Wednesday, August 6, 2025

I'm tired of the shaming: My thoughts about nudity and being openly naked outdoors.

 

Contrary to the fact that I am a socially shy person and have an introverted personality, I enjoy being openly naked outdoors and online. I find it very sad and oppressive that our society has such a toxic outlook in regards to being openly naked. It’s not right that society shames and looks down on people simply for wanting to be seen as their true naked self. It’s a perfectly natural human inclination to want to be seen as the real you. It feels good to be naked and free.

I don’t like the feeling of having to always hide my body away out of shame or some false notion of decency. Yes, that includes my penis too! A penis is only offensive if you insist on seeing it that way, otherwise it’s just another part of the body. A man’s body isn’t more offensive than a woman’s body, there’s nothing wrong with either one. What is so bad about being human that we should shame our own bodies and make them illegal to be seen in public?

It’s quite an outrageous leap in logic that people should be arrested or fired from their jobs or not hired at all and cancelled simply for being openly naked! Why should people be punished simply for being in touch with their own humanity? That’s rather hypocritical and oppressive in my view. We accept public nudity when actors are seen naked in movies or TV shows, so why doesn’t everyone else have that same freedom? Having to be an actor in a movie in order to have permission to be seen openly naked in public is a pretty foolish and rather arbitrary standard. It’s most defiantly an elitist one.

This isn't the greatest drawing as my nose and mouth are a little wonky, but I like it none the less. I drew this naked selfie as an assignment for a life drawing glass, Feb 1995, back when I was 21.

People should have the right to be openly naked in public if they want to be, such as at the public beach or around their own house while doing yard work or sitting on their balcony. It’s very oppressive to insist that people wear clothing all of the time while outside. Obviously there is a time and place for everything. Nobody needs to be naked near a school or in a grocery store. However, I feel very strongly that cities need to provide clothing optional spaces because being openly naked outdoors is a powerful and healthy way to connect with nature and your body. It teaches you to accept your body and love yourself just the way you are.

I have chronic depression and yet I can attest to the fact that shedding your clothes and freeing yourself from society's shame to be openly naked outdoors is a very liberating and invigorating experience. The first time I tried it was in 2019 at a gay men's clothing optional campgrounds which I've gone back to several times. I've also participated in the World Naked Bike Ride in Toronto in 2024. Being naked outdoors obliterates my depression and makes me happy to be alive. Yet, I can only do so on very rare occasions, such as while I am at a clothing optional campsite, as once I return home to Ottawa I am prohibited from being naked outdoors including in my own backyard! Medicine isn’t the only way to cure people, sometimes all it takes is permission to stroll naked outdoors in nature. A lot of people will think this is crazy, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

Here I am at the Toronto World Naked Bike Ride, 2024

Frankly, the law has no business governing our bodies as simply being naked is not offensive. We know this from the history of art and sculpture where nudity is a central topic because the naked human form is so beautiful. Therefore, what the law should govern is our behaviour, as whether or not we are naked or wearing clothes it is our behaviour that can be offensive. This isn’t just my view this is common sense, but our society just doesn’t seem to have much common sense when it comes to the topic of being openly naked.

In fact I find society is quite immature and foolish in this regard. For example, it’s okay to have a naked male statue in a public square, and to see images of that naked male statue all throughout our culture, so it’s perfectly okay if a statue is naked, but it’s not okay for an actual naked male, which the statue is based on, to be naked in the public square. One is seen as beautiful while the other is seen as offensive. That’s quite nonsensical to me.

Our society has a very toxic understanding of nudity and the human body which is in fact harmful to our collective well-being. Disconnecting from our bodies by keeping them out of sight and out of mind under our clothes allows us to ignore when we are overweight and out of shape, plus it prevents us from embracing the diversity of humanity, as bodies come in many beautiful shapes, sizes, colours, genders and ages.

Instead of celebrating our bodies as being virtuous and embracing the true beauty of humanity, we allow the media’s perfectionist standards and overly sexualized use of nudity to serve as our understanding of what a naked human body must be. I find this very sad as we have lost the ability to accept non sexual nudity as simply being a part of our humanity, and an honest way of sharing our true selves with each other. We freak out and get offended by it instead.

