THE PLAYBOY SPREAD GETS THE CONVERSATION GOING

Hundreds of readers have responded to the news about Carol Alt doing a nude layout in Playboy by applauding her willingness to do something so adventurous “at this age”and in particular, her underlying reasons for even considering it in the first place:  To get the message across that healthy living and eating “raw” can help anyone and everyone.

Of course, as with any slightly new or controversial idea, a tiny handful of writers simply didn’t get it and in fact strongly opposed it, which elicited a few very interesting thoughts and comments from Carol.

“I’ve never been comfortable with my body,” Carol says.  “When I had to pose for Sports Illustrated in a bathing suit at the age of 20, it was some of the most difficult work I ever did.  I was always a heavy kid; my sister is a plus-size model; and it’s not like I come from a long line of stick figures!  I continuously battled with my weight!  I always felt uncomfortable with my body – was very shy and really, rather conservative.

“Just to be thinking of doing something that is this radical, in a sense, but in such celebration of the female form, is really because I believe that this is the best way to reach people and get conversation going.  I need to put my fears and nervousness aside, and get this message out there.  This certainly wasn’t the last alternative, nor was it the first alternative.  It is just “an” alternative way to get people talking.”

Carol reiterated that she believes that Playboy is without question the finest, most artistic magazine she could have chosen for her leap of faith.  “The celebrity photos are not at all like the centerfold layouts, but no matter what, all of the photos I see in Playboy are beautiful and very tastefully shot.

“In reality, at my age, to know that I have come to such a point, where I am comfortable enough with my own body after 12 years of eating raw – that I actually feel better about my body at 47 than I did at 20 – is an amazing miracle in itself.  I want to enlighten other people to the fact that as they age, they don’t have to start feeling worse about themselves – getting tired, getting moody, getting fat and becoming ill.  There is an alternative, but the only way for people to find it is to educate themselves.  One way to get them to do that is to start them talking about it.  The only way I know of to encourage that kind of discussion is to do something a little…controversial.  And yes – this is somewhat controversial.

“I’ve done a lot of soul-searching about this and have spoken extensively with Playboy about it.  They have been amazing to work with and are embracing this message that I want to get across, which is eat healthy, look healthy and be healthy.  It doesn’t matter what age you are.  You can look sexy and feel great, and that doesn’t have to be a gift only for the young.  It can be a gift for any age, even the old (whatever that is nowadays).”

Carol is well aware that whenever she talks to people about the raw life, they tend to become nervous and even a little defensive, because they worry that it will be too difficult, or that they won’t be able to give it 100% – any excuse at all for not even trying it.  They defend their own way of eating, despite the fact that for most, that’s becoming an obsolete way of doing things.  “It’s very hard to get people to embrace something ‘new’ or ‘different’, Carol reminds us.  “But in this case, raw is not ‘new’ or ‘different’ at all.  It’s the way food has been handled since the beginning of time.  It’s only for the last couple of generations that we are processing foods and genetically altering them.  Look at almonds, as just one example:  We now pasteurize them, but still call them ‘raw’!  Once you cook, or pasteurize, or homogenize anything, it’s no longer raw.  So, we are now getting nothing like our grandparents got and nearly nothing like our parents got – our food is being genetically modified and chemically altered, one way or another.

“When I approach people about this concept, it freaks them out and they often just shut down.  So I thought, let’s try a less aggressive approach and the Playboy shoot seemed ideal.  Yes, it’s controversial, but if that’s what it takes, I’m OK with that.  If someone thinks that I have anything but altruistic reasons for doing this, they’d better think again.  Seriously.”