Naked Feminism
Breaking the Cult of Female Modesty
1. Edition March 2023
320 Pages, Hardcover
General Reading
Short Description
Is it right that, despite the promises of feminism, women's bodies remain at the mercy of state, society and religion? Should a scantily clad woman, or a promiscuous one, be worth less than a fully covered woman, or a chaste one? Are being sexy and being smart really mutually exclusive? Can a woman be both body and brain? Victoria Bateman has confronted these questions with actions as well as words. She has appeared naked on national television, on stage, in art and at protests - using her body, as well as her brain, to deliver her message.
In Naked Feminism, Bateman makes a compelling case for women's bodily freedom, and explains why the current puritanical revival is so dangerous for women. Illustrating the swinging pendulum of bodily modesty through the ages, she takes us on a journey from the ancient civilisations of Egypt and Babylon, through the birth of Christianity and Islam, to the lax morals of the medieval period and the bawdiness of Chaucer and Shakespeare; to the clampdowns of the Puritans and later the Victorians and, more recently, to the re-veiling of the Middle East and the purity pledges of modern-day America. She ends with a plea: feminists must unite to challenge the repression of the female body, as only then can women be truly free.
Further versions
Is it right that, despite the promises of feminism, women's bodies remain at the mercy of state, society and religion? Should a scantily clad woman, or a promiscuous one, be worth less than a fully covered woman, or a chaste one? Are being sexy and being smart really mutually exclusive? Can a woman be both body and brain? Victoria Bateman has confronted these questions with actions as well as words. She has appeared naked on national television, on stage, in art and at protests - using her body, as well as her brain, to deliver her message.
In Naked Feminism, Bateman makes a compelling case for women's bodily freedom, and explains why the current puritanical revival is so dangerous for women. Illustrating the swinging pendulum of bodily modesty through the ages, she takes us on a journey from the ancient civilisations of Egypt and Babylon, through the birth of Christianity and Islam, to the lax morals of the medieval period and the bawdiness of Chaucer and Shakespeare; to the clampdowns of the Puritans and later the Victorians and, more recently, to the re-veiling of the Middle East and the purity pledges of modern-day America. She ends with a plea: feminists must unite to challenge the repression of the female body, as only then can women be truly free.
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Modesty Cult: A History
Chapter 2: The Modesty Cult: The Dangers
Chapter 3: The Modesty Cult: The Causes
Chapter 4: Beware Puritanical Feminism
Conclusion
Notes
References
Index
Kate Lister, author of A Curious History of Sex
"As honor killings and Internet influencers collide, we could all use a little help us making sense of what being unclothed really means nowadays. I love this book and the world needs it. It's readable, enlightening, joyful, infuriating, irreverent, and utterly fascinating. Without preaching and with the perfect combo of heaviness and humor, our heroic author explains why nakedness - and how we think about it - is a critical topic worth laying bare."
Amanda Palmer, author of the New York Times bestseller The Art of Asking
"Outstanding. A controversial and important book with its finger so firmly on the pulse of feminist activism that its timing could hardly be more perfect."
Emma Rees, author of The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History
"Naked Feminism does not require you to strip off to engage with its ideas, but it does challenge you to cast off your judgements about women's bodies."
Annebella Pollen, author of Nudism in a Cold Climate
"Victoria Bateman does a wonderful job of dissecting the binaries which tear women, and societies, into segments. She delves into why nudity and sexual labor threaten to upend society, and how that pressures all sides to comply with modesty culture. She is to be congratulated for writing Naked Feminism - it is another step towards re-incorporating our bodies into our concepts of humanity and self."
Jessica Stoya, author of Philosophy, Pussycats, & Porn
"This book saddens, shocks and alarms whilst revolutionising the way we think about and value women. Ms Bateman traces dualisms of many kinds: Madonna versus whore, respectable versus disgraced, chaste versus unholy, hot versus slutty. These are the kinds of conceptual structures around which moral values play out, and they are essential to understanding what nudity means to us and the influence that the cult of female modesty has on all societies."
British Naturism
"Advocating instead for a 'naked feminism' that broadly embraces the concept of 'my body, my choice,' Bateman makes a convincing and well-organized case. It's a spirited rallying cry."
Publishers Weekly
"Provocative and thoughtful, Naked Feminism is a highly original book set to garner considerable attention."
Philippa Levine, University of Texas at Austin
