Stark Naked

Stark Naked

Tiger Forgives: the brand creating fetish wear to express unseen personalities

In Russia, ideas of beauty are stuck. Meet the rebels looking good on their own terms

Dragzina: join the queer artists claiming Russia’s summer houses as their own

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The Russian bathhouse, or banya, and its steamy surrounding rituals have always formed a large part of Russia’s everyday culture. The history of small village banyas date back to the 10th century, while large commercial bathhouses have been an important part of urban life for several centuries. Russia’s public bathhouses are the best reflection of the complex social history of the body: the dichotomy of clean and dirty, public and private space, across all social classes, ages, and genders. For younger generations, banyas are a place to explore all of this, and still connect with their heritage. At the end of 2020, director Sasha Kulak and banya expert Anna Artemieva spent time in several public bathhouses, documenting the complex, collective intimacy they provide.
Anna Artemieva started @nudeblog — a dedicated blog sharing the best of banya culture, aesthetics, and expertise — in 2017. She had been inspired by a trip to Finland to explore local sauna traditions and ceremonies, a journey that made her reflect on the importance of the bathhouse in Russia. Over the years, she has educated her readers and contributed to a growing banya renaissance, as more and more young people become interested in bathhouses as a part of contemporary Russian life. Together with photographer Sasha Kulak, she has also explored the way that banya culture shapes how people look at the naked body — and especially the female body). While Russia still harbours a patriarchal culture with strict beauty standards for women and a squeamishness towards nudity, the banya is often a space of emancipation, where the body is not sexualised but connected to corporality and spirit.
Especially for The Calvert Journal, Artemieva shared her thoughts on the liberating, intimate, and transportive world which exists within Russia’s bathhouses.
I started my blog to write about different kinds of public bath culture, debunk myths, and explore the deeper questions within Russia’s traditions and customs, as well as the banya’s multifaceted purpose both for the individual and society.
The banya is an entry point into multiple layers of culture. Four years after it was first launched, the blog is gradually becoming an anthropological study, involving constant field research and writing on the questions of nudity, corporality, habits, human connection, gender, and social hierarchies.
For Russian people, the banya is our day-to-day reality, our folklore, our daily graft, and because of that we’ve not taken the chance to document and study this part of our culture. In neighbouring Estonia, for example, people are much more savvy, which means the bathhouse knowledge there is better documented.

The banya is a relic from our past. In our country, social values have shifted every 100 years or so, and banya culture too has been seen in different ways. Today’s saunas have become commercialised buildings divorced from our childhood memories of our grandmothers’ banya, and they have a different effect on the body. But this conflict has led many young people to delve deeper into the topic. With so much change, it is inevitable that Russian people will be constantly searching for identity, and the banya is something very authentic we can find in our culture.
The first ever Russian banya , or so called “black banya ”, is a banya without a chimney. That means that the smoke and soot generated from the fire heats the room, and the coals used to produce steam are trapped inside. Historically, this was the only option; there wasn’t the technology to build vents, and it was small and good at keeping in the heat. The doors to a Russian banya are usually kept open while the room is initially being warmed, but when water is placed on the rocks inside to create steam, the doors are closed and the banya gets heated even further. That means that the Russian banya is wetter than saunas in most other countries, and has a wetter, more pungent smell.
The lack of oxygen gives the black banyas a certain mystical atmosphere, enhanced by warmth and humidity: a feeling that could probably be compared to being the womb. The darkness and lack of sensory input creates a feeling of transformation. It could be compared to meditation, Russian style.
Visiting a banya involves a great deal of ceremony. You must come prepared. It is a place where people dress for the occasion; a place where guests are invited in. Every object has its function, removing layer after layer of the daily grind until you can finally relax and be reborn.
The banya takes away the taboo of corporality. It exposes us to the body simply as it is, without projecting our own thoughts, ideas, and prejudices upon it. The banya has taught me to appreciate my body, to openly respect it and treat it with care. I have always felt free being naked, but I have learned to appreciate the special beauty of the moment thanks to the banya . Nudity is not about obscenity, but about purity, soul, and spirituality — and you can find all of those things in the banya itself.

