5 ms·

I would expect a lot of viewers to find a kind of subdued eroticism there, but of the kind which is fine and fairly safe-for-work as long as all involved partie

I would expect a lot of viewers to find a kind of subdued eroticism there, but of the kind which is fine and fairly safe-for-work as long as all involved parties consented and the photo is used in a non-erotic context. For the photographer and the model a photo like this can be sexualized too (but not necessarily). It seems silly to explicitly deny that a young, seemingly attractive topless woman sitting on the beach in nothing but a bikini bottom wouldn't illicit any sexual response in viewer's brains. Our pattern matching primate brains are essentially hard-wired to detect and respond to biologically suitable mates at a glance. A couple of millennia of civilisation doesn't change that. I would say that there is nothing remotely offensive or unsuitable in that photo, if considered by itself, instead.

enneff 2y ago
This is precisely backward. Our primate brains were accustomed to seeing nude females all the time. The mere appearance of nudity was not enough to inspire a sexual response, context plays a huge role. It’s only in recent human history that we have become so titillated by so little (starting with the Victorian era, but the hypersexualisation of nudity is really the product of the puritanical American culture and advertising practices).
prmoustache 2y ago
I don't know. This picture was taken on a beach, where people are used to see topless or barely dressed people. Out of curiosity I and my partner have been to nudist beaches and ... once all are equals it becomes a new normality and all kind of erotism from being nude disappear regardless of the attractiveness of people around you. Same when a woman gets a boob out to feed a baby. No erotic at all unless you are some creep. I believe it is more the behavior, context and baseline than the actual nudity that triggers us. For instance I wouldn't notice some moderately attractive women in very short skirts and crop top in a danceclub because the club would be full of lightly dressed women. However I would if she is the only one dressed like this in the street while most people have regular pants and a jacket and it would probably trigger something inside that wouldn't in another context. Also a male teenager might have a different view on this than most adults.
- Cthulhu_ 2y ago
  It's the weird irony of things; the more "sheltered" someone grows up, the more the sight of a boob or ankle will be seen as something outrageous. But get a lot of (real life, not porn) exposure to it and the mystery disappears.

enneff 2y ago

This is precisely backward. Our primate brains were accustomed to seeing nude females all the time. The mere appearance of nudity was not enough to inspire a sexual response, context plays a huge role. It’s only in recent human history that we have become so titillated by so little (starting with the Victorian era, but the hypersexualisation of nudity is really the product of the puritanical American culture and advertising practices).

prmoustache 2y ago

I don't know. This picture was taken on a beach, where people are used to see topless or barely dressed people. Out of curiosity I and my partner have been to nudist beaches and ... once all are equals it becomes a new normality and all kind of erotism from being nude disappear regardless of the attractiveness of people around you. Same when a woman gets a boob out to feed a baby. No erotic at all unless you are some creep. I believe it is more the behavior, context and baseline than the actual nudity that triggers us. For instance I wouldn't notice some moderately attractive women in very short skirts and crop top in a danceclub because the club would be full of lightly dressed women. However I would if she is the only one dressed like this in the street while most people have regular pants and a jacket and it would probably trigger something inside that wouldn't in another context. Also a male teenager might have a different view on this than most adults.

Cthulhu_ 2y ago
It's the weird irony of things; the more "sheltered" someone grows up, the more the sight of a boob or ankle will be seen as something outrageous. But get a lot of (real life, not porn) exposure to it and the mystery disappears.