About Female Sexuality in Media and Censorship
The feminine and female sexuality has been repressed for centuries and I feel that the current censorship in social media is a manifestation of the same issue.
The images we see of women in contemporary media are mostly male dominated. This male dominated vision is based on a sexual fantasy, which makes the image very unrealistic, and in fact very one-sided, because the fantasy holder is alone and not in true connection with the woman, otherwise there would be no space for fantasy in the first place. These images hardly say anything about the woman herself, but much more about male vision of female sexuality. In this way the voice of the feminine remains not heard and not seen.
The hostility towards breasts and nipples is possibly so intense because the female breast brings us right back to our first intimate connection of receiving love and nourishment from another human being. I think the tension and stress about the nipple is confrontational around feelings linked to this deepest and innermost experience of intimacy, hence the rejection, hostility, intense emotions and even obsessiveness for that matter. Lest us not underestimate that the female body represents the power of (re)creation in all it’s earthly glory!
The female image and its censorship as a whole in contemporary media is simply an expression of our own subconscious and it actually reveals what we need to face and transform within ourselves. There is no point in banning the nipple, because this will not change the underlying issue. The good thing about banning the nipple is that it raises questions and evokes a counter reaction.
In my art and photography I aspire to show an image of the feminine that is real and free. My work is often sensual and contains a lot of nudity, but my intention is not to please a male fantasy, I make sure of that. I choose not to conform to what seems to be the norm “sexy image” we see everywhere, especially in lingerie photography.
Through myself and my art, I explore what female sexuality is. I try to portray the sensual woman just as she is.
I once had a dream of a beautiful woman walking around bare chested in a public place. She was proud and free, not provocative and not trying to shock, yet fierce, merely saying: “yes, these are breasts, deal with it!” Perhaps society should follow that lead and one day it can be reality instead of a dream.
Myscha Oréo (February 2020)