To wonder why actresses say nude scenes are "empowering for women"

[PinkChestnut]

When in reality every pervert on the Internet will be searching for and wanking over it?Family members won't feel comfortable (potentially) watching your movie. It might haunt you when you get older as it has for some older actresses who say they regret their nude scenes in their past.

Can't help but feel it's more likely to be cs they feel hot and want the attention. Or they feel they won't get the part if they don't bare all to the general public.

Perhaps it is cognitive dissonance as well. But I agree with you, if it was so empowering, more men would do it...

I'd guess that most of them don't really want to do it but know that if they refuse they'll miss out on the job because someone else will be willing to do it instead. And then they have to say all the 'right things' or they get a reputation for being difficult.

I have always thought that the way the acting industry (certainly at the Hollywood movies end of the scale) treats young women is a disgrace. Now that the lid has been lifted on a lot of off screen behaviour I'd be interested to hear if stories will emerge of women feeling bullied into nudity that they didn't feel comfortable with.

I've never been comfortable with the concept of body doubles either. The idea of buying the body of an unknown actress to stand in for someone who is far higher up the food chain and can afford to say no doesn't seem right either.

Can't help but wonder why you care? If they feel empowered, what is it to you?

When in reality every pervert on the Internet will be searching for and wanking over it?

A ‘pervert’ left to his own devices on the internet won’t be searching for and getting off on a few moments of nudity in an otherwise ordinary film will they.... It would be like an alcoholic in an off-license searching for shandy!

Kind of depends on the nudity, though. Hot bikini car wash, probably not empowering or useful to women. I have sat next to two women watching Orange is the New Black though and they've been fascinated by seeing non glamour model women in the buff.

Seeing sex and nudity which isn't pure fantasy seems to be helpful in normalising a healthy sexuality. Not that fantasy sex and nudity is unhealthy in itself but that's a massive industry.

Can't help but wonder why you care? If they feel empowered, what is it to you?

Because actress are consciously and subconsciously role models for young girls and barometer of how society treats women.

I heard a journalist (female) ask Jennifier Lawrence which was harder practicing ballet for hours every day or the nude scenes in her new movie (supposedly explicit - but I haven't seen it). Of course she gives the "cool" answer of the ballet. She can't admit that nudity is an issue. Otherwise she might not get another similar role or it might reduce her "hotness" if men realise that she actually doesn't enjoy showing her body in such a way? I'm guessing here. But her acceptance of having to do it will trickle into society.

This is a specific example, but I reckon it goes for most actresses. If it was so empowering to take you clothes at work, why aren't all women going in to work half or completely naked? I don't buy it for a second.

I don’t think they mean empowering in a from all sexism everywhere kind of way though, like you’re implying. I think it depends on the body they have. It’s empowering to see ‘normal’ bodies naked. I always think this of a few actresses who have nude scenes and I think that’s good, in a way.

Though I do agree they probably wouldn’t by complete choice and there’s pressure or job loss etc.

There’s nothing actually wrong with nudity and people should get over that. I don’t think anyone should care about some creep masturbating. I am pretty sure they masturbate over anything.

So as long as its a notmal woman and its not nudity for nudity’s sake then I would agree it’s empowering. But saying that, it’s most likely in the minority of cases really. I often see beautiful naked women on screen saying their lines whilst everyone else is fully clothed and wonder what the director thought her nakedness added to the scene.

@rosie. I wouldn’t presume to think that just because Jennifer Lawrence found ballet harder it means she found nudity acceptable. I think you’re being harsh on her.

However I also think Jennifer Lawrence is significant enough in Hollywood now to reject and alter mide scenes if she felt uncomfortable etc. So I am not entirely sure I’m convinced that she was doing explicitly naked scenes to appear cool.

Mide-nude

A ‘pervert’ left to his own devices on the internet won’t be searching for and getting off on a few moments of nudity in an otherwise ordinary film will they.... It would be like an alcoholic in an off-license searching for shandy!
I think this has just won MN today.

