We’ve all seen them before, sexy ads that
push the envelope of what is acceptable and what isn’t. Calvin Cline’s Eva
Mendes ad with flimsy material raised hackles in SoHo.
And then there was Kylie Minogue’s Agent
Provocateur ad. Watch if you dare. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP0ZxnRG3ZY
Very provocative and enticing. Some people
believe that erotic romance covers are too much. But should erotic romance
covers be banned because of their nature. Recently GA Hauser was targeted
because of this cover.
A guy complained because he didn’t want
his daughter seeing the guy’s penis. I’ve studied this photo, yes I know it’s a
tough task but someone had to do it, and after hours of studying I really don’t
see the guy’s penis. Maybe the photo is cropped a little but low on his hips
but his little doo-daa isn’t showing.
How much censorship should be applied? Go
into any art museum and you’ll see full nudes.
The guy is totally nude and petting a cock.
Okay, so that was a bit of a cheap shot but he is stroking that rooster and
he’s not wearing any clothes.
Da Vinci’s Angelo Incarnato is nude and
thought not picturesque, is very graphic.
I’m partial to Daniel Skinner’s work. Skinner
is a contemporary photographer that shoots mostly males. Daniel’s lighting works
magic on the male form, allowing the planes and curves of the male form to
show.
I’m not sure when we got so prudish that a
bit of nudity makes us so squeamish that we can’t enjoy the beauty of the human
body. It seems that the more conscious of nudity we’ve become as a society,
hiding our bodies from our children, the more conscious they have become about
how unacceptable they are. Eating disorders are actually on the rise
in children according to the National Eating Disorders Association. The article
can be found here. Eating Disorders
The only nudity children are exposed to are
model thin waifs of the fashion industry. Daniel Skinner uses men with meat on
their bones and I’m sure if he did photography of women he wouldn’t
discriminate against size in that venue either. When you go back through
history and see all the beautiful paintings not one of the subjects is model
thin.
Sir Anthony van Dyck’s Cupid and Psyche show the body beautifully.
Our reluctance to accept the beauty of the human body is causing more harm than
good. I say embrace nudity and the beauty that is the human body. Allow books
to have the cover that the artist and the author see fit to have.
Erotic romance is sensual and provocative.
It brings to light the imagination and what can happen between two people. Sex
is part of a couple’s loving relationship. Ignoring that part of the
relationship helps no one. If you personally don’t enjoy erotic romance then
don’t seek it out. Avoid the entire genre and encourage others to avoid it if
they feel incline to force their strictures on others just because they don’t
like any nudity on book covers, in ads or anywhere else they see it.
The beauty of the human body needs to be
celebrated again instead of dictated. Go to an art museum and take your kids.
Let them see paintings and discover for themselves that their body isn’t
embarrassing or wrong. That they can be happy with their bodies and love
themselves. Maybe then many of the neuroses about size and bodies could be
eliminated and our children would be happier.
For information about Sara York Books visit
my website at http://sarayork.com
Great post! I couldn't agree more. We need to finally leave our puritan heritage behind. Live and let live. If you don't like it, don't look at it!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this--I hadn't seen the Cowboy Blues cover before... And you're right, I don't see anything to get all in a tither about. But then again, if we don't ever seen any nude men, perhaps we've gotten which parts are which? ;P
ReplyDeleteExcellent post!
ReplyDeleteIt's a tough one. I read and review erotica, and it would be nice to be able to take such a book to the park or coffeeshop and read it--but even with the mainstream-ish covers that I get nowadays, I can't without covering my books in paper. So now I have a collection of lovely books--all wrapped in brown paper bags. So that is frustrating.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it's frustrating to live in a world/society that sees our own bodies as somehow evil or disturbing, and you know, I include children there. Why should children be freaked out about nudity anyway? The only reason they are is because they're told to. And who decided that a nude man was more nude than a nude woman, if you know what I mean?
I love that comment about new men being more nude than a nude woman Sharazade.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments. I understand about the book cover in public thing. Honestly, that's why I love my ereader. No one knows that I'm drooling over Hot Head, or feasting on Ty Hard but me. Then again why are we so afraid of nudity. It boggles the mind.
Good posting. I say lets stop hiding the human body. It's beautiful. Hiding it says we're ashamed of our bodies and our sexuality. I'm tired of this censorship. Let book covers convey what is in the book. If you don't want to read it, don't pick it up but don't push your tastes and standards on others.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful comments and opinions everyone. Thanks for stopping by and thanks again, for the great post Sara.
ReplyDeleteThank you Blak for hosting me. I've enjoyed being here.
ReplyDeleteThere was a point in history where male parts were broken off classical statues, not in an act of vandalism but in an attempt to make them "decent."
ReplyDeleteThank goodness they didn't get around to the David.