We have all seen the supermodels toting the hashtag
#Freethenipple on their social media accounts and gradually society is
accepting our womanly bits more and more, but here is the real question… how
much boob is too much boob and does the color of said boob matter? Game of
Thrones is definitely not known for it’s conservatism regarding sexual conduct.
Someone is whipping out something every few minutes and this sometimes proves
to be the reason why so many viewers return to this show every season, they “stay
for the heaping helpings of violent deaths and steamy sex scenes” (Source 1).
But the nudity (mostly women) seems to fall into a
hierarchical system, there is the top of the sexual pyramid; Daenerys and Cersei,
the middle area; peasants and the prostitutes in Baelish’s brothel, and then at
the bottom are the Dothraki dancers who always seem to be sashaying around
topless for some reason. All these women when naked are presented differently,
the top is seen as regal and beautiful while the Dothraki women are shown as
animalistic and slave-like. White women nudity is painted in a more positive
light than colored women nudity and this comes from our society’s deep rooted
racism. The Game of Thrones writers are only catering to what they think will
attract and keep viewers, and sadly that is white nude ladies. Now do not take
away from this that I do not approve of naked white women because that is not
what I am trying to say at all, but rather that the nudity of certain colored women
in Game of Thrones should not show favoritism over other women.
Personally I would not mind if the nudity was toned down a
bit but that is something one can only wish. These issues will not stop me from
watching and enjoying the show but lead me to hope that maybe one day we can
live in a world where a hit TV show can appreciate a naked ethnic woman as much
as a naked white woman.
P.S. I was not even able to find a photo of the topless Dothraki dancers but rather hundreds of photos of Daenerys and Cersei. (Naked white favoritism)
You raise a good point about the white women of the show being favored heavily over Dothraki, as far as recognition of their nudity goes. I didn't really notice that before; I felt like the Dothraki were more fetishized due to their "savagery," as people of color are often eroticized to reduce their power in a society. But it makes sense that they would be seen in the background, like just going around in the nude was something those "savages" just did, while it's treated more exceptionally with the show's white women.
ReplyDeleteYou raise a good point about the white women of the show being favored heavily over Dothraki, as far as recognition of their nudity goes. I didn't really notice that before; I felt like the Dothraki were more fetishized due to their "savagery," as people of color are often eroticized to reduce their power in a society. But it makes sense that they would be seen in the background, like just going around in the nude was something those "savages" just did, while it's treated more exceptionally with the show's white women.
ReplyDelete