Not long ago, being openly naked was not such a big deal. It was especially common to be naked while swimming. In fact men still swam naked at indoor pools as recently as the early 1980's. From at least the 1960's to the late 70's, public schools required boys to swim naked during gym glass or for the school swim team. I found this photo on Wikipedia captioned: "Members of the Royal Australian Air Force diving into a river, 1943." By Anonymous - AWM Collection, Public Domain

Of course it goes without saying that as human beings we are inherently sexual by our very nature, but this does not mean that we are helpless to control ourselves, weather or not we are wearing clothing. The fact that it can be sexually stimulating to see a naked body or to be seen while naked does not diminish the body from being beautiful or justify classifying nudity as immoral, it only elevates the natural beauty of humanity and makes it all the more wonderful to be alive. Frankly in my view, what is immoral is to hide such beauty forever or to outlaw it and cast it away. It's shameful and very sad how negatively we think about our own human nature.

Hercules and Lichas: A Greek myth about a deadly robe
If only Hercules had stayed naked he would not have been killed!

I can’t go outside naked without getting arrested, so that's not an option. Therefore, I've decided to post a small selection of naked selfies online so that I can continue to experience the feeling of being openly naked and being seen as the real me. 

Two years ago, in 2023, I got up the nerve to post my naked selfie photos online for the first time, but then the social shame towards public nudity that permeates our culture crept back inside of me and I took the photos down, but then I felt shame for taking them down so I reposted them, and on and on it went. So now I am posting them again, I hope this time it's for good. I want to be able to keep my naked selfies online and not worry about feeling shame. I want to be openly naked and be proud of my body and of being a human being, I don’t see why that’s such a bad thing. If you want to see my photos, there's a link below at the end of this article.

It makes me happy to know that people are seeing my naked body online because in this way I'm no longer being forced to hide my body away as though I am some sort of hideous creature. Granted, posting photos online is certainly not the same as actually being naked outdoors so it's a compromise, but there’s not much else I can do.... aside from wearing my swimsuit thong at the public beach!

The closest I can get to being naked outdoors in my city is when I go to the beach. My outlook is "the less fabric the better", so I like to wear either a skimpy swim brief with one inch of fabric at the sides, or a men's backless swim thong. That's right, I have worn a backless thong at the public beach in Ottawa several times. Currently I have a black one, a purple one and a blue one, and each one has been worn at the beach at least once. 

This will have to do as a photo for this section.

I tried to post a photo of myself wearing my blue thong swimsuit, which showed my cute thong butt, however blogger wouldn't allow me to include it without blocking this post as "sensitive content". So I can wear my thong in public with no problem, I just can't post a photo of myself wearing it on my own blog! This is exactly the sort of foolishness that makes me so sad, because it makes no sense at all! What is there to freak out about? Why does Blogger think that my butt has that much significance? As cute as it may be, it's just another bum!

In any case, being almost naked at the public beach definitely does not feel as welcoming as being at the clothing optional campgrounds, the atmosphere at the beach is far more judgmental (very much like Blogger!) which is why I don't wear my thong every time I go there even though I want to. It's also why a designated safe space for being openly naked is so urgently needed in the city. People shouldn't feel ostracized or unsafe just for wanting to be as naked as possible at the beach. There are people who like to have a lot of tattoos, and some who only want a few, and some who don't like to have any. Same thing applies to clothing.

That being said, I received a rather kind compliment once about my thong, so that's what I choose to focus on. I wish more guys would wear thongs to swim in because they are super comfortable. Why can't we all just be happy to be alive and celebrate our bodies by letting them be seen? It's quite common to see women of all shapes and sizes wearing skimpy bikini swimsuits at the beach that show off their butt cheeks, so if women can do it then so can men. Of course, I would much prefer it if we could all just swim naked. These swimsuits are so small, we might as well be!

Here I am way back when I was 20 in 1994. This is the first time that I took a selfie in my Speedo. I wanted to be naked but I was too afraid to do so, as this photo was taken on film which had to be developed at the photography shop. Digital cameras were not yet available. In retrospect, I should have done it anyways. It would have made for a more interesting picture. However I'm still glad to have this one as it proves that I used to be that slim! Alas, we can't stay young forever! 

