T.V. is using nudity to increase hype and shock value, Maeve Dunigan writes.
A few weeks ago, I found myself in front of my computer screen, re-watching yet another episode of The Office and contemplating whether I was using my time constructively. I needed to watch something new.
For the first time in more than a month, I picked up the remote control and decided to tune into whatever program looked interesting. In a new era of reality TV, game shows and dating shows, all of them had one common theme: nudity.
Dating Naked, Naked and Afraid and Buying Naked were the compelling standouts. Naked and Afraid is the oldest of the bunch, premiering on Discovery Channel in June 2013. TLC’s Buying Naked, another bluntly-titled hit, premiered November 2013 but was mostly released throughout June and July of 2014. The baby of the group, Dating Naked, premiered this summer on VH1.
My television choices came down to a Full House rerun or an episode of Dating Naked. I weighed my options. After a short moment of contemplation, I began an episode of Dating Naked.
History has made obvious that nudity sells. However, with these new programs, the nudity is very rarely portrayed in a sexual way, but is geared toward a simple shock value. The networks broadcasting these shows are pushing the envelope and may be redefining the limits of what is suitable for TV.
At first, this dating show didn’t seem drastically different from other shows of its genre. In one particular episode, contestants Joe and Wee Wee express sentiments not unlike those expressed on every other dating show on television. Joe, a 24-year-old Long Island resident, is tired of being seen as a “tough guy” and wants “a dog, some kids, everything.” Wee Wee, a 36-year-old from Nashville, admits that she has no idea why she’s single. The show continues as any other dating show would, but the contestants must go on their dates completely nude.
The encounter is just as awkward as one would imagine. However, as a viewer, I found myself distracted not by the nudity (which, of course, is hidden by a blur effect), but by the compelling tattoos, which decorated the contestants’ bodies. One of my favorites was “Live Love Death,” which was tattooed in cursive across Joe’s torso. I briefly wondered how long it took Joe to come up with that gem.
Buying Naked is a reality show that revolves around a real estate agent who sells houses to nudists. That’s it. In most cases, the buyers’ nakedness has a very small effect on their decision. Private body parts are rarely blurred. Instead, the camera crew does a remarkable job of catching the bodies at just the right time, behind furniture that’s just the right shape and size. It’s quite a spectacle.
Naked and Afraid is similar to Buying Naked in that the nakedness isn’t always the biggest factor and doesn’t have a huge impact on the contestants themselves. In Naked and Afraid, two survivalists must spend 21 days in unforgiving settings such as the forests of Panama, Namibia and Malaysia. Usually, the survivalist starring in an episode are much more concerned with the snake about to attack or the lack of food and water than the fact that they happen to be naked.
Other networks have already made note of the naked trend and have thought up even more ways to twist the idea. Game Show Network premiered its newest show, Skin Wars, on Aug. 6. In the show, artists compete to see who can do the best body art on their nude models. Skin Wars seems to be GSN’s version of Syfy’s hit Face Off, which also involves makeup artists competing for a grand prize.
Maybe one day I’ll turn on the television and find Naked Stockbroking, Truck Driving Naked or The Naked Orthodontist. The possibilities are truly endless.
