Warwick’s women rowers bare all for charity

The Warwick Rowing Women’s Naked Calendar for 2017 was released on Monday 14 November. The calendar is once again raising money to support Macmillan Cancer Support.

Eleven women rowers from the University of Warwick’s Boat Club feature in this year’s calendar. It sees the rowers posing naked around their boat house at the River Avon in Barford, Warwickshire.

The calendar has become an annual event for the women Warwick rowers; the first making its debut in 2013.

Calendar sales have raised approximately £35,000 over the past four years and the money is split between the charity and the club.

In an interview with the Boar, Sophie, the Calendar Officer, stated: “Every year we hope to build on what we have raised the year before and continue supporting Macmillan Cancer Support to the best of our abilities”.

The women rowers are also hoping that the calendar will promote a healthy body image among women. The black and white photographs remain free of any Photoshop editing.

Sophie labelled the images of women often seen in magazines and advertisements as “negative portrayals” of the female body.

She explained how the rowers hope that their calendar will inspire confidence in others by showing that “confidence and a smile are a lot more important than a size zero body”.

India-Mae Alby, the calendar’s photographer and second-year History student, commented that although she “never imaged volunteering to photograph a naked calendar” it turned out to be “one of the most rewarding things” that she has done at Warwick.

India-Mae added that she also felt it was important to promote a healthy body image, commenting that the rowers’ bodies are “strong and healthy” which is “realistic and inspiring to other people”.

The calendar is sold in a standard and signed version and costs £9.99 and £16.99, respectively.