I find that, at times, I can become very aware that I’m living. I’ll feel every breath and hear my pulse. I notice every slight noise my body makes and become focussed that I am just that: a body. We become so self and appearance obsessed that we forget that we are human beings, thinking with a human mind in an utterly human body.
In times gone by it would have been difficult to forget that fact, as we would have seen each others’ naked bodies on a regular basis, what with fabric not having been invented and all. Then, we didn’t flaunt our wealth with the expensive clothes we wear, or perfect our attractiveness through pieces of cloth that hang on our bodies.
Body image doesn’t even seem to be about the body anymore; it’s more about how well your clothes fit you.
The fact that we rarely see the naked form has made us, as a society, quite uncomfortable with nudity. So much so, that any piece of skin we see becomes sexualised in an instant (particularly if you’re a female). Pieces of skin that really should not be sexualised as they are just part of our anatomies.
We are constantly told to cover up (again, this applies more to women). Our bodies are forever being viewed sexually, even when we do not want them to be seen as such. We get squeamish and embarrassed when the naked form is brought into conversation. It’s completely ridiculous.
We seem incapable of looking upon bare breasts or female nipples without sexualising them. We cannot escape from that fact.
If you like this post then you might like Why Do Wear Make-Up?
On those rare, hot British summer days, plenty of the male population go about their daily business without a shirt on, displaying their bare torso to the world. No one gives a second glance. It’s ordinary - nothing unusual. However, if a woman were to do the same she would be stared at in disgust and probably arrested for public indecency. Seem fair?
This hypothetic woman isn’t even naked! Her boobs shouldn’t be banned from seeing the sun. They have their own, unique function, which is completely unrelated to anything sexual. The only thing that makes them different from the male breast is the extra breast tissue/fat and the fact that they do actually have a function.
We really need to get grips with nudity; we need to stop viewing the female body as entirely sexual. We may, as individuals, be comfortable with naked bodies, but as a society we are not.
Maybe - just maybe - we will reach that. Hopefully the next generation, or the generation after that, won’t feel the societal pressure to hide themselves. Now wouldn’t that be great?
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Would you believe that today is Another Ranting Reader's 6 month birthday? How time flies! Thank you to everyone who has read my posts and given me encouragement - it really means the world! Here's to another 6 months.
