the body doesn't have to be sexualized

[Guest]

i came across a site that showed normal young women being photographed naked by professional photographers who were also women. it had some beautiful pictures. there was this one picture where six women were covered in finger paint, blue and green. they were standing under several shower heads, laughing and washing. i wasn't turned on sexually, but i was blown away at their beauty and naturalness. another one had one woman, standing naked against a beach at dusk. her pale skin glowed against the deepening blue. i found it stunning. most of them really were fascinating.

just like love doesn't have to be sexual and romance doesn't have to be foreplay, the naked body can be appreciated independent of sexuality.

[mackat5]

I do agree that the naked body can be beautiful, but iI much prefer to look at the handsome men. There are some very nicely built men out there, well worth looking at, but I find now that's all I want to do - look. :D

[ghosts]

Definitely! Nudity is not inherently sexual.

[Dargon]

There was once a link to a photographer posted here, who photographed nude women. The thing about it was the photos were all ages, from toddlers to people nearing the century mark. All shapes, from give-that-girl-a-sandwich to and-take-the-sandwich-away-from-her. Women with "perfect" bodies to women with scars.

[edit]:found it

http://www.thecenturyproject.com/newsite/h...ect/photos.html

The most amazing thing about it was that each photo had so much personality to it, the nudity seemed to be a complete afterthought.

The photographer was male, and in his bio mentioned how many women he asked to photograph were offended, but as his gallery grew, women sought him out to be photographed.

I used to be a member of a graphics design forum (it has since been disbanded), but one of the neatest photograph series was one that a female member had done of herself. She had takes some photos of herself after a shower, but they were zoomed in areas of her body (where the nose meets the cheek, where the breast meets the body, the navel, an angled shot of the curves of her bottom), but with how out-of-context they were, plus they were black and white, plus the droplets of water, the focus shifted to the way the light hit them rather than what they were.

In my opinion, the nude body, both male and female, is one of the best subjects for play with light and shadow.

[jr1]

Great post, vanilla black tea. You're posting some really deep stuff

[Guest]

Great post, vanilla black tea. You're posting some really deep stuff

thank you. that's a nice compliment.

[Guest]

i think that sexuality has appropriated so many things, from the naked body to exploring that body unashamed to walking at sunset while holding hands with your love. but i don't think that any situation is inherently sexual or foreplay to sexuality. i don't work well with sexual contact but i'm all for affection, physical closeness, and intimacy so i could do the very same things that sexuals do but do them for different reasons, get different meanings, and make it deep a whole different way.

i was thinking weddings (because i'm optimistic). the kiss. that passionate kiss to show that your sexuality is socially and legally sanctioned. i went to a wedding last year and by the reception, the kissing game had became so sexual it made me uncomfortable. when i get married, can i seal my vows with a kiss? it wouldn't represent our sexuality, and it probably wouldn't get so wild, but whatever we did would be personally meaningful to us. also, the words in the vows -- to have and to hold. no sexual feelings and so it wouldn't count as sex, but i'll be holding my husband on those sunday mornings and being intimate with him regardless.

[Hallucigenia]

Awesome pictures, Dargon!

[AVENCakes]

I agree 100%. It's really too bad we oversexualize the human body.

I'm not much for photography (gag at pictures of real people nekkid), but most drawings of the naked body are actually lovely and aren't sexual in that way. Unless it's made to be porn/erotic, they tend to be more beautiful than the same picture with clothes because it's got this different element to it.

It made me kind of sad when a comic showed a bunch of kids in a college art class looking at a beautiful painting of a naked woman from a private collection and all they could think of was "So, we're looking at some dead guys porn?". Nah way, man, it's the same as a painting of a sunset- it's just beautiful

[jungler]

sure; like pictures at http://www.domai.com

[bbctv]

that's true, and it's often context that determines whether or not nudity is sexualized or not. i mean, i've seen naked photographs and paintings and sculptures that weren't sexual in the least.

[Shockwave]

sure; like pictures at http://www.domai.com

Oh, I've been a fan of domai for years. You may also find this post on the creator's blog interesting

[LeauPar]

I agree that there are good photos of naked body, even though I hate nakedness in general. The problem is that in real life it's impossible to show off some skin without being considered sexy(by sexuals of opposite gender, at least), can you? I was told my picture in MSN was sexy, just because I was wearing a tubetop in it :?

