Male Nudity In Entertainment

When male nudity is either not shown in entertainment at all or not shown in a positive light, men can feel as if there is something unattractive about their bodies simply because they have male bodies.  It should be obvious how this can impact the psychological state of many men, especially when it comes to romantic relationships.  Women are presented as possessing a default beauty when this is not the case whatsoever, and this alone is enough to reinforce degrading notions about the male body when there is no accompanying emphasis on male beauty.

If a film or video game has nudity, it is more often a depiction of the naked female body than the naked male body.  Moreover, it is more likely that female bodies will be shown in a way that seems intended to emphasize their sensuality and sex appeal.  Even though many women enjoy seeing the male body and many men wish to be regarded as attractive, male nudity is seldom used in entertainment, much less used to create a sensual atmosphere, whereas exposure of the female nudity is expected in many stories.

American culture as a whole takes mockery of the female body seriously to the point of defending practically all body types women have, while the male body is often only mentioned in public settings or entertainment in order to elicit laughter.  The male body is certainly afforded some appreciation inside and outside of entertainment, but it is far more common for this to not be the case.  This is one of numerous double standards that promote sexist ideas about men.  As with other stereorypes related to gender, this double standard is normalized in media.

Of course, a rational person would look to reason instead of tropes in entertainment for illumination of reality.  Many people are nevertheless not rational, and thus the way that certain concepts and norms are presented in entertainment across numerous works is very influential on the society around it.  Since the female body is treated as an object of beauty (to the point of downplaying other attributes other women) by default in a great number of video games, movies, and TV or streaming shows and the male body is usually treated as an object of revulsion or humor, many people internalize these sexist ideas.

The influence of the ideas absorbed into entertainment on comsumers who lack consistent intellectual autonomy unfortunately means that the male body will likely continue to be associated with disgust or comedy until there is a shift in how it is portrayed in media.  It is not as if male bodied are unattractive because they are male or as if female bodies are attractive because they are female.  Male nudity can be used to enhance the sex appeal of actors for women, just as female nudity can be used to enhance the sex appeal of actresses for men.  Male nudity needs to be used in entertainment to refute and overturn the negative ideas about men's bodies that have been endorsed for so long.