Breaking Misconceptions on Nudity and Sexuality

By: Devika Sunand

For so long, nudity and sexuality have been directly associated, used interchangeably, and even believed to have the same meaning. A naked body is often expressed as a form of sexual desire, even when these two things carry different meanings.

Nudity, in simple terms, is the state of being naked. On the other hand, sexuality deals with sexual feelings, thoughts, and interactions. Sounds pretty simple, so why is there so much confusion regarding these two words?

As humans, being naked is the default form of our existence. On the contrary, sex and sexuality are just one of the many functions that take place in our bodies. The stigma surrounding nudity, specifically for women, is due in part to the sexualization and male gaze that occurs in the media and mainstream culture.

Over time, viewers begin to naturally associate nudity and sexuality, whether they realize it or not. But what they do not realize is that one can be completely non-sexual even with their clothes off and one can be completely sexual even with their clothes on.

This concept of relating nudity with sexuality is quite surprising because for decades, nudity in art has been celebrated, even in places of worship. For example, Michelangelo’s ‘David’ represents strength and youthful beauty while his nude paintings in Vatican City’s Sistine Chapel attract more than five million visitors each year.

Nudity can have different meanings relating to science, information, art, and yes, pornography. In today’s society, any image that does not fit easily into any one of these categories is often misinterpreted, even leading to disputes. But honestly, I don’t blame you! The more I read about this idea, the more it becomes clear that the line between nudity and sexuality is indeed thin. We are conditioned to connect these two words, which is exactly why we need awareness on this topic. From school dress codes to the pure act of breastfeeding deemed as sexual, are we progressing forward or backward?