Nudity

What is our fascination with nudity and why is it that women can be nude but not men? Why are we hiding what we all know is behind our clothing? Go to any nude resort or beach or spa and you can see that there are men and women nude and there is no rampant sexual issues. I admit I enjoy seeing people nude, the shapes the sizes (not just the penis sizes mind you) and the colors. the nude body is pretty amazing at how different it is.

The end of a year always brings with it some interesting “Top Ten” lists, ranging from best dressed to most money to least likely couple. 

Why do we not shame small boobs like we do a small penis

The Huffington Post took it to a whole new level with “The Best Nude Scenes of 2015.”

I still think the elusive penis in movies and in public is still something that men themselves control.

Hollywood men don't want to be in movies if they can't portray having a large member and the Hollywood elite allow it. When it comes to women every shape and size is on display if the scene calls for it.

Magic Mike made headlines in 2012 for showing more nearly nude dudes than any movie before! Drawing on movies released throughout the past year, the Post created its list based on both the amount of skin showing and how “sexy” the movie scenes were.

Even a gimps of a penis like these in Magic Mike are still taboo.

While Hollywood has seen more male nudity since 2013 than ever before, the disparity between men and women appearing on-screen without clothes was still enormous — and the Post’s article exemplified this perfectly. Of the ten films listed, only three of those were due to male nudity.

Magic Mike, The Sessions, and The Vow. (Interestingly, both Magic Mike and The Vow feature Channing Tatum as their token naked man. The Sessions featured John Hawkes.) The other seven included Take This Waltz, Wanderlust, and On the Road, and promoted solely female nudity. So, what gives? Why is it that women still make up the overwhelming majority of nude people in movies?

Hollywood needs to wake up to every size and shape out there. Not all of our asses are the size of a dime!

This emphasizes the idea that female bodies are objects, viewed by others as a source of pleasure and entertainment. Why can’t men’s bodies serve the same purpose? Here we find ourselves in an interesting quandary. Often, we are annoyed at how frequently women are sexualized in the media; these days, it’s hard to come by a movie that doesn’t make a point to have their female actresses show some skin.

But, in the same respect, many of us find ourselves cheering when a movie, like Magic Mike, has some male nudity for a change, and attempts to equalize the status quo. But by celebrating a movie like Magic Mike, are we only furthering the cycle of objectification? If women find sexualization of the female body offensive, isn’t it safe to say that men would feel the same way? Still of Kristen Stewart from the film On the Road.

In On the Road, Kristen Stewart appears topless and participates in a threesome with the two male characters. Talk about steamy! To achieve equality, then, there are really only two options: lessen female nudity, or increase male nudity. Both are viable options – it really all depends on how you look at it.

Personally, I think America’s made some great strides towards becoming a sexually liberated, sexually progressive country. We realize that sex and bodily pleasures can be beautiful and should be celebrated. In light of this, I would suggest moviemakers increase male nudity. But – and this is a big but (no pun intended) – there’s a respectful way and a disrespectful way to do this.

If the scene calls for nudity, even if it's a full frontal male then make it part of the scene for the sake of the scene and not just for the sake of there being a naked man or women - that's for porn.

The characters movies portray nude ought to be presented as just that – characters. Not nameless, faceless figures with only bodies to offer their viewers.

A character’s nude body should be only one facet of their importance in the film; after all, what’s a character without personality, goals, and mysterious secrets? In doing so, movie makers would not be objectifying actors and actresses, but presenting them as well-rounded human individuals, sex lives and all.

As for nudity in public, America needs to get over it's naked phobia. I think if more people saw more naked people in general we would all realize that we are not all hiding rock hard abs, skinny asses and big dicks. Take one trip overseas to a nude beach and you will see that what you thought was an imperfection you had is the same thing everyone else has. My floppy big tits are not a problem for my age I realized.

What do you think? What’s the best way to equalize the nude portrayals of men and women in the media?