Unfortunately I had a Catholic upbringing, so at the time that I took this photo I thought that I was doing something sinful and morally wrong for taking a picture of my almost naked body in a Speedo. That's why I have such a serious look on my face, I didn't want to get caught taking the picture. Seems rather foolish of me doesn't it? Yet it's this same Catholic ideology that has affected our culture so negatively. Our naked bodies are not sinful or immoral, that's just nonsense. 

In 2008, when I was 34, I went with my friend Duane to the Pride Festival and brought along my digital camera. Duane told me to strike a pose so that he could take my picture. I'm just stating that for the record because I don't typically sit this way. LOL It looks like I'm saying "Hey babe-beh! How you doin'?" I like this photo though so I'm glad Duane took it.

Quite honestly, I have been thinking about and wanting to be openly naked in public for a long time. Back in my early 30's I bought my first digital camera and privately began taking naked photos of myself, which I enjoyed doing for many years. It made me feel tuned in and connected to my body. Yet, it also made me feel badly that I could never share any of the photos openly with anyone without being judged negatively for doing so. Regretfully, that very same feeling of shame is what made me destroy my nude photos immediately after taking them, or within a few days. This happened every time after each photos session, and was difficult for me to do because I felt that I had no choice but to destroy something that I thought was beautiful about myself. 

Today I would have had hundreds of photos of my beautiful young body to show you, taken during my 30's, if not for that intense feeling of shame for taking the photos in the first place, and for wanting to let people see my naked body. Frankly, I could have been a model back then if I had tried to be one, but the stigma of shame for wanting to show off my body kept me from pursuing it. My inherent social shyness didn't help me very much either.

One of the photos that I took in 2006 when I was 32.
I kept this one because I liked seeing my tummy. I wish I had kept them all.

Fortunately, I didn't end up destroying all of the pictures. There are a few photos that I kept from my 30's, like the one shown above. As strange at it may be, one of them that I’m especially proud of is my dick pic which I took in 2006 when I was 32. I think it's a beautiful photo, both artistically and sexually. I know that it sounds odd for me to say that, but that's the honest truth. I'm just an average guy in that department, but I genuinely feel that the photo has artistic merit. I have always wanted to let people look at this picture, and to be openly naked in this way, but was worried that people would think that I’m a pervert for wanting to do so. 

Even now, I still feel shame about wanting to show this photo to people, but there's also the side of me that would honestly love for everyone to see it. I certainly don't think it's the world's greatest photo ever taken of a penis, so that's not what I'm saying at all, I'm just very proud of it. Maybe it's just my artist's ego getting the better of me, none the less it's sad that society would be so offended by my naked body that I can't openly show this picture to anyone without all of this shame and anxiety. I can't even post it here to show you otherwise Blogger will block this post as being "sensitive content", so I've added a link to the photo at the bottom of the page, but it shouldn't be this way. I should be able to post it here without any shame.

Once again, this will have to do as a photo for this section

We should be able to celebrate our bodies openly without any worry or bad feelings or awkwardness. It's not a dirty photo just because it features the male anatomy, it's a beautiful one because it shows me as a young man being vulnerable, exposing the most delicate part of my body. It's also a sexy photo, it excites me when I see it, and the idea of people seeing it excites me as well. I'd have to be a robot for that not to be so, but that doesn't cancel out the fact that it's a beautiful photo. I kept this photo hidden away for 18 years. It would be sad to hide it away forever. We shouldn't hide our bodies, we should stay connected to them and be proud of them, and let everyone see them.

Like anyone else, I worry a lot about behaving the way that people think that I should behave, the way I'm expected to behave. But then I ask myself, what about how I want to behave, what if I just do what would make me the happiest? It goes without saying that nobody is expecting me to be openly naked, or expecting that I would voluntarily want to be seen while naked, or that it would make me so happy to go to a clothing optional campsite that it would essentially cure my chronic depression. But it does make me that happy, and I'm absolutely thrilled that I've been able to experience being openly naked, both online and in public. I can't wait to do it again!

Here is a drawing that I made to express how I felt about my body when 
I was a slim 26 year old in 2000. I have never shown it to anyone until now.
This is one of my favourite drawings that I've ever done. I think he's beautiful.

