In the past couple of weeks, a mysterious group of Swarthmore students have taken it upon themselves to create a new space for members of the college community to exhibit the beauty of their bodies. The result is Swattie Bodies, a nudist blog powered by Tumblr that has been growing steadily since its launch at the start of the spring semester.
Described by the anonymous site administrator as a “safe and friendly place for Swatties of all shapes and sizes to celebrate their bodies,” the website has grown significantly within the past couple of weeks.
Launched around Jan. 23, it has since posted several pictures of male and female students in varying, but primarily complete, states of undress. Interested parties have also posted numerous questions and comments both to the administrator as well as on photo submissions.
Although not explicitly required to do so, all submitters have taken care to conceal their identities by cropping their heads from the pictures. The creator(s) of the blog also seem steadfast in maintaining their anonymity. The site’s administration declined a request calling for a submission from the blog’s creator, stating, “I think it would make it easier for haters to hate on the blog if they figured out who maintains it.”
The website’s three rules are prominently displayed on its banner atop each page:
“1. You must be a Swarthmore student, or an alum, or on campus. 2. You must be 18+. 3. Be nice, nasty comments will not be tolerated.” Submissions are limited to the college community by requiring them to either be sent from a Swarthmore email account or otherwise displaying a distinct indication of the submittor’s affiliation with the school.
Despite these barriers to submission, the website features no security page requesting identification as either a member of the Swarthmore community or as someone 18 years of age or older. The relative ease of access to the site and the secrecy of its creators are cited as primary points of concern for students.
Anonymous ’15, a member of the freshman class who wished not to be named, states, “The moderator could be some awesome body-positive person or some creepy lonely person who just wants to know what Swatties look like naked.”
Currently, knowledge of the site among the student body remains limited. Reaction from students in the know has varied from bemused indifference to cautious enthusiasm. Student reaction to the site’s goals however, has been mostly positive. “All in all, the site is a great idea, as long as a little more thought goes into the submission process and the overall presentation,” Anonymous ’15 said.
First-year Hope Brinn expressed similar sentiments. “I think the site is beneficial in the way that it alters how college students typically view other people’s bodies,” although she added, “I hope the site doesn’t become pornographic or express negative body images in the comments.”
The website seems to have taken inspiration from other college nudist websites, including Boobs@Bard, Vag@Vassar and Brown Bares. Anonymous ’15 noted the positive messages concerning bodily images that these sites offer. “People with body types not seen in popular media are featured on these sites, and they showcase the vast variety of the human body in a sexy context. It’s not just about seeing what different bodies look like, it’s about seeing how different bodies are sexy, sensual and beautiful, ” the student said.
