A potted history of the nudist movement

02/24/25 • 6 min

This month Bianca Censori, rapper Kanye West’s wife, broke the internet after appearing on a red carpet in a transparent dress. Meanwhile, artists were upset about their life drawing class being moved in North London. This prompted a conversation about public nudity and by extension, nudism. Professor Annebella Pollen is from the University of Brighton and author of Nudism in a Cold Climate, she explains the history and significance of the nudism movement in the UK.

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Nudity - the great cover up?

How comfortable are we with nudity and why does the naked body still have the power to shock?

This month we’ve seen Bianca Censori break the internet after her red carpet appearance in a transparent dress and artists in north London upset about their life drawing class being moved. What actually happened and why were people so censorious about Bianca? Also, what is the history of nudism in the UK? To discuss the power of the naked body Adam is joined by Dr Victoria Bateman – an economist and author of Naked Feminism: Breaking the cult of female modesty and Stephanie Murray , a freelance journalist and contributing writer for The Atlantic.

Presented by Adam Fleming Produced by Emma Close, Beth Ashmead and Clare Williamson Studio manager: Annie Gardiner Production coordinator: Janet Staples Editor: Penny Murphy