STFU: It’s Time to Get Hard on Sexism in Film

Posted by Adam Sweeney (adam@filmschoolrejects.com) on October 2, 2008

In Kevin’s latest WTF we were informed, gasp, that a straight man is tired of seeing male nudity on-screen. It’s time to make like Paris Hilton, my boy, and suck it up.

What we are looking at here is a classic double standard. Since the beginning of film women have been subjected to “the male gaze”, an idea that the lens takes the point of view of a male. The male dominated film industry has had no problem showing women as they parade in the nude. Men everywhere were downright giddy whenever they heard Megan Fox, who you reference, was going to be nude in Diablo Cody’s upcoming Jennifer’s Body. Now substitute Justin Long for Megan. You’re not so excited anymore, right? I hate to crush your D-cup filled dreams but you’re going to have to get used to it. As more women move up the ladder, finally, in the film ranks we are more likely to see a balance on the scales of sexual nudity.

And we are not even close to it being even. You can’t honestly talk about the realm of equality with a straight face, right? You point out four films this year that show the Full Monty (which ironically enough didn’t even show it themselves), those being Sex and the City, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. How many films do you think contain female nudity? I’ll help you out there. Enough to make a list of the top 20 Best Nude Scenes of 2007, as Cinematical chose to do. Now here’s the real shocker: no man made the top twenty. You can pick your jaw up off the floor now.

Male nudity, much more so than the typical exploitation of a female, often has a sense of art to it. Watch The Dreamers and you will understand what I am talking about. I shudder at the thought of you walking by Michelangelo’s David. “ooh, his wee wee is showing,” you might say. Would the statue be nearly as revered if Michael had a fig leaf or a speedo on? Artistic license shouldn’t be compromised because you’re tired of it. No director is going to stop showing male nudity just because you waited to shower until all the other boys left the locker room after gym class. It doesn’t work that way.

When the film chooses to go the other route, using a penis shot for comedic purposes, it is often at the expense of men who aren’t comfortable to deal with “some guy’s want on a screen 20 feet tall”, as you so eloquently put it. The joke literally is on you. Or maybe we are dealing with a typical symptom of penis envy. Be honest, Kevin, we could only dream of having our members 20 feet tall on-screen. Jason Segel, who I find neither hot nor creepy, deserves a high five for having the guts to put his body out there. And you know who else deserves applause? The thousands of women in the film industry who have shown their assets at the expense of a male feeding frenzy.

What’s more astounding is how easily you assume that you speak for the female audience. ” Even the woman (because they’re all lumped into one voice, apparently) have to agree this is a bit much,” you say? Well, no, they really don’t have to agree. I am sure that there are quite a few females out there that feel a little penis action in film every once in a while as actually liberating. For them it might be refreshing to know that the meat market doesn’t just sell breasts and rump roast. And there is one more market that you forgot to consider, the gay male. I know, can you believe it, some men don’t like boobies! Just because the American government isn’t willing to give them equal rights doesn’t mean we should be so ignorant as to not consider their opinions. That leads me to my next point.

Were you wearing “Homophobia for men” when you wrote this article? The whole thing reeks of it, a sad site considering most of your writing is balanced and caters to all audiences. I know you’re not homophobic so why fall in line with those who are? How would you have reacted to Brokeback Mountain if Heath Ledger had truly shown his desire for Jake Gyllenhaal? Judging from your argument, not too well. But I bet you’d have no problem watching Philip Seymour Hoffman get his jollies off with Marisa Tomei in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. And have you seen ANY porn before? There’s more penises flying through the air than at a Queer as Folk casting call. But I guess it’s okay so long as a woman is there to be objectified.

What you’re seeing on-screen with male nudity is no different than anything you don’t see every morning when you take a shower. If you’re tired of it then consider how most women feel when they have to see the latest college co-ed strip because she accidentally spilt mustard on her cheerleading outfit in American Pie 47. It’s time to turn the tables on sexism, Kevin. We live in a country that is quickly progressing, as displayed by the race and sex of our Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates, and there is no reason to feel that shouldn’t be shown in film, even if it is something as trivial as a penis on-screen. You can always take the advice we offered to people offended by Tropic Thunder, a film most of the Rejects loved, in that if you don’t like it then turn it off. Or for God’s sake turn your head. There is no way any male full-frontal scene will last longer than a minute anyway, not in American cinema. If that doesn’t work for you then maybe we need to go Clockwork Orange on you and keep your eyes open as you watch Ewan McGregor drops his pants over and over, as he is known to do. Not to be a dick, but maybe it’s time to put on your Members Only jacket and Shut The Fleshy Winnebago Up.

Read more articles by Adam Sweeney