Every Game of Thrones Nude Scene, Ranked by Whether Anyone Really Needed to Be Naked
Which sex scene on Game of Thrones is most relevant to its plot?
79. A Faceless Man's Ass (Season Two, Episode Seven)
78. A Prostitute Shows Off Her Ass (Season Five, Episode Three)
77. Littlefinger's Whorehouse Gets Raided (Season Two, Episode One)
76. A Prostitute Distracts Jory Cassel from the Task at Hand (Season One, Episode Five)
75. Dany and Khal Drogo Take a Prisoner in the Buff (Season One, Episode Seven)
74. A Dead Maester’s Penis Is on Display (Season Seven, Episode One)
73. The Sand Snakes Elaborately Screw with Bronn's Head (Season Five, Episode Seven)
72. Oberyn and Ellaria Have More Group Sex in King's Landing (Season Four, Episode Three)
71. Stannis Hires a Pirate Who's Preoccupied (Season Four, Episode Six)
Lucas Hedges Breaks Down His Iconic Characters
70. Introducing Littlefinger's Whorehouse (Season One, Episode Three)
69. The Hound Takes a Piss (Season Six, Episode Eight)
68. Tyrion Takes a Piss Off the Wall (Season One, Episode Three)
67. Grand Maester Pycelle Rambles to a Prostitute About Kings (Season One, Episode Ten)
66. Viserys Has Dragon Pillow Talk with a Prostitute (Season One, Episode Four)
65. Half-Giant Hodor Has a Giant Penis (Season One, Episode Eight)
64. Bronn Enjoys a Naked Woman on His Lap (Season Two, Episode Nine)
63. Melisandre Gets Naked Around Just About Anyone (Season Four, Episode Seven)
62. Pod Walks in on Bronn (Season Three, Episode One)
61. Varys Negotiates with a Prostitute (Season Two, Episode Ten)
60. Cersei Tells Her Waifish Male Lover to Stay Out of Business Matters (Season One, Episode Ten)
59. A Prostitute in Tears at Littlefinger's Whorehouse (Season Two, Episode Two)
58. The Poor Daughter-Wives of Craster's Keep Are Raped (Season Four, Episode Four)
57. Khal Drogo Sexually Assaults His Wife (Season One, Episode Two)
56. Grand Maester Pycelle Dismisses a Whore (Season Six, Episode Ten)
55. Daenerys's Creepy Brother Fondles Her (Season One, Episode One)
54. Robb Stark Continues to Be Madly in Love (Season Three, Episode Seven)
53. Arya Watches Actors Change Backstage (Season Six, Episode Five)
52. Ramsay Treats a Woman Like an Object (Season Five, Episode Five)
51. Daario Continues Serving Dany (Season Five, Episode One)
50. Bronn Tries and Fails to Have Fun (Season Eight, Episode One)
49. An Unsullied Is Seduced (Season Five, Episode One)
48. Theon Gets One Last Glimpse of His Favorite Vagina (Season One, Episode Six)
47. Theon Is Rude, Has (More) Sex (Season Two, Episode Two)
46. Loras Keeps Seeing Forbidden Fruit Olyvar (Season Five, Episode One)
45. Ramsay Has Terrible, Cringe-Inducing Sex (Season Four, Episode Six)
44. Uninhibited Dany Casually Rules Her People While Naked (Season Three, Episode Eight)
43. Pod Finally Gets Some (Season Three, Episode Three)
42. Jaime and Cersei Have Consensual Sex on a Tabletop (Season Four, Episode Ten)
41. Faith of the Seven Members Shut Down a John's Encounter (Season Five, Episode Three)
40. Tyrion Is Surrounded by Prostitutes (Season One, Episode One)
39. Lysa Tully Breastfeeds Her Son Who's Way Too Old for Breastfeeding (Season One, Episode Five)
38. Tyrion Finds a Lover (Season One, Episode Nine)
37. Renly Baratheon Gets a Blowjob (Season One, Episode Five)
36. Samwell and Gilly Have Sex (Season Five, Episode Seven)
35. Robb Stark and His Lover Ravage Each Other (Season Two, Episode Eight)
34. Prostitute Training by Littlefinger (Season One, Episode Seven)
33. Theon Is Seduced by a Wildling (Season Two, Episode Six)
32. Cersei Has (Non-Incesutous) Sex with Euron (Season Eight, Episode One)
31. Cersei and Jaime Give It One More Go (Season Seven, Episode Three)
30. Jaime Rapes Cersei Next to Joffrey's Corpse (Season Four, Episode Three)
29. Grey Worm Stares a Little Too Long at Missandei (Season Four, Episode Eight)
28. Oberyn and Ellaria Visit Littlefinger's Brothel (Season Four, Episode One)
27. Dejected Theon Watches His Sister with Another Woman (Season Six, Episode Seven)
26. Ramsay Rapes Sansa Stark (Season Five, Episode Six)
25. The Faith of the Seven's Raid on Littlefinger's Whorehouse (Season Five, Episode Four)
24. Loras Tyrell Is Seduced by a Male Prostitute (Season Three, Episode Five)
23. Margaery Tyrell Has Failed Sex with Renly Baratheon (Season Two, Episode Three)
22. Melisandre Seduces Gendry for Her Dark Magic (Season Three, Episode Eight)
