How not to take naked selfies

Follow the sun? Lately it seems travellers have become increasingly minded to follow the moon - the deliberately exposed human variety, that is. And always with a camera or mobile phone to hand to capture the moment. Consider the success of websites such as Naked at Monuments and My Naked Trip, which post photographs of young men and women either partially or completely undressed in famous places. Apparently there exists a sizeable audience for this new form of photojournalism. Bums on seats checking out bums on peaks.

Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat have emerged as particular flashpoints, so to speak, in the trend. In one busy week, eight trekkers were arrested for disrobing at the Incan citadel. Elsewhere, both the snowy peak of Mount Everest and the dusty plains at the base of the pyramids are proving popular. An Instagram shot of the porn star Carmen De Luz with her buttocks bared while riding a camel at Giza - though not a selfie, and with a small amount of underwear visible - is a classic of the genre.

Such hijinks can land you in hot water - or in places where hot water might be in regrettably short supply, such as prisons

Such hijinks can, of course, land you in hot water. Or indeed in places where hot water might well be in regrettably short supply, such as prisons. Four of the 10 Westerners who were busted in the buff at the top of Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu earlier this year were arrested and jailed. Moreover, their japes atop the sacred mountain were held directly to blame for an earthquake that killed 18 people six days later. The pranksters, local politicians maintained, had 'angered the spirit of the mountain'.

A little common sense generally goes a long way when you're thinking about where, when and with whom you take off your clothes, whether at home or abroad. Personally, I've got nothing against getting naked outside in exotic locations. However, I also accept that the time and place must be right. As the great Shelley Winters put it: 'I think on-stage nudity is disgusting, shameful and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22, with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience.' Judgement, sensitivity and context are all.

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How not to take naked selfies

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