EDITOR'S NOTE: We at the Free Beacon stand once again in solidarity with Chrissy Teigen. In the course of doing so this time, we will be discussing nudity in art and including a photo of the supermodel in a state of undress. Squeamish readers are encouraged to stick with more mundane fare like the Federalist if they find this problematic.*
Over at the Federalist, Kelsey Harkness suggests that Chrissy Teigen is doing women everywhere a disservice by pushing for the right to post artistic photos of herself on the social media service Instagram. Teigen's offense, in the eyes of Instagram and Harkness? Posting a photo in which one can see the swimsuit model's nipple.
Now, I could mount a long and worthwhile defense about the history of nudity in art and the idea that there is nothing shameful in celebrating the idealized human form. It seems easier, though, to simply point to the historical record. There is certainly nothing pornographic about, say, this image:
Or this statue:
Teigen's participation in a photo spread for W is a continuation of this proud artistic tradition: the human form can be a beautiful object and there's nothing shameful or gross about portraying it for the appreciation of all. The artistic quotient is upped by the fact that the spread is itself a comment on how we portray ourselves in this digital age. If Instagram would not censor Michelangelo's David, it should not censor this:
Indeed, I fail to see how that image is inappropriate while this one passes muster with the censors:
As to the larger point of Harkness' piece, I'm relatively ambivalent about the whole #FreeTheNipple campaign, in part because I think the average man and the average woman has no business walking around shirtless. (We are not all David or Chrissy, after all.) But I did find this passage a bit disconcerting:
If women really care about gender equality, we should be encouraging each other to cover up. Why? Because when women wear clothes, men focus on our brains—not our boobs. Dressing conservatively, we might find, is more freeing than the ability to post pictures of our nipples in public.
"True freedom comes from having restrictions put on what you wear" strikes this reader as vaguely Orwellian. One wonders how far this line of logic goes: should all women be shamed into wearing burkas so as to keep more attractive ladies from overwhelming their less-fortunate coworkers? Will we not be equal until burlap sacks are de rigueur? Should we adopt a "Harrison Bergeron"-style regime of slapping ugly accoutrements on the handsome so as to achieve equality?
Nay! Nay I say! I for one reject the Federalist's disturbing notion that true equality means (fashion) slavery. You do you, Chrissy Teigen. Don't let the scolds bring you down.
*You squares know I love you.