Demand More Nipples.
Since the dawn of time, however you explain that moment, we have been living in a man’s world. A patriarchal institution defined by brodom, that has wisely bestowed upon us such gems as “the Madonna-Whore Complex” and the “hot crazy matrix.” But at the heart of this power play has long pulsated the little conundrum of female nakedness. At once so sensual and erotic, yet desperately practical and essential at the same time — the problem of what to do about the female form has confounded humanity for millennia. From Helen of Troy to Heather Varley; Facebook to Femen, the battle of containment has been both stiff and long. Then came 2016. A year when female nakedness reached the zenith of its foreplay. So we decided to end the year with an ode to the Nipple. This one is for you, and all your naked glory. May 2017 be powerful, erect, and under your control.
De-NSFW
There’s a disturbing space between “puritan” and “porn”
The list of NSFW music videos full of big butts and stripper poles is endless. When Frank Ocean released the “Nikes” music video, full of naked girls covered in dollar bills, the internet didn’t break. Nudity has been so commoditized, we’re desensitized. But when Kanye released his “Famous” video, everyone went cray. What makes nudity commodity vs controversy? It isn’t the degree of nakedness. Seeing celebrities naked (Kim K’s sextape, RiRi & Chris Brown or Trump’s tiny penis) is the norm. And nakedness in a hip hop video isn’t new. But for some reason, we couldn’t handle seeing these famous people naked without feeling exposed.
The first time I watched “Famous” was on my monitor. At work. It made me so uncomfortable that when I got to the :10 second mark, I was sitting there wondering if I was going to get fired for illicit viewing. I kept watching, but it had me thinking, “why is this making me want to crawl out of my skin?” It shows nothing sexual or erotic. Yet, I felt like I was voyeuring on YouPorn. To our brains, nakedness is black or white. It’s either porn or post-shower. So when puritanism is portrayed in the form of nudity, it exposes our brains to this grey area that we can’t wrap our heads around.
De-fetishize It
Body-positive should go beyond “shape” and into “reality”
The female form is a reflection of the times, a perpetual obsession. Body-worship dates to paleolithic times, when carved venuses were used to summon fertility spirits. Treating the female body as an icon was considered a matter of survival. Enter the 2010s and the internet amplified the move toward “female form as icon.” For every DOVE campaign there is chatroom upon forum creating a safe space for body fetishization. Making the female form more visible, more worshipped, more removed from everyday physicality. In this context, female-ness transcends biology — and becomes a logo. An icon that reflects larger themes in culture and social values. Our bodies are more a brand than a biological form, where reality can be “terrifying” in the flesh.
But while the fetishization continues, a new trend has hit our servers: body positivity. Both controversial and decried as unsightly by trolls, Mermaid Thighsand BellyJelly have gained traction among the memesters. While it’s no revolution, it’s the start of a tide-turning-movement that we can anticipate for 2017: when booty isn’t just a brand — but reality.
De-Lingerie
A wearable love-letter to the female form
Lingerie and bondage-inspired garments as outerwear have made mainstream cameos since the 70s. Vivienne Westwood capitalized on the UK punk scene’s aesthetic of leather, studs, chains and fishnets. Madonna’s Jean Paul Gaultier-designed conical cup bodysuit propelled the choker, PVC and body mod trends that reigned the 90’s. After a drop in popularity in circa Y2K, provocative garments have made a comeback.
Instagram normalized what’s been seen as perverse, allowing us to unpack stale puritanical ideals. This trend has chipped away at the patriarchal structure that defined the lingerie industry. Lingerie is designed by men. Bought by men, gifted to women to wear — for men. For example, brands like Lonely are created by women, intended for women to reclaim lingerie as something comfortable and self-possesed rather than hyper-sexed and sold by the patriarchy. Intersectionality and lived-experience being the cornerstones of the current wave of feminism allows women to individually decide what empowers them, be it comfortable, high waisted lace or full latex adorned with a choker.
De-sexualize Nudity
Naked power
HBO and T&A go hand-in-hand. Nudity used to titillate its scandal-thirsty onlookers. Recently, though, female exposure is more than just a hook, but a crucial element in the story pointing to a new POV of the female nude — one of desexualization and de-objectification. Last season, GoT used nudity to signify a gain or loss of power, i.e. Daenerys (in the buff) emerging alive from the burning building or Cersei’s naked-and-afraid walk of shame. Girls’ Lena Dunham claims her excessive amount of nudity is a “realistic depiction of what it’s like to be alive,” …or something like that. Our new fave thriller, Westworld, uses nudity to accentuate the mysterious divide between humans and robots. The strategic display of skin exposes nudity as a tool to desexualize– emphasizing the humanity in the robots, while paradoxically desensitizing us to their nudity. In the lab they’re merely treated as objects, but in the final scene we see the main female characters take control of their minds and bodies.
Meme(s) of the Week
A glimpse at the top meme concepts captivating the internet. This week:
TRUMP QUEEN + AI meme-making bots + the world’s most-followed Youtuber deletes one of his “smaller side channels (only 1M) “ in a cry for attention/kanye-inspired freakout.
Microsoft’s has created a deranged bot that’s one-step-too-close to meme making. According to Microsoft, Murphy is an experiment that uses “the knowledge of Bing” and “the intelligence of Microsoft Cognitive Services” to answer imaginative hypotheticals.
