Peace, love and paradise: Sportswomen and celebrities reveal their what they are proud and insecure

 

 

 

 

 

Peace, love and paradise: A glimpse inside the clothing-optional commune started by Elizabeth Taylor's brother to get back at the Hawaiian government Thanks to a bitter disagreement between Elizabeth Taylor's brother and the Hawaiian government, a group of hippies, surfers and Vietnam veterans were able to create their own utopia on a seven-acre stretch of beach in 1969. Taylor camp, as it became known, was named after Howard Taylor, the actress's older brother who owned the stretch of land on the north shore of Kauai. An oceanographer and marine artist, Taylor lived across the bay from the plot and planned to extend his estate by building on the land. However, the local government had other plans and rejected Taylor's repeated requests for building permits, as they had the intention to condemn the lot and turn it into a state park. Though Howard may have chosen a life out of the spotlight, he still had his sister's flair for the dramatic. When he heard that police had rounded up 13 vagrants who recently moved to the island from Berkeley, California, he decided to bail out the lot and allow them to live on his land rent free. 'It’s your land and they’re now your hippies,' Taylor reportedly told officials, when they complained about the new inhabitants on Ke'e Beach. Scroll down for video +28 Moment of zen: For eight years in the 1970s, a group of hippies built their own community on a stretch of beach on the island of Kauai +28 Famous connections: The seven-acre stretch of land was owned by Howard Taylor, brother of actress Elizabeth Taylor, who planned to build on the land but was repeatedly blocked by the local government  +28 Free land: Out of revenge, Taylor bailed 13 vagrants out of jail and told them they could live on his property for free  +28 Community: Over the years, the group of 13 grew to more than 100 as word spread about the free rent in paradise +28 Piece of paradise: Above, a map of Taylor Camp as it appeared in 1976. While most of the campers started off living in primitive tents, they soon started building homes using bamboo and reclaimed wood +28 Brother and sister: Howard Taylor is pictured above with his sister Elizabeth in 1965. Howard and Elizabeth spend one Christmas with the campers, but otherwise left them mostly alone Taylor rarely visited the camp, but he did spend Christmas with the group once, along with his famous sister. For the next eight years, the group grew from the original 13 to well over 100 as word spread about the little piece of paradise. Starting with tents, the campers soon grew more sophisticated in their use of the land, building elaborate tree houses out of bamboo and salvaged wood. They even grew produce in a mandala-shaped garden. John Wehrheim never lived in the commune, but he captured their way of life as a constant visitor. The professional photographer's girlfriend lived next door to Taylor in Ha'ena and he spent a lot of time at the camp in the 70s, taking pictures of the residents, who more often than not walked around in the nude. In a new book containing his collection of pictures from the Camp, Wehrheim writes that it was 'a whimsical experiment in living ostensibly supported with the back-to-the-land ethos of fishing and farming (while actually propped up with food stamps and welfare).' While the community was certainly not devoid of problems, especially the hard drug users of the later years, many who lived there remember it as some of the best times of their lives. +28 USA: Professional photographer John Wehrheim never lived in the community, but he did visit several times to photograph its inhabitants +28 Memories: Wehrheim worked on a documentary about the camp, and has recently published a book with his pictures from the day +28 Childhood in the trees: Many children were born and raised in the camp, and took a bus to the nearby school +28 The good and the bad: The community's 'no rules' ethos unfortunately attracted a few bad eggs, and hard core drug users started showing up in the later years In an article for Honolulu Weekly written in 2008, former Taylor Camper John Wythe White remembers the experience positively. 'I surfed or swam every day. Hiked and hitchhiked. Worked in the communal garden and ate the food we grew there: lettuce, tomatoes, collard greens, etcetera. Picked mango and papaya and guava from trees. Friends from outside brought us fresh fish and kalua pig and macadamia nuts still in the shell. I supplemented all this with brown rice, other staples, cheap red wine and candy bars from the Ching Young Store in Hanalei. Learned to spearfish. Played my guitar and harmonica. Smoked pot and dropped acid. Met girls and made love, casually but affectionately. I was having the time of my life, and I am as aware of that now as I was then,' he said. However, the 'no rules' ethos of Taylor Camp ultimately led to its downfall, giving authorities to search the camp in search of hard-core drugs. In the last months of the camp, the government convinced most everyone to move on, so that there were only a few stragglers left behind at the end, when they had to be forcibly escorted off the property. To make sure that the campers never came back, local authorities took a torch to their structures, burning their eight-year paradise to the ground. Hippie commune Taylor Camp immortalised in documentary   +28 Lounging lady: The drugs were what ended up being the commune's downfall, as they allowed governments authorities to raid the camp and make arrests +28 Sun-kissed: In the last months of the camp, the government convinced most everyone to move on, so that there were only a few stragglers left behind at the end, when they had to be forcibly escorted off the property. +28 Paradise children: To make sure that the campers never came back, local authorities took a torch to their structures, burning their eight-year paradise to the ground. +28 Fruit of the land: The campers grew much of their own produce in a garden in the shape of a mandala. Many were also on food stamps +28 Faithful: A group of campers gathers in a structure for a prayers service. The campers started a church called the Brotherhood of the Paradise Children +28 Whimsical: In a new book containing his collection of pictures from the Camp, Wehrheim writes that it was 'a whimsical experiment in living ostensibly supported with the back-to-the-land ethos of fishing and farming (while actually propped up with food stamps and welfare).' +28 Heavenly: Sun breaks through the clouds on the Ke'e Beach, where the community was located from 1969 until 1977 +28 No care in the world: Clothing was very much optional in the community. Above, a naked man reclines n a shack +28 Portrait of love: A happy couple embrace and smile for the cameras inside a hut in Taylor Camp +28 In the kitchen: young woman poses for a picture in a camp kitchen, sporting a golden tan even visible in the black and white picture +28 Inspecting the crop: A naked women wearing only a headscarf inspects some lettuce in the community's garden +28 Temporary: Above, one of the shacks built in the community. Residents were notable not allowed to build permanent homes +28 White sand beaches: Two young girls pose for a picture outside a shack in the community. When the group was broken up, many of the members chose to remain in Hawaii A time and a place: Above, portraits of Taylor campers from the 1970s. The group at one point had as many as 120 members +28 Home sweet home: A young woman sews on a bed, while a man stares at the camera in a room decorated by a Young Frankenstein poster Bathroom humor: An apt poster of Frank Zappa sitting on a toilet decorates a wall near the community's al fresco restrooms

