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Should There Be More Natural Nudity in Movies and TV?

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    Should There Be More Natural Nudity in Movies and TV?

    Still, here in the year 2013 and almost 2014, filmmakers, producers, networks and actors guilds, there remains an almost puritanic squeemishness about casual, non-sexual nudity in the Big Screen and on television.

    It's to the point that if a scene calls for nudity it is either reduced to a mere flash or there are other elements included in the shot such as strategically placed objects (SPOs) or even pixelation. What gives?

    Seems there was an era in film when not much of a fuss was made about a scene that included even the most casual instance of non-sexual nudity but that was up until just within the past 15 years or so when things changed an became so much more conservative.

    But that said, would you welcome and/or encourage more casual, non-sexual nudity in a theatrical film or perhaps even on a favourite TV show? If so, in what contexts do you believe casual, non-sexual nudity could integrate well with a storyline or character set and how should it all be presented?

    #2
    Yeah, i wished there was more of it in the movies for me growing up as a kid, even to the extent as it is nowadays but that was on every kids mind in those days...all we had was magazines. There were 2 or 3 movie theaters in the city that featured exclusively porno flicks but one had to be 18 of course. Today.the real thing is readily available at any time with just one click of a key. That's not to say it doesn't have a place in mainstream movies IMO, it all depends on one's preferences i guess.For me personally, if the storyline calls for a sex scene ( the romantic, not the violent kind of course ) by all means, show it in it's full explicitness...why not !..sex is love, not violence !
    Last edited by tjsunray; 9 November 2013, 06:40 PM.

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      #3
      Nudity is one thing... sex is merely another.

      One of the things I would like to see accomplished in natural, non-sexual nudity in film and TV is to present it without having to make a correlation between it and sex. There is already enough steamy sex scenes in film & TV but wouldn't it be really refreshing and even more complimentary to the actors and/or actresses doing the nude scenes because the plot line of the scene wouldn't necessarily need to make a correlation or connection of the nudity with sex if it doesn't need to. The actors are just nude, just as we are in certain modes of everyday living. Coming out of the shower, lounging about the house on a day off, sleeping, visiting a nude beach or resort, etc.

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        #4
        I agree with wolfgang on this one. I suspect we'd be less hung up if we accepted casual nudity without immediately leaping to sex.

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          #5
          Sorry Wolfie...got carried away ! ...nudity and sex were always synonymous in my mind ...didn't read your post properly. " In what context can casual and/or non-sexual nudity be integrated in a theatrical film or or Tv show " Well, to start with on Tv...they already tried it with the - Waist-Up-Nudity Weather Report Channel - ( as you probably know )...don't know if it is still running or how successful it was ?

          That about leaves me stumped right about here, except to say ( if it were all legal ) anything that is filmed with clothes on, could ultimately be filmed in total nudity,,,is that what you mean ?

          The imagination would be limitless. They might even go as far as a nude cooking show...( just watch out when chopping the onions ) ....Don't know Wolfie... i better stop here before i make a total fool of myself
          Last edited by tjsunray; 9 November 2013, 08:35 PM.

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            #6
            heh-heh That's cool, TJ.

            But the concept of a nude cooking show is actually a good one and has been done not too long ago by ClothesFree-TV. They did it in a context that was truest to the idea of having a nude chef demonstrating how to cook healthy meals. And it was done in such a fashion where shock value was the furthest of the producers' intentions and with respect to the chef on the show.

            But what about incorporating some casual, non-sexual nudity into a popular sitcom like Big Bang Theory or a drama like Law & Order?

            Immie has the right idea. It seems that with Hollywood and TV producers there is a stigma that has always dictated that by some means there has to be some direct correlation between nudity and sex when indeed there should not be, at least not in every context.

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              #7
              I've been thinking about this and I don't really see any need to have nudity in a TV show except if it relates to sex. Think about it....when are we nude in our house? The only time is either when we are taking a shower or having sex. If you eliminate the times when we are having sex, then that just leaves when we are taking a shower. How would incorporating that into a TV show have any relevance to the show?

              Take The Big Bang Theory for example....the obvious person to be nude would be "Penny", but it could be anyone in the show. Okay, so how would seeing her nude coming out of the shower have any relevance to the story line? Why would we need to see her nude to have any relevance to what is happening in the show? We would see her nude for what purpose?....just to see her nude? It would serve no purpose other than to have some gratuitous nude scenes. I don't see how that would make the show better in any way other than to allow people to see the actors nude from time to time.

              I don't walk around my house nude and I doubt many other people do either, so if the actors would be nude from time to time not coming out of the shower, but instead, to be just walking around their place nude, wouldn't be realistic.