The fact is, I can’t control what people will think about me, but I do know that it honestly feels awesome to have my dick pic and my naked selfies online for anyone to look at if they want to. I also love being openly naked outdoors. I’m tired of feeling shame about my body and denying myself from doing what I have always wanted to do, which is to be openly naked. This is something that I know for sure about myself. 

Once upon a time it was no big deal to be openly naked, now it will get you thrown in jail and end your career... unless you're an actor! It's all quite silly!

Discus Man: In order to honour the Gods, Athletes used to compete
 openly naked at the Olympics as their muscular bodies were so beautiful.

To be clear, when I talk about being openly naked I’m certainly not advocating that it’s okay to send dick pics to people without consent, that’s just creepy and wrong for good reason. I would never do that. But there is certainly nothing wrong with a guy being proud of his penis or his naked body and wanting to show it off in a way that is not harmful to others. There's nothing unusual about wanting to be seen while naked, it's a perfectly normal way for a guy to feel about his body. Being proud of your body is a good thing. 

Posting naked selfies on a website that welcomes such photos and allows people the choice to look at them or not, doesn’t harm anyone in any way. Not in the least. The only person that might be harmed by posting naked selfies is myself, the person posting them, should people decide to get all self righteous and mock me or cancel me for having the nerve to be openly naked. If you don’t want to see me naked then don’t look at my naked photos, it’s as simple as that, because if I can't be naked outdoors enjoying the sunshine then being naked online is the next best thing.

In 2020 when I was 46, I got an awesome tan complete with bright white privies! LOL

Due to my chronic depression I ended up gaining a lot of weight in my late 30's and early 40's, and became completely disconnected from my body. I withdrew from life and isolated myself because I didn't want anyone to see me. It felt very much like I was a slim person trapped in a chubby person's body. When I would dream at night, I would be my slim self in the dream, then wake up to realize that I was in my chubby body again. 

However, after I lost 30 pounds in my late 40's, I felt good enough about my body to start taking naked selfies again. That's also when I went to the gay men's clothing optional campgrounds for the first time and had an extremely positive life changing experience being naked and free outdoors. I'm so glad that I took that brave leap! 

By posting all of this here I'm making another one! I'm tired of the shame, so I'm letting go of it.

It’s my body so it’s my choice, and I absolutely love being openly naked. It makes me happy to be alive.

- Mikey

Click here to see my naked photos 

(then scroll down past the text) 

(if viewing on a computer screen, click on the dick pic photo to see a larger image)


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Please feel free to leave comments below.

Friday, December 13, 2024

Do you remember the Treehouse TV show hosted by Danny Coughlan?

 

Above is a record album based on the TV show Treehouse that was hosted by Danny Coughlan. I received this record today as a Christmas gift from my friend Liam, who in addition to being a puppeteer is also a huge puppet geek just like me! Liam said it was okay if I opened the gift early, which I'm glad for because I was super curious to find out what it was!

This past August while Liam was in town for the Puppets Up Festival, we talked about all sorts of different puppet TV shows and I briefly mentioned Treehouse to him, but as I was only 6 or 7 years old when I watched the show I didn't remember very much about it other than the title and the catchy theme song (which I still know the words for!), and that it was hosted by a blond guy who played the guitar along with two puppet pals.

So I'm quite surprised that a mere three months later Liam has sent me a record album based on that very show! Liam has the most uncanny ability to find rare and obscure puppet memorabilia. It happens so frequently that I honestly think it's one of his superpowers! He once found an original 1930's Charlie McCarthy hand puppet at a thrift store of all places! On other occasions he found a poster of Boot from TVO's Readalong, an antique hand puppet of Noddy that is in pristine condition, and an extremely rare plush toy of Barkley the Dog from Sesame Street that was made by the Applause toy company. And now this obscure record, which also happens to be signed by Danny Coughlan on the back cover! 

I honestly don't know how Liam does it but I'm glad he does! I was so happy to see this record that I actually got quite emotional and may have got a little something in my eye. He literally sent me a piece of my childhood!

The back of the record cover with Danny Coughlan's signature!

