Holy moley, this newsletter is late TT_TT I have no excuse really, other than the rigors of parenting coupled with a week and a half of debilitating stomach flu, so let’s just get right into everything that’s been going on!
(BTW if you want more frequent updates than waiting for these newsletters that I seem to have so much trouble finding time and energy to write, I must strongly urge you to follow me on social media: most frequently, I post updates to @toplesstopics on Twitter, along with a ton of other political discussions and retweets etc. If you’re ONLY interested in Topless Topics content, I post about any new videos or projects to @toplesstopics on instagram, as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses to my daily life, name-and-shame the most amusingly horrible hatemail I get, and more! And finally, we now have a MeWe group that I’m really hoping to get all you lovely Topless Topics supporters to try out: just go to https://mewe.com/join-front/toplesstopics and make a Mewe account if you don’t have one, then join the group! [the group WILL NOT show up under search to keep the amount of trolls down, you HAVE to use the link to go directly to the group to join!]. More on MeWe here:
Talk to other nudists and/or Topless Topics supporters! Post your own topless photos without fear of censorship! Join us on MeWe, the only social media app that doesn’t ban female nipples!! (Or sell your data to hostile foreign nations!)
As mentioned above, there’s now a Topless Topics group on MeWe, an up-and-coming social media platform that promises not to police women’s bodies and sell your personal data, unlike Facebook and literally everyone else. You can hear more about MeWe here in the March 2019 Update Video: https://www.toplesstopics.org/ttupdate-feb2019/ Of course, I’m still figuring out how to use MeWe myself, so there’ll be some growing pains as I add to the group and make it more interactive. But the page already has some great features, like a baked-in chatroom where group members can chat together, and it’s already proven to be a great resource for newcomers to nudism looking for places to get naked, feedback on my videos, and more! Please check it out!
Now, onto other new content~
New Videos
Despite the aforementioned stomach flu and ever-frustrating parenting responsibilities taking up the vast majority of my time, I actually managed to be (fairly) prolific with new videos, these past few months! Of course I hope to be even MORE prolific if/when I get my recording studio built, but more on that at the end of this newsletter!
First, in case you missed it, here’s a “New Years Resolutions for 2019” video that details a lot of my plans and goals for Topless Topics in the near future:
- Topless Topics 2019 Goals/Resolutions
And two months into the new year, I did another update video, with more solid plans and useful links detailing my progress towards some of those goals:
- Topless Topics Update 2/2019: Naked-Friendly Social Media, Store Ideas, Topfree Livestreaming
I also created an intro video to a new sort of video segment/show I’m starting, wherein I’ll be reviewing the good, the bad and the ugly Children’s Books I checked out from the library to read to my sons that month:
- Topless Topics Presents: Topless Children’s / Kids Book Reviews?!
On the political front, I’ve got part one of a rant specifically inspired by the “Virginia Governor Ralph Northam in Blackface” scandal but really focused on the philosophical fallacy of “whataboutism” and my opinions on the proper way to address and move on from political/public scandal. Someday I’ll get around to filming part two….made less urgent by the fact that after all this hoopla over the scandal, no one actually resigned or was fired! We’re too busy moving on to the next source of outrage! #OutrageFatique
- Topless Topics Political Rants: Ralph Northam, Al Franken, and the Hypocrisy of Whataboutism #OutragePolitics (P1)
On the “comedy” and “parenting” fronts, here’s my attempt at mimicing some world accents, something I’m not terribly good at anyway but rendered that much harder by the frequent and cacophonic interruptions by my young sons:
- Topless Topics Does Terrible American and European Accents!
And another video on the parenting front, which I’m going to mention more in just a bit, is this comprehensive Breastfeeding Tips and Tricks video that I worked hard on, because I’m really hoping it might be ripe for making some waves (more on that below!)
- Topless Topics Parenting: Top 10 Tips for Successful Breastfeeding!
I’ve got a couple other videos filmed but haven’t had time to edit yet, including my first actual children’s book review and some other content I hope to get out soon. If you’re super impatient to see them, make sure you follow me on social media, and you’ll be updated as soon as I have them up!
Community Projects
Breastfeeding Signal Boost!
The reason I’m listing the above Breastfeeding Tips video twice is that I want to try something–I want to see if this might finally be the video that I can get some popular parenting, feminist, or feminist parenting websites to say something about! After all, is this video not a great intersection between the feminist message of “all nipples should be treated equally” and parenting guide for setting yourself up to be a breastfeeding success? What this means is, dear Topless Topics supporters, I would love for you to help me try to get this video trending:
- Watch the Breastfeeding Tips video at https://www.toplesstopics.
org/topless-topics-parenting- top-10-tips-for-successful- breastfeeding/ - Use your favorite social media platforms (as well as in-person word of mouth!) to TWEET OUT THAT LINK, and make sure to tag/direct it towards any and all parenting, feminist, etc.-focused sites and organizations that you think might find it useful!