21. Melisandre Fails to Tempt Jon Snow with Her Body (Season Five, Episode Four)
20. Arya Finally Gets Some (Season Eight, Episode Two)
19. Melisandre Gives Birth to a Demon Gunk Baby (Season Two, Episode Four)
18. King Joffrey Plays Sadistic Sex Games with Prostitutes (Season Two, Episode Four)
17. Jon Snow Is Resurrected (Season Six, Episode Three)
16. Jaime Enjoys a Bath with an Unamused Brienne of Tarth (Season Three, Episode Five)
15. Theon Ravages a Woman (Season One, Episode Five)
14. Theon's Last Moment with His Dick (Season Three, Episode Seven)
13. Stannis Baratheon Is Seduced by the Red Woman (Season Two, Episode Two)
12. Dany Enjoys Her Warrior-Lover Any Way She Wants (Season Four, Episode Seven)
11. Dany Burns the Khals Down (Season Six, Episode Four)
10. Dany Hatches Her Dragons (Season One, Episode Ten)
9. Grey Worm and Missandei Consummate Their Unignorable Desire for Each Other (Season Seven, Episode Two)
8. Khal Drogo Gets into Bed with His New Wife (Season One, Episode One)
7. Dany Takes Control of Her Sex with Khal Drogo (Season One, Episode Two)
6. Jon Snow Has Passionate Incestuous Relations with Queen Dany (Season Seven, Episode Seven)
5. Jaime and Brienne Have Sex (Season Eight, Episode Four)
4. Jaime and Cersei's Passionate, Doggy-Style Incest (Season One, Episode One)
3. Melisandre Reveals Her True Self (Season Six, Episode One)
2. Jon Snow and His Free Folk Lady Consummate Their Love (Season Three, Episode Five)
1. Cersei's 'Walk of Atonement' (Season Five, Episode Ten)
Jaime Lannister’s Dating App Advice
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Not all sex on Game of Thrones is created equal. Sure, the HBO fantasy drama has (not unfairly) developed a reputation for gratuitous violence and sexual relations of all configurations—man on woman, man on man, sorceress on man, brother on sister—but some of that stuff matters .
Sex is wielded in Westeros, like everything else, as a form of power. If you're demanding it the way Daenerys tells her bearded underling to strip, it's a good sign you're in charge. (Though if the power-sex turns into sadism, à la Joffrey or Ramsay, you might be headed for a precipitous downfall.) Of course, sometimes bare boobs are just bare boobs. The showrunners are not above giving us some Emilia Clarke fan service to keep our attention while guy-whose-name-we-can’t-remember rambles about a subplot we’ll quickly forget. And sex is often a relief—for the characters and the viewers. You need something to break up all the beheading, impaling, and disemboweling. In a very dark world, it’s just about the only bright spot, as Tyrion would happily tell you while drunkenly nuzzling several prostitutes.
As an admirer of Game of Thrones ’s more primal pleasures, I rewatched every moment of nudity and sex (including more incest than anyone asked for)* on the show so far—all 79 of them—and ranked them based on narrative value. You’re welcome.
*For the purposes of this list, nudity and/or sex must last at least several seconds and be clearly in focus.
Jorah Mormont talks to a woman about dragons as she tattoos the back of a man whose ass crack is in public view and who contributes nothing to the conversation.
As relevant as: Demi Lovato's app to people older than 14.
Tyrion and Varys are drinking inside the Game of Thrones equivalent of Hooters, and a woman who's proffering her services walks by in a risqué outfit. "Curious...hair," Tyrion says.
As relevant as: Rebecca Black's "Friday" to Mick Jagger on a Wednesday.
Prostitutes run around naked and screaming before a baby is unceremoniously killed. Sometimes Game of Thrones mixes in sex with its gore.
As relevant as: A lesser Nicholas Sparks novel to a non–Nicholas Sparks fan.
Ned Stark is trying to get some intel in Littlefinger's whorehouse, but his right-hand man is distracted by a woman's ample breasts.
As relevant as: Eminem and Mariah Carey's beef to Rihanna.
A nameless man is tied to a horse and his flaccid penis swings in the breeze.
As relevant as: Eminem and Moby's beef to 2017.
Samwell Tarly and the Archmaester make small talk while performing an autopsy, pulling out the late maester’s giant liver, and in classic Thrones fashion, we get a hint of genitals with our gore. You don’t get this kind of action on CSI.
As relevant as: John Mayer to pop singles charts after 2013.
