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Naked Attraction - Is this the beginning of naked awareness?

Planted into the cold floor, entombed in a four sided box with two other boxes to your right and three other boxes to your left. The neon filtered light pierces through the translucent box as you peer down at nothing but your naked body. You look up and can see pixelated figures and hear muffled voices approaching the room you are in and you start to wonder was the money really worth this humiliation.

No, I did not appear on Channel 4’s new controversially acclaimed TV program; however that is how I imagine it was prepared. The show claims to be promoting body acceptance and an innovative approach to dating, which, I really don’t think 18 year old students have that much of a problem with, surely. Never the less, the show has created an immediate uproar over social media and news platforms as yes, this is the 21st century but is this, what the 21st century now accepts? Exposure to full frontal naked bodies with the ease of a click of a button, without the shame of deleting your browse history at 3am in the morning or hiding in secrecy to view your partners nudes in the office.

I’m pretty sure if this program became globally aware, there would be a herd of Catholics angrily congregating one screen shouting abuse at the television “These stupid, disrespectful Englishmen shaming our world”. Is it only England that could so casually pull this off? Regardless, the more naked bodies we are exposed to on a Monday night surprisingly makes it more normal to see. As a society, we are instinctively programmed to shy away from any visible skin that deters from the norm, but why is this? Adam and Eve were brought into the world in their natural form, so why didn’t that trend pursue? Despite the fact nipple erections would be poking many eyes out and as humans we would probably die of hypothermia, but what I am leading to, is why do we view “naked” as a disrespectful and shameful concept? I, myself enjoy being naked in any moment I can be and I feel being comfortable in your ‘natural form’ is such an important boost of self-esteem. It seems ridiculous to assume that bodies are a rare form of sexual desire, when we all own one. Every single one of us. Why are we so ashamed to hide what’s underneath layers of clothing? Because no one has ever made it acceptable.

Is this the start of naked awareness?

I don’t want to front as if I wasn’t shocked at the exhibition of penises on my screen but having had time for it to resonate; I think it was a bold and courageous move from Channel 4. Perhaps I don’t particularly agree with the fore frontal concept of finding a perfect match by judging another’s body, but looking deeper than that, it is more so an opportunity for the public to see a variety of body shapes and place them all as normal. I even found myself feeling uplifted after last night’s episode when a girl with smaller boobs than I (yes, everything is possible), was actually left to the final 3 and was praised on her boobs from the chooser. I know, it is no means an opportunity to compare yourself to these bodies but it’s hard not to do so when they’re standing right there, open and ready to view.

So, no I don’t condone that this is a tactical or open-minded way to find a perfect match as yes, it is essentially shallow as the chooser is only approached by the bodies voices/personality in the third round. Plus, I can’t speak on behalf of everyone, but personally someone’s body is at the bottom of my list of things to vet when looking for a partner (she says). But then again, it is certainly an interesting and promotional way to capture an audience’s attention. Big applauds to Channel 4 for never failing to shock the British public.

I say, more nudity because more nudity will eventually desensitise the sexual appeal and this will gradually allow society to accept the naked form as a normal and beautiful prospect of one’s façade.

Naked Attractions: Channel 4, Mondays 10pm