
On the off-chance that Amy comes back…
Amy, Maryam Namazie explains why this is so important:
Emphasis added.
What do you suppose is more foul, the human body or executing someone for being naked?
And I just noticed this comment on the facebook page:
*sigh*
Report it. If they’re going to post on FB, they’re subject to the terms. Click the X and select “Report…” then select the option to be more detailed. There’s an option for gender discrimination. That’s what I just used.
Hmm. I’ll have to think about that. I prefer to use words to express my rage at things, but I certainly wouldn’t blame anyone else for reporting him.
I thought about responding to him, but I didn’t want to ruin what was otherwise a pretty positive comment section. Maybe just reporting it is wiser.
You look so happy in your photo, Greta! Awesome!
The calendar is absolutely beautiful. Really amazing and brave for you and all of the women who did this. We really have so many wonderful women in the atheist movement.
…although I know not every woman in the calendar is part of the atheist movement.
(I should have ended my comment with the above).
[…] Greta Christina […]
I have to admit that my reaction to this calendar is mixed. On the one hand, I have to admire y’all’s bravery and support y’all’s cause. On the other hand, I have to admit that I (and this is a flaw in my own mind, not anyone else’s) cannot stop myself from linking it to sexuality and erotic notions, which is an inappropriate reaction.
So how do I deal with it when I support y’all’s right to pose nude, but I feel like I’m defining a purpose for y’all’s bodies in the way that your caption addresses.
Extremely gutsy, ladies. Chapeau.
As far as concerns of objectification go, I think objectification occurs when a photograph is taken primarily for the purpose of appealing to the viewer (and particularly the viewer’s prurient interest). I don’t see that here; none of these photos made me go “phwoar!”
I have tears in my eyes. What a beautiful calendar, a beautiful project, beautiful photos, and beautiful captions. Kudos to all who participated. I’m proud to be a woman, and you all make me love my body a little more today.
[…] Nude Photo Revolutionary Calendar is here and I’m in it […]
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