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                #8
                From a card-carrying nudist's perspective, I see there is many opportunities to incorporate non-sexual and casual nudity into a scene. But even non-card-carrying nudists, home nudists and other folks who enjoy time spent just being nude for sake of being free from the bounds of clothes would certainly appreciate a show or movie that presented nudity in a casual context that didn't co-relate with sex. How many of us members as well as our models simply enjoy nude time at home or if you're lucky enough to live in an area where it's unlikely anyone would complain, enjoy nude time out in the back yard, in the screened-in patio or even on a nice beach? It's more about relaxation and self-acceptance of body and acceptance of other folks as they are and without hangups or guilt feelings about being nude.

                One thing it isn't about is shock or 'wow' factor and it definitely is not abut titillation or trying to seduce someone with how you look. Nudists know that there are general rules of etiquette that are akin to general, social behavioural expectations and one should never do in a nudist environment anything they wouldn't otherwise do in a pub or at a social gathering.

                Some of us do walk around our house nude at times just to feel more relaxed and believe me it is very liberating once the general hangups and misconceptions about nudity are set aside and forgotten. Therefore that's good reason why I believe casual and non-sexual nudity should be depicted in film and TV more often.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by wolfgangbuster29 View Post
                  It's to the point that if a scene calls for nudity it is either reduced to a mere flash or there are other elements included in the shot such as strategically placed objects
                  I still get a big kick out of the scene from Austin Powers lampooning strategically placed objects.

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                    #10
                    Wolfgang, I understand your viewpoint but you are looking at it from a nudist's point of view, not the typical moviegoer or TV viewer. Most people don't go out in their garden nude...or walk around their house nude....or do anything else nude except shower or have sex. To see someone in a movie gardening nude would look strange to anyone who wasn't a nudist or into nudity. If I saw a movie where someone was gardening nude....cooking nude, or doing most anything else nude, I'd wonder why that scene was in the movie or TV show as it would come across as strange to me, and had no place in the movie or TV show.

                    I know I am only speaking for myself here, but I'd never do anything nude except shower or have sex as I don't like being nude. I hate it as I feel uncomfortable being nude....even when I was younger and was in great shape. Nudity never has appealed to me in any way, so I'd never do anything in the nude.....I see no reason for it. I prefer wearing clothes, even though I don't have many since I prefer to just wear jeans and tee-shirts everywhere.

                    If people like being nude, that's fine, but I see no reason why nudity, just for the sake of nudity, should be in movies and on TV. If it's not sex related, it just comes across as gratuitous nudity that serves no purpose except to try to attract those who want to see naked people.

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                      #11
                      I certainly do appreciate your viewpoint, Dekoda, and you are indeed entitled to it.

                      But by the same token I am sure that many others would have different viewpoints on this subject and that's why I raised this question here in the forums. I encourage others to come forward and share their sentiments on this as well.

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                        #12
                        It's definitely something to play with. There are a few fantastic situations that can call for nudity.

                        Medical scans and routine sterilizations after an intergalactic mission leaves planet-side. A character undergoes (or reverts from) a transformation that renders himself impossible to wear clothes, (ie, American Werewolf in London). What about a shape-shifter trying to nail a form to perfection. It can also be a character trait with other reasons behind it.

                        At the very least it can be played for laughs.
                        Wow, I just thought up an interesting fight that can be done completely nude. I'll consider showing a storyboard when I get around to it.

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                          #13
                          Those sound like some interesting ideas that would work. Good stuff.

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                            #14
                            I'm with Dekoda on this one. When watching a movie or TV show I would watch it because of the story or theme that appeals to me. If the nudity or sex scenes thrown in don't add to the story I really don't see a reason to have those. If I want to see nudity or sex there are many other options. Putting nudity and sex scenes in a movie or TV show to attract more viewers wouldn't really work for me. If I'm not interested in it than I'm not going to waste my time watching the whole thing hoping the bit of nudity was worth the price. Mulholland Drive has some lovely nudity scenes but I thought the movie in itself was God awful, just not my cup of tea so i have no regrets getting rid of it.

                            And watching male nudity I dunno lol not really appealing I think

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                              #15
                              I think there should be more nudity on TV and in movies because there's more of everything else at the moment and nudity is the only thing that gets reverted to smaller-than-life rather than larger. We can watch limbs being cut off, blood spurting from wounds and all other manner of icky stuff that we hope never to see in the real world. We can watch the most OTT love stories, relationship dramas, the most evil and manipulative people who are total caricatures of real life. But for some odd reason, we have men who are clearly making love to a woman's belly button under a sheet. Why can we show all this crazy other stuff but real sex or even real sexual organs (aroused or not) is a total no-go most of the time?

                              I agree that nudists are not the norm, but I certainly don't wear clothes in my bedroom if I don't have to. I don't get dressed right after the shower, I wander around nude and covered in body lotion until that stuff dries, darnit. I'm sick of seeing a woman shaving, alone in the bathroom, wearing a towel - that's just not cricket. Why is she wearing a towel?