Some examples of websites/organizations that might find this video relevant and worth writing a piece about:
- Scary Mommy https://www.scarymommy.
com/ - Perfect intersection of progressive parenting that I’m already a big fan of. However, I can only message them on my own so much before it becomes annoying spam–so please help the effort by sending them your own messages about why you think they should check out the video, and why!
- Bustle https://www.bustle.com/
- Progressive/civil justice/feminism focused website that might be interested in the #freethenipple angle, if not the parenting one
- The Mary Sue https://www.themarysue.
com/ - Geek culture review site with a feminist focus. My breastfeeding video isn’t related to a game or movie per se, but they might be interested in the feminist angle? Feel free to message them about a more geek-focused video of mine if you’d rather, maybe this Bandersnatch review or this Fallout 76 I did with my mom? 😀
- Medium https://medium.com/
- News aggregate that covers a huge amount of topics, including feminism, parenting, and everything else this video represents!
- Your Blog/Site/Podcast/etc Here!
- Maybe you have your own website, podcast, etc. that you’re a contibutor to, and you might be interested in mentioning this or any of my videos in a future post? I have a huge variety of content already, so maybe there’s a video out there that might align with something you’d be interested in writing about on your site? For instance, just yesterday I was invited to offer my opinion on a book-reading podcast (I’ll be sure to tweet out as soon as it’s available online for listening!) Topless Topics of course isn’t specifically book-focused, but the creator of the podcast became a fan of my videos and thought I might have some valuable insight to the podcast, so we decided on a book we’d both read then expressed our opinions about it on an episode of his show. I’m always honored and happy to take part in anyone else’s projects, as long as you’re respectful! (I’m not gonna film a video about my favorite sexual positions for instance, but I’m happy to go on a podcast and talk about the many threats of sexual violence I’ve had to deal with, etc.)
Really, though, I get asked often how supporters of my videos can help me grow the channel, and the answer is always to PLEASE share the content with friends, family, and anyone else you think might be receptive to the message of topless equality, or interested in whatever that particular video is about (like a review of their favorite game or movie), whatever! Just don’t link to my videos on actual porn websites, please. I have to deal with enough perverts who equate all female nipples with overt sexual activity as it is.
The unfortunate reality is that my videos and content are CONSTANTLY getting censored and removed from every platform out there–many platforms ban my videos entirely, like Youtube and Facebook, whereas a lot of other sites “shadowban” my content–they don’t remove the tweet or link directly, but they do make sure it never shows up in search results or related videos, etc., meaning I cannot reach any new potential supporters. That’s why it’s so helpful for you all to share the links for me–it helps me reach a new audience of (hopefully) receptive supporters, and helps me get around the bans/shadowbans that constantly plague me whenever I post the links myself. I’m truly sorry if I seem naggy about this, I just really need your help!
Contribute Your Own Answer: How is Nudism Treated in Your Area?
I’ve long talked about trying to start “community project videos” where any supporters of Topless Topics can also have their voices heard, and I’m finally trying to organize one! Watch the video at the above link to find out more, including best ways to submit your answer, but here’s a quick bullet list of possibilities:
- Record your video answer and upload it unlisted to Youtube, then email toplesstopicstv@gmail.com with the link
- Record your video answer and upload it to your public channel, then email toplesstopicstv@gmail.com with the link
- Record your audio-only answer and either upload it and send me the link, or send me the file directly, if it’s small enough
- Record your answer and upload it to google drive, etc. (strongly don’t prefer this option as it’s harder for me to check for viruses, but if you must…)
- Submit a written answer for me to read aloud in the video to toplesstopicstv@gmail.com with the subject line “Community Question Submission” (please keep your answer to a paragraph or two! If you want to submit a longer answer, I will include it in the website page for the video and will select a key line or two to read aloud in the video itself)
If you need help figuring out how to do any of the above, you can email your questions to toplesstopicstv@gmail.com and I’ll try to walk you through it, or at least send yo a useful google link. As for what kind of device you can record with, pretty much every smart phone comes standard with a decent camera, and many laptops, tablets etc. have built in webcams as well! If you’re worried about fallout in your professional or personal lives from taking part in something like this, you can wear a mask, or keep the camera focused on your neck down, etc. Just keep in mind that this is about topless equality and public acceptance of nudism, NOT porn, so if you’ve got the camera focused on your genitals, or you’re doing any kind of sexual activity in the video, obviously I’m not going to include it! Keep it classy please!
