The Naked Truth

Why is nakedness taboo, and what is the meaning of the naked body?

As humans began to lose their body hair and migrate to colder climates, we developed something called clothing and said goodbye to bare butts, backs and boobs. Nowadays, it’s quite rare to come across somebody parading around in their original, naked form. So what brought about this estrangement from nakedness? Of course, it makes sense to bundle up in warm jackets during harsh Chicago winters, but why aren’t we strutting around naked in the heat of summer?  

Well, clothing no longer exists for the sole purpose of keeping us warm. There’s more to a cashmere suit or a pair of floral bell-bottoms than function alone. People have taken the concepts of “clothing” and “nakedness” and weaved them into society and culture like thread through a vintage sweater. What we wear and don’t wear is now a matter of stereotypes, social norms, class, gender and religion. The dichotomy between clothing and nakedness plays an integral role in what it means to be human.

Current attitudes toward nakedness can be explained, in part, by religion. Historically, certain cultures have idealized and worshipped the naked body: The “Venus of Willendorf,” discovered in Austria in 1908, is believed to be one of the earliest religious icons dating all the way back to the Stone Age, and it’s a small limestone figure of a naked woman. Sculptures in Ancient Greece portrayed gods in a naked, human form and sought to portray perfection in the body. In India, Jainism depicts its 24 enlightened founders with images of nude men. 

Christianity, meanwhile, offers multiple, conflicting views on nakedness, which largely shape Western attitudes on nudity. The Bible says humans were created in God’s image. Yet, the same body that was created and inspired by God also signifies shame and lust. Here, and in multiple other religions, the human body is something sacred and created by deities, but it’s also the cause of suffering. 

Western beliefs about nakedness are influenced by Judaic and Middle Eastern ideas as well. In the past, these cultures frequently associated nakedness with poverty. Powerful people were often depicted wearing clothes showcasing their wealth, while prostitutes, enslaved people and other outcasts were represented naked. In contrast, the ancient Greeks associated nakedness with power, with artists portraying statesmen naked to depict their likeness to gods. This all plays into the social context of what it means to be “naked.” Clothes and jewelry are often used to symbolize wealth and power. Nakedness, however, can have multiple social connotations. While the naked body may symbolize vulnerability and poverty, it can just as easily signify power and authority. 

When we bring colonialism and interactions between different cultures into the picture, the concept of nakedness gets even more complicated. In the 1800s, Christian missionaries in the Cook Islands censored nudity in the religious artwork of the Indigenous people, cutting the phalluses off of the islanders’ sculptures of their deities. Similar occurrences of Christian censorship of nudity in Indigenous cultures have occurred around the world.  With the spread of European colonialism, a specific European colonial view on what nakedness represents took form. In this view, the “self” is clothed and civilized. The “other” is naked, wild and erotic. Due to colonialism, this Western view on nudity has spread to other cultures.

Because of the naked body’s varied meanings, whether in a single scripture or across culture, time and place, context is key to when nudity is perceived as okay and when it’s not. The body can be seen as sexual, as obscene, as beautiful — the significance of nakedness is far from fixed. 

In the context of art, a difference between “nude” and “naked” arises. Historian Kenneth Clark writes in his study, The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form, that the English language distinguishes between “naked,” which is to be defenseless and embarrassed, and “nude,” which is to be confident and assured. High art, he claims, can portray bodies as nude rather than naked. So in the context of certain artworks, to be disrobed can be noble, not shameful. 

Outside the art world, there are plenty of other spaces where nakedness is not considered sexual: a locker room, nude beach, a doctor’s office, a streaking protest (which became quite a fad in the 1970s). And with animals other than humans — we are animals, after all — a lack of clothing isn’t considered erotic. But animals are generally not considered “naked.” Nakedness is a human construct. We can use it to shame, to uplift and to categorize. So while clothes may be a human thing, nakedness is too. And while clothes may demonstrate civilization and culture and separate us from animals, it’s ultimately our bodies which make us human. Our naked, human bodies are inextricably ourselves.