                              My concern is that shows which display close-ups of gore and depict violent deaths, will cover up any nudity (even non-sexual, casual nudity). As if the gore should disturb us less than the idea of sex or a naked body. This advertisement for example is age restricted purely because these people are nude in a totally non-sexual way. I tried to find something gory or dangerous on YouTube to use as a counter-example, but I realised I didn't want to A) find it and B) share it with y'all, so I guess I'll just end on the note that we should stop being so disgusted by nudity OR we should be a bit more consistent when it comes to censoring stuff and we should screen out the whole shooting-each-other and injecting-illegal-drugs-into-bodies stuff from TV.

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                                #16
                                Yea... and every so often a performer will entertain nude on the " X Factor TV Show " ( just because it's legal and the performer seeks extra attention ) a flashing sign will then appear on the bottom of the Tv screen...

                                .......WARNING !...This is a - XXX Performance - !

                                Wolfie...i'm assuming you're talking in terms of specialty TV shows and movies, the Pay Per-View kind and NOT mainstream ?... because it is unlikely that it will ever happen. Here in Toronto topless for woman was legalized some years ago but i have yet to see a topless woman on the beach or streets.
                                Last edited by tjsunray; 12 November 2013, 10:06 PM.

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                                  #17
                                  I agree whole-heartedly with Kylie_H on her sentiment about violence and gore vs something peaceful and natural as nudity. It irks me that there seems to be no limit to the amount of gore that can get past a censor vs how heavily attacked simple nudity gets by the very same censors.

                                  TJ, just mainstream and not necessarily limited to 'pay-per-view.' Why limit viewership of something that is peaceful and quite natural?

                                  You know folks, another thing I'm willing to guess is that if nudity was more mainstream and commonplace then perhaps folks would have a better sense of self-discipline when they are presented with that sort of situation more often and they in turn would be more prone to respect other folks for who they are, thanks to the absence of the stigmas, guilt trips and false conceptions Society has been for centuries teaching folks that somehow there had to be something naughty about the natural human body when truth is there is not.

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                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by wolfgangbuster29 View Post

                                    TJ, just mainstream and not necessarily limited to 'pay-per-view.' Why limit viewership of something that is peaceful and quite natural?.
                                    I was thinking more in the lines of Pay-Per View, categorized under several titles...Talk Show, Sit-Com, Cooking, Court Shows etc, ( Judge Nudy...).....

                                    ...that might fly !....( Talk Shows and Sit-Coms would all revolve around sexual oriented material )
                                    Last edited by tjsunray; 13 November 2013, 03:28 AM.

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                                      #19
                                      Originally posted by kylie_h View Post
                                      . This advertisement for example is age restricted purely because these people are nude in a totally non-sexual way.
                                      Kylie, this is a good example of what I described.....nudity on TV for no apparent reason. Look at all of the comments being made about that commercial. Every one of them are looking at the naked bodies and no one is listening to what the commercial is about. The commercial comes across as using nudity to promote a product when there was no need to use nudity. I mean, where do people go to work where everyone there is nude, and why would they need to be nude anyway? The nudity serves no purpose and distracts the viewers from the real message of the commercial.

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                                        #20
                                        Interesting.....I watched a TV show on Wednesday (at 10pm) called, "Buying Nude: The Naked Realtor" on the TLC channel (TLCHD actually) and I was surprised that these type of nudist communities exist. Watching the show, I learned that nudists who want to live in a community of other nudists can buy homes in these communities. I never knew these existed. (I don't get out much.)

                                        As the perspective home buyers looked at various houses in the community, you'd see people jogging nude, walking their dog nude, gardening nude, etc. It was interesting to watch, if for nothing more, just to learn about nudist etiquette in a social setting. It was an interesting show.

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                                          #21
                                          Originally posted by Dekoda View Post
                                          Interesting.....I watched a TV show on Wednesday (at 10pm) called, "Buying Nude: The Naked Realtor" on the TLC channel (TLCHD actually) and I was surprised that these type of nudist communities exist. Watching the show, I learned that nudists who want to live in a community of other nudists can buy homes in these communities. I never knew these existed. (I don't get out much.)

                                          As the perspective home buyers looked at various houses in the community, you'd see people jogging nude, walking their dog nude, gardening nude, etc. It was interesting to watch, if for nothing more, just to learn about nudist etiquette in a social setting. It was an interesting show.
                                          Google and ye shall find.." Buying Naked "....and ironically the community is in the state of Florida...Wolfie !!!

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                                            #22
                                            Then again the SPOs in the video telegraph a false conception that for some reason there is something wrong or naughty about the human body when in reality there is not. So even some Nudist-based publications reflect some of the hang-ups that hinder the prolification of a healthier attitude about the human body.

                                            Restrictions and limitations to what can be shown vary from coutry-to-country. The rules and regs for motion picture and TV in United States appears to be one of the most conservative. I'm wondering what the rules and restrictions for television and motion picture are for the Netherlands and how greatly that would compare with those of, say the United States.

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