What You Missed at “Naked Girls Reading”

What did you get up to last Friday night? If you answered anything other than “went to the Naked Girls Reading Banned Books event,” you lose.

Created in Chicago by one Michelle L’amour (stagename?), Naked Girls Reading -- which is exactly that, by the way, staged public events of girls in the altogether, reading aloud -- has alighted in other cities. On Friday it debuted in NYC with a little help from Pinchbottom Burlesque at Madame X.

And what a debut it was: The girls in question included a passel of local burlesque performers with names like Gigi LaFemme and Legs Malone. And the books? “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” appropriately made the list, as did passages from works by Ray Bradbury and Joseph Heller. (What, no “Mein Kampf”?)

We’re not quite sure how this is legal, given the laws currently governing the flashing of naughty bits in our fair city, but the event lived up to its name, by which we mean the “naked” part, by which we mean there were no pasties, and very little else getting in the way of your enjoyment of literature's great censored works. But don’t take our word for it: The Village Voice has a (NSFW) slideshow.

And! Two more New York Naked Girls Reading events are in the planning stages, according to EW's Shelf Life: a dramatic interpretation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” in December, which will no doubt leave your chestnuts very warm indeed, and – potentially -- a Naked Guys Reading event. That way, everyone can brush up on their classics.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us