# Gratuitous nudity and NON-nudity in movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 5, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447 "2009-05-05T18:53:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/1 "2009-05-05T18:53:48Z")
The thread is about just what it sounds like. I’m looking for instances in movies in which an actress or actor appears naked for no reason other than inspire 17-year-old kids to watch the movie; and, contrariwise, instances in which the performer should, by all reason, be naked, but is not. (And we can go ahead and mention the magic L-shaped sheet in post-coital scenes just because it’s inevitable.) I’ll start the bidding with one instance of each, from the very same movie. Carla Gugino’s nakedness in _Sin city_ makes very little sense;\* why, exactly, does she not throw on a robe when Marv comes to her apartment? And, later in the movie, Jessica Alba has two scenes in which she should by all logic be naked. In the first she is at work, as a stripper, in a strip club–on stage–and yet is clothed. In the second she is the captive of the Yellow Bastard, who intends to torture and rape her and has already begun the former; yet for some reason, all the naughty bits are covered. Anyway, that’s just me. Anybody else? ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/2 "2009-05-05T18:57:06Z")
My favorite instance of gratuity as a kid was the scene in Airplane! before Ted takes the controls and the plane is all out of control…and up pops a topless blond shakin’ some great looking knockers right at the camera. Gratuity was the point, but I loved it when I was 7 or 8. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/3 "2009-05-05T18:59:31Z")
Nudity is NEVER gratuitous in my book. Unless we’re talking somebody like, say, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/4 "2009-05-05T19:08:02Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Carla Gugino’s nakedness in _Sin city_ makes very little sense;\* why, exactly, does she not throw on a robe when Marv comes to her apartment? Doesn’t Marv explain this one in the movie? “Lucille’s my parole officer. She’s a dyke, but God knows why. With that body of hers she could have any man she wants.” Sounds like she just doesn’t give a shit if Marv sees her naked or not because it’s not a sexual thing to her. ETA: She does put on a robe after she realizes that it wasn’t someone trying to break in and kill her. NFSW proof: [http://www.videosift.com/video/Sin-City-Marv-breaks-into-Lucille-s-flat](http://www.videosift.com/video/Sin-City-Marv-breaks-into-Lucille-s-flat) ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/5 "2009-05-05T19:11:21Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Doesn’t Marv explain this one in the movie? > > “Lucille’s my parole officer. She’s a dyke, but God knows why. With that body of hers she could have any man she wants.” > > Sounds like she just doesn’t give a shit if Marv sees her naked or not because it’s not a sexual thing to her. You’re right about that, and the line’s the same in the comic book. That said, I don’t buy it. One of my best friends is a lesbian, and I arrived at her house recently while she was in the shower. I’m 99.99999999999999999% sure she has no sexual interest in me, and yet she put on a towel before coming out of the bathroom, though I know for a fact that she is not averse to walking around naked when alone. Because she’s from, you know, America. ETA: Having said all that, if they had to choose between showing Carla Gugino naked and Jessica Alba naked, I’m glad they chose the