Skydive Milwaukee in East Troy, Wisconsin, turned into an unusual scene Sunday as several jumpers shed their clothing and leaped from an airplane thousands of feet in the air, all in the name of body acceptance. The clothing-free skydive was organized by the nonprofit We Bare All and drew participants willing to freefall from nearly 14,000 feet with nothing but a parachute rig between them and the sky.
As reported by WRAL, the event took place at the East Troy Municipal Airport drop zone, according to CBS 58. We Bare All is a St. Francis, Wisconsin-based nonprofit led by John Jankowski that promotes body acceptance, self-positivity, and non-sexual social nudity through community events, per the same organization's own materials. Beyond skydiving, the group also organizes clothing-optional bowling and mini-golf outings as part of its broader mission.
Participant Brenda Brown framed the jump as an act of reclaiming control rather than exposing vulnerability, telling CBS 58 that shedding clothing during freefall helps women “take the power back” from societal body standards. That sentiment echoed throughout the event, where organizers and jumpers alike described the activity as a form of personal autonomy rather than spectacle.
A Veteran Instructor Tries Something New
Jo Beck, a skydiving instructor with 13 years of experience and more than 6,700 completed jumps, took part in her first nude jump during the event. She described it to CBS 58 as a standard skydiving day with, in her words, “a different dress code” — a small comment that captured how routine the jump felt for someone who has spent well over a decade in the sport.
Skydive Milwaukee itself carries deep roots in the region. The facility traces its history back to 1963, when it was founded as the Sky Knights Sport Parachute Club, making it one of the oldest continuously operating skydiving organizations in the Midwest, according to the drop zone's own history. It is currently overseen by a five-member board of directors.
What the Law Actually Says
Neither the Federal Aviation Administration nor the United States Parachute Association require skydivers to wear clothing, according to Boston Skydive Center. Federal oversight focuses on parachute equipment and airspace safety rather than apparel, leaving decisions about clothing requirements to individual drop-zone owners and the organizers of private events like this one.
On the state level, Wisconsin Statute 944.20 classifies public exposure of genitals as a Class A misdemeanor under the state's lewd and lascivious behavior law, according to FindLaw. That charge can carry up to nine months in jail or a $10,000 fine. However, judicial interpretations in Wisconsin have restricted enforcement of the statute to acts intended for sexual gratification or obscenity, distinguishing them from private, non-sexual gatherings such as the one held at Skydive Milwaukee.
Part of a Broader Nude Skydiving Subculture
The East Troy jump fits into a wider, decades-old subculture. The Society for the Advancement of Naked Skydiving, founded in the 1980s, recognized a world record set in July 2024 at Skydive Chicago, when 32 skydivers completed a nude formation jump, according to Aerial Marketing Productions. Organizers in that scene note that flying without a jumpsuit actually raises the technical difficulty of freefall, since eliminating fabric drag forces skydivers to rely entirely on precise body positioning at speeds around 120 mph.
Gender demographics also add context to events like this one. Women make up roughly 14% to 15% of licensed skydivers in the United States, according to industry estimates cited by Aerial Marketing Productions, underscoring how female participation in body-positivity jumps stands out in a sport that remains predominantly male nationwide.
Organizers and participants at the East Troy event drew a clear line between what happened at the drop zone and the kind of public exposure that draws legal scrutiny elsewhere. By hosting the jump on private property through an organized nonprofit event, We Bare All positioned the activity as social naturism rather than indecent exposure, operating within the discretion drop zones are given over their own dress-code policies.
