A mythical millennium ago a young woman named Eve took a bite from an apple and set the rusty wheels of moral evolution into motion. Regardless of what one believes in regards to the biblical story, we have all been influenced by certain implications inherent within the myth. It is here that the ideas of nakedness and sexual sinfulness first seem to join hands, and during their walk together through the centuries certain crusaders for the concepts of order and absolutisms have solidified this union in the minds of Americans and in the name of decency. But how decent is the idea of indecency? In this crusade to convince us all that nakedness is synonymous with sex and sin, the religious right are becoming bedfellows with the pornographers of today, leaving the rest of us to ping pong between our own desire and self loathing. Has the need to convince people that this sinfulness exists become more important than the role of helping to deliver us from evil? And, if so, can we use art to deliver our selves? Genesis states that the very first consequence of Eve biting into the evil apple is that "they recognize their nakedness and are ashamed." Thus, as our spiritual predecessors adorn themselves with fig leaves, a legacy of shame and loathing for the naked body rises out of the pages of this most influential and misused book, and permeates the delicate social idealism of western civilization. Though the hemlines and necklines of indecency have been decreasing in modern society this doctrine of naked shame still persists as a powerful social and political force. The most prominent display of this force is the recent censorship of nude work in the art world. We have all heard the stories of the art show being forced to close or certain pieces being taken down or the extensive harassment of the artist; some in the form of year long federal investigations which destroy an artists work and damage his/her reputation, leaving only a fleeting, lame excuse as they tiptoe back across their path of destruction. But why all this attention on the art world when pornography runs rampant at our magazine stands and video stores? These same opponents of art claim to be offended by pornography yet they do nothing but bellyache about porn where they take serious action when it comes to art. There are the standard arguments that art is supposedly a public forum, but we all know that It is far more likely that a eight year old child has seen a Hustler magazine than any of the many works of Robert Mapplethorpe, and can more easily obtain a copy of Playboy than find and enter an art museum displaying illicit art. Something more is going on here, something deeper, something which makes the acceptance of nakedness in art more threatening to the religious right than the illicit offensiveness of pornography itself. So, why is the acceptance of nakedness in art so threatening to some people? As a life art model, I have had a lot of time to think about this issue. While sitting in the same position for sometimes up to 45 minutes I need to escape from my conscious body. My numb leg and tired aching shoulder take me deep into contemplative thought. As I sit naked and posed upon the artists' petal stool I grapple with the guilt of not feeling guilty about what I do. I am a nude model, not only for artists but also for photographers. I am also a feminist and a spiritualist. Some people don't understand how I can justify these things. I never felt a need to learn to juggle. I am as comfortable with my naked body as I am with my feminist ideas and my religious beliefs. And, in fact, have come to believe that the exposure of the naked body through art is the only way to free this country from the gripping rein of pornography. The problem with pornography is not that it exists, the problem is that it only exists. It is the only forum in which the naked body is prominently displayed. Its sole implication is that the naked body (and in particular, the female naked body) exists only as a sexual object. The naked body is, at times, a sexual object, but at other times it is other things. In this country, it seem that the only time when it is acceptable to be naked around another person is when engaging in a sexual act. However, our European counterparts realize public bathing, sunbathing and swimming as acceptable times to be naked. Ancient Greeks performed nearly all sports activities in the nude. Furthermore, parts of the body which now require covering because of their illicit sexual connotations, are denied the respect of their other purposes. The breasts are not merely erotic zones but more importantly perform the precious act of providing milk for newborn babes as well as providing comfort for others. The term "in the bosom of" is synonymous with the idea of providing comfort. The female vagina is not only where the sex act takes place but is also the place where the powerful and hideously beautiful act of giving birth takes place. These are area of the body which should be revered with respect and awe, not relegated to being covered in shame and disgust. Most challenging to the idea of nakedness and necessary sex is that of the body as art object; seeing the body as beautiful in it simple naked form, admiringly the figure as form like a beautiful flower. By portraying the body as object of beauty and art we dilute the idea of body as sex object and therefore weaken the grip of pornography. We need to provide for people, and particularly for children, beautiful healthy images of the naked body in order to provide them with the ammunition needed to reject the idea of pornography. That first image of the naked body is very important to a child and the association which they make pertaining to that naked body is something that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Which do you remember more vividly - your first trip to a museum or the first time you saw a porn magazine. I clearly remember my fascination with the naked body the first time I saw a Playboy magazine. Even though it was the human form that intrigued me, the obvious association with sexual explicitness made me feel as if I was bad for wanting to see more of that body. I would much rather have my child experience the naked body in a place of respect like a museum or gallery with me by his/her side than in a crowded bathroom stall with other anxious youths sweating over one precious issue of Oui. If we can associate the human figure with beauty rather than sex, pornography will seem less interesting to our youth and perhaps not interesting at all. So why are the religious right fighting against the only true enemy of pornography? Because pornography does not truly offend these people, in fact it aids there cause and fuels their fire. The more repulsive the pornographic scenario, the more powerful the religious fervor. Pornography supports and proves their idea that the naked body must promote sinful sexual promiscuity. Sexual desire is the most powerful of human desires and thus it is important that the religious right maintain a sense of guilt in association with this desire. If we begin to accept the natural beauty of our own naked bodies we might begin to get the idea that our sexual desire are natural and thus acceptable as well. This would cause a need for a complete overhaul of religious principles. Weather one professes to be religious or not the negative influence of conservative religious idealism has so permeated our society and seep into our consciousnesses that we can hardly help feeling a subconscious sense of shame towards our own naked bodies. However if we examine the biblical story more closely we realize that the sin was not in being naked but in feeling naked. The sin was in losing our simple acceptance of the naked body as a natural state of being; neutral of moral, or any other, connotation. Art is a forum which treats the naked body as it would the sky, the land, the rocks or the ocean; a natural object beautiful in its creation, simple in it existence and completely innocent in its nakedness; an object devoid of judgment. It is the only forum in which we can observe the naked form without realizing its nakedness. Thus, it is only through the exposure of art that we can begin to migrate back to a time of innocents in regard to the naked acceptance of our body. Only through art can we find our way back to Eden.
