It's hard to miss all the nudity (or pixelated privates) on television in the past year. You have the groundbreaking Naked and Afraid on the Discovery Channel and Dating Naked, which is produced by Lighthearted Entertainment (the irony of this is so great) for VH1, amongst a long list of programs floating around in development. People get all worked up that these networks are manipulating viewers to click the show and watch by using nakedness as a kind of ploy. I scoff because television networks would never be able to convince consumers to watch their shows without a bit of gimmick. But not the tricky, conniving kind of gimmick. It's part of the business, trying to hook viewers with that one key word or image. We're a society that wants instant answers. We don't sit and read descriptions and log lines. We read the title and we judge the book. Networks are not manipulative per say, they're just smart. They know what grabs and what gets overlooked. Nakedness grabs you, whether you're comfortable admitting it or not.
Once I was hooked and watching, I developed a different view of nudity. I'd like to think it's more mature and poetic. It's not utilized in these shows to be solely that "wow-factor" that makes the format different from the next. There is something more going on. For Naked and Afraid, the nudity symbolizes and reflects the complete vulnerability the contestants must battle through. It's not just that you are stranded in the rugged outdoors with one tool and one partner, but you're without clothes. There is NOTHING keeping the bugs from intruding your nooks and crannies. Nothing to protect you from the sun, poisonous plants, or tainted water. You're susceptible to anything and everything Mother Nature can throw at you.
It's also about survival and teamwork overcoming preconceived notions and beliefs. You have to stay warm and your only chance at avoiding hypothermia (forget comfort, that doesn't exist on this show) is by snuggling up to this other naked person who is not your significant other. You have to look at the human body as a way to survive, not as a sexual object, and you have to trust your partner is doing the same. It's dehumanizing in a strangely empowering way. You're using me as an object to keep you warm, yes, but I am the reason you can still feel your fingers and with your fingers we were able to build a shelter and hunt and survive. It's also intriguing to see how people adjust their morals to survive. In the Cambodia episode, the male contestant, Tom, refused to spoon his partner, Carrie. He was committed to his wife and couldn't bend that to support his partner. On one end, you want to commend Tom for sticking to his guns, regardless of the situation he was thrown in. His beliefs are sturdy and that should be commended. Right? But then you have the flip side- why couldn't he detach from the situation? Why did he sexualize the situation? The show is so multi-layered, it's fascinating. These topics aren't laid out for the viewers to dissect. If you want to view the show for what it is, you can. But the opportunity to engage more and to question more is there, which is why I think this program has seen such success and doesn't get berated by the media for using nudity as a cheap gimmick.
Thinking more of vanity, it's also not about the physical because you don't shower, shave, or brush your teeth for 21 days. If being naked was meant to woo viewers in a sexual and provocative way, they wouldn't make it look so gross and grimy. I'm personally not turned on by men covered in dirt, smelling rotten, with cuts infested by flies and maggots. And it's really hard for me to imagine someone being like wow- that girl looks so cute with bugs in her hair and pixelated boobs. The nudity isn't there for you to gawk at.
As for Dating Naked, I haven't yet tuned in. But I can only hope the nudity provides depth instead of friskiness.
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