CarnalNation

Remember that film Calendar Girls starring Dame Helen Mirren in which a group of British women pose nude for a calendar to raise money for charity? It was one of those feel-good movies about female self-empowerment, racy but not raunchy. Of course, the film, inspired by real-life "calendar girls" who had raised £2 million for leukemia research, has spawned countless copycats. Nowadays, it seems that there are almost no middle-class British women of a certain age left who won't disrobe for their favorite charity. However, before taking it all off, you had better check with the intended charity to see if it's willing to take on your donation. Scottish Women's Aid, an organization dedicated to helping the victims of domestic abuse, has flatly refused a £600 ($1000) gift from 11 women who posed semi-nude for a calendar.

Charity spokesperson Jacqui Kelly said: "We are a feminist organisation and, of course, we are happy that these woman feel empowered by what they are doing. But we are opposed to the sex industry, and we have an issue with women removing clothes." This response has some of the "calendar girls," five of whom have been the victims of domestic violence, confused and upset. Morag Hill, who conceived of the calendar and was also the victim of domestic abuse for 8 years, said, "When I phoned Scottish Women's Aid to tell them we had a calendar and I needed to know how we could get the cash to them, the woman on the end of the phone said they would not be associated with it. She said that they did not support women taking their clothes off to raise money and that they were a feminist movement. It made me feel really angry."

The incident has fueled some controversy and soul searching among charities, especially ones dedicated to women's issues. Sandra Brown, of the Moira Anderson Foundation, which aids victims of domestic and sexual abuse, was stunned by the refusal. "It's a strange overreaction, because these women (in the calendar] are making their own decisions. It's about being assertive, and if these women have the self-esteem, then I would say 'go for it'. Unless something is abusive or deeply offensive, people will see it in the spirit it is intended," she said. But a spokewoman for the charity Zero Tolerance said that her organization would absolutely refuse donations generated by a nude calendar. "We would not take money from a calendar like that. We should be showcasing women for their talents and aspirations. We live in a culture where female nudity is everywhere and there is too much female nudity… It undermines our work to achieve gender equality." In response, the angry and bewildered Ms. Hill said, "We are not members of the sex industry; we are just trying to help." Help can come from many places and in many forms, even from the sex industry.

You can order a copy of the calendar here.