Nudity, Sex, and The Gaze
On March 27, 2025 by beelzerog
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Originally posted on Tumblr on March 27, 2025
So, I’ve been having some more thoughts, based on some conversations I’ve been seeing about nudism, The Nude as it pertains in art, and how people react.
I considered adding this to a BlueSky post I’d seen, but I felt that by Quote-Sharing it, I’d be hijacking the thread and making it about me, which I was trying to avoid. So, I’ll make it about me in my own post.
Let me state, for the record, I am a perv. I make no bones about it. I love sexuality, I love nudity, I love the idea of it. I like it if it’s nice and fluffy lovey-dovey and I love it when it’s rough and dirty. I like it when it’s an integral part of the story/relationship and I like it for the most obviously gratuitous reasons. And while I am a cis-gendered straight male who is only interested in cis-gendered straight & bi females, I refer to myself as an equal-opportunity pervert, in that I think everyone should be able to enjoy what they want to enjoy, even if I’m not personally into it. Also, unlike some of my peers, I am not scared of The Penis. I’m not interested in it, but the presence of it doesn’t offend or disgust me.
“Mary Beard’s Shock of the Nude” Episode 1 set my mind in motion in this thought process, though not in the way she might imagine it. Because in the documentary, she basically says that all of the sculptures and paintings over the millennia are really all porn, despite various attempts to claim otherwise. Even other artists figured that out.
Apparently, there were portrayals of real people in “The Tribuna of the Uffizi” by Johan Zoffany, including a few gay ones, who are seen more interested in the male artwork than the female ones. But in the end, it’s men looking at ends. 😛
But my response is… so? I mean, I don’t think this is an actual problem on its own. And I guess that’s where I split with a lot of people. I believe the expression of sex and sexuality is a good thing, even a necessary thing for the health and well-being of all of us as humans, and the more, the better.
There are people, nudists, artists, etc., who try to separate “Nudity” from “Sex”. That there is a purity to nudity that is befouled when “The Sex” is introduced. This is why artists prefer to use the untouched white marble in their sculptures and paint their subjects looking demurely, despite the fact the original Greek and Roman sculptures were rather garishly painted. And in Pompeii, houses frequently had sexual acts or the equivalent of naked dirty jokes painted directly on the walls.
I’m pretty sure it’s why so many nudist places don’t like people with tattoos and piercings, even frowning on people of color that might introduce some variation, even maybe some excitement, into their spaces. Must keep these things as white bread and chaste as possible. Small wonder that there’s a cross-section of Fundie Christians that are also nudists. Though not entirely surprising, because looking in Germany, especially in the 20’s and 30’s, all of the various social groups had their own nudist camps, including the various LGBTQ groups, the Socialists, Christians, the Pagans, and even the Nazis, with their emphasis on clean, healthy, Aryan bodies.
Of course, this is a scam. Various women have reported how aggressive nudists, especially the men, can get in having people, especially women, conform a certain way, like being completely naked all the time, something some women are definitely uncomfortable with during their period. If I were to make sweeping generalizations, I’d say there’s a very high amount of exhibitionism and voyeurism going on within nudist communities. Given the numbers of times I’ve seen, just in dipping my toes into the discourse, nudist males immediately turn everything around to their freedom to be naked, I think there’s something more than just wanting to feel the wind on their skin. And all things considered, I’m sure more than a few people (men & women) are using nudist spaces to leer at other people, under the guise of a “healthy outdoor lifestyle”. What, you don’t think the women aren’t doing it, too? I’m sure more than a few female nudists, especially the Fundie Christian ones, are using the cover of “good, clean living” to get an eyeful as well to make up for having to put up with their husbands.
Am I accusing everyone? No, most certainly not!
First of all, being visually stimulated is tied to sex drive. The lower your sex drive, the less sexual imagery (including nudity) will stimulate you. There are probably plenty of people who are asexual or just have a low sex drive who are nudists, so no leering there. Even if the sight of a naked body doesn’t completely arouse you, you still get a dopamine hit, which helps your mood and mental health. Also, I’m more concerned about how things are practiced. I see nothing wrong with enjoying the view, but lying and using high-minded philosophies to justify that you want to hang out with a lot of naked people is no better than trying to justify imposing your morality on people under the guise of “for the children”.
Secondly, there is something to be said for exposure. I’ve been married for over 24 years, with the same woman for over 25. I will freely admit that I don’t get a raging erection every time I see my wife naked, which is very, very frequently. I know your sex drive is supposed to get toned down as you age, and I’m sure that some of it, but I’m also pretty sure that it’s 35+ years of “false alarms”.
“Boobies? There’s Boobies! Are we getting laid?!”
So, if we had more nudity around, maybe it wouldn’t be seen as asking for it as it wouldn’t automatically be seen as “SEX IS HAPPENING!”
BUT…
It doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable. That we can’t enjoy the view. And that it isn’t sexual. Just that it’s a little more low-key. Background noise, a pleasant hum that just helps make things a little better. I mean, I still prefer to see my wife naked even if I’ve seen it all the time for years and years. I actually miss it if, for some reason, we are in a situation where we can’t strip off and relax. She hasn’t exactly tired of me either, if the ass-slapping is any indication.
So, I’ve rambled on for long enough, I think. I’ll try to finish this up. Yes, there are problems with the patriarchy and how it messes everything up. It should be equal opportunity for everyone. But divorcing ‘sex’ and ‘nudity’ seems to serve the purposes of oppressing people’s sexuality and sexual expression, not help it. It keeps ‘sex’ as this bad thing (or special thing, which just places it on a pedestal from which it can only fall off of) and I think that’s bad.
-As with everything else, I reserve the right to change my opinion in the face of facts.
