As culture dictates that we keep the human body clothed, shielded and hidden from view, depictions of nudity have become symbolic of exposure, vulnerability and weakness.
I was reading this wonderful article discussing the symbolism of nakedness in the work of Austrian artist Egon Schiele, who was rather well known for his very vivid, very raw depictions of the nude body. Nudity has long been a fascination of mine, as most things forbidden, and this quote and my own musings in the gym locker room sent me down a bit of a rabbit-hole.
Have we always been afraid of the naked physique?
Clearly, no. As art and histories of ancient times attest, our culture hasn't always held to this crisp, rigid view of nudity. Quite the contrary. There was a time when nudity was embraced, though not in the orgiastic, purely hedonistic sense we might assume.
There was a time, rather, when nudity was... well, the norm.
It is a common misconception of our culture that nudity became taboo once organized religion got under way, in order to curb sexual exploration, adultery, and so on. Except that theory doesn't hold water, when explored in depth. After all, it is not the nakedness itself that arouses us, it's the taboo nature of the naked body.
Seeing someone naked is illicit, and as most illicit things, it sparks a thrill, is pleasurable. I'm sure other factors come into play, since the naked human body can be quite aesthetically pleasing. But I'm quite certain the reason we find naked people so "sexy" isn't inane, rather it's the fact we only see naked people very rarely.
Is religion to blame for the taboo?
Yes and no. While you can certainly trace some of our current ideas about nudity to Puritanism, the English Civil War, so roughly speaking, the 17th century, I think that's short-sighted. We hold this misconception that antiquity was a nude free-for-all, except that was not the case. Yes, Spartan women, for instance, embraced nudity wholeheartedly, and would often train naked. Yet at the same time, in the same historical point, other cultures shunned it, and chose to conceal their bodies (particularly the bodies of women -- what else is new?).
Truth is, the further back you go, the more complex this issue becomes, making it impossible to pinpoint the specific moment in history where nakedness got outlawed. Religion certainly helped, though.
One thing we can agree on is, looking at our 21st century European/Western society, nudity remains, for some, a vicious taboo.
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Laying bare festering wounds
Blotchy or clear, acne-prone or smooth, this is a wound that's not just skin deep. Nudity has been and remains for many a pervasive source of psychological suffering, of guilt, and shame, and depression. I see the women in my gym locker room, naked, yet looking around themselves with narrowed eyes, ready to pounce.
Is someone judging me?
Scrambling for their clothes in a hurry, lest someone notices them, or gets offended by their naked bodies. It's only fake courage. I take off my sports bra, and think myself very forward, yet with my other hand, I'm desperately pulling on my shirt to cover myself, and end this morsel of vulnerability.
Because yes, as the quote in the beginning attests, nudity is a gateway to vulnerability.
Who are you typically naked with?
Your partner. Whether sexual or no, being naked in front of our lover indicated a level of intimacy and trust, precisely because we would not show our physical nakedness to others (and in that, perhaps, a mirror of our emotional and psychological vulnerability).
Your doctor. Yet that one hardly needs explaining, doesn't it? When we are naked before our doctor, we only do so under the previously-established belief that "they see this all the time". I'd argue our nakedness in front of our doctors is, rather than helpful, a hindrance. There we are, stripped of so many of our physical identifiers (clothing and accessories play a huge part in how we define ourselves, hence the stripping or prison inmates), vulnerable, and open to a trauma (aka an illness). If anything, it reinforces the belief that nakedness is dangerous.
Yourself. I've kept the best for last. Some will argue you don't count. Obviously you're naked before yourself every day (presumably). But how accurate is that? How often do you look at your body when changing or washing? How often do you hold your penis and truly see it? How often do you rub your chest or your thighs like you're cleansing something beautiful and essential and perhaps sacred? Most people wash like they're scrubbing the kitchen table.
The sad truth is many of us live disengaged from our naked bodies, as if a veil had been drawn over our eyes, barring us from truly seeing it. With its imperfections. With its festering wounds. With its wrinkles, and saggy skin.
It's very telling of our relationship with nudity that we, the only people to see ourselves naked daily without fail, are so blind to our bodies. Almost like in our inner eye, we're ashamed to regard our own nudity.
The naked human body is intimate and private, usually reserved for a select few viewers. It’s usually reserved for private moments, and yet Schiele repeatedly renders his naked form on canvas, to be displayed publicly. In doing so, he at once challenges normal convention and ideas of decency, and also invites the viewer in to his private, personal world.
The quote refers to Schiele's private world, though when I first read it, I immediately thought of my own private, personal world. Is that what I'm doing when I'm being naked in front of someone else? And would baring myself to a mass of people automatically dampen the colors of my rich inner world?
We live in a paradox. Although we're assailed by naked bodies through entertainment and pornography, we're still reticent, as individuals, in baring ourselves. We're still covered up, and tend to either look away or gawk awkwardly when we see someone naked, even if it's nothing wow.
