nudity and professionalism why are they considered mutually exclusive and why they shouldn't
The Situation
As it is, Nudity is generally considered to be a bad thing for someone's career. The act of being naked in front of a camera seems to be very much taboo in industries (outside of the creative) that pretend to be professional. Honestly, do you think a banker is somehow less professional because they might model nude at weekends...Christ, after the 2008 crash, that might show they are more driven and professional than their counterparts!!
Regardless, here we are being bombarded with standards of professionalism that don’t hold up to even the slightest hint of scrutiny.
Possible reasons for this
I had a problem with this part... justifying this level of bullshit is difficult. But here goes.
I blame religion. Well, that was easy!
The original rule setters do have a lot of blame landing at their doorstep these days, and now that studies are showing that people who do not identify as having a ‘less questionable’ moral compass than those who believe in a magic man (because it is nearly always a man) in the sky, we can all see why. They set the original rules, and they were shit.
Interesting statistics about this (in America, so it's a bit extreme)
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/06/01/10-facts-about-atheists
Ok, so a less inflammatory idea might be that nudity is associated with sex, and we have serious issues with that generally in society (but even that is because of...see above).
Excuses to justify this are stupid
Seriously, they are. Being naked is LITERALLY the most natural state for the human body. Our issues around it are frankly dumb. Don’t get me wrong, clothes serve a very important function, such as protection or insulation...it is fecking cold most of the time in Scotland, but the fact that social media has now banned the (female) nipple is an embarrassing step backwards.
Worse than this is our apparent willingness to put up with violence on TV but not nudity. Acts of violence are less upsetting than two people in love.
If you listen to those who wish to shame people who pose nude or take part in any aspect of it, you will notice very quickly that it is a form of control. It is especially effective against women as their bodies have been (very wrongly) labelled as taboo and not to be seen in almost every culture to varying levels of extremes.
What's the solution?
This is just my idea. You should formulate your own plans of attack because...these are just my ideas and probably need more thought.
As a photographer (especially a male one) I am often seen as a pervert for wanting or even just taking part in nude photoshoots. This is detrimental to my business, my industry and, frankly, unhelpful for society.
My solution is to fight. At every level. From day-to-day conversations, trying to ensure companies are being held to account for their pathetic control methods, through to the government being held to account for their stupidity. I will fight it.
My final thought is that you should read better articles than this. Ones that are more nuanced and far-reaching will give you a better understanding of this problem. Maybe ones that aren't so emotional about it. I need to keep this short for a blog. Hopefully, I will come back to this in a few years and be more capable of providing a deeper argument of why nudity and professionalism are not mutually exclusive.
But most importantly, do it anyway. Screw what others think and make your art. Draw, paint, sculpt, pose and be naked if you need to be.
Just don’t iron while naked! It’s a terrible idea that can only end in tears. *from experience