Rolando: The majority of your paintings are women, and you have stated that nude women are more aesthetically pleasing than nude men, that nude women are beautiful, while nude men are interesting but not beautiful. Do you think that this is a cultural convention or an absolute? For example in some societies like the ancient Greeks, male nudity in art was held in high regard.
Jennie: I think it has become a cultural convention. Look at a men's magazine, what will you see? Women. Look at women's magazines, what do you see? More women! If anything they are usually more scantily clad. Fashion, movies, everything revolves around the female body. We are obsessed. I could say that is because much of the media is male dominated and that fosters a simultaneous celebration of the female body and a fear of the male nude. That isn't to say the pendulum won't swing back again. Greek men were portrayed as powerful specimens, but, in those days there were fewer concerns about nudity, less knee jerk fear of homosexuality. Nudity and homosexuality were embraced, bodies were gifts from the gods and to be celebrated. I think we can learn a lot from the ancient Greeks!
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Jennie: I think it has become a cultural convention. Look at a men's magazine, what will you see? Women. Look at women's magazines, what do you see? More women! If anything they are usually more scantily clad. Fashion, movies, everything revolves around the female body. We are obsessed. I could say that is because much of the media is male dominated and that fosters a simultaneous celebration of the female body and a fear of the male nude. That isn't to say the pendulum won't swing back again. Greek men were portrayed as powerful specimens, but, in those days there were fewer concerns about nudity, less knee jerk fear of homosexuality. Nudity and homosexuality were embraced, bodies were gifts from the gods and to be celebrated. I think we can learn a lot from the ancient Greeks!
Go to Next Question Go to Previous Question Go to First Question
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