[Raisin]

I agree wholeheartedly. I love looking at photography of the naked human body, but sometimes it seems like that's something to be ashamed of, because to everyone else nudity is so overly sexualised. I don't want to be ashamed of admiring the human body in its most natural state. Plus, when I try to search for photography that features artistic nudity, I'm often overwhelmed by the amount of pornographic sites that come up (I'll definitely check out the links posted here!).

In my opinion, the nude body, both male and female, is one of the best subjects for play with light and shadow.

YES.

[agentjones]

Not that this is totally relevant, but this song played on my ipod at work today and I thought it'd be nice to quote somewhere on this forum, and right here seems like a pretty good place (it's a song about not sexualizing everything afterall).

This song is by a band called Fifteen. They were a punk band from Berkeley. It's called Hello: My Name Is Whore

Don't stare at me

Don't glare at me

I'm not your piece of meat

I'm not your fantasy

Don't eye me

You make a fool of us

I'm not your anything

I'm not your property

Do we sexualize everything

Because our parents sexualized us?

Did they treat us like meat?

Just like we treat ourselves like meat?

Don't stare at me

Don't glare at me

I'm not your piece of meat

I'm not your fantasy

Don't eye me

You make a fool of us

Love 'em and leave 'em

Is no longer just male behavior

Do we sexualize everything

Because we were molested?

Do we treat ourselves like meat

Because we were incested?

Are we just obeying TV

Are we just obeying Advertising

Are we just obeying Dear Abbey

Are we just obeying MTV

Don't stare at me

Don't stare at me

I'm not your piece of meat

I'm not your anythin

[Raven17]

Vanilla Black Tea - can you post a link?

[spinneret]

sure; like pictures at http://www.domai.com

Oh, I've been a fan of domai for years. You may also find this post on the creator's blog interesting

Wow, that is so cool.

And I like the photos on that site. They look so happy, and they really are beautiful. Very refreshing.

[Guest]

interestingly, too sexual for my image hosting site. :shock:

[spinneret]

aww, those are lovely, too :D

[Raven17]

Thanks! I love the paint one too!

[Octarine]

Nudity kind of weirds me out...

But I LOVE this painting:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...enus_detail.jpg

[theimpossiblek]

The only reason I'm wierded out by nudity is when it's so obviously sexualized- which is too often the case. But these photos are refreshingly natural and, I think, aesthetically pleasing.

Thanks!!

[aury]

wanna appreciate the male form? :mrgreen:

ahhh...

[l'héros]

I agree wholeheartedly. I love looking at photography of the naked human body, but sometimes it seems like that's something to be ashamed of, because to everyone else nudity is so overly sexualised. I don't want to be ashamed of admiring the human body in its most natural state. Plus, when I try to search for photography that features artistic nudity, I'm often overwhelmed by the amount of pornographic sites that come up (I'll definitely check out the links posted here!)

Agreed. It's terrible trying to find artistic reference, too. I agree completely that DOMAI is awesome, and I've never understood the need to oversexualise the body. The nudism movement or at least lifestyle emphasises this, as well, from what I hear. I have to say, more power to them. I've always loved the nude body.

[Raisin]

Nudity kind of weirds me out...

But I LOVE this painting:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...enus_detail.jpg

So soft, so smooth, so beautiful...*sighs*

I actually prefer paintings of human nudity to photographs...perhaps because they are (in most cases) more artistic, and they somehow seem more removed from human sexuality?...

As far as Venus goes, I'm rather fond of these two:

Sleeping Venus

Venus and Cupid

[AVENCakes]

I agree that there are good photos of naked body, even though I hate nakedness in general. The problem is that in real life it's impossible to show off some skin without being considered sexy(by sexuals of opposite gender, at least), can you? I was told my picture in MSN was sexy, just because I was wearing a tubetop in it :?

I don't like nakedness just because I don' tlike how people look naked. I like paintings because then it's the artist representation- and it usually has a different feel, much more beautiful and such. Loses the stuff that makes the body ugly to me.

Sexuals are idiots. We were watching something on rennaissance art, and the video said that the artist painted the naked male body and it showed beauty- and everyone was all "Hurr hurr" like they said 'sexy' instead.

