This photo marks the 9th photo contribution in a spontaneous series that began as a pro-peace demonstration staged on November 12th by a Baring Witness group from Marin County California. On that first action, 46 women posed naked in the word "PEACE", a second event grew to 96 women in late December and was accompanied by a concurrent group of 24 men who also staged a pro-peace protest by forming a peace symbol with their naked bodies.

This startling form of protest has inspired people all over the world to stage similar protests against war. From Salt Lake City, Utah to McCurdo Station, Antarctica and from Gainesville, Florida to East Sussex, England - the international spelling bee is spelling out the pro-peace message with their bodies.

PEACE - it's such a simple word, but it has so many connotations in the current political climate. "You're either with us or against us" has become national rhetoric, and so, it takes a certain amount of courage to speak out against war these days. For a group of middle-American scientists, teachers, home-makers, librarians, journalists, entrepreneurs, mothers and students ranging in age from 20-62 to act out publicly, stripped of clothing in the winter cold takes even more courage.

More information on Baring Witness available at www.baringwitness.org.

Photo credit: Benjamin Grosser.