We need to get naked

This school seems to have a thing for naked people.  We have a nude calendar and two naked bike rides.

And what's wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. 

With the Naked Bike Ride approaching and the Student Prudent Calendar being sold this week, it is an appropriate time to reflect on what makes these traditions great.

The Student Prudent Calendar does more than give you a giggle when you check the date.

And the Naked Bike Ride stands for more than just a nude jaunt around campus.

In a culture saturated by unrealistic and unhealthy standards of beauty, these UVM traditions remind us what real beauty looks like: real people, naked, having fun.

According to UVM Health Promotion Services, "20 years ago the average model weighed eight percent less than the average woman — but today's models weigh 23 percent less."

These images are leading to widespread eating disorders and low self-esteem.

With normal healthy bodies almost entirely absent from popular media, we need images of regular people to remind us that there are a variety of bodies and that normal, healthy people don't look like the people on TV and in magazines.

The Student Prudent Calendar and the Naked Bike Ride do just that.

Despite the everyday body standards imposed on our generation, we are still able to step back and appreciate the nudist in all of us.

These events also reflect UVM values and culture.

Not only are they unique, but they are a celebration of the human body and our spontaneous and creative nature.

The importance of these events even goes beyond setting a beauty standard. These activities are enduring traditions at UVM. No other school has a naked calendar, and our Naked Bike Ride seems like a myth to other universities.

In addition, both events also allow students to express themselves.

They are fun and safe, and they enable students to do something outside of the boxwithout it getting out of control.

 All in all, we should be proud, not just for carrying on a tradition, but for having the confidence and capacity to do it well and with bravado.

Keep up the good work UVM. Perhaps the others will follow suit.