A Sand Snake teases Bronn by stripping after he negs her and says she's not "the most beautiful woman" he's ever seen. It turns out she poisoned him with her dagger, and to get the antidote from her, he's forced to change his opinion about her looks. As with all the Sand Snake scenes, I have no idea why this is happening.
As relevant as: Vanilla Ice's acting career to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The liberated bisexual couple makes it clear to everyone how liberated they really are by fooling around with young, supple prostitutes of both genders, before their sex is rudely interrupted. (That happens a lot on Game of Thrones .)
As relevant as: The guy Paris Hilton sleeps with in her sex tape to Koko the gorilla.
Stannis tries to persuade a pirate to help him as said pirate happens to be engaged in a bathhouse threesome. The bathhouse is tastefully designed.
As relevant as: Bella Thorne discussing her bowel movements on social media to anyone who's not Bella Thorne.
Naked prostitutes languidly wander around the establishment, and Catelyn Stark is not fine with it.
As relevant as: Kanye and Wiz Khalifa's feud to Wiz Khalifa.
The Hound pulls out his penis to urinate while socializing with the Brotherhood Without Banners.
As relevant as: Katy Perry's four-day livestream to a Taylor Swift fan.
Tyrion pulls out an obviously prosthetic penis to demonstrate how steep the drop from The Wall really is.
As relevant as: Man of Steel to cinema.
He has a senior moment while she gets dressed and half-listens.
As relevant as: Katie Holmes in Dawson's Creek to Suri Cruise.
Dany's brother is weird and controlling with a woman as he powers through exposition dialogue about dragons.
As relevant as: Lesser 1998 Patrick Stewart genre film Safe House to a Trekkie.
No one seems to know why Hodor is naked and caked in white powder. This includes Bran Stark, who tells him to put on clothes.
As relevant as: Showgirls to anyone not indoctrinated in the cult of Paul Verhoeven or Gina Gershon.
As Tyrion's bodyguard is having a low-key night of "women and good brown ale," The Mountain cuts in and creates tension.
As relevant as: Steely Dan's post-'80s output to the rock canon.
The priestess enjoys a bath while nonchalantly asking her boyfriend's wife to grab her a potion.
As relevant as: Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska to a Bob Dylan fan.
Bronn gets busy with a woman who tells him to take off her necklace with his mouth, but then Pod makes it awkward.
As relevant as: Logic to the Scarlett Johansson–starring sci-fi film Lucy. (Bless its radical incoherence.)
The savvy eunuch brings one of Littlefinger's employees to his side, but not before explaining why he's not interested in her bare breasts. "I'm not like most men," he tells her.
As relevant as: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps to a stockbroker.
When he pries into her royal affairs, she says, "Get back in bed."
As relevant as: Scoop to the Woody Allen oeuvre.
After some violent action that rattles one of Littlefinger's prostitutes, he gives her a menacing, sociopathic lecture about "bad investments."
As relevant as: Bridget Fonda–starring American remake of La Femme Nikita, Point of No Return to the Luc Besson oeuvre.
The mutineers who have taken over the strangest house in Game of Thrones history also turn Craster's daughters into their property.
As relevant as: Ashton Kutcher's The Ranch to actual ranchers.
While it was already clear he was raping Dany, now it is even more painfully clear.
As relevant as: Plot is to the Transformers movies.
After she requests payment for her services, the dependably creepy grand maester tells her to "go away."
As relevant as: Southern Charm to a casual Bravo viewer.
Viserys strips his sister in order to get a look at the goods he's selling off to Khal Drogo, and he and the camera ogle her.
As relevant as: The work of current rumored Pam Anderson boyfriend Julian Assange's WikiLeaks to Tommy Lee.
He tells Talisa, "If you don't put clothes on, I can't promise I won't attack you again," which sounds scary but is sweet!
As relevant as: The recent work of Mötley Crüe to Julian Assange.
Male and female actors disrobe as Arya stands around trying to decide how to poison one of them.
As relevant as: K-PAX to the Kevin Spacey oeuvre.
Reasserting his power after marrying Sansa, he tells another woman in bed with him, "You're mine. You're not going anywhere."
As relevant as: Ray D
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