Jewellery Brand's Nude Photoshoot Receives Flak: Can We Stop Sexualising Everything?

Despite writing an ancient book on human sexual behaviour titled Kamasutra, having semi-nude sculptures in places of worship, and creating a lot of erotic artworks, our society has a huge problem with nudity. What an irony, right? Quite recently, a woman’s jewellery brand posted a series of photos showcasing their new collection of haath pool.

In a series of aesthetic shots, a model can be seen holding onto her breasts while the haath pool on her hands is focused by the camera. But what did the majority of the netizens focus on? Of course, the model posing naked was in focus!

This post didn’t sit well with many netizens, who took to the comments section to call out the brand. One user told the brand not to promote "Indian jewellery with a Western mindset," while another stated that "females are more than just a body," and another claimed that "80 percent of the photos are depicting the woman’s body and hardly showing the jewellery."

Jewellery Brand Nude Photoshoot

However, the jewellery brand came up with a savage reply to the trolls. They explained how nudity doesn’t necessarily imply sexuality. "Of course, it can be provocative, but it’s also just our natural state of being. It’s just a body. In many cultures, nudity is an extremely common practise, without any sexual connotation." Further, they stated the examples of India being a country that scripted the Kamasutra, houses many semi-naked and naked sculptures in temples, and creates a lot of erotic art.

Our culture has never shied away from embracing sexuality, nudity, vulnerability, inclusivity, diversity, and bodily autonomy. Kerala has a 30-foot statue of a demigoddess named Yakshi, which was installed in Palakkad district over 50 years ago. This statue depicts a voluptuous woman sitting naked with her legs open. Her hair is let loose, and her eyes are semi-closed, unapologetically embracing her femininity, sexuality, and bodily autonomy. And yet, here we are living in 2023, sexualising everything!

This is not the first time a nude photoshoot has been called out. Last year, actor Ranveer Singh did a nude photoshoot. While the actor’s fans and other stars appreciated him for his confidence, he received severe flak from netizens and was turned into a meme template. An NGO even filed a police complaint against him for "hurting the sentiments of women."

In 2017, actor Kalki Kochlin posted a photo from her naked photoshoot and captioned it, “Halfway between shadow and light.” She hash-tagged it #loveyournakedness, telling people to be comfortable with their own bodies. While many netizens appreciated her, she did receive a fair share of hate comments as well.

Sapna Bhavnani, a famous celebrity hairstylist, posed nude for PETA's 2013 campaign, which had a message against animal cruelty. Neglectful of the ad's message that read, "Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs. Say no to fur and leather." Bhavnani posing naked turned into a controversy.

Patriarchy has ingrained in us the quality of immediately objectifying and sexualising nudity. The media, too, has contributed to reinforcing this mindset. But when are we going to stop letting patriarchy rule us?

Shouldn’t we have a mind of our own rather than adhering to the norms that society has dumped on us? Given that our culture goes way back to appreciating all forms of art, patriarchy is something that was enforced on us somewhere along the way, and it’s high time we get rid of it.

Nudity has been a form of art for many artists across cultures, including ours. Besides, doesn’t it all boil down to a person’s perspective? If we view a work of art in a sexual manner, we might get offended by it. But do we always have to objectify and sexualise naked bodies? Why can’t we take art just for what it is—a form of expression and let it be?

Suggested Reading: Kudos To Ranveer Singh For Baring It All. But Is Our Appreciation Gendered?