London Nude Tech Calendar – “Shut Up And Take Off All Your Clothes!” (#LDNnudetech)
The more this LDNnudetech calendar debate goes on, the more I’m just laughing inside. Laughing because people can get really uptight about the silliest of things and generally laughing because people assume they know more than others and feel the need to pontificate and/or judge because of it. The Evening Standard is behind it and so is the Telegraph. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s simple; 24 successful, hardworking men and women in the London tech scene have posed nude (naughty bits covered) for a calendar, of which there will only be 5000 copies made. All of the proceeds will then be going towards Take Heart India; a youth-run charity that has IT-based projects in India for blind and disabled students.
The main point of argument some seem to keep having is that people, especially women, don’t need to be taking off their clothes in order to make a point or raise money for charity. They need to use their brains, obviously. However, on the same vein, it appears it’s completely acceptable for men to do whatever they like. This argument has never and will never ring true for me for the simple fact that if you look around you, sex, in some form or other, is everywhere. Why are people still so outraged about this? I would’ve thought that, by now, it was quite clear to see that we actually quite like nudity and naked flesh – and that we’re not living in the 1950s! Both men and women can, and like to, look good naked. And, we like looking at them.
Recently, Eileen Burbridge (@eileentso) ranted, second-guessed herself (a lot!) and raved about why it was so bad for this calendar to occur, especially for the ladies involved. That if they pose for this calendar and take off all their clothes, they are somehow undermining their talents as professionals in the tech industry. Surely, if this were the case, then nobody would be jumping on the so-called nude bandwagon at all? If it were that bad it wouldn’t happen, no? If Eileen were to rule the world then I’d shudder to think what life would look like through her eyes. In a society where we spend so much time working, stressing and finding new ways to wage war on our neighbours and fellow countries, aren’t we allowed to have a little fun anymore? This project is about helping people; it’s as simple as that. It just appears as if she has personal issues with removing clothing and thus has let loose on a teeny tiny project which has the simple end outcome of wanting to raise money for a good cause.
A little more recently than that, Sian Meades made a very good point about women who choose to take off their clothes and do so because they want to. This argument brings home the idea that women are in control of their bodies, their lives, their careers and hence, their destiny. I’d honestly much prefer to see this way of thinking, to be quite frank. Given that women can (and do do) whatever they want, whenever they want to nowadays without any interference or pressure from menfolk, why do we still have the mind frame that men still control us? If Eileen herself, who appears to be a very successful lady, has a problem with taking off her clothes and thinks that it’s demeaning to do so, then fair enough – she shouldn’t do it. But, I really don’t think she’s got as far as she has in life by thinking that men control the world. So, the view that they somehow control us is a little outdated, to say the least.
If you’re successful and professional in your day-to-day activities and actually happen to think you also look good aesthetically, does that automatically make you evil? I can look around me and decide which people I find attractive and do the same for those I don’t. I don’t judge them anymore or less because of the way they look (unless I plan to date them, then ‘looking good’ is definitely something I take into consideration). The same goes for looking in the mirror; it’s up to me to decide whether or not what I’m looking at is worthwhile and whether or not I would like others to see it, whole or clothed. Just take a look around you and see people in positions of power, authority and/or of certain influence. Chances are that they’re hardworking and gorgeous to boot. Because that’s how we prefer it as a society. Naked/nude/semi-clothed people are everywhere. But, is that necessarily a bad thing?
A very amusing post by Chief Silicon Stiletto (@huddlesuz), Zuzanna Pasierbinska-Wilson, goes into why she would actually really like to get naked. Her top ten reasons of why she’s happy to get naked are an honest and humorous take on the entire idea and go very far in reminding us ladies why it’s important we remember to have a laugh and not take things so seriously. Another brilliant mind that has been supportive of the entire idea is Tech Fluff’s Hermione Way (@hermioneway). She has a splendid way to see life and I believe she’s successful because she’s a barrel of laughs and she works every hour she possibly can. She reminds you how to enjoy your days, and a little more than that, she isn’t a stranger to building her career. And, if you’ve ever worked with her, you’d know how professional she actually is – and the same goes for the other ladies mentioned.
