"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." - Genesis 2:24-25
Reflecting on various bits of recent hullabaloo, I can't help but notice that a lot of it is directly related to nudity. "When is it socially acceptable? How close to naked can I be public? Who are you to look down on me?" There's a bit of a theme. I want to start off with a few examples, do a root analysis, then leave you with some thoughts before settling down for a nap:
In the pursuit of...
One news story that caught my eye some weeks back was over gender inequality. The charge was that America's decency laws are sexist. "Since men can walk around topless, women should be able to as well," say the defenders of women's rights. And sure, there's some manner of logic to that. However, what should strike you as odd is that there's no big push for the opposite solution, simply having men cover up as well. Does that not solve the gender equality issue? It does, but nobody's making the case for it. Maybe it's because gender equality isn't the real issue.
Moving right along, something that's grown and seen increasingly heightened attention since it's 2011 conception is the SlutWalk (coming to a progressive city near you). This is a multinational event in which (mostly) women dress in their finest clear heels and lingerie as they march down the street denouncing "slut shaming." The big idea here is that women should be able to wear what they want (if they want), when they want, and not have to worry about attracting the "wrong" kind of attention (cat calls from men, condemnation from other women, etc). Now, as someone who knows many women who have been sexually abused and many men who struggle with pornography, I agree 100% that our culture needs massive reforms in how women are viewed. No argument there. Don't get me wrong. However, much like the previous topic, I think there's more going on here.
Speaking of massive reform, did you catch the news about Playboy? They've officially announced that they will no longer be publishing pictures of nude women (I know, right?). While Playboy didn't invent porn, they are almost single-handedly responsible for making it mainstream. The irony is that they have been so successful in making nudity a norm that it's now (drum roll, please) a norm. In a culture where thousands of women take naked selfies and share them publicly on the interwebs daily, there's simply no market for it anymore. The cultural stigma that once made seeing a woman's bare form a rare, guarded treasure is largely gone.
We live in a world that's longing to be naked without shame.
In the beginning...
Way back when, God created the heavens and the earth. Then he created the first man. The man wasn't meant to be alone, so God created the first woman. She was, as one of my favorite pastors once said, "beautiful, sinless, and naked - the same kind of woman every guy ever since has been searching for" (Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission). In other words, we were meant to be naked. We were meant to be naked, because we were meant to be sinless. It wasn't until after the Fall that clothes became a thing. Having let sin into the world, that complete, innocent transparency we so freely enjoyed was no more. Everything changed. Nakedness became shameful. Adam and Eve sewed some leaves together, starting the very first fashion trend. God came down, did them one better, and invented fur coats (sorry, PETA). Clothes became, and remain, a constant reminder of our fallen state.
"Nude women are only Art
if there’s an urn in it,
or a plinth.” - Fred Colon
Throughout the years, many cultures have sought to reclaim what we once had. Nudity has been a central piece to many cult and religious practices, as well as the arts. A great example of both is ancient Greece. In this regard, the modern trend in our culture is nothing new. It's part of the ebb and flow of history. Clothing is also optional (if existent) in most versions of a future utopia. It would seem there is an innate understanding that this is the way it should be.
Like all desires, nudity without inhibition stems from something quite Godly: Open, unhindered relationship. The kind of relationship that the three persons of the trinity share with each other. This is only possible when there is nothing to hide. There is no fear of judgment or rejection or hurt; there is perfect trust, made possible by perfect love. Nakedness is the ultimate vulnerability. There is great freedom, but it also leaves you open to great hurt. There was no hurt before sin, thus it could be enjoyed without fear. Now it comes at great risk. This risk is exactly what our culture attempts to combat through things like the SlutWalk. Ultimately, it's a human attempt to regain what was once lost. However, the problem is that human effort alone can never accomplish this. Since nakedness without shame was a gift from God, only God can give it back. The good news is that this is exactly what he does!
Restoration. Glorious, naked restoration.
Since humanity's great fall, God has been working to slowly give us back all that was lost. At the end of the day, this is all accomplished through Jesus, who's sacrificial death pays the just price of our cosmic treason. One of the ways in which this restoration gets lived out is through marriage. God gave us marriage as a small glimpse of what truly open, unhindered relationship looks like. Through marriage, nakedness without shame can be experienced once again. Now, that doesn't mean that everything is immediately, magically perfect the instant we say "I do." We are still fallen people in a world full of hurts and difficulties. There is work to be done if we are to fully enjoy the gift God has given us. However, it is a gift nonetheless, and one we can fully enjoy here and now through the covenantal relationship that is holy matrimony.
Thank you, God, that we can be naked without shame!