The Context of Nudity
One reason this is so important whenever we consider this aspect of film.
I remember watching Crocodile Dundee (1986) when I was about 7 or 8 (“That ain’t no knife.” is still such a great line). I know there were portions of the movie my parents censored and one of them involved an immodest swimsuit the main female wore at some point in the film. Compared to beaches today, as well as movies, I’m sure this scene would be fairly modest. That said, here I am today, almost 4 decades later, and I still remember it.
Nudity - whether mild or explicit - isn’t something to take lightly.
One of the first questions Christians must consider when discussing nudity is this: What is the context? For example, are we talking about the nudity depicted in Schindler’s List, which has no intent of evoking arousal and involves a certain amount of historicity, or, are we talking about some slasher-horror film, which shoehorns nudity into the story without a care for the overall narrative?
Context is always vital, but I’m not simply talking about the context of a certain movie. I’m talking about the context of the movie-goer. The context of the person sitting and watching the movie.
Once I was having a discussion related to the topic of nudity in movies and an acquaintance of mine said it basically made no impact on him. He works in the medical field and says he sees nudity all the time and views the human body in a different way than I do. Therefore, he assured me that nudity in movies leaves him unfazed.
While I understand what he’s saying and, somewhat, agree with him, I also come back to the earlier context I mentioned. Medical examinations of nude individuals aren’t presented in a context to arouse. Theatrical presentations that involve nudity are often (not always) designed to evoke arousal, which makes it difficult for me to believe that an individual is immune to this temptation.
At the same time, each human being comes from a context that includes a mixture of circumstances from their upbringing, which shapes the way they interpret everything they experience in life - movies, music, comments, friendships, tastes in food, religion, etc. We are shaped through the numerous providences of life, and each of those serve a purpose in shaping who we are today. For the sake of this discussion, it shapes the way we view nudity in movies.
While this is true, we all share a context we must keep in mind and that is the context of the fallen heart. The cultures and families of humanity are vast, but the fallen nature of mankind levels the playing field. There is much more that I plan to say about nudity, but let’s begin this conversation with acknowledging its complexity.
And while there will be more complexities to consider, let’s also acknowledge that our sinful nature can probably provide some clarity on what is and isn’t acceptable.