Ashland, California activist Jen Moss likes to express her love of America and the environment in an unusual way: nude. Jen Moss is already known as ‘The Naked Lady" for rollerblading nearly nude in Northern California, usually wearing nothing but hemp thong underwear and pasties.
Now Jen Moss, 33, says she plans to participate topless in the upcoming Ashland Independence Day Parade in July 4th. According to local Ashland ordinances, it’s legal for women to go topless in Ashland. Not so fast, says parade chairman James Kidd.
"We don’t feel that someone in the parade who is topless or nearly naked is appropriate for a family audience," says the organizer.
But Jen Moss has allies– some even in government. One is City Council Member Eric Navickas, who says that the controversy is "an interesting commentary on our society that we’re willing to tolerate dead bodies through our aggressive foreign policy from the war, but not healthy, naked bodies."
Jen Moss has said she will protest and has already contacted the American Civil Liberties Union. In addition, the Naked Lady is planning a not-so-secret naked procession during the parade on her MySpace page.
Her profile, called EarthFriendJen, says that Jen Moss will lead "an official group in the parade and I’ll only be wearing a hemp g-string." She then goes through directions for the parade group, which calls for everyone to wear easily removable cover-ups, and to disrobe promptly as the parade begins.
Per the local laws, Jen Moss says only genitalia needs to be covered, and urges her friends to wear ‘natural fibers’.
But far from encouraging stark nudity, Moss says, "I have body glue for anyone who wants to wear leaves, grass, and flowers."
"Want to paint your body with positive images and messages?"