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University of Leeds Rowers get naked for mental health

They are serving all the naked looks right now.

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Leeds university have been rowing for 101 years now, and now, after a century, they’ve finally started whacking it out for charity. And we’re so into this.

After the sucsess of their first naked calendar, these hunky guys and gorgeous girls are rowing for better mental health, by creating funds and awareness for the fabulous charity Leeds Mind. The Leeds based charity are working to reduce the stigma around mental health and build strength to overcome obstacles. The rowers are going to bare it all to give all our mental health’s a good shafting , and to encourage us to see our bodies as beautiful. It’s a brilliant cause, and what’s better than giving to charity and giving yourself a years-worth of eye-candy?

University of Leeds Boat Club is a society all about celebrating different body sizes and empowering people to embrace the skin they’re in. They work against the elitist ideas and encourage acceptance of all, which means there’s a fantastic mix of men and women of all shapes and sizes – and we can tell you, they’re all delicious.

The Leeds Tab spoke to the faces (and a lot more) behind the calender to find out the juicy deets behind all that nude shooting:

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Did it feel awkward shooting?

It started off awkward – everyone coming out with towels and dressing gowns on. Everyone was a bit nervous. I (Anna) knew a lot of the boys already so it was a bit of a random one seeing all that!

Was there any weird sexual chemistry?

Hahahaha no not really – the boys and girls were separated. But the main aim was being comfortable in our own skin and raising awareness for mental health. Everyone was focused on this so it was more about bonding and having fun.

How does it feel having ‘nudes’ out there?

The girls were the most worried about this – not so much the guys. We avoided this worry by having a kind of happy vibe through the photos. Everyone’s smiling and laughing. In the interest of good mental health, we decided to not to shoot in a sexual style. It honestly felt quite liberating.

Any *ahem* slips? Or staring passers-by?

‘Nothing’s being covered boys, we need to shift those around!’

I think there was some manscaping going on before-hand. There was one point where I was holding an oar over the Senior Men's Captain, um, dick, and you have to hold the blades and sort of figure out if the package is being covered but also not look directly at it too much. It’s an interesting awkward balance.

There was a point when we were doing a ‘bum’ shot of the girls from behind as they stood on the pontoon and a guy walking past stopped dead to stare and take photos! Really it just made us all laugh. Then with the boys, a guy on a bike stopped to take photos, but the guys didn’t seem to mind.

Anna said it’s ‘the weirdest photography job I’ve ever done. But absolutely the most fun.’

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