When the VMA’s premiered a couple of weeks ago, I was half expecting Miley Cyrus to come out on stage in the full nude, riding a pony made of ice cream cones and waving around that foam finger she was so fond of back in 2013. Instead, she opened the show in a rainbow sequin play suit and neon flower shrug.
I’m not here to make a point about Cyrus’ performance as a host, or whether her fashion choices for the night were made to seek attention. I could care less about what Cyrus chooses to wear or what she has to say about her beef with Nicki Minaj.
I’m here to talk about a more crucial thought that crossed my mind during the 3 hour-long VMA show: female nudity, and even more so, celebrity female nudity.
The naked female body has been both treasured and abhorred in the creative world for centuries. Whether it is a painting by Monet or a selfie of Kim Kardashian, the female body is constantly being pushed in our faces. The most confusing part about this force-fed imagery is the contradictory response society has to the naked woman. Love and hate, admiration and revulsion, envy and disgust, are all opposite reactions that we as females must try and comprehend.
It wasn’t until stars like Madonna appeared in the limelight that nudity became popular for the celebrity woman. Nakedness became a kind of protest against the patriarchy, a statement that said: “my body is my own, and I can do with it what I want.” At the time, showing your nipples or bare butt in an ad campaign or in a music video may have indeed been revolutionary.
However, now that a majority of celebrity women rely on sex appeal and their naked body as the epicenter of their fame, is it possible we have taken a turn for the worse? When a woman’s worth resides in her sex appeal and the contour of her body, and not by her character, her talent, or her intelligence, she is degraded and demoted to something less than human. She is an object for attraction, and although she may have other highly esteemed qualities, they are overshadowed by her biology.
So when female celebrities submit to nudity and sex as their focal sales point, how are they contributing to the way all of us women as a whole are seen in this world? We know that sex sells, but is it not important to sell other values that women pertain? Can female celebrities who have already made it in Hollywood, and who have millions of fans and followers make an attempt to further the female condition without using their bodies and physical attributes to do so? And if they are to use nudity as a selling point, is there a way they can do so which does not sexualize the female body or take away from whatever message it is they wish to convey?
These are questions that often cross my mind when I see an awards show like the VMA’s, where nearly every female performer is dressed in a revealing outfit and performs a routine which involves an excessive amount of gyrating. It is almost as if they are competing for “Sexiest Female” or “Prettiest, Most Beautiful” female instead of what they are really there for — their music.
And when I bring up these questions, I find it important to mention that I find no problem with the female body in itself, or in female sexuality. Women should take pride in their sexuality, and feel comfortable in their skin. Women should be allowed to express themselves in whichever way they please, even if that involves wearing outfits that expose or having sex with multiple partners.
But the problem lies in why we as women do these things, or why celebrity women do these things. Is it because as an individual, one really truly cherishes being nude and finds sexual attractiveness of high importance? Or do we do it because society tells us that as women, we will not be valued, loved, or accepted, unless we are beautiful, and sexually appealing beings?
These are difficult questions to address and good questions to ask ourselves. Is it also possible that we are afraid of our own sexual desires and display of our bodies because we fear being undervalued for traits such as intelligence or sense of humor?
Most importantly, how can we make the female body something that is beautiful, and loved and accepted in its naked form, without making it solely the object of sexual desire?
As women, we all have a responsibility to ourselves and to each other, to obtain the equal respect and equal treatment of our male counterparts. Part of this equality relies in changing the way our society sees women’s bodies and female sexuality. It is time to revolutionize the way that female nudity is received, and doing so starts with each of us as individuals.
Look at yourself in the mirror right now, first fully clothed and then in the nude. Study yourself both ways. What do you like about being clothed, and what do you like about being nude? What don’t you like about it? Ask yourself why you think this way. Then reevaluate your likes and dislikes, and tell yourself you are beautiful, with and without clothes. Firstly because it is true, and secondly because you need not waste another minute feeling like your worth in this world relies upon your biology.