Does the fact Hermione Way’s decided to strip off naked make her any less of a successful entrepreneur? In all honesty, it doesn’t. Because if it did, I’m fairly sure she wouldn’t do it. All of the ladies I’ve drawn attention to in this post are hardworking and successful. Some would like to remove their clothes and some would not. They all have two things in common though; they’re ladies and they’re all shaped differently. If they don’t care about that, then why do the Eileens of the world care?
So many people are caught up in the fact that once upon a time women weren’t allowed to work, vote or were simply used as sexual objects. Concerning the first two, it’d really be a helpful idea for people to see we are well past those times. With regards to the latter, times have changed and society has evolved. Women now do things because they choose to, not because they are told to. In fact, so much so, that it’s probably a good idea to see that Playgirl didn’t exist for no apparent reason. It was a big f*ck you to the male world – whereby it portrayed men in the same light as women… and because the men chose to.
Some have commented that this is simply an ego trip for those involved. I think it’s probably best to realise here that a good proportion of the people involved in this project were put forward. I also ask again, why is a (controlled) ego trip bad thing? It’s not a crime to want to show yourself off to the world if you happen to think your body is a worthwhile endeavour (clothed or unclothed). The entire fabric of society is based around aesthetic features – we strive to make things “look good” and everyday more and more products (so, not even relating to people here) are released which do just that. If you happen to realise that looking good is part of your day’s adventures and make an effort with your appearance, does that automatically make you a spawn of the devil? People are now so caught up in how easy it is to offend others that they’re afraid to say what they feel – and if that’s “I look damn good today!”, then so be it. If you now start destroying people’s right to express themselves personally, as well as verbally, we’re going to end up with a society that isn’t allowed to do anything at all. And, it isn’t hard to look around you around the world to see what happens to societies with that culture in place.
My main problem with the entire debate is that people are forgetting the end outcome. Charities are there to help those around you. I’m not even going to use the term “less fortunate” because I feel that’s demeaning in itself. People around the world survive with whatever they have. I support this project whole-heartedly for a number of reasons (and should probably point out that I’m not in it). Perhaps it’s because I am a woman in the tech industry? Or maybe it’s also because I’m an actress and have no qualms about taking my kit off? Or maybe it’s because I personally know some of the people involved (and nominated) and support their cause without question? Or maybe the reason I care so much about this project is because it supports a cause which happens to be in my mother country?
Whatever my reason, you are in no position to judge me (or those involved); be it one, none or all of those reasons. What would be really cool, though, is if tonight, you take off all your clothes, look in the mirror and be proud of what you see.
UPDATE: The calendar photos have been taken and you can now pre-order your London Nude Tech Calendar from Firebox.com with all proceeds going to charity. You can read a recent article about this over at the London Evening Standard which also includes a sneak peek preview of one of the calendar photos in question, that of Hermione Way naked with just a microphone!
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A wonderful wonderful post, Serena, thank you for bringing some sense to this ‘debate’.
I have talked to a lot of women, encouraging them to take part in the calendar, and it got me upset that so many wanted to, but were scared it would impact their careers. Clearly a substantial number of people think this too, which is why this ‘debate’ has some clout.
There is no denying that there are people whose judgements are so fickle and ignorant that they may be unable to cope with dealing seriously with a woman whom they have also seen semi-nude. Frankly, these aren’t the sort of people I would ever work for, and I am grateful that my investors, business associates, and clients are also not these sort of people.
But on a more serious level, if we are ever to fight this sort of unfounded prejudice, if we are to progress us all as a society, we need to push the boundaries, constantly and with confidence, else we’ll remain a stagnant unprogressive culture. You won’t see anything in that picture you won’t see on a beach, its not like I’m doing a Penthouse centrefold for goodness sake. I would never do that, but a bit of leg, shot in a stylish classy way… why not?!
Thanks for your comment Alicia. Great to see you sharing… well, everything ;)
I’m glad we still have ladies out there who can see past the glaze that seems to be over people’s eyes at the moment, with regards to nudity. Any beach in the south of France or even some adverts in Europe contain nudity, and that’s everyday life, so I’m waiting for the day where everybody sees how natural it is.
Looking forward to seeing the results of the calendar :)
This is largely in response to this: http://tinyurl.com/yfos2e4
This is getting ridiculous. Think it’s time I waded in the debate. I haven’t done so yet because, quite frankly, I have more important things to do with my time and energy, like working on the relaunch of my company, than trying to justify actions that clearly don’t need justifying.