So now I know that the host of the show was Danny Coughlan who lived in Stratford Ontario, and that the show itself was recorded in Kitchener Ontario! It's awesome to know that it was a Canadian show! I did a little bit of searching online to see what else I could find out. Here is what I found:

Treehouse was produced from 1972 to 1990 at CKCO-TV, the CTV station in Kitchener, and ran for an additional three years in reruns. At first it was only shown locally but became so popular that it was shown all across Canada on CTV stations. It was also seen by Americans along the border. The program was created in Stratford Ontario by Ted Rooney who based it on his series of educational books. Rooney was also the show's producer with Betty Thompson as Assistant Producer. Prior to working on Treehouse, Thompson was in charge of CKCO-TV's version of Romper Room, which she continued to do while also working on Treehouse. Romper Room was for very young children up to age six, while Treehouse was for slightly older children.

This is one of the very few photos that I found online of Danny Coughlan and the puppets on the original set of Treehouse. It's too bad there isn't more visual materials available online, it was such a long running and popular show in it's day that it really deserves to be documented and remembered.

The original version of the program began with an outdoor scene of Danny Coughlan with his guitar leading a small group of children Pied Piper style over the island bridge on the Avon River in Stratford, Ontario. Then they arrive at a treehouse and climb up the ladder to go inside. A newspaper article written by Jackie Hayes quotes Mr. Rooney as he explained the intro. "When we started, I mentioned at home that we needed a treehouse for the opening segment and my son Chris, who was six, led me to one in the neighbourhood which was just perfect. [...] I told him to round up his friends and we took pictures of them climbing up the tree and playing in the treehouse."

During the show Coughlan would play his guitar as he sang children's songs to the kids who were in the studio as well as to the camera for the kids at home. He wrote all the songs himself, which is also the case for all 12 tracks on the record album. Pat Ludwig was the show's organ player. Later in the program Coughlan would do a drawing as the kids in the studio followed along. He was always joined by two puppet pals who would banter with him throughout the show, Leroy and Ralph. They appeared together through a puppet theatre style window on the left side of the Treehouse set. The puppets were performed by Ken Copeman and Terry Thomas. One of the shows regular visitors was Lisa the mail girl, who delivered letters from viewers for Coughlan to read on the show, and she would also do exercises with the kids. 

The label on the record itself has an illustration of a treehouse!

Later on in the shows run during the 80's, the program was updated with a completely new set, a new version of the intro and theme song, and the original puppets were replaced with new puppet characters, Jo Jo and Frank, performed by puppeteers Peter McCowatt and Mark Hodgson.

Some episodes included on location segments, such as when Danny Coughlan interviewed Wayne Gretzky who appeared on the show three times. One of their studio guests who appeared on the show in Sept 1984 was Stratford Ontario's own local legend, body builder Jim Morris. During his retirement in Waterloo, Ted Rooney created a two hour video featuring clips from Treehouse and made three copies, which he donated to the libraries in Waterloo, Kitchener and Stratford.

Here is a closer view of the pictures on the back cover of the record. 
I now know that R and L refer to Ralph and Leroy.

In addition to hosting Treehouse, Coughlan appeared on CKCO-TV's Canadian Bandstand with Wally Crouter and Reg Seller. In 1963 he recorded several singles with Capital records that were released on four 45rpm records, including the songs Beach Boy and Odd Man Out which have been posted on YouTube. From 1965 to 1972 he recorded seven more singles that were released with various labels. In addition to the Treehouse record album he released two more full length albums, Jelly Beans: A Collection of Fun and Inspirational Songs, and Show Time in Stratford at the Victorian Inn. A fourth album, Danny Coughlan: Jelly Beans II, was released on cassette tape in 1984. 

Sadly, Mr. Coughlan passed away at the age of 57 on Nov 18, 1990 due to a poor recovery from a recent operation, he also had diabetes. His wife pre-deceased him by two years and he had four children. Due to his untimely passing the Treehouse show ended production. Treehouse was the longest running Canadian produced children's show featuring an all Canadian cast. Thank you for the wonderful childhood memories Mr. Coughlan! 

And thank you Liam for such an awesome Christmas present!


