Imagine being offended by these gorgeous Ludovic Florent photographs?

As part of a really poorly thought-out harassment campaign I’ve been having nearly every professional photo I’ve published on Facebook since 2007 reported by a small group of people for nudity. I don’t know who they are, nor do I really care who they are. However, I think that the Facebook policies on nudity being brought to light are incredibly poignant and that is why I am going to share with you some of these beautiful photos, how I feel about the way we consider nudity in American culture, and how the policies Facebook and popular places like it upholds are actually quite detrimental.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot today. How people become embittered when they see a woman famous simply for being beautiful, yet we rarely strive to see them be anything else. The idea of a woman controlling that beauty and manipulating it in a way that puts her on top really enrages people. Nudity enrages people.

Is the nudity inherently pornographic?

Or are you legitimately a pervert?

Think about Kim Kardashian in her recent Paper Magazine shoot. Or Nicki Minaj in just about everything she does. No one is forcing you to look at their butts, nor are they forcing you to talk about it. Nicki and Kim are just doing what they get paid to do. Because by whatever cocktail of working-out, luck, genetics, and maybe even plastic surgery Nicki and Kim have achieved forms we’re taught as women to envy and we’re taught as men to desire fervently.

One violates Facebook policy. The other doesn’t.

Why?

We shouldn’t shame a girl who works within a broken system and shows us why it’s broken. Because at the end of the day we’re still judging female supreme court justices by the way that they look, we’re still sharing memes about how a hot actress was actually smart, and then throwing stones at the women who know they look good but don’t have to do anything else beyond that.

So let the trolls report nudity on things that aren’t lewd. Let people be mad at the female form, or the male form, and pretend that we’re born with clothes on because for some reason they think that it’s funny, inconvenient, offensive, provocative, or whatever. But don’t allow them to have us censor something as beautiful as sensual art, something as empowering as individuals in control of their bodies.

One violates Facebook’s policy. The other doesn’t.

At least I know you’ve just read some good food for thought.

When I think about the people who make these kinds of rules I imagine it must be hard to see a photo of a naked woman and feel the urge to masturbate ferociously, every time. It must also be very confusing for them to see a woman in control of her body and not displaying it for the sake of pornography. Or a man displaying his body not for comedy, but for beauty. Maybe for the sake of pure art, or maybe for pure profit. What does it feel like to be intrigued and then to be abashed by your own intrigue?

These photos aren’t cartoons and characters created for your sole amusement and pleasure. These are people who feel empowered and comfortable enough in their bodies to share it. These are people who admire the human form, and who want to express themselves in the skin they were born into. I feel horrible for those who have married nudity to pornography. They’re stuck in the past while time is moving the rest of us right along.

How is this any more obscene than body paint?

It’s not.

Lastly, arguing that we should ban nudity because there are children present is invalid. Especially 13+. Teens and Children should see nudity, and all different kinds of nude people. Particularly in nonpornographic and healthy presentation.

“It’s an ass! It’s been around for centuries!”

“Dogs aren’t this fixated on it! Why are we treating it like an art exhibition?!”

Discomfort with nudity is really harming this culture. It’s holding us back and allowing us to only see a small scope into how wonderful embracing our shapes can be. If we shame the beautiful people for being naked, what is that doing to the rest of us who are just average and trying to feel good in our skin? What is that saying to the girl and boy who have a changing body, or the people who are going to have their photos leaked and oogled? Nudity is an inescapable reality. Let’s accept it and stop shunning people who do embrace it. Then maybe we can focus on the things that make us truly special.