Last News Bits
So Aeden’s been screaming his head off at me the whole time I’ve been writing this newsletter, plus it’s getting too long anyway, so I’m gonna cover these last two news items really quickly:
Photographer Search/Upcoming Photoshoot
So I’ve tried to be kind but honest in that I have not been too satisfied with the handful of photographers I’ve worked with in the past (or I’ve moved too far away from them), so the hunt for a photographer in the Portland, OR area continues. To help with that search, I’ve created a page that details what I want to get out of the deal, the types of photos that I think are a great inspiration, and some photos that are the OPPOSITE of what I want to do, and all of it you can find here: https://www.toplesstopics.org/photography/ As it happens, I’ve recently made a new contact who turns out to be a newcomer photographer, and I’ve decided to try out a photoshoot with him this weekend and see what results we get. If he turns out to be a good fit, that’s fantastic, and I hope to do more work with him in the future! Either way, every photographer has their own style and artistic vision, so if you are or know of any photographers near Portland who might have the interest and aptitude to work with me on future shoots, please direct them towards https://www.toplesstopics.org/photography/ and have them message me if they want to try to set something up!
Building a Recording Studio/Shed At Last
The main goal in why I ask for donations through Patreon, offer nonsexual tasteful nude photos for sale, etc. is that the reality is, my videos are not available for monetization due to Youtube etc. flagging/banning them as “adult content,” so the only way I can make money to improve the channel is by asking for it directly. This has been a sticky situation that I’ve lamented about often–I will NEVER produce sexual/pornographic content for sale, no matter how much you offer or how demanding you are, but I also have to be realistic about what kind of content people would be willing to fork over money for. My quixotic HOPE is that people are buying these photos because they believe in helping me improve the channel, or because they like the tasteful aesthetic of it, etc. If they’re buying the photos for sexual gratification, well, you could buy a recreation of beautiful ancient statues like the Venus De Milo to wank off to if you really want to, but that reflects badly on you, not on the sculptor.
Anyway, all that is to say that one of the main goals of saving up donations and picture sales etc. is to improve the channel through purchases that directly benefit my ability to create content. To that end, I’m finally looking into what it would take to get a high quality, sound-proofed, safely-electric-wired recording shed/studio built in our backyard–close proximity because I still have to be on hand to help with the kids (my parents do what they can but they’re not physically capable of doing diaper changes or anything like that), but remote enough that I can have more flexibility towards recording without the kids screaming/bursting into the room/etc. As soon as I have my own recording shed, I’ll no longer be forced into either filming a video with constant interruptions (see the Accents video for an example of just how much chaos my kids always cause) or trying to frantically and quietly squeeze a recording in on the blue-moon occurence of both kids napping at the same time. I’ll even be able to start regular livestreams! That means gaming streams, “keep me company while I draw webcomic pages” streams, maybe stream while I’m recording actual videos–we’ll see how it goes!
It ALSO means I’ll have a more professional space I can invite co-hosts and guests to record at, instead of awkwardly having them in my bedroom while my kids are screaming and running around! I mean, it’ll be in my backyard so it still won’t be super profesh, but at least we’ll have some relief from the screaming!
The ball is already rolling on getting a shed built–right now I’m scheduling tours of the local shed building companies, and determining if it’s worth an extra $600 for a building permit if I want a larger studio (I don’t need one as long as it’s 120 sqft or less, but that would barely leave room for my recording equipment and a couch to have guests sit on so we’ll see!). Then, once I’ve settled on a building company I’m happy with, we’ll need to set up a schedule for getting the shed built, then setting up payments to get it paid off. I’ve got enough set aside from my freelance graphic design work that I can pay for it as-is, but any and all donations and print-buys are always appreciated, and anything that doesn’t go into the shed will go into other improvements–like a better microphone, sound-canceling panels for inside the shed, etc.
Okay, that’s all the main points for now, sorry for the long wait between newsletters and thanks for your continued support! Please follow me on social media if you want more frequent updates, elsewise I’ll talk to you in the next newsletter!
Social Media Links
(in approximate order of how often they’re updated):
Twitter: twitter.com/ToplessTopics
Instagram: instagram.com/toplesstopics
Mewe: https://mewe.com/join-front/
Website: toplesstopics.org/
Vimeo: vimeo.com/toplesstopics
Patreon: patreon.com/ToplessTopics
Etsy: etsy.com/shop/ToplessTopics
Youtube: youtube.com/c/ToplessTopics
Facebook: facebook.com/TopTopicsTV
Tumblr: toplesstopics.tumblr.com/
Video Game Livestreams: twitch.tv/toplesstopics
Email: toplesstopicstv@gmail.com