Interview: Kat Curtis on the Legit Business of Anchoring Naked News
A frequent nightmare frightening the population is public speaking while stark naked in public. What if it were your full time job? Kat Curtis reads the news daily as Naked News’ on air team, a workplace with legitimate women’s rights in a sea of headlines normalizing alleged sexual harassment lawsuits against mainstream television media figures.
Long question! As American news channels sexualize women through clothing and other choices including many who did not sign up for that in their job descriptions, how do you explain a channel where women give full consent to appear nude to people who hate on similar entertainment like Playboy or the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition citing anti-feminism?
I’m a loud and proud feminist, so I get this question often. Here’s the thing: I think nudity isn’t inherently bad. I think objectification versus empowerment comes down to where the power lies. In this instance, the power lies with me. I chose this career, knowing that I would be naked- whereas not all American news agencies are as up front to their anchors about how they’ll be portrayed on the program. I enjoy being seen as a person with a voice and an opinion who is also incredibly comfortable with my body. I’ve also been treated with an incredible amount of respect at Naked News- in the ten years I’ve been working with the company, I’ve been given several opportunities to advance, and now I’m a writer on the program as well as associate producer, and I’ve gotten the opportunity to help shape the show. I think that’s pretty rad.
Do people in Canada where you are based feel differently about nudity in entertainment than Americans or Brits?
I’m not sure how Brits feel about nudity. I know Americans can be pretty buttoned-up, though. In fact, even though NYC has the same topfree equality laws that Toronto (where we are located) does, the cops who surrounded me and nearly arrested me weren’t aware of them! Toronto is pretty liberal about nudity, but I think after seventeen years of seeing us doing segments outside they’re used to it. I think, as a whole, most places are pretty anti-nudity, though- which is a shame. I wish more people were comfortable with their bodies!
Really, men who want the strict nudity only can watch porn films or open a nude magazine. Therefore, viewers must enjoy the news you air. What “real news” stories do you cover? Which are most popular?
We live in a world where people are getting inundated with headline news on their social media feeds all the time, so we try to cover the offbeat stories that don’t get a lot of media attention, though if a story is making headlines we have to talk about it. We DO stay away from stories that involve tragedies, however- being naked, we can’t give the stories the type of gravitas and seriousness they deserve, and we feel like reporting on tragedies with our format would be disrespectful. We don’t just cover news, though! We also have fun segments, like where we all go to a rage room or play archery tag against each other, and we interview some really cool people, like musical guests, authors, actors, and comedians.
What work and personal freedoms do you have working for Naked News that you hear from friends they don’t have working at traditional media outlets?
For one thing, no dress code! And like I said earlier, I’ve been given a lot of opportunity to spread my wings here and grow professionally.
Did your family and friends have any misconceptions when you told them you were taking this job?
My family and friends know I’m pretty liberal, so they were pretty happy for me. My parents were the first people I called when I got the job, and they were thrilled.
How much training is required in journalism and/or acting for the anchors and behind the scenes staff? How much writing do you do for your segments?
We aren’t journalists, we’re anchors- it’s a different skill level. It usually takes a few months to train a newbie, but even veterans like me are constantly finding ways to improve. The amount of writing I do varies- we have writers for most segments, and sometimes I’m one of those. It depends on my schedule- I’m pretty busy around the studio with several different tasks on any given day.
What do your fans write in about the channel and your work? How many are female?
Most of our fans are super cool! They really pay attention to the segments and a lot give really constructive feedback. Given our format, most of our fans are male, but we definitely have some great ladies who watch our show!
Where can people subscribe to your channel?
Sign up over at NakedNews.com.