Hell, if I’d listened to all the people that had told me ‘no’ or ‘you can’t that’ or paid attention to people ‘bitching’ then I wouldn’t have achieved half the things I’ve achieved. Part of being an entrepreneur is about taking risks and as Alicia quite rightly says pushing boundaries. I understand from experience that if you do something differently people will react- it’s human nature, people are adverse to change. Constructive debate is good, but the debate surrounding the calendar is becoming a personal attack on all involved.
Get a grip: We don’t live in the 18th Century- You’d see more sexual suggestiveness in Madonna’s latest music video or in a copy of the latest Cosmopolitan magazine. These are people/publications that a vast majority of young females aspire to be like/read as standard media. If you’ve got beef with us going nude in a tasteful and dignified manor for charity then maybe you should be directing your beef at our explicit society as a whole.
Secondly, Eileen and Rebecca- you’ve set yourselves double standards in focusing on the women in the calendar. Hello? Has everyone forgotten that there are 12 men doing the calendar as well? So let me get this straight – If you had it your way you’d just have 12 men posing nude and not the women as ‘it could be detrimental to their business reputation’ and not the mens’? If the answer is yes then you yourselves are discriminating against women – Of course I agree that women are more susceptible to criticism, but if we accept this position and never challenge it, it will remain the status quo.
Faisal in saying there are ‘other ways to raise money for charity’ you are also discounting all the money raised by the original Calendar Girls for Cancer research and also the many ‘copy’ nude calendars which have collectively raised thousands for charities all over the world- are you saying they’d have raised more money doing a walk? I don’t think so. Eileen, Faisal- If you think being in tech we could have come up with something more ‘innovative’ -then why don’t you come up with something ‘original’ yourself and organise the whole thing? Go on, do it, I double dare you.
I believe the Internet is a catalyst for changing the way people are doing business. The stuffy, corporate mindset is shifting to a more personal one. Social media is a prime example of people wanting to connect on a human level- the views of those opposing the calendar seem to be stuck in the old corporate mindset. I envisage (and hope) that in the future this mindset will be lost and people wanting to write their own rules in business will be able to do so without having to waste time dealing with unfounded prejudice.
Take Heart is a brill charity. If you think western entrepreneurs are something – you should see India’s entrepreneurs- they are incredibly resourceful and can turn nothing into something. Even though a waste of time, I hope this debate, if anything, draws more attention to the cause and in turn raises more money for Take Heart India.
Self-congratulatory, sickening promo video and a tired concept. The calendar worked for the WI because they were lovable and old.
The fun and humility is lost when the self-proclaimed “Entreprenural Elite” blow their own trumpet in public like this. The whole thing is distasteful, egotistic and typical of Milo’s attention seeking that puts himself first and charity a dim afterthought.
Nice post. Well-written.
Thank you lseboy007 :)
It’s not that it’s controversial. It’s just 2nd rate porn, like Nuts magazine, and I don’t get offended by that (well, the written content is offensively poorly written I suppose).
It’s just that it’s so passe. There’s a new one of these every year, several in fact, from various factions and organisations. And, really, it’s not so much about the charity and those that it helps as the people involved. Getting your kit off and appearing in some tawdry calendar is going to get you a lot more column inches and publicity than actually doing proper charitable work, isn’t it? If people really wanted to help, then they’d do the work for a charity for gratis, and not seek the publicity. But that’s just my opinion. Which is no better or worse than yours; so it did seem a little smug and condescending of you to laugh at those who disagree with you or think they know more than you. Because that’s exactly what you’re doing, and it’s a little ugly.
It might have been classier to just not respond to criticism if you know you’re right, but hey I’m sure you’d have nothing to blog about then. Aren’t there more important things in the world? Speaking of which, I’m off to have a sandwich.
@Howie: They *do* really want to help – and they *are*. Just because they do it one way, it doesn’t make the effort any less than another way. Nor does it make it less sincere. And I think people are forgetting that.
If no-one ever spoke of good deeds happening, we’d never know about them. So, round we go; we either speak or be quiet – and quite frankly, the world would be boring if we all just shut up and carried on like you’re claiming I should have done. By your logic then, Eileen should have done it also.
I’m glad Eileen blogged about it because it made a lot of people have an opinion.
Just like you just did.