First and foremost, I’d like to point out that I am writing from a woman’s perspective about woman’s nudity. My thoughts may be imposed on the male body, as well, but as I am not a man I don’t want to speak for one. Take a few seconds to think of places where you see nudity. Chances are you’re thinking of pornography and movies/TV. In North-America nudity is no secret, but it is treated like one.
Seth MacFarlane’s opening song at this year’s Academy Awards Show is an example of why this is a bad thing. The highest paid comedy writer of ‘Family Guy’ fame opens the show with a number about actresses with a topless scene. “We Saw Your Boobs” is the title of this number. Seth charmingly lists off the women whose “boobs” he saw during a film as if these women performed a scandal by showing their bodies. Is he surprised women have breasts? Has he ever seen a pair of breasts? Is he really just an eight year-old in a grown man’s body? We’ll never know. What we do know is that because our bodies are seen as private, it seems to be quite an event when somebody sees a pair of breasts. Mr. McFarlane’s song shows that when nudity happens in the eye of the public, it is noticed enough to make a musical number out of it.
Since we know nudity is taken in wide-eyed, we should also be aware that nudity is almost exclusively shown in a sexualized setting. I don’t remember seeing movie or TV characters walk around naked with no explanation. If somebody is naked, they’re naked for a reason. That reason is usually sexual. As for pornography, I think the reason for nudity is self-explanatory. Other than that of our boyfriends or girlfriends, the most nudity we are exposed to is performed by celebrities. Sometimes it’s hard to consciously remember that celebrities don’t define the way a woman should look. Again, this is hard to remember when we don’t see more than one body type naked in media. Try to think of the last time you saw a sex scene in mainstream media that included a curvy woman.
Women are now undergoing surgery to make their vulvas more aesthetically pleasing, not to mention waxing away all their body hair to match the bodies seen in porn. Because we have only been exposed to one image of the naked female body, we see this as the only image of the female body. All deviances are mutinies. Why do we need to see more naked women though? Shouldn’t the Dove ads with women in panties and tank tops be enough? I wish it were but it’s not; especially since it’s not shocking to see this. Although it is refreshing to see women of different body types it does not go far enough.
Matt Blum, a photographer began a series he calls “The Nu Project”. The idea behind this concept is to capture light-hearted photos of naked women looking happy and comfortable in their homes and in their bodies. These photos are non-sexualized and absolutely gorgeous because they stop making you think about what’s sexy and what’s beautiful. The series has been so successful that Blum has released an art book! It definitely sounds sappy but, for me, going through “The Nu Project” photo gallery makes me want to hug everybody and tell them how beautiful they are. It makes me so happy and it makes me feel good about myself.
The second piece I’m going to speak on is the “Great Wall of Vagina” by British artist James McCartney. If the title sounds silly to you it should! The piece is meant to be light-hearted while at the same time addressing serious issues. Think of the title as comic relief. The amazing size of this work means that there are many variations of vulvas depicted; something we don’t see in pornography. Besides the “one look” issues female genitalia have been a source of shame and embarrassment for centuries, contradicting the power and dominance symbolical in the almighty penis. Historically, women were denied sexuality. The “proper woman” would be chaste and only have sex for the purpose of reproduction. The “Great Wall of Vagina” expresses pride and acceptance while choosing to throw out the belief that there is a single way to be beautiful right down to our lady parts.
In conclusion ladies, we need to see nudity in a non-sexualized, artistic setting. It needs to be out there and accessible for all ages. Most of the time, children are smarter than we give them credit for. So what does it teach a child when they are raised to hide their body? It fosters ignorance about their own sex and the opposite. What does it say when we hide images of breasts or vulvas? Why are we hiding what gave life to that child? Because we have been raised to believe our bodies are meant to be hidden. Hidden, because they are a secret we’d rather not tell, although it’s a secret we all know and share. Hidden, because we have insecurities about our own bodies so that we cannot look upon those of others. Hidden, because they are associated with sexuality and lust – something deemed unsafe, wrong for women. It astounds me that we have taken the very core of our physical selves as human beings and turned it against us. We need to take it back.
Visit Matt Blum’s Nu Project at www.thenuproject.com and start celebrating your body! Warning: Nudity (obviously).
Photo credits:
http://chibird.com/post/251348…
http://www.mamamia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/james-mccartney-vagina-sculptor-300×209.jpg
http://www.greatwallofvagina.co.uk/sites/default/files/about/Great-Wall-of-Vagina-launch-day1.jpg