Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Getting it all together... in the all together?

So, there's been lots of tittering and tweeting over Erykah Badu very unabashedly going leafless at the site of the JFK assassination in order to film her new video. 

Truth be told, I often forget how "not normal" nakedness is for most people.  Admittedly, I've been known to swerve my car when I see a man jogging in the rain wearing nothing but a bright yellow poncho and silver jogging shoes, but generally speaking, nakedness doesn't make me bat an eye.  I, myself am often found in some state of dishabille or another.  (Pants... they are one of the bane of my existence!  Just ask my neighbors, who can name of probably every pair of underwear I own due to me having run to the car or the mailbox in them at some point or another.)

It took me a long, long time to become comfortable enough with myself that I allowed anyone anywhere to see me in any state of undress.  I would have happily worn knee socks, jeans, a turtleneck and a headscarf in the middle of summer, I was once so shy.  Not anymore, though.  Whoo, boy.  I'd be hard pressed to find someone who knows me IRL that hasn't seen me in some sort of undress.

I don't wander around half-naked just for kicks, though.  Nor do I do it to attract/frighten away potential suitors/stalkers.  I do it because I generally don't pay much attention, or it's convenient to change wherever I stand, or I just straightup don't care what someone else is going to say (in the case of picking a snack of oranges in my yard in the  middle of the night,) if they see me running around in my undies or bra (on the odd occasion I wear a bra.)

To me, Erykah Badu is not daring or progressive.  She's comfortable.  It's my wish that everyone out there become a little more comfortable.  After all, many people won't even strip down in the privacy of their own homes, let alone a national monument.  So here's to you, my friends.  May you discover the delight that is not giving a fuck and letting it all hang out. :)

4 comments:

  1. I think in the US we are definitely too prudish when it comes to body parts (think hoopla over Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction and the fact that breastfeeding in public is even a controversy). That said, I don't think I'm ready to see my neighbor's bits on display every time I turn around. If we saw it all the time, what thrill would be left when we unveiled?

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  2. K, I definitely agree. I know my post made it sound like I regularly run around in pasties and a g-string, when realistically it's more like a long t-shirt and granny panties to check the mail at 10 PM. =P

    My point was more that we need to be less anal retentive about seeing a little innocent skin in settings other than the beach and the pool, if that makes sense.

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  3. Agreed, we're pretty hyper about seeing flesh. Not sure why. We all have it.

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  4. Because it's a tasty snack we know we must deny ourselves, in spite of our yearning, for fear of prion diseases?

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