Famous female athletes and celebrities – including Kirsty Gallacher – pose naked in new photos celebrating women’s bodies Sportswomen and celebrities reveal their what they are proud and insecure about in their bodies The ladies include Olympians, Victoria's Secret models and reality stars The women, who include including Olympian Sophie Hitchon and the model Chrissy Teigen also posed naked A selection of top sportswomen and celebrities have spoken out about the pride and insecurities they have in their bodies. The ladies, who include Olympians Sophie Hitchon and Samantha Murray, model Chrissy Teigen and reality star Lucy Mecklenburgh, also posed naked in the feature for Women's Health magazine. They are among eight inspiring women who each discussed why they are proud of their bodies, not just for their beauty, but their strength, power and imperfections. Scroll down for video +9 Sophie Hitchon, who is a British Olympic Hammer Thrower used to hate her sturdy thighs but now loves them In the article, many of the women talked about overcoming self-doubt about the way they look to appreciate how their body works. Sophie Hitchon, who is a British Olympic Hammer Thrower and Current British Record Holder, revealed that she used to hate her sturdy figure but now loves it. She said: 'I love my big thighs. I wouldn’t be able to pick up a hammer without them. I put blood, sweat and tears into building them up. 'When I was younger, I always wished I was more petite or willowy; now they’re a symbol of my success as an athlete.” 'I won’t lie – as a woman, there are times when you look in the mirror and think, "I wish this was smaller, I wish that was flatter." 'But when you’re an athlete, you need to train for your PB, not what you look like.' +9 World Champion Pentathlete Samantha Murray believes her body looks the best it ever will at the moment Sophie isn't the only sportswoman to have overcome body insecurities that came about from her training. Fran Halsall, who is a European Champion Swimmer, Commonwealth Gold Medalist and World Silver Medallist has developed a strong upper body after years of training. She said: 'I have a very particular body shape – but I’ve accepted my big shoulders are the tools of my trade. 'Although it’ll be nice not to be as big when I stop swimming competitively in the future, I’ll still want to stay lean and athletic. I’ll always want to work on my body.' +9 European Champion Swimmer Fran Halsall has developed a strong upper body after years of training. +9 Model Chrissy Teigen likes drinking champagne and eating hearty dinners, so works out regularly +9 Chrissy said: 'I used to take pride in the fact I didn’t have to work out, and then I hit that age where you have to Chrissy Teigen on body confidence: 'I'm more confident naked'   Not everyone had this attitude though, in fact, Samantha Murray, who is a World Champion Pentathlete and Olympic Silver Medalist, believes her body looks the best it ever will at the moment. She said: 'It would be an insult to my body to say there are parts I’m not keen on – it’s served me so well and I couldn’t have won an Olympic medal without it. 'People say pentathletes have sport’s most beautiful bodies because of their diverse training plan – I’ve got the tone of a swimmer, the leanness of a runner, strong thighs from riding and good glutes from fencing.” 'I’ll always stay in good shape, but this is probably the best my body will ever look – and I couldn’t respect it more.' +9 Chloe Madeley started training in the gym so she could look like Britney Spears +9 Lucy Mecklenburgh piled on the pounds when she joined TOWIE +9 TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher made the decision to start channeling her energy into positive things, which includes getting into shape   Unsurprisingly, the celebrities who took part in the feature were far more insecure about their figures. Their attitude to fitness was also largely based on how it would affect their appearance. +9 For instance, Chloe Madeley, the daughter of TV presenters Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley, started training in the gym so she could look like Britney Spears, while the model Chrissy Teigen exercises so that she can maintain her figure while eating what she likes. Chrissy said: 'I used to take pride in the fact I didn’t have to work out, and then I hit that age where you have to. 'I want to drink champagne and have hearty dinners, so I would rather work out for an hour and be able to do what I want. 'I’ve always had to watch myself. My family is not naturally thin and we put on weight quickly. I find low-carb works for me.' Meanwhile, former TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh, who now runs a fitness website called Results With Lucy, revealed that she piled on the pounds when she started to work on the ITVBe reality show. She said: 'TOWIE didn’t just bring me fame, it made be bigger than I’d ever been before. 'I was drinking every night, living off pasta – I’d never worried about exercise or ‘no carbs before Marbs’, but suddenly I couldn’t fit into my jeans. 'So two years ago I started working with a PT Celia Harris. I slimmed down quickly and I’d wake up happier, more motivated – I wanted to get to the gym to push my body.' TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher also took part and revealed that after a divorce and juggling full-time work with two children, she recently made the decision to start channeling her energy into positive things, which included getting into shape