Why is nudity still taboo in 2020?

Yoliswa Dube-Moyo
“Disgusting” and “Wrong” were thrown back and forth after pictures of a maternity shoot by Zimbabwean international footballer Kuda Mahachi and his wife Rose went viral on social media recently.

Strong opinions about the acceptability and unacceptability of the photoshoot in which the couple went half-naked were given.

Conservatives said Rose, as a married and pregnant woman, should not have posed for the camera in lingerie to begin with.

Patriarchs went hard at Mahachi, saying he should not have allowed his wife to go half-nude, especially because she is heavily pregnant.

His wife’s nudity, they said, was for him alone to enjoy and not for the whole world to ogle at.

Many arguments were put to the fray, most of them unkind to the couple’s celebration of their upcoming baby.

They said: “We don’t do this in our culture,” because in the Zimbabwean context, married women are expected to carry themselves a certain way.

Society has drawn up so many rules about what married women can or can’t wear; where they can or can’t go or what they can or can’t do.

For example, a married woman can wear a pair of jeans on any other day except on a day she decides to visit her in-laws because pants are “indecent, disrespectful and unacceptable”.

On the other hand, black parents would rather you don’t share news of your pregnancy prematurely lest you suffer a miscarriage or witches sent by the envious terminate the pregnancy.

Others believe pregnant women should not be throwing around pictures of their baby bumps, neither should they host baby showers because, again, you never know what forces may be after your baby’s life.

Rose defied both unwritten rules which have been part of the Zimbabwean narrative for ages, attracting comments such as, “For a heavily pregnant, semi-naked wife, it’s a no from me.”

Another user said, “Leave some things to imagination. It’s wrong especially for a heavily expecting Mom.”

It would seem Rose committed a crime of the third degree, but if we’re to be frank, it’s neither here nor there. It is really a matter of choice and belief.

Rose was dressed in a fashion that has been normalised over the years. Before we start slapping ourselves on the back for our enlightened views, perhaps we should stop and think about how we’d feel if Rose had gone completely naked.

Or imagine that Rose was a pop singer, onstage at the SuperBowl, and she — accidentally or otherwise — flashed a nipple.

The fact is that our own attitudes towards nudity — or partial nudity — are a taboo that doesn’t seem to have changed much since the sixth century. Although it is not strictly illegal in many parts of the world for men — or, in fact, women, to be topless in public, we all have a massive difference in attitudes depending on which sex is involved.

However, enlightened you may think you are, stop and consider the difference in your attitude towards, for example, a guy wearing nothing, but a pair of jeans and a belt on a building site, or a man jogging around in a pair of shorts and trainers — no one gives them a second glance, do they?

But when a woman does the same thing, we’re outraged. It’s something to think about while we’re pondering notions of equality because we’re all hypocrites at heart.

We all want to see equality as long as we’re not threatened by it. Just as we all think we should have the same rights, as long as nobody else has more rights, or better rights. And that includes the right to be naked.

What’s so shameful about the human body? After all, we’ve all got one, and artists have been depicting them in various states of undress from the dawn of time.

Have you ever seen a picture of Adam and Eve wearing anything except a fig leaf? Michelangelo’s David doesn’t have much to brag about, but he’s still the most famous sculptor in history.

I understand of course that some people are offended by nudity, but surely that’s their problem or their religion or culture, which is their personal choice, rather than one to impose on others. We should not be afraid of the naked human form, whether it’s male or female. I’m not advocating for naturism here, I’m just as shy and kerbed as anyone else, but I’m sensible enough to realise that everyone has the right to choose. Mahachi and his wife decided to do a partially nude photoshoot, let’s all respect that.