Does Nudity = Sex?

[MoonlightandRoses]

Tnman, thanks for your reply. The next question is can you enjoy nude images in a non-sexual (asexual) way?

Moonlight and Roses,

 

[MoonlightandRoses]

What it seems is that some people are answering the title of this thread instead of the question I posed in my first comment. Maybe a different title would have been better, for example “Does nudity have to be pornography” although I suspect that wouldn’t have fully conveyed what I meant either. In any case the question I am particularly interested in is “. . . if a person finds pleasure in looking at a nude person or an image of a nude person, does that pleasure have to be sexual in nature? Or can the pleasure, one might experience when viewing a nude person or an image of a nude person, be asexual?”

Moonlight and Roses,

 

[Deleted member 3041612]

Well, again it depends on the mood, circumstances and setting.

From what I'm gathering, I think you may be wanting an answer to this:

Describe what makes the naked form or pornography asexual and what were the intentions when viewing?

And

Describe what makes a nude or pornography into a state of where sex is desired and how one got to that point?

Is this what you were asking?

 

[Workingman0315]

What it seems is that some people are answering the title of this thread instead of the question I posed in my first comment. Maybe a different title would have been better, for example “Does nudity have to be pornography” although I suspect that wouldn’t have fully conveyed what I meant either. In any case the question I am particularly interested in is “. . . if a person finds pleasure in looking at a nude person or an image of a nude person, does that pleasure have to be sexual in nature? Or can the pleasure, one might experience when viewing a nude person or an image of a nude person, be asexual?”

Moonlight and Roses,

i think it depends on the reason for viewing... if you are purely looking at the physical naked for i believe there is some lustful pleasure in which hormones are being released there for allowing for the ability to grow in sex apeal. at first it may not be enough to cause full arousal but there is still sexual please. if you are view a photo for the are how ever and taking in not the fact they are naked but everything around it, it does not have to be arousing in any nature and could be no diferent than veiwing a picture of flowers. i believe it comes to intent and what the pleasure for viewing is

 

[LWulf]

If that was the case, a lot of people are having sex when they go to nude beaches or walk through a museum with nude statuary.

 

[MoonlightandRoses]

Black Caramel Crème, I think you answered my question very well in your comment #20 of May 22nd when you wrote:

“I do see the body as beautiful. There were nudes in my classes. I was initially shocked. I blushed a lot at first. Was I led to sexual feelings? No. I felt awkward at first, but became so comfortable around the models that the shocked feeling I initially had disappeared. The models were there every day.

“Decades ahead now, I have viewed pictures on Literotica threads presented by different Litsters. I saw and appreciate beauty shared in different forms with no sex following.”

As to your questions in your last comment, they are interesting, but very complex and not actually what I had in mind. Basically what I had in mind when I started this thread is that it seems to me people associate the appreciation of nudity with sex and so a heterosexual man might feel uncomfortable in saying that a nude man is beautiful or attractive. In fact I feel that women in general would feel uncomfortable saying that a nude man is beautiful or attractive. In the same way people might feel uncomfortable in saying that an image of a nude child in beautiful or attractive. I feel that a nude child or an image of nude child can be beautiful. Mary Cassatt did many paintings depicting nude children. So, I started this tread to see how others felt about it. As to what makes a nude asexually beautiful to me I described my thoughts and feelings about Michelangelo’s “David” in the thread “Women and Men.” As you are an artist I would be very interested in your opinion regarding that or what may be better is your thoughts or feelings regarding a depiction of the human form that you see as beautiful, whether female or male, nude or clothed.

Also I feel that in our culture too big of a distinction is made between the nude and clothed form. For example you wrote in regard to your classes with a nude model that “I felt awkward at first, but became so comfortable around the models that the shocked feeling I initially had disappeared.” That is fully understandable to me and I thank you for sharing that, but what is important about what you wrote is that you became comfortable around the models. Many people would not be so comfortable without having the experience you did. In our culture most people become sexually attracted to another person without seeing them naked first. So, while I feel that a nude could be sexually attractive I also believe that a clothed person could be sexually attractive.

This is long so to summarize: I feel you have answered my question very well in comment #20, but your last post bought up interesting points. Further I feel you have made important contributions to this thread and I am glad you did so.

Moonlight and Roses,

 

[MoonlightandRoses]

Workingman, thank you for your comment. I don’t know if it depends on a conscious reason for viewing a nude, but whether any pleasure is sexual or non-sexual just happens. Also I am not sure if you mean that you could fine the nude itself beautiful for non-sexual reasons, but only what surrounds the nude.

LWulf, it seems to me that you feel viewing a nude does not have to be sexual, but my question in the first post is whether there could be non-sexual pleasure in viewing the nude. So, in a way you did not answer that question.

Moonlight and Roses,

 

[lakesailer_mi]

OK, so, yes, I can experience non-sexual pleasure looking at "nudes" or images of naked people.

I would point out that historically this is very common. If you look at much of the great art, it involves naked or nearly naked people. Various version of David (Michelangelo's of course being iconic) immediately came to mind. So too do Ruben's various nudes and various versions of Venus.

On the other hand, it's not clear to me that these were not designed to elicit some sexual response. It is no accident that Venus - the goddess of love, beauty, desire, fertility etc - is a common focus of nude art in the ancient world. I think it's also no accident that David is often portrayed as a very attractive man or boy.

Fundamentally, art of all kinds are designed to elicit emotion. The question is whether the viewer has the reaction that the artist intended. Some may find a particular work of art does indeed bring a strong sexual reaction, others may find that it doesn't. This may or may not have been the artists intention.

 

[LWulf]

Workingman, thank you for your comment. I don’t know if it depends on a conscious reason for viewing a nude, but whether any pleasure is sexual or non-sexual just happens. Also I am not sure if you mean that you could fine the nude itself beautiful for non-sexual reasons, but only what surrounds the nude.

LWulf, it seems to me that you feel viewing a nude does not have to be sexual, but my question in the first post is whether there could be non-sexual pleasure in viewing the nude. So, in a way you did not answer that question.

Moonlight and Roses,

You think people don't take non-sexual pleasure going to the museum or the act of going to a nude beach.
I answered the question, but you don't seem inclined to appreciate that.

 

[MoonlightandRoses]

Lakesailer, thank you for your answer and I agree that historically this is very common. As to whether the artist meant them to be sexual is another question.

LWulf, no I definitely do not “. . . think people don’t take non-sexual pleasure going to the museum or the act of going to a nude beach.” I don’t know where you got that idea at all. It seems to me you did not read much of what I wrote.

Moonlight and Roses,