There are movements to decriminalize nudity, some of them pertaining to the feminist movement, and while they may be laudable, we're putting the cart before our proverbial ox here. As long as we remain afraid and embarrassed of our own naked bodies, disconnected from our knees, and out stomachs, and our breasts, and our toes, we can plaster every single wall with nude bodies, and be no wiser.
In the end, that's the beauty of Schiele's work. There is nothing sexual about his paintings, and I'd argue that's what made them so horrifying to his early 20th century peers. That he captured the human body not as a sexual vessel, not as an object of repulsion, but as real. Small or distended, flat or bulging, reddish or too pale. All those things that are anathema to us, Schiele laid bare.
So maybe our battle for comfortable nudity doesn't start with our larger social circle, but with ourselves. Maybe it starts with going to a museum, or failing that, a mirror. Full body length.
What are your thoughts on nudity?
This reminds me of a project I did in uni called Nakedness vs Nudity. I think I have it somewhere on a hard drive.
Nudity fascinates me too and it's a kind of art that I'm always drawn to.
One of these days I'm gonna take a fully nude photo and frame each limb (every single part of me) and if I ever have a house, there would be a frame with the limb that depicts the room.
So, above my dining table would be a photo of my bum 🙃😆😂
I would make them all black and white so they would be soulful 😉
😂😂😂😂. I love your sense of humor Milly and yes! Black and White is a beautiful choice. I'd love that too. I just borrowed your idea btw😂
Haha! I find creative ways to make life fun 😂🤣
Oh yes, gotta keep it tasteful, if cheeky (pardon the pun). ;) From the title alone, that sounds like a hell of a project.
That's very sweet of you😂💜
no ass photo no likeNudity is cool. Some of my creations are nude as well. Even though they are not very raw.
🤣
I'll scour to find one of the most beautiful "ass photos" ever.
An Italian photographer friend of mine took a photo of a popular rock in Jamaica, that looks like a female genital, and he paired it with a "Brazilian bum" for a postcard. It was the most captivating postcard ever 😍
The only thing was that it was a Brazilian
I need to find that photo. It was before the days of the internet, but it might still be around...
👀
that sounds awesome.
😁
I'm down for seeing the "Brazilian bum" too. Again, focus on tasteful, yet cheeky xD
As for the art, @fieryfootprints, I love it. It's right up my alley. As for ass pics, it is what it is. God works in mysterious ways.
Thank you very much.
I think a lot has to do with how people feel about themselves and the deep insecurities that come from it. Some people are so insecure about feminity that they are uncomfortable seeing a woman move in a sexy way. Whether in dancing or any other movement which basically is an art and a demonstration of the abilities of the human body. Having full mobility with the body is important from a holistic point of view, in that locks in the body are linked to different emotional traumas based on the chakras of the body.
And yes, societal views add to it in many ways.
Very well said! Yes, dancing (or anything sensual, really) puts a lot of people extremely on edge. All the more reason to do it, and encourage others into it. Imagine staying still, and all caged up just because someone else doesn't approve of your healing.
Each time I see an artistic piece that's nude, I'm always fascinated. The human body is such a wonder that we get fascinated by it each time we see it in display in public places. On the issue of covering ones nakedness, I'll speak for myself anyways. I believe my body to be very special and should be seen by people who I permit to see it. It's something I hold in high esteem because to me, it's as precious as gold. If gold is not seen in many places just lying around the corner wherever I go to, then my body is the same. Not that I don't trust people or I'm scared o being catcalled or whatever, I just believe my nude is special and should be seen by only the lucky few who deserves to see it. In the case of going to the gym and being in the dressing room, being body or nude positive would help anyone out there to stand firm without the thoughts of being judged by the next person.
Well said. It went into my consideration, writing this, that in aggressively championing nudity, we risk stripping its value. Make it seem commonplace, you know?
I don't think you should be nude in just every place, I just worry that keeping ourselves so covered up all the time naturally leads to insecurity and discomfort when we do get naked for the people we want to see that ;) Thank you for stopping by, my dear!
I agree.
True, I feel this way sometimes, but I fight the feeling off immediately.
Always a pleasure ☺️
Hmm
I think I love one of the things you mentioned in this article. You mentioned that it is not the nakedness that scares us but it is the things that arouses the nakedness.
I live in a cold climate, where nudity outdoors wouldn't be a good idea at least 7 months out of the year, and sunburn would be the result during 3 other months. Of course, indoors nudity would be a different thing altogether.
Men are sexually aroused by what they see. Would seeing naked women all the time reduce that? I don't think so, at least not in our culture. I'd rather see women clothed for the sake of the men around them. Short skirts and skimpy tops aren't particularly helpful, however.
I personally don't find men's naked bodies particularly attractive, and I think most women feel the same way. There's the occasional incredible stud out there who could make me change my mind, but most men look hilarious when unclothed.
Perhaps when I was young and my body was shapely and my boobs were perky, I might have been ok with going around naked if it had been socially acceptable. Now I am old, and everything sags and bags and leaks, and I'd much rather keep my clothes on to hold it all together. It's more comfortable.