Is it just me or is the UK a lot more relaxed about nudity than the US?

Question

It just seems to me that the UK shows I watch tend to contain a lot more casual, non-sexual nudity than US shows.There's Being Human, where we see George (and even his girlfriend Nina) nude as they wait for their transformations. There's Torchwood, where John Barrowman gets naked at least a couple times a season, and then there's the new Sherlock series, where Irene Adler shows up without a stitch and proceeds to hold a completely casual conversation with Holmes.

It may be just the specific shows that I watch, but the way it appears to me is that the UK is a lot more relaxed about showing some skin in a non-sexual fashion than the US is. In Being Human, you even see Nina's breasts as she's transforming into a werewolf.

What's your opinion on this?

Answer 1

Pretty much everywhere with the exception of maybe Vatican City and the middle east is more relaxed about nudity than the U.S. (And I actually suspect that if many on the religious right-wing had their way, they'd eventually be pushing for women to wear head-to-toe coverings in the U.S., too.) It's ridiculous here.

Answer 2

Yes there is a distinct difference between the UK and the US as you describe, but even the UK has a way to go to reach the relaxed attitude of many countries in continental Europe. There are differences even withing the UK with Scotland being noticeably more prudish than England.



Such differences are reflected in statistics for teenage pregnancy, abortions and STI's. The UK has about half the teenage pregnancy rate of America, but we still have about 5 times the rate of countries like Denmark. We have studied 14 different nations and found there to be a near perfect correlation for these factors with attitudes to nudity. Even the small difference between Scotland and England carries a corresponding difference in these rates.



Other factors that benefit from a more relaxed attitude are eating disorders and sexual crime.



What you say about "Childhood experiences..." is spot on and is a vicious circle as many parents pass on the prejudices they learned from their parents without ever questioning them.



I have said this before on Yahoo! Answers, but it is worth repeating:

"It's been shown that young boys raised in a puritanical environment have a greater interest in pornography. Girls raised in a puritanical environment tend to be more ashamed or fearful of their bodies. Children raised in a nudist family are comfortable with their bodies and the bodies of the opposite sex. They're more likely to understand that the portrayal of the nude body in the media is hyped and false."



As for breastfeeding - again you have hit the nail on the head. We have so sexualised breasts that we have forgotten what they are really for! What worries me is the way American attitudes are being exported to the rest of the world via such things as Facebook's attitudes to pictures of breastfeeding.

Answer 3

We've got some weird standards over here in the US. We're ok with violence and gore being on tv and in movies but as soon as someone starts to show some skin (that's still attached) the FCC is up in arms.



It's nothing to see someone split open on a table on regular cable tv. Yet a nipple or a butt will cause the country to implode. The outside of a body is much less traumatizing to a young audience than seeing the inside I assure you lol.



I don't get it.

Answer 4

Its not just the UK.

But Europe in general is more relaxed than the US in regards to nudity.



Its actually quite an odd scenario since Europe is predominantly more religious than what the US is.



There is more nudity on European tv than on US tv.

Answer 5

TV/Movies in the United States are just odd in regards to what they do and do not censor.



We'll be watching a program and they'll bleep out "holy" but not "****". Or a guy will have his butt cheeks blurred out and they you see some girl in a thong. If you want violence - we got plenty of it. We basically show people murdering one another on tv...just no boobs or butts. Weird, huh?

Answer 6

Hi the Americans have always had issues with nudity, it is like a child when it comes to sex they think it is naughty. so they tend to be more for certain types than others so you have what looks like a religion when it comes to display. they are not comfortable with displaying human flesh but the rest of the world are wrong but them.

Answer 7

Dude, back in the 30's, people used to get a stiffy for chicks ankles...don't ask, just remember that, and realise that we live in a very lucky society today, :). Oh, and there are nudist colinies out there, but its probably been said before in this answer....tradition....which equates to what most people fetish for. "Should fat guy's boobs have to be censored?" - YES! THAT IS SOMETHING I CAN COMPLETELY SYMPATHISE FOR...GOD THATS GROSS!

Answer 8

Yes, there is a lot more nudity in the UK Nobody cares. I think it is more of a Europe thing and not UK.

Answer 9

It's not just you, it really is more socially acceptable and liberal in the UK to show skin than it is in the US. It's silly, really. It's also more lax in Australia. For a country that's all about gore, guns, violence etc...they get all willy nilly about boobs and butt.