Come along with me we're going to the treehouse
Everybody's welcome come along with me
You can be free way up in the treehouse
Everybody's welcome come along with me

Tell everybody we want you to know
You're always welcome right here on our show

So come along with me we're going to the treehouse
Everybody's welcome come along with me


Information for this article was found on the following websites:



"Remembering CKCO_TV" Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/510522872346833/ 

Treehouse full episode 1987:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtrHm3RAuQ8
Treehouse full episode 1987: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NPB60QaYtk



https://capitol6000.com/72000.html (scroll down to "Capital 72121" for an image of the 45 "School Boy Blues/That's the Way I'd Be". Coughlan's other 45s are likely listed here as well.)





Saturday, July 6, 2024

Getting ready for the Puppets Up Festival in Almonte!

 

Mikey Artelle and the Fuzzy Gang

It's been about ten years since I've done any type of performing with my puppets so I'm excited to get the band back together! We're going to be a part of the upcoming Puppets Up Festival being held in Almonte, Ontario on Aug 10th and 11th. I'll be doing some street performing with a variety of my characters on both days of the festival as well as walking in the puppet parade. Hope to see you there! - Mikey  



Monday, September 25, 2023

John Conway and Uncle Chichimus: A documentary about a pioneer of Canadian television

Well at long last I've posted my documentary about puppeteer John Conway on YouTube! I really should have posted it long ago but better late than never. I'm glad to finally have this online for everyone to see! Enjoy! - Mikey


Click here to read more about John Conway and Uncle Chichimus!


Friday, December 30, 2022

Canadian Crusader from Pythor Comics

 


You are what you eat!
Canadian Crusader enjoying his favourite food, a hero sandwich!

Now with his own comic book "Canadian Crusader: Heroes Past and Present"!

Canadian Crusader Book 1 from Pythor Comics!



Thursday, November 3, 2022

Superhero News: Canadian Crusader is a registered trademark!

Hi everyone. I've posted a video on YouTube in order to create more awareness that the character name "Canadian Crusader" is my registered trademark. I really don't like having to contact people to tell them that they are infringing on my trademark, it's totally an unpleasant thing to do, but I will do whatever is necessary to protect my trademark... which is why I registered it in the first place. 

Here's the video:

It's unfortunate (and very frustrating) that some people don't bother doing any research before they start using a fictional character name for their online content, or for other media such as cosplay, mascots or illustrated characters. Some people simply don't care about respecting intellectual property rights and so they use whatever name they want to. However, if a fictional character name that you use as your persona online, for example, is actually someone else's registered trademark then you are guilty of trademark infringement. 

Granted, sometimes the infringement is totally unintentional and no ill will was intended by the person responsible, that's fine and I get that. However, ignorance of the law is not a valid defense, and as such the trademark owner has the right to request financial compensation if they feel the infringement caused damage to their trademark. Once made aware of the infringement, the decent thing to do is to stop using the name rather than to cause a fuss and refuse to give it up. The person who has the name registered as a trademark isn't the one causing the problem, the person who is using the name without permission is. And it's totally avoidable. 

It only takes a few seconds to do a Google search to see if a fictional character name belongs to someone else. If it pops up, don't use it! When people do a search, it avoids so much fuss and bother for everyone involved! It's also simply the professional thing to do if it's your plan to create your own character and start promoting that character in various media formats, or to start licensing that character on T-shirts and so on. It's not just your job as a creator to do your research to make sure the name you want to use is in the clear, it's your legal responsibility to do so. 

So, to those of you who do care about respecting someone else's trademark rights, I sincerely thank you! The world needs more people like you! People who care enough to do their homework.

It's kind of ironic, people often complain when big businesses have too much control of the market, yet how many of those same people couldn't be bothered to do an easy online search to make sure that they're not infringing on an independent artist's trademark? And doing a quick google search is such a simple thing to do! Or better yet, go to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) website and do a trademark search. It's just as easy and fast as a Google search. And since you're at the CIPO website, do a copyright search too just to be on the safe side. It's so easy peasy!

And I have to say, the elephant in the room is that the folks who don't care about respecting intellectual property rights would be foaming at the mouth if something they created was copied or taken from them and used by someone else without permission. It's so hypocritical!

Well, hopefully this posting will have some positive influence, we'll see!


-Mikey Artelle

aka: Owner of "Canadian Crusader" trademark registration