There was a Karwa Chauth picture shared by Priyanka Chopra on her Instagram handle where she is seen wearing a red saree with a spaghetti blouse. Nothing wrong in that but what disturbed me were the comments she got. One user asked her if she had forgotten to wear a blouse. We cannot tolerate skin show by women even if they are in traditional attire and here was a man - a former supermodel running full monty, nude on a beach and he was lauded for his dare.
No one could avoid the recent picture of Milind Soman running on Goa beach nude to celebrate his 55th birthday. All I wanted to say was, “Okay Milind you are well preserved, physically fit for a 55-year-old, now can you please wear a pair of shorts at least.” If that was the message, we got it loud and clear.
Also Read: While We Were Lauding Milind Soman For Nude Run, Poonam Pandey Got Arrested For "Obscene" Shoot
But Soman is not the first person to run nude on a beach. One cannot forget the bold and beautiful Protima Gauri Bedi, yes, she too ran nude on Mumbai’s Juhu Beach back in 1974. Though it was for a newly launched film magazine, according to reports, the owner of the magazine wanted to create buzz with their first cover. She had allegedly agreed to it as the idea was meant to be a liberating and progressive statement but had later backtracked when she came to know it was used as a publicity stunt. Had she done it in present times she could have been arrested like model Poonam Pandey was for a supposedly ‘obscene’ photo shoot in Goa.
Pandey was arrested on November 4, Priyanka Chopra was commented upon on November 4 (as Karwa Chauth was on that day), while Soman ran his famous run on the same day. And it’s not the first time Soman went bare-bodied, who does not remember him posing nude with model and his then-girlfriend Madhu Sapre and a snake, almost two and a half decades ago. The women in question then and now– one was arrested and the other was trolled while the man was lauded. So why is male nudity acceptable and not female nudity or show of skin? Also, why go nude at all!
Why do people go the full monty?
Ask anyone who goes nude rather than be fully clothed, they’d say “it’s liberating”. If you go deeper and ask how it is liberating, then you might get an answer that people hide behind their clothes. Clothes are like armour, they offer us shelter from the elements yes, yet they also create psychological divisions along the lines of culture, class, etc. If one is nude, that person cannot show off their designer and costly garments or where they bought their clothes and handbags becomes unimportant because all that is seen is the real ‘You’.
But for fitness freak Soman though I would say his nude run was to seek our attention. He wanted to ‘wow’ with his physically fit body.
Also Read: As A Woman, I'm Envious Of Milind Soman For His Birthday Picture
The difference between men and women
“Aesthetic”, “wow you’re setting a great example”, and “you’re breaking norms” are some of the phrases that you might get hear for men who bare it all for pictures exactly like Soman. While women are most likely to be trolled with words like cheap, vulgar, slut or whore if she dares to show skin.
Why is it uncomfortable for us to see a woman dress down or dress up? Because for society she is not a human being with free will. She has to be submissive to the dictates of the patriarchal setup. Dress up and you are an adarsh member of a family or society. Dress down and you are a woman who is "asking for it" and pandering to the male gaze.
Not just bosoms and butts, but even her shoulders, knees and feet are sexualised by men. Who can forget the recent #WomenHaveLegs that was started by Malayali women on social media in support of actress Anaswara Rajan who was trolled for some of her pictures from a photo-shoot? The actress on her 18th birthday had posted a picture in an off-the-shoulder top and shorts on her social media handle. The picture was well-received by friends and fans, but it also attracted lewd comments, mostly from men. The actress was shamed for posing in shorts that were ‘inappropriate’ for her age, or 'did not suit her culture'.
Anaswara slammed trolls with an epic comeback, and she captioned her next photograph: “Don't worry about what I'm doing. Worry about why you're worried about what I'm doing.” This has triggered a social media movement, with women posing in shorts, dresses or swimwear, in solidarity with the young actress. So, yes, women cannot even show their legs even forget being accepted if they go nude.
Also Read: Today I Learnt: The Male Gaze Has Three Perspectives
What does it prove?
This discriminatory approach towards nudity proves that men’s bodies are just bodies while women’s bodies are for sexual acts. Doesn’t it explain a lot about sexual violence and messed-up concepts of consent in our society? It is a case of stagnant and toxic ideologies prevalent in our society. And, yes, it’s here to stay!
The views expressed are the author's own.
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