Lol, sorry, Tumblr, how could I forget how to impress you?
Back my book on Kickstarter. It’s about that time on the internet when we could be naked, physically and emotionally.
Because you know what I miss? I miss being naked on the internet.
The first time I posted a nude self-portrait online was in 2001, and I was 18. I've been posting my naked body on the internet ever since, moving through DeviantArt, LiveJournal, Flickr, and Tumblr. And now, due to community guidelines and Terms of Service and bills like FOSTA and SESTA, there's no where left for me to be naked on the internet.
And I miss it.
I miss being vulnerable and exposed. I miss being in control of what people saw and knew of me. I miss having a cheat code to a connection. I miss being desired by strangers. I miss spreading messages of body acceptance and positivity. I miss giving no fucks about being naked on the internet. I miss encouraging others to do the same, to be in their bodies, to love their bodies. I miss the confidence and strength it gave me. I miss the community of naked internet women I used to be a part of. But there's no where for me to be now. Censoring my work seems contrary to the reason I make it. And if it's not public and for everyone, then I'm not working to normalise sexuality and sensuality and it doesn't feel as satisfying, as purposeful.
I miss the feeling of freedom that the years from 2001-2013ish gave to me. I miss the people who had seen me naked, both physically and emotionally, before we ever met face-to-face. I miss the trust I was able to have in strangers from the internet. A trust to be kind, to me and to themselves.
I miss being naked on the internet. When you miss something, what can you do? I decided to make a book about it and hear about what other people miss and how the internet changed them, made them feel they belonged. I want to know what they do now to fill that gap?
