In this Issue - Purchase College

By Loren Jakobov
Staff Writer
St a r t a Na k e d Re vo l u t i o n
When you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror without clothes on, do you
see a sexual-being staring back at you, or just yourself, a little bit more honest and
revealed?
The images that typically come to mind when one thinks of nudity in our current
day and age is the oversexed, glamorous image we have collectively brought
upon it as a society. The market of porn videos, Playboy magazines, sex stores, and
underdressed young teenage icons has introduced a certain glamour to accompany
the taboo that nudity has long walked with hand-in-hand. Yet, we look at ourselves
naked in the mirror and the view, let’s be honest, isn’t always that great. We often
tend to see the little imperfections that we shamefully hide from others. Regardless of
whether what we see is real or merely imagined, many perceive it as a constant reality.
The shame of being seen naked is something that has been learned throughout time,
and through its conception has brought about the all-consuming mystification of sex,
the act, and most of all, the human body.
The story of the alleged first human beings, Adam and Eve, offers an example of
that shame. After their transgression against God, they gained knowledge of sin, and
with it they began to feel shame. Being ashamed of their nakedness, they covered it
with fig leaves. Since Adam and Eve had no concept of what nudity was before hand,
how did they suddenly become so aware of their physical selves as being publicly
nude? What did they suddenly see in themselves that had not been there before?
Although nudity was not the original sin, some interpret it as being so, maybe offering
an explanation as to why it has become a taboo.
Clothes have come to represent much more than merely covering up of our
nakedness. We wear clothes to express an extension of our personalities, to represent
a sense of belonging within society. In a sense, why do we really feel the inhibiting
need to cover up? What would nudity come to mean if we chose to walk the streets in
our birthday suits? Would we still be staring up at billboards that dictate what beauty
should look like, or would we just accept it for what it is?
This type of demystification of the body is something many have struggled to
understand, including myself. The first time I picked up the Naked Issue, I was really
unsure about what I was about to find hiding in the depths of the recycled brown paper
bag. The bag itself that did not reveal much information, suggested I had a reason to
suspect something. I slipped my hand in and struggled for quite some time to let out
the shocking truth, ‘The Naked Issue.” I was really quite confused. At first glance the
issue seemed to suggest to me that Purchase was filled with immature, irresponsible
children who couldn’t keep their clothes on. Uncomfortable by this prospect, I looked
away. Several pages into the paper, I realized I began to recognize some faces. I
thought that I would never want to see some of these people naked. But then I realized
what I was missing. To some, posing naked is really just about the pose, while others
may be trying to send a message. One might wonder, if you’re not showing off your
beautiful bod,’ then what are you doing posing naked? It’s pretty open minded to be
able to understand that nudity isn’t a sexual state, rather it’s merely who we are as
physical beings, and that all the fears that we attach to nudity reveal our true fears
as a society, of ourselves, and the issues surrounding sex that we confront on a daily
basis. Allowing yourself to set aside those fears--the same ones you harbor every
time you see your naked reflection in the mirror--takes a lot of courage and depth.
Let’s face it, we all sometimes feel insecure about the way we look underneath all
those layers, but maybe it’s time we let it go.
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12 NAKED
“You’re a bit short for a storm trooper” Princess Leah That’s What She Said * “Point that thing someplace else” Han Solo That’s
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