What’s Wrong with the (White) Female Nude?
In “What’s Wrong with the (Female) Nude?” A. W. Eaton argues that the female nude in Western art promotes sexually objectifying, heteronormative erotic taste, and thereby has insidious effects on gender equality. In this response, I reject the claim that sexual objectification is a phenomenon that c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Institute of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University
2016-06-01
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| Series: | The Polish Journal of Aesthetics |
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| Online Access: | https://pjaesthetics.uj.edu.pl/documents/138618288/138826957/eik_41_4.pdf/aab1ceb2-c6d3-4692-ad30-cb220fbb2da2 |
| _version_ | 1819241726504599552 |
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| author | Zoey Lavallee |
| author_facet | Zoey Lavallee |
| author_sort | Zoey Lavallee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In “What’s Wrong with the (Female) Nude?” A. W. Eaton argues that the female nude in Western art promotes sexually objectifying, heteronormative erotic taste, and thereby has insidious effects on gender equality. In this response, I reject the claim that sexual objectification is a phenomenon that can be generalized across the experiences of all women. In particular, I argue that Eaton’s thesis is based on the experiences of women who are white, and does not pay adequate attention to the lives of nonwhite women. This act of exclusion undermines the generality of Eaton’s thesis, and exposes a more general bias in discussions of female representations in art. Different kinds of bodies have been subjected to different kinds of objectifying construal, and the ethics of nudity in art must be extended to take such variation into account. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T14:28:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4e492eb0be3a4ca790505ec034777af2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2544-8242 2544-8242 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T14:28:29Z |
| publishDate | 2016-06-01 |
| publisher | Institute of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Polish Journal of Aesthetics |
| spelling | doaj.art-4e492eb0be3a4ca790505ec034777af22022-12-21T17:43:34ZdeuInstitute of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian UniversityThe Polish Journal of Aesthetics2544-82422544-82422016-06-01412/2016779710.19205/41.16.4What’s Wrong with the (White) Female Nude?Zoey Lavallee0The City University of New YorkIn “What’s Wrong with the (Female) Nude?” A. W. Eaton argues that the female nude in Western art promotes sexually objectifying, heteronormative erotic taste, and thereby has insidious effects on gender equality. In this response, I reject the claim that sexual objectification is a phenomenon that can be generalized across the experiences of all women. In particular, I argue that Eaton’s thesis is based on the experiences of women who are white, and does not pay adequate attention to the lives of nonwhite women. This act of exclusion undermines the generality of Eaton’s thesis, and exposes a more general bias in discussions of female representations in art. Different kinds of bodies have been subjected to different kinds of objectifying construal, and the ethics of nudity in art must be extended to take such variation into account.https://pjaesthetics.uj.edu.pl/documents/138618288/138826957/eik_41_4.pdf/aab1ceb2-c6d3-4692-ad30-cb220fbb2da2female nudeart historycontemporary artsexual objectificationbiasnudityracewhiteness |
| spellingShingle | Zoey Lavallee What’s Wrong with the (White) Female Nude? The Polish Journal of Aesthetics female nude art history contemporary art sexual objectification bias nudity race whiteness |
| title | What’s Wrong with the (White) Female Nude? |
| title_full | What’s Wrong with the (White) Female Nude? |
| title_fullStr | What’s Wrong with the (White) Female Nude? |
| title_full_unstemmed | What’s Wrong with the (White) Female Nude? |
| title_short | What’s Wrong with the (White) Female Nude? |
| title_sort | what s wrong with the white female nude |
| topic | female nude art history contemporary art sexual objectification bias nudity race whiteness |
| url | https://pjaesthetics.uj.edu.pl/documents/138618288/138826957/eik_41_4.pdf/aab1ceb2-c6d3-4692-ad30-cb220fbb2da2 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zoeylavallee whatswrongwiththewhitefemalenude |