I’ve been thinking a lot about the huge amount of “artistic” nudity we see online. There are all sorts of very arty performances involving nudity, many of which don’t seem to be any more artistic because of the nudity. I strongly suspect there are these other reasons for the nudity, beyond just the art.
1) Challenge – Many people find being naked in public a challenge. If you feel driven to push the boundaries of art, stretch yourself and your performance, doing it naked takes you instantly out of your comfort zone and makes you feel more vulnerable and genuine. Testing the limits of art may be inaccurate, but it can certainly test personal limits.
2) Exhibitionism – Given the high percentage of people in general who have an exhibitionist streak, it seems highly unlikely that artistic performers are any different. Some of them get naked in their performance because they enjoy it.
3) Bums on Seats – Every performer must be aware that a poster advertising their performance with the words “Warning – contains nudity” is going to result in higher tickets sales and a bigger audience.
4) Fame – Performances with attractive nudity are MUCH more likely to be shared on the Internet and the performer’s name will be known by more people. I doubt this one pans out in reality as, I imagine, the bulk of people who share the video will never go to see a live performance.
Have I missed any?