From “Halloween”, to “Terrifier”, to “Babylon”, female nudity has been prevalent in cinema since 1916, when the first nude woman was shown in a film. In 2024, many films include female nudity, to a concerning degree.

For young girls, seeing nude actresses left and right can be detrimental for self esteem, development and comparison. For young boys, this can set unrealistic expectations and maybe even make them uncomfortable while they are trying to watch a “suitable for children” film or television show. Throughout the ages, the infamous term “sex sells” has been used all around the world. This is used as a marketing term, but also, why diminish a profound, smart, funny, character into a pair of boobs? In “Babylon”, there is a scene that flashes to Margot Robbie topless. The scene seems completely pointless and random.

For some, you could say it was needed to describe her as a party girl, but her character was extremely deep and I was saddened to think Robbie and the writers felt they needed to show her body off to have a successful female role. In “Oppenheimer,” Florence Pugh is seen naked, after a sex scene, while she is smoking a cigarette and talking about her life to her partner whom she just was intimate with. That scene does make sense. If being naked can lead to a pivotal revelation in the film, then so be it.

However, if we are using a woman’s body to attract viewers (something I thought new films would steer away from,) why do we see more boobs than male private areas. We can attribute that to the fact that women have been used as objects of pleasure, since way before film was invented. Even a film like “Fifty Shades of Grey,” showed more Anastasia Steele than Grey. It is as though women can only be worthy on a screen if they are naked. It is hard to imagine the scriptwriters of the world are becoming more dull.

Cassie Howard, played by Sydney Sweeney, in Euphoria is a complex and well-written character. Her character, as a whole, has been described as someone who developed early and has been sexualized throughout her life, involuntarily. As she grows up, she becomes involved with the wrong people, specifically men who harm her. Although some of her personality is sexualized, I feel as though her character would have been received better if there was less nudity and less talk about her body and more about her trauma. This new generation of scriptwriters seem to be failing us (specifically women). If nudity in films is essential to the plot and intentional, then it is justifiable. However, not everyone signs up to watch naked people with every film. As more movies are made and remade, originality seems far gone. Women have a lot to express. Women are complex and strong; Although some characters are written to act stupidly and be the typical dumb blonde, more female characters should be heard and less seen vulnerably.

Photo by: Jonathan Nenemann via Pexels