Nudity is Apparently Relative
There has been a little bit of discussion around the internet as of late regarding a topic that has always kind of sat in the back of my head, not really surfacing as a “think about this!” topic, but more as a passive curiosity:
Nude.
What, exactly, does this word mean? Dictionary.com has it defined as:
nude
/nud, nyud/ adjective, nud·er, nud·est, noun
–adjective
1. naked or unclothed, as a person or the body.
2. without the usual coverings, furnishings, etc.; bare: a nude stretch of land laid waste by brush fires.
3. (of a photograph, painting, statue, etc.) being or prominently displaying a representation of the nude human figure.
4. Law . made without a consideration or other legal essential: a nude contract.
5. having the color nude.
That last definition is irritating to me. I thought you couldn’t use the word being defined in the definition of said word? Then we progress to the noun portion of the definition:
–noun
6. a sculpture, painting, etc., of a nude human figure.
7. an unclothed human figure.
8. the condition of being unclothed: to sleep in the nude.
9. a light grayish-yellow brown to brownish-pink color.
Interesting. So the definition of nude seems to be attempting to incorporate the majority of skin tones in its color spectrum. This I can appreciate.
So now, let’s play a game. We’ll call it “Nude For All – Or Not?”
This is a game where we search “Nude Shoes” on ShopStyle.com (a great shopping search engine) and try to get a close match for each skin tone! So fun!
Kirsten Dunst
Mila Kunis
Adriana Lima
Zoe Saldana
Alex Wek
Hmmm. Is our racism showing? No, no, that’s not it. Oh, right. Only light-skinned people are nude-colored! The rest of the world is… well, some other color, right? You might think I’m exaggerating, but check this out:
It’s like an Aryan Nation of nudity in there! Not one shade past California Barbie. What’s up with this?
It’s like retailers are just glazed over with the idea that “nude” actually holds meaning other than “light beige.” Where do you think the name came from, guys? Come on. It’s not rocket science – get a Playboy, fashion world. There are other colors of “nude” out there, you know. Check out this promotion for Net-A-Porter (courtesy Jezebel):
How nude, indeed.
So, what do you think of this now that it’s been pointed out? Do you think that it’s an issue, or are we overreacting to something that doesn’t matter? I’d love to hear from both sides of the spectrum – those who “are” nude and those who apparently aren’t.
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This is the kind of thing that when you point out a random example here or there people say you are over-reacting, over-thinking it, or just looking for it. But when you point out the patterns and the sheer mass of examples all at once, it’s obvious that racism is systemic and, if not directly purposeful, very influential.
This is an excellent example of hegemony — when people just think it’s “normal” and “how it’s always been”
This is a lot like the “nude” Band-Aids that only come in peach.
One one hand, there have been brown shoes on the market forever, and people of other skin tones can get “nude” shades for them, albeit with a title other than “nude.”
On the other hand, the fact that “nude” implies “tan/peach” is pretty harsh on non-whites. I can see how they might feel excluded.
The title “nude” could probably stand to be changed to something more accurate, like “tan/peach,” to eliminate the problem and ensure accuracy for all.
RT @TheDemoiselles: New Post at TD: Nudity is Apparently Relative http://bit.ly/bvKVME What do you think when you see "Color: Nude"? Equality? Or white people?
I guess I do think that this is a tiny bit of an overreaction, at the same time that I recognize the overtones of racism. I think that the dictionary definition that you picked to begin with doesn’t encompass someone of Alex Wek’s coloring-brownish pink she is not. At the same time, the brands and manfacturer’s of these shoes are making an assumption about their target consumers, just like the makers of band-aids are. On an interesting side note, my African husband says that band-aids in Africa are actually brown, to match what is “nude” skin tone there. I imagine a shoe that was spposed to follow the nude trend would be a different color there also. Althogh I don’t think I have seen anyone darker than a medium skin tone following the nude shoe trend–is it that there aren’t any shoes the right color, as you suggest, or us it that the trend itself has only been advertised on lighter skin tones, because that is how desgnes and stylists are using it? I guess I’m asking chicken or egg. I’d also like to point out after rereading my comment that I’m not arguing that there doesn’t seem to be some racism present, I’m just wondering if it is blatant or innate. And which is worse?
That’s like when people use the term “flesh-colored” to describe the same beige tone. In fact Crayola use to have a crayon named Flesh and it was suppose to be to match skin color.
I’ve been thinking about ‘nude shoes’ and waiting for a post like this, great job!
Is nudity relative? What do you think? http://ht.ly/1SKZJ #nude #sheer #fashion
I’ve never realize this or thought of it that way, but by golly you’re right! There are band-aids with darker skin tones out there, but .. nude bras? Nude lipstick?
I don’t even know how to react to this.. except to share
sui´s last blog ..my second favorite word, honesty
REALLY interesting article. I think you should read it
Nudity is Apparently Relative http://bit.ly/aKbqyB RT @TheDemoiselles
What does NUDE actually mean in fashion? Dictionary definition? Or just beige? What is your opinion on the controversy? http://ht.ly/1ShOV
I find it funny that this word was chosen to describe such a limited color range. Didn’t Crayola have this problem with calling what’s now known as Apricot, Flesh? I thought that would be lesson enough.
Honestly, I think the use of nude has more to do with no one liking the word beige to describe their clothing than with subtle racism, but who knows?
@innyvinny reminds me of the band-aids you posted once.. REALLY interesting article http://bit.ly/aKbqyB RT @TheDemoiselles
@dascruggs REALLY interesting article I think you might like. I didn't really think about it before http://bit.ly/aKbqyB RT @TheDemoiselles
RT @TheDemoiselles Nudity is Apparently Relative | The Demoiselles http://bit.ly/aKbqyB ( This is a great post on fashion and "nude"
I feel quite stupid for not having thought about this. Now that you’ve pointed it out, I do think there is a problem with it, as well as ‘flesh’ colored bandaids. I guess the main issue is the term being used, since as someone above me mentioned there are shoes that could be used as ‘nudes’ for darker skin tones but they are not included in the nude trend. Hmm.
Luana´s last blog ..Stop Listening to Yourself
Hey, I´ve finally come across a blogger who thought the same like I did about this issue of the “nude” colour! I found it ridiculous from day one. I was browsing a blog ran by an African woman, and since she was blogging about the “nude” shade, I pointed out the obvious, and it was clear from her answer that she just didn´t get it;)) Black people talking about how they love the nude shade, while “their” nude shade is really not even close in most cases to THAT nude shade! People should wake up and smell the coffee.
kiara´s last blog ..Chanel´s maxis…
What does NUDE actually mean in fashion? Dictionary definition? Or just beige? What is your opinion on the controversy? http://ht.ly/21oM6
fashion advice tells us that a nude shoe will elongate a vertically challenged body. i am short and often wondered if this well established rule applied to me with my mocha skin tone. this is just one of MANY issues that i come across in my everyday life. i’m glad someone else recognized this particular faux pas. thanks!
xoxo jenna pearle
passionistaplace.blogspot.com