Why is the human body X-Rated?

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Underneath our clothes, we are all naked. In our hunter-gatherer times and in many tribes across the world, men and women wear minimal clothing. Women comfortably have their breasts on display in public without there being an sexual connotations. They know there is no shame in the human body.

Understandably, we are not living in caves anymore. In many parts of the world it is far too cold to walk around wearing nothing; logically we probably wear clothes and shoes now to protect our bodies from external hazards, including the weather.

But along with this, the human body has become something that needs to be ‘covered up’, especially in certain parts of the world. No other animal feels that they need to cover up their raw flesh or fur. Yet we do, for reasons listed above, but the price has been that there is now ‘shame’ in nakedness. Any film or TV show that portrays a person wearing nothing is suddenly rated as for adults. And when something is ‘covered up’, it becomes more desirable as it is a taboo, whereas if it is exposed then it is no longer ‘forbidden fruit’ therefore erotic connotations decrease.

Nudity doesn’t always need to be associated with sex, but in Western culture it is. A woman can’t breastfeed in public because female breasts are so overly sexualised in the media. Yes, of course breasts are a sexual part of the body, but why is it that women in tribal cultures are comfortable wearing little clothing? Their breasts are still sexual, but they aren’t only seen as sexual. Men’s bodies are sexual too, but men can walk around in Western countries without a shirt and not be penalised for it, just as these women in those cultures can do. When you’re in a relationship with someone you’re naked with them and have sex with them, but you don’t just see them as a sex partner. It’s possible to be sexually attracted to someone but also to see them as a loving companion or simply another person.

The advertising industry has greatly contributed to the over-sexualisation of female bodies, and perhaps that is partly why nakedness is seen as taboo. We can’t disassociate the body from sexual connotations. The human body’s function is not just a sexual one. Artists who draw or capture tasteful nudes are capturing the human body, and they aren’t necessarily doing it in a sexual way. Porn is a way in which the human body is displayed as sexual, but a nude photo of a woman gazing into a lake has no sexual connotations, just as the naked statue of David had no sexual connotations. It is simply art.

You get me? I’m very pro sexual-positivity, and I think accepting the human body in its purest form as both sexual and simply a body can contribute to a more relaxed view of our bodies. Our bodies are wonderful; they guide us, hold us and carry us everywhere. Moreover, the taboos of sex correspond with the taboos of nakedness, making us see sex and nudity as for ‘adults only’, rather than part of the natural state of human being.

And now to end this post with a poem from my poetry collection.

Poem: My Body

My body is beautiful.

It glides through the water, arms strong; legs compact.

Soft yet full, it holds me.

Pear shaped breasts symbolize my womanhood

I am beautiful woman.

My legs stretch out

Brown, strong, they run

Through the woods; trees hush in awe

The wind cheers me on.

My buttox sits on his face

He holds it; feels its richness.

My body is a delicious fruit

And he is the seed inside of me.

His seed is my ecstasy

Euphoric; I howl

Our bodies are one

Moving into each other.

Let no one shame your body

Women stand in the cubicle

Undressing, unashamed

White, brown, soft, thick