Keira Knightley: no more nude scenes with male directors.

[Malahaha]

www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55795237
Good for her.

Knightley has previously revealed she has had a "no nudity clause" added to her film contracts since becoming a mother in 2015.

'Male gaze'
During the interview, Knightley also said she felt strongly that she would want to work with a female director if a film focused on female life experiences.

"If I was making a story that was about that journey of motherhood and body [acceptance], I feel like, I'm sorry, but that would have to be with a female film-maker," she said.

I've always wondered about the expectation placed on young women in particular to be perfectly fine with stripping off and getting filmed from all angles and be intimately handled by other actors. I remember watching a programme years ago about drama students in training and one of the exercises involved a young woman (possibly 18/19) carrying and then pouring water from a jug whilst topless - all the while being observed by a male acting coach. The 'exercise' seemed to be about losing all sense of being watched and being completely engrossed in the 'acting' without a shred of self-consciousness about your state of undress. I remember thinking 'Yeah, right!'.

Obviously it must be absolutely fantastic to be able to switch off from your self-consciousness and to have that confidence - and actors, after all, are very confident beings. But whenever I see a female actor getting her breasts, fondled or sucked on by a male actor for instance, I can't help but think, how the hell do you dissociate yourself to that extent.

It's a lot to ask isn't it? I imagine the same level of detachment must be required for a lesbian scene (thinking Kate Winslet's and her co-star in the latest Mary Anning film) But it must be different.

As I get older I certainly feel more uncomfortable when there is a sex scene and question whether it's right to expect our actors to have to do this for us.

I'm glad that Keira has made this stand.

Meanwhile on Instagram every female over the age of 16 is being encouraged to 'share nudes'! As if it's the answer to all the world's problems and an act of Feminism to expose yourself to thousands, potentially millions of viewers. Empowerment and all that (yawn!)