Last Friday, sometime during the playoffs’ final between the Warriors and the Cavaliers, Amber Rose dropped a picture online. I will admit I was so into the game that although I saw some tweets with her name in them I didn’t actually see the picture until the next day. My reaction when I saw it was, “She looks good.” I shrugged it off and kept on with my day.
Two days later I am still seeing posts about this ONE picture. This one picture of a nude woman. That’s it. She’s nude. Naked. That’s what has people so upset.
While most feminists are applauding Amber’s boldness in posting her own nudes, many people feel that by exposing her body she is demeaning herself. I have even seen a few tweets attacking feminism stating that women exposing their bodies is not empowering.
There is a pattern in our culture that whenever a woman dares to control her body, her sexuality, there is a backlash. She is declared to be lacking in class, unworthy, less than, and any woman like her is looked down upon.
Meanwhile, the fact that one woman’s naked body has caused such an outcry shows just how powerful the female form is. Nude women have been captured in artwork for centuries. It is funny that a “painting” of a nude woman is considered to be art, yet somehow this “photo” of a nude woman has caused such controversy hundreds of years later.
Every person alive has seen a naked woman, yet somehow one naked photo of a woman can upset people. Why? Even toddlers are able to understand when a woman is naked and not make a big deal about it. Yet, here we are, outraged that a woman posted herself naked.
Amber Rose posted her nude photo. If you like it, cool. If you don’t, cool. Her photo does not make her less than any other woman. She is not less worthy of respect because she’s naked. She’s just a woman who happens to be very comfortable with her body. Hopefully, at some point in our society we will get to the point that a naked woman won’t cause such an uproar.
Amber’s decision to post her picture is exactly what feminism is about…choice. She can choose what she wants to do with her body. That does not mean that anyone gets to disrespect her for it. That’s the empowering part. She’s in control.
And if you are wondering about the painting on this post it’s “L’Origine du monde” (“The Origin of the World”) by French artist Gustave Courbet done in 1866.
~Kai
