I remember bathing with my mom when I was younger. It was natural for her to be naked around me. As my sisters had kids, it was natural for them to bathe with their children. When I babysat their children, I bathed with them. When I have children, my husband and I will bathe with them. Nudity shouldn't be somethings that is so taboo—especially in families. It isn't perverted or wrong for children to see their parents naked. If children don't see their parents naked, it will only reinforce negative body images and low self esteem. Children are subjected to pornography younger and younger now. If parents are never nude around their children, then the only nudity they see is what they find online and on TV compared to their own body. Children start to form an idea about what their body is supposed to look like based on what they see. This also teaches them that nudity is overtly sexual and only ever happens with sexual partners.
Nudity is completely natural. America, as a country, is both sexually repressed and over sexualized. In American society, the nude body is extremely sexualized—especially the female body. Breasts are not secondary sexual organs, but they are treated as such. Women who breast feed in public are criticized and publicly shamed, yet many billboards and advertisements often depict half nude women—many times in provocative positions. Nudity isn't sexual or provocative unless there are sexual or provocative actions going along with it. You can lounge around your house naked, do housework in the nude and just watch TV naked without being indecent or sexual. So why does our society always equate nudity with sex?
In other countries around the world, nudity is seen as being very natural, as it should be. Europe has many nude beaches where, you guessed it, people are often nude. Nudity is something that should be embraced, not shunned and shamed. Especially in regards to women. Why can men walk around shirtless without any repercussions, but women would be charged with indecent exposure if they did the same thing in most states? The Free The Nipple campaign started to combat the taboo surrounding the female breast and the female nipple. On social media, men can be topless. But if the picture was depicting a woman, the photo would be reported and taken down. In many states, public display of the areola of a female is considered as indecent exposure and public lewdness. Why are men's nipples okay, but women's nipples aren't? Is it because women lactate? Why would that make a difference? How does lactation make the female breast risqué or provocative?