[Kai]

I find the body incredibly beautiful, but only without genitalia. With, it is immediately given the sexual label in my mind, and therefore becomes ugly, which is a shame. I also find extremely skinny bodies aesthetically pleasing in the same way as bodies with the 'alien bits' removed or covered up (and Venus aint skinny enough for my liking). I guess I am very particular...and possibly narrow-minded. But I wouldn't disagree that the human body has the potential to be a stunning creation.

[Shinnok]

....It only struck up another confusion in my mind. I don't really find the nakad body appealing if their privates are showing. If their privates are showing I want to go in the corner and cry the image out of my mind. I guess I'm not fond of nakad pictures because the only reason thoose exist is for people to look at them in a sexual way so I don't really see any other way to it.

[Olivier]

Sexuals are idiots. We were watching something on rennaissance art, and the video said that the artist painted the naked male body and it showed beauty- and everyone was all "Hurr hurr" like they said 'sexy' instead.

I'm not sure how you draw the conclusion that sexuals are idiots form that episode. To me, the obvious conclusion is that 17-year-olds are often immature. The main cause of the "Hurr hurr" is that open, intelligent and honest discussion of sex is considered a taboo, even in the predominantly sexual society we live in.

I find the body incredibly beautiful, but only without genitalia. With, it is immediately given the sexual label in my mind, and therefore becomes ugly, which is a shame.

As you say, the problem is in your mind. Take for example the pictures from the Century Project that Dargon posted a link to. I'm a straight sexual male, and yet I do not see these photos of naked women as sexual in nature. Yet you, as an asexual, do? Go figure - too hard for me to work out :?

It only struck up another confusion in my mind. I don't really find the nakad body appealing if their privates are showing. If their privates are showing I want to go in the corner and cry the image out of my mind. I guess I'm not fond of nakad pictures because the only reason thoose exist is for people to look at them in a sexual way so I don't really see any other way to it.

Again, the confusion is one you admit is in your mind. Again, look at the pictures in the Century Project. They do not exist purely for people to look at in a sexual way. I'd be surprised if anyone saw them that way, except for young and repressed sexual males who haven't had ANY experience with real female nudity, and and use the "hurr, hurr" response to cover up their own insecurities. And you, if you are to be believed.

My point (and I do have one :) ) is that here at AVEN it is common for people to bemoan the fact that our society is swimming in a sea of sex - that it's hard to be asexual and feel normal, when sexual messages are so integrated into our culture. But how much of this is "in the mind" of the asexual beholder. I've read so many posts here where things like simple nakedness, or even tampon use, are seen as upsettingly sexual. If that's where you set the bar, then no wonder you feel like you're drowning in sexual imagery. The three quotes I've made above are examples of asexuals finding sex in places that I, a sexual, genuinely don't see it. And I'm wired to look for it, and what's more find truly sexy people, or images, few and far between in the world.

This thread started with vanilla black tea posting a great example of how "the body does not need to be sexualized" - a plea to separate the concepts of "beautiful" and "sexy" when it comes to the human body. It really surprises me that on the evidence in this thread, some asexuals seem to have more difficulty doing this than most sexuals. Not criticising, just saying I'm surprised. Chalk that up to one more thing I've learned since I turned 40 :)

[Amcan]

My point (and I do have one :) ) is that here at AVEN it is common for people to bemoan the fact that our society is swimming in a sea of sex - that it's hard to be asexual and feel normal, when sexual messages are so integrated into our culture. But how much of this is "in the mind" of the asexual beholder. I've read so many posts here where things like simple nakedness, or even tampon use, are seen as upsettingly sexual. If that's where you set the bar, then no wonder you feel like you're drowning in sexual imagery. The three quotes I've made above are examples of asexuals finding sex in places that I, a sexual, genuinely don't see it. And I'm wired to look for it, and what's more find truly sexy people, or images, few and far between in the world.

This thread started with vanilla black tea posting a great example of how "the body does not need to be sexualized" - a plea to separate the concepts of "beautiful" and "sexy" when it comes to the human body. It really surprises me that on the evidence in this thread, some asexuals seem to have more difficulty doing this than most sexuals. Not criticising, just saying I'm surprised. Chalk that up to one more thing I've learned since I turned 40 :)

Well said!

It's all in the mind.