Let's do a little test: close your eyes for ten seconds and think of a Hollywood actress... a very successful Hollywood actress, in fact... whom you haven't seen naked so far. Forget 10 seconds, I needed about five full minutes on that one until finally I came up with a name. Want me to share? Well, isn't it obvious? I'm talking about Reese Witherspoon. I'm sure it took you a while to think of her - and yet, it's true: Reese is one of the best-paid Hollywood actresses of the moment (if not THE best paid actress) and yet she hasn't flashed her naked self on the big screen and hasn't allowed the world a close contact with her private parts. Which, in a universe populated by Britney's nipples, Lindsay Lohan's a*s and Paris Hilton's vagina, is a very welcome breath of fresh air.
"If [actresses] take their clothes off, they objectify themselves", Reese stated for Glamor magazine. "I am flabbergasted by how many legitimate actresses do it. I am a role model for my children" Reese adds. "Hollywood is one of those endless competitions. It's a race towards nothing. I just want to be the best version of myself that I can be". And while that may be a very sensible manner of seeing things, many have accused Reese of being a prude and not understanding the difference between stripping for the sake of adding credibility and sensuality to a character, and stripping for attention and big paychecks. In all honesty though, I think that it makes a nice change to actually know there is someone out there who won't be flashing half her naked derriere whenever she goes shopping.
I mean, I'm totally a fan of nudity (male or female) that makes a point - in all forms of art, not just the cinema industry. But we do have to face the truth, and the truth is that in 80% of the cases, stripping is an act of pure narcissism. However, there are some things, some electrifying moments and movie scenes in which nudity paves the way to putting across a charged aesthetic message. Think of the sex scene in "Monster's Ball" between Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry. Was that just a sex scene with no message? I don't think so, really. But maybe that's too extreme to qualify as an example. In any case, thumbs up to Reese for her determination - but as far as I'm concerned, nudity with a point to it makes sense. We're not talking Lindsay Lohan here - fortunately. Stay tuned for more news.
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