Entertainment

English actress and now film maker, Rachel Ward, says that young actresses should get their gear off if they want to be successful.

Breasts are sexy. I want to see them and audiences want to see them. I’ve certainly had to do my fair share of it. If you’re going to be an actress or a model, it’s usually part of the package.

She says that men’s private parts are ugly and we don’t want to see them, but that the girls are prudish if they don’t strip off in front of the camera.

Men don’t have to worry about the issue though because, well, their privates don’t make pleasant viewing.

So it would seem that she’s not only happy to see Hollywood’s double standard continue, she thinks that nudity isn’t a big deal. She believes that for the sake of entertainment, and to get backsides on seats at the cinema, young women should be prepared to bare all.

You’re in a movie because you’re appealing and because you represent the aspiration, the fantasy, the ideal. I resisted that but, when you’re in the business, when you’re making a film, one doesn’t have to take it all too seriously. We’re not curing cancer . . . it’s entertainment. We want to get people into theatres.

I’m sorry Rachel, but I’m not buying it.

According to an article at News.com.au, Rachel resisted calls to appear in films completely naked, but now she wishes that she had.

Yes, you’re more likely to get longer queues at the cinema if the latest hot celebrity is on a massive screen naked, but that doesn’t make it the right thing to do. Are we really that shallow that we just do whatever it takes to draw a crowd? Is modesty completely irrelevant?

I don’t care how ‘artistically’ a nude scene is shot, guys aren’t sitting there cheering at a cinematic and artistic triumph; they’re simply getting an eyeful of a naked woman. I won’t go into the full details of what may be going through a guys mind at that point but let’s get serious, it’s not about the beauty of the human form, it’s about sexual fantasy.

Yes Rachel, breasts are sexy and we do want to see them, but that doesn’t mean that it’s right and it doesn’t mean that we should. I purposely avoid watching television and movies that contain nudity and sex scenes, not because I wouldn’t enjoy seeing that kind of stuff, but because it’s not good for me. Does that make me prudish? Fine. I’m happy to wear that badge. I may be old school but I believe that if a film maker is good at their craft they won’t need to throw in a few naked bodies to sell more tickets.

In an over sexualised world I’m trying to keep the vows I made many years ago to “forsake all other women” and remain faithful to my wife. That doesn’t just mean physically and emotionally, it involves my thought life too. I don’t want my thought life to be taken captive by some naked, airbrushed 18 year old. I’m not prepared to throw away the serious promises I made to my wife for the sake of entertainment.

I know that means that I’m marching to the beat of a very different drum to most, but that’s what I will keep trying to do. It’s not always easy and I’m not always successful, but it’s the right thing to do.

The world doesn’t need more naked celebrities and actresses. The world needs more women to stand up and say, “My body is not just a tool to be used by lazy film makers to line their pockets with cash.”