Nude on network TV

[Gary Naturist]

I was watching a TV program last night (Mon, Jul 8) called "Dog Eat Dog" -- NBC, immediately following Fear Factor. It's a competition program involving 6 contestants in a television studio with a live audience.

They select one of their group -- the least likely to succeed -- to perform a challenge or stunt, and this process is repeated several times. Eventually the one person who is left wins $25,000.

Anyway, one attractive early 20s woman, Marisa, was chosen to throw a football at a target. She had to give up an article of clothing to "buy" each football. Her aim wasn't very good.

Eventually, Marisa was down to only a thong, and didn't seem to be embarrassed in front of the other contestants and the studio audience. With apologies to her parents, she traded in the thong for two footballs. She was naked on the set, throwing footballs, and seemed reasonably comfortable.

Nobody went wild or anything, and her fellow contestants seemed to admire her spunk.

I didn't see this stunt as being exploitive -- it was more like a dare. She could have stopped if she was too uncomfortable. The stunt came off (pun intended) as a fun thing.

Oh yeah, as you would expect on American TV, all the naughty bits were fuzzed out.

Gary

[Gary Naturist]

I was watching a TV program last night (Mon, Jul 8) called "Dog Eat Dog" -- NBC, immediately following Fear Factor. It's a competition program involving 6 contestants in a television studio with a live audience.

They select one of their group -- the least likely to succeed -- to perform a challenge or stunt, and this process is repeated several times. Eventually the one person who is left wins $25,000.

Anyway, one attractive early 20s woman, Marisa, was chosen to throw a football at a target. She had to give up an article of clothing to "buy" each football. Her aim wasn't very good.

Eventually, Marisa was down to only a thong, and didn't seem to be embarrassed in front of the other contestants and the studio audience. With apologies to her parents, she traded in the thong for two footballs. She was naked on the set, throwing footballs, and seemed reasonably comfortable.

Nobody went wild or anything, and her fellow contestants seemed to admire her spunk.

I didn't see this stunt as being exploitive -- it was more like a dare. She could have stopped if she was too uncomfortable. The stunt came off (pun intended) as a fun thing.

Oh yeah, as you would expect on American TV, all the naughty bits were fuzzed out.

Gary

[Stewey]

The thing you have to understand is that this is a TV show. As much as they tout the show as being "reality based", it has no basis in reality at all. It is simply a staged, scripted show just most of the other dreck you see on network TV.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Eventually, Marisa was down to only a thong, and didn't seem to be embarrassed in front of the other contestants and the studio audience. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It's amazing how embarrassment goes down the drain when you are being paid bookoo dollars just for showing your butt on network TV.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>She was naked on the set, throwing footballs, and seemed reasonably comfortable. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Same thing as above.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Nobody went wild or anything, and her fellow contestants seemed to admire her spunk. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Most likely because any goofy behavior was edited out before the episode was even shown.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I didn't see this stunt as being exploitive -- it was more like a dare. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, it's all exploitive when it comes to ratings.

[Trailscout]

Ask yourself if such a show will help the cause of naturism. Particularly, will it help dispel the imagined link between nudity and sexual titillation in the textile community?

I saw the show. I think it does more harm than good. The girl in question was essentially involved in a game of strip poker. Perhaps some will be emboldened by her example to go nude on a lark, but for most people the link between nudity and
sexuality will be reinforced.
We have yet to see casual lifestyle nudity depicted in the American media, except on those National Geographic type shows.

There is a big difference between the sexualized nudity of the "Girls Gone Wild" type and the innocent casual nudity we espouse.
When will the textile world see an example of wholesome nude recreation?

[Gary Naturist]

Trailscout: I don't consider strip poker to be inherently sexual. If a group plays strip poker and some people end up nude and there is no sexual activity, then I think that the group is simply breaking the taboo against nudity in everyday situations.

I see this as similar to skinnydipping at night at somebody's cottage. We nudists should encourage nudity in a variety of sitautions. As you know -- experience a little nudity and you want more.

Gary

[Bartamus]

Dukhat: How's your website doing? Are you
still working on it?

[LeoNJ]

It seems so strange that with all the violence and other immoral activities that are shown on TV to boost their ratings that they still fuzz out the nude body. You would think that network would try to be brave enough to put the fuzz on hold for a while and just let it be seen.

It would be interesting to see what happens.

LeoNJ

[Trailscout]

Gary,
I think you are wrong on several counts. The girl, Marisa was the only one nude up on a stage with everyone else dressed and watching. That is voyerism. That situation is nothing like life at a nudist camp.

The fact that you were not aroused by her progress toward nudity simply proves that you are a nudist. For the average textile male, if an attractive young woman gradually removes an article of clothing, it is a sexualized event.

I do want to see casual nudity on network television. If you had a sitcom or a soap about a nudist family, it would be educational. If the Brady Bunch went skinnydipping at a campout that would be great. If we had life drawing or nude photography classes on primetime television that would be helpful. There are myriads of ways to normalize our lifestyle to the general public.

[Gary Naturist]

Trailscout: I don't disagree with you. As a nudist, I was not titillated (pun intended). For non nudists, I think that the more nude people to which they are exposed (pun intended) in non-sexual situations, the better. The idea is to desensitize people to nudity. TV and movies have done this very effectively for violence! Would be better for us all if TV were to display more nudity and less violence.

Gary

[Knightwolf]

I agree with Gary.
The more comfortable our culture can get with the concept of nudity the better.
In a sense, the show was sexual. But it was also innocent. As someone else wrote, it was a dare. She was comfortable enough with her body and with nudity in general to remove all her clothes in front of an audience. I wish more shows would show nudity in this way.

[Trailscout]

I am not too aghast at Marisa's going nude on a dare. It is a silly stunt, but not a lewd act.

Again, keep asking yourself, does this help de-couple the link between lewd and nude in the mind of the man on the street? (I'd say this one neither hurt nor helped).

That particular event may indicate that network TV audiences are ready for some platonic airbrushed nudity, but that's about it. A female who gradually takes off her clothes on a stage in front of an audience of clothed men does not show much progress from our textile tendency to treat women as
sexual objects.

We can do a lot better than this, guys!
The public needs more TV shows where casual nudity crops up in the dialog or plots. Elsewhere in this forum, I cited an episode of Designing Women, where two of the girls discuss nudism briefly. Lots of women watch this show and the stars are role models for many of them.

The greatest good will come when television depicts ordinary people occasionally going nude in the course of their everyday lives.