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"The first time I heard of naked women spelling out Peace with their bodies, I cried tears of gratitude and grief. I was inspired to greater activism for peace. I felt compelled to find or create this kind of demonstraton.

"For me, 'baring witness' is the most exquisite statement of the vulnerability of the human body . . . especially in the context of this horrific war. I thought, as our young women soldiers' bodies are mutilated and dying, as the Iraqi woman are pulverized into pieces; I can, with my own body, make a poetic, artistic statement about the vulnerability, the preciousness of the human body.

And so it came to be, I and 35 other San Diego women lying naked on cool morning sand; our bodies melting into inter-connectedness with each other and our mother earth, crying out to be seen as the peaceful source of great beauty, joy and life itself.

Do you know that the naked photo shoots take place at remote destinations, at early morning hours? The women are not really visible individually. It's not about prurient, lasciviousness. Does it help to consider it art? One of the purposes of art is to discomfit, open our eyes to something we hadn't considered before."
--Penelope

This is Art; political/spiritual/women&earth centered Art. Art serves many purposes including giving voice to those human thoughts and feelings that are inhibited or prohibited socially. We find ourselves in a strange "twilight zone" in which desiring Peace world-wide is seen as ignorant and unpatriotic . . . even dangerous! We non-threatening and naked women express our longing for Peace by removing all semblances of costume and protection- getting down to our naked Truth- 'vulnerable' in our honest, artistic expression; loving Peace.

Recently, in the news, (I don't remember where or why) some women threatened to protest some awful law or policy by disrobing and walking naked through the streets of their village- the men in power were so horrified by the thought that they bowed to the women's demands. Is it because we women have been oppressed by men that our power is in refusing to be ashamed of who we are; of our naked bodies? As we were photographed this morning I felt empowered by the Sisterhood and the tide . . . Women and Nature- so exploited by men . . .

-Rebecca

Pro-peace does not mean not loving and supporting our American Soldiers. Pro-peace means we want them returned home, and alive. Pro-peace means there are better ways to solve something than hurting each other. We lost so many of our wonderful, brave military personnel in Vietnam in the name of converting a Dictatorship into a free society. That society is pretty much the same today after all our losses. We have grown so much and learned from our mistakes since then. The world needs to talk more, and keep peace relations with each other, open, loving and aware of each others cultural differences. Hopefully with the worlds support, wounds can be mended and our societies can advance spiritually and lovingly.

Sincerely,

anonymous peace loving person

For the most part I am an average person, I work hard at my career, and I try to be a responsible citizen. I enjoy my life in the United States tremendously, although living and traveling abroad has given me an appreciation for the strengths of other societies and an understanding of the weaknesses of our own. Ordinarily, I believe societal change has to happen through the ballot box, and I vote enthusiastically in every election. Sometimes, however, extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary action. Our country is currently invading another sovereign nation, killing and dying in the name of democracy and liberation. This is not something I can support.

The aspects of my country that make me the most proud are our laws, our judicial system, our constitution and bill of rights, our checks and balances, our public education system, our institutions of higher learning, our social welfare system, our technologies, our libraries, our medical community and its advancements, our research and development, our respect for people, animals, and nature, our civil engineering, our dynamic society, and our diverse population. These are things I wish to share with other societies around the world. These are not things that are achieved with tanks, guns, bombs, or deadly combat. These are things that are shared though modeling, dialog, diplomacy, and mutual interest.

When I first heard about the idea of getting naked for peace, I giggled and discarded it as pointless. And of course I do not believe that taking off our clothes and forming symbols of peace will end the war. But I do believe that ordinary people who oppose violence as a means for anything productive need to agitate their misguided leaders and shock a complacent public into rethinking their actions.

Our own history as subjects of colonialism tells us quite clearly that the people and government of one nation cannot pretend to know what's best for the people and government of another nation. Is Saddam Hussein a ruthless, violent, and self-consumed leader? Yes. Can we use violence, military superiority, and sheer force of will to bring happiness and peace to the Iraqi people. No. Will our expensive and overpowering military machinery model a positive example of civic behavior? Will it create dialog and promote diplomacy? Will it build the kind of interest in our society that would make the Iraqi people want to try implementing any of our ideas on governing and structuring the physical and ethical aspects of society. No.

I work with children everyday, and I am often confronted with situations in which a child will try to use violence of some sort to get his or her way. I patiently explain that violence is not an acceptable means to any end. And as the children mature, they learn more productive ways of dealing with life's frustrations. We talk about communication, respect for others, sharing, conflict resolution, and treating others how we would like to be treated. The recent actions of my government have made me feel like a hypocrite. How do I justify to children that violence in response to violence is a good idea?

This is the naked truth.
Christine