Nudity, in the way it's presented in the media, is not empowering. If being photographed or filmed nude really commanded respect and adoration, we would have Theresa May on page 3; Donald Trump as the Playboy centrefold; Hollywood directors walking the red carpet shirtless wearing skin tight shorts. It's nonsense. Those who have real power are usually shown in business suits or at least mostly covered. As usual, it's something women have been conditioned or bullied into saying / believing because otherwise, as pp have said, they lose out on work / are seen as prudes / difficult. I am glad that programmes such as OITNB and Girls are changing the narrative and showing different races, ages and body types nude but it would actually be nice for it to just stop being the expectation when watching film or TV that you will see female nudity at some point.

I’m really getting tired of women telling other women how to behave/dress/what they should feel at the moment.

I’m guessing Jennifer Lawrence is financially comfortable and self confident enough to chose her films and isn’t forced to do stuff she doesn’t want to.

Also if I had a body like her I’d walk around naked all the fucking time.

Sexuality is powerful... I can quite see therefore that being comfortable enough with your body to do nude scenes is empowering.

There’s this Puritanical streak in society today, ironically liberal society, which is reacting to abuses of male power by some who exploit female sexuality, by attempting to suppress all outwards expressions of it lest men may find it titilating.... which, by the way, seems to be akin to a crime and not something ‘good men’ allow themselves to succomb to.

RosiePosiePuddle

Or she might just be telling the truth?

Anyway, i am not denying that Hollywood has a horrible record for the way it treats women, but I don't think that's the nature of the OP's complaint. 'Attention seeking' because they're 'hot'? Okay.

Women are always showing much more skin than the men. There's only one reason for that. Why such difference? There's nothing "empowering" about it. Just shitty cultural expectations.

This is a specific example, but I reckon it goes for most actresses. If it was so empowering to take you clothes at work, why aren't all women going in to work half or completely naked? I don't buy it for a second.

Perhaps not naked, but younger, hotter women often tend to dress at work in ways that draw attention to their sexuality,
whether wearing heels, shortish skirts, tighter tops... Of course, it’s generally quite subtle (ie skirt above the knee not just below crotch) as no one wants to be labelled slutty, but it’s obvious nonetheless. They do this voluntarily and wouldn’t do it if they felt uncomfortable or disempowered.

Getting out in a tangent... I felt a bit puzzled about Gok’s How to Look Well Naked. Very empowering apparently, but WTF? Does it really need to be all about that? Can’t women feel empowered in their own skin otherways?

Women are always showing much more skin than the men. There's only one reason for that. Why such difference? There's nothing "empowering" about it. Just shitty cultural expectations.

Ffs... The way things are trending, I can genuinely see some feminists advocating the hijab in 10 years. How awful for a woman to show any arm or leg, lest a man (or woman) find it attractive!

(I also found the programme premise quite unethical: we will make you a glamour queen as long as you agree to show yourself naked to a crowd at the end of the show)

Can’t women feel empowered in their own skin otherways?

Feeling empowered being naked doesn’t mean you can’t feel empowered in other ways.

This is a specific example, but I reckon it goes for most actresses. If it was so empowering to take you clothes at work, why aren't all women going in to work half or completely naked? I don't buy it for a second.

Because they don't feel empowered to do so? They know such nudity would be utterly unacceptable to the people around them. Actresses - whether or not we agree it is empowering - aren't subject to the same constraints.

Yes women are very often dressed less in films. Look at any run if the mill action film:
a woman in shorts and vest top accompanying (doubtfully the other way around) a man dressed in compats, tee shirt and shirt is not unusal.

I was wondering about Micelle Dockerty. If you watch Good Behaviour you'd think she had a no nudity clause. Reasonable high number of sex scenes, no nudity underwear only. Yet in Godless she strips off. Not sure what the difference is.

Makes you wonder if who the producer is or how much they need future work makes a difference on how empowered an actress needs to felt. Unlike male actors, who rarely want to be empowered it seems.

Just shitty cultural expectations.

It’s at least as much a female issue than a male one. Young, hot females generally have no issue with showing some flesh and looking sexy. Older, less hot females have an issue, and deep down I think that’s more down to jealousy than anything else.

What is the 'empowerment' that's meant to be felt. The empowerment of an actress has by being totally naked is different to the empowerment a woman feels by getting to the stage of being ok with thier body to be being photographed (subtly) naked.

That ludicrous statements about feminist wanting all women to be in hijabs. How embarrassing for you, if you actually think that.

Either because they actually think it is, or because it sounds better than saying I won't get any work if I don't get my tits out and pretend to like it.