British TV is filled with iconic series, examples of these include: Come Dine With Me, Faulty Towers, and Only Fools and Horses. Whilst these series have been met with much appreciation, one such series that first aired in 2016 was not met with such a warm audience… On July 25th Naked Attraction came to our screens. Put simply, Naked Attraction is a dating show with multiple rounds in which one person is eliminated by the person looking for a partner. Each contestant starts off in a colored box, and during each round, the box is lifted higher until we see their face and can hear their voice. What makes this show stand out? The contestants are completely naked. Which begs the question: Is Naked Attraction a genuinely educational and representational tool for sexuality or is it harmful and should be removed from TV?
One thing to note is that Naked Attraction’s diversity changes throughout the series. In the first season, it would be hard to claim that there is representation, with the majority of vulvas being “‘neat and tucked’' as well as minimal body or pubic hair being displayed on the contestant. Furthermore, in the first few episodes host, Anna Richardson mistakenly refers to the vulva as a vagina, though this is not a huge issue, on a show about sex and sexual attraction you would have thought the correct anatomy would be discussed. Season 2 and beyond, however, do a far better job at providing actual representation. Not only is the existence of pubic and body hair normalized on the show, but so are representations of all sexualities and relationships. In Season 2 we get representation and an educational discussion of pansexuality, it is comfortable and casual and everything sex education should be. Amongst pansexual Izzy’s choices were a transgender man and woman, this was followed by a crucial discussion of the differences between sexuality and gender. Last year the series went a step further in diversity by including a polyamorous couple who were looking for a third person to enter their relationship. Though the relationship was revealed not to have worked out, it was amazing to see representation outside of the ‘normal’ relationship style. Each episode informally includes several animated educational snippets, with topics varying widely depending on what was discussed during the episode. By including these clips informally, the lessons feel like a friend sharing fun facts instead of a dry, uninteresting approach.
Whilst some love the show, others are not quite as receptive of the idea. There are claims thrown around that the show exists merely for the shock factor, others state that the show is pornographic and voyeuristic, and therefore should be axed. Writings in The Guardian even claim that the show was the “death of civilization” (a bit dramatic to be honest). Smith writes in her article about the distinction between nakedness and nude, and how the two words seem similar but are actually quite distinct. She draws on novelist John Berger’s work, explaining that the “naked body has an agency that the nude body lacks” and that “a naked body has to be seen as an object in order to become nude.” Nude seems to connotate art and beauty, with shades of paint, makeup, and clothes being described as ‘nude.’ Nude is normalized, and here there is a shock with the title Naked Attraction and the connotations that lay beneath it.
“The arrival of Naked Attraction could also be seen as part of a move against pornography, whereby nudity and sex are reintegrated into a social space (TV) from the traditional private space, thus turning the images from pornographic to social subjects.” (Smith)
Smith is correct in her description of the way Naked Attraction has shifted sex from private to public, on this show nothing is taboo or off-limits. It is her statement of ‘social subjects’ that can be further questioned. Whilst I praise the show for being diverse, there is still an element of fetishizing and objectifying that needs to be discussed. When watching the show with a housemate, she stated “the way they reveal the bodies one part at a time is fetishizing, especially with typically sexualized parts like boobs. I would say that it imparts education in that it promotes realistic body types, but the comments made about the body parts make them fetishized and judged.” On a show entirely based on physical appearances, it is impossible to avoid objectification and judgment as a whole. Each round a contestant is eliminated purely based on their physical appearance, and although this is the purpose of the show, it is hard not to feel bad for the contestant.
Though rude comments tend not to be made, the ‘it’s not you, it's me’ strategy still has hurtful undertones. Viewers at home with the same body type as the person eliminated may furthermore find it challenging not to take the chooser's opinion to heart, believing they are “‘unattractive”’ and not deserving of a relationship. A discussion with another housemate revealed similar feelings. “I think it is/can be an educational as a premise…but the predictability of what people look for (especially seen in heterosexual men being the choosers) is more of a reflection of pornographic ideals. You have all these diverse bodies and of course there are people attracted to all of them, but when whittling them down, they very often go for the conventional body types seen in porn.” There needs to be a shift from objectification to celebration, but this is a near impossible task when it is only certain body types that are appreciated and deemed non-taboo, especially when combining the male-gaze into our understanding of beauty and sexual standards.
“Ultimately, what Naked Attraction offers is an overt display of the naked human body, both visually and linguistically explicit, which is de-eroticised by the underlying format of the show and the participants’ co-produced linguistic utterances.” (Smith) The show has its benefits and flaws. I am grateful for authentic bodies being shown, giving a sense of realism that often isn’t shown in TV or even in mainstream pornography itself. The show, however, is limited in the way that it can objectify the contestants, reducing them down to mere body parts rather than real people. Whilst I understand the show is supposed to bring us ‘back to basics’ and question whether we can build a relationship on naked attraction alone, there are definite moral dilemmas that undermine the aim of the show and hence the audience's perception of it.
There are numerous places available to watch Naked Attraction. Youtube has made the very first episode available to watch. Netflix also has the third season available to view. If you are curious about watching all seasons and episodes, then check out justwatch!
By Stephanie McCartney