Fighting Against Female Body Issues

There are many other elements to the topic of female nudity, beyond the scope of body issues, for example all the unhealthy and dangerous mindsets that trying to "control" nudity conjure up.

I was raised in a very conservative manner, mostly because my Dad is of a conservative disposition. My mum's different in the sense that we often discuss matters that I wouldn't dream of discussing with my Dad (regarding sex/nudity etc) but mostly we adhere to Dad's ideals of "respectability" because shit is just awkward otherwise.

I have always resented the fact that my Dad can't just look at me and accept me as I am, rather he looks at me and examines the way I'm dressed (even if I am fully covered), I can see his eyes scanning me and it's so god damn uncomfortable. I know he's a product of the society he was raised in so I don't tend to fault him too much for making myself and my sisters feel awkward, but the hypersexualising of the female body is disturbing to say the least. The fact I can't even feel comfortable in my own home is a testament to that. People can harp on about western society and "over sexualising" young girls, which I often agree with, but the uber-conservative attitudes to nudity and sexuality are just as damaging and degrading. Expecting young girls to "cover up" and hide any part of them that makes them look remotely female is a real problem. It's this judgemental attitude that fosters such an obsession with nudity, making girls feel insecure or ashamed of their bodies and making boys think that every square inch of the female body exists solely for their pleasure. It's this attitude from which horrific crimes such as FGM stem, and nobody bats an eyelid because in those cultures people are taught that "this is how women should be/dress/behave". It's this attitude that harbours such an obsession with virginity to the extent that virgin females are trafficked around the world because women are seen as little more than a hymen ready to be torn apart.
The hysteria surrounding female nudity usually is about controlling women and putting them "in their place" to ensure that the fragile foundation of the masculinity crisis doesn't come crumbling down. All of this is just more reason to alter our approaches to nudity because currently the taboo of nudity makes being female almost a damnation.

programming.. can't get away from it in any way.. over-sexualizing.. de-sexualizing.. wanting girls and young women to feel ashamed because of the over-sexualizing...people over-sexualizing themselves...toddlers being sexualized.. being made to be overly conscious of ones own sexuality because others sexualize you and then those who will be trying to protect you because they know you will be looked upon primarily sexually only it leaves you feeling degraded...sexually... de-sexualisation of those who are not deemed sexually unworthy.. the elderly.. those deemed 'unattractive'.. those who are deemed sexually 'attractive' degraded due to their attractive sexuality... nudity being promoted even though it crosses healthy boundaries... nudity minus emotional attachment all over the place.. degradation.. at the same time shaming of the human body outside of photoshop.. perfection.. botox.. plastic surgery.. eating disorders.. steroids.. public beaches in Europe.. bath houses in Turkey.. Parental Guidance 13..Rated R..XXX.. real intimacy excluded/embarrassing...embarrassing... cover-up.. let it all hang out....sex kills...sex creates life...sexually transmitted diseases... newborn babes.. death...life... we are screwed.. pun intended.

I've actually come up against this whole issue recently.

I've been feeling my age (mid 30s). I noticed a couple of years back that I was getting less male attention, and that there were more younger and attractive women around. Although, I'm married with children, it is always pleasing to know that there are admirers.

At first, I fought against it. I tried to compete with the younger women. Then one day, I woke up and decided that I might as well accept the inevitable.

I've been so much happier since I've done that. Suddenly there is no pressure to look good, and the knock on effect is that my body confidence has increased. I can go swimming without worrying who may or may not be offended by my wobbly bits. I can chat with men without worrying that there may be an agenda. It has really been very liberating.

And I feel that I have become a nicer person because of it.

Yes, the pressure on women needs to be addressed but I do not feel that "letting it all hang out" is the answer. I've saw my mother naked as a child. It really wasn't pretty and it didn't make me feel that my body was normal. I still succumbed to wanting to look like the girls in Cosmo and More magazines, and later the internet.

Every kid thinks their parents are freaks, whether they are naked or not, and it is very rare for a child to want to be like their parents.

I think the best thing of the modern age is that people are aware of photo shopping. I remember scrutinising photos in magazines and wondering why my skin never looked like the girls in the photos. I did not know that there was such a thing as air brushing. I just felt inferior. And I remember scrubbing my skin until it was raw, in an attempt for a flawless complexion.

I think that as long as girls keep hearing the message that pretty much everything they see in magazines and on the internet is fake, then we are making steps in the right direction.