If you’ve ever been to a nude beach, you probably came to a swift
appreciation of what a great idea clothing is. Casual public nudity is rarely
if ever sexy, partly because very few bodies are suited to being, well,
unsuited, and partly because – trust me on this – nakedness loses its novelty rather
quickly. But several TV networks are gambling that this novelty will pay off in
an envelope-pushing trend.
Last Thursday for example, nearly coinciding with National
Nude Day (hey, I didn’t know there was one either), VH1 premiered the (un)reality
series Dating Naked, which is exactly
what the title says it is, so I suppose they can’t be accused of false
advertising. VH1 describes it loftily as a “new social experiment,” although in
this promo
stunt in downtown Los Angeles, it is described much less loftily as
“romance without pants.”
TLC recently premiered Buying
Naked, in which we follow nudists on a search for their ideal homes. Not to
be outdone, the Discovery channel presents Naked
& Afraid, a series which at least offers a more intriguing title. In
it, daring participants are sent to an island to survive with no food, no water
and – inexplicably – no clothes.
What’s behind this? An obvious ratings grab, of course – sex
sells, and if not sex, then nudity. Ryan McCormick, former TV producer and
media relations specialist, says
“I think that the idea of nudity being accepted on a mainstream level… could be
a reflection of Americans’ voracious appetite for [sexual content].” After all,
he says, “We are the most porn-viewing nation in the entire world.” Of course, nudity
and sexiness aren’t necessarily the same thing, as viewers are going to find
out, and I don’t think the idea of nudity has
been accepted in the mainstream, otherwise such shows wouldn’t be generating
the attention they are.
Naturally, the producers behind these series insist that the
shows aren’t about just being naked. Executive Producer Mike Kane says that Buying Naked is meant to expose viewers,
so to speak, to the nudist lifestyle. “What TLC always does so well, is look at
a certain lifestyle that people aren’t as familiar with, and at the end of the
day, when you see the [people] that we focus on—we are taking an honest look.
We’re not doing it to be salacious,” he said, apparently with a straight face.
Naked & Afraid
producers also pretend that the nudity isn’t supposed to be racy. “We never
meant for this to be an exploitative show,” claims executive producer David
Garfinkle. “This is a family show.” I’ll pause while you catch your breath from
guffawing over that one.
Predictably, VH1 also said there is more to Dating Naked than just the skin. “When
you actually watch the show,” said a network representative, “you will get to
see that it’s a lot more about connecting with people than it is about the
nudity.” No, I’m pretty sure it’s about the nudity.
McCormick actually believes that such fare can have a
beneficial social effect: “These shows could make people more comfortable in
their own bodies. On TV we are constantly bombarded with advertising showing us
how inadequate we are… these types of shows could actually be a welcome
refreshment,” he said. “If people watch this and they are more accepting of
their bodies, then great.” Nice try, but I think the last thing anyone with
body issues needs is for our sex-soaked culture to ratchet up its obsession
with naked bodies.
Not that there is much forbidden flesh in these programs. After
all, they can’t run with the Full Monty; they still have to meet broadcast
standards, so there is more pixilation
than titillation. For anything more
explicit, people will have to click over to Game
of Thrones.
(This article originally appeared here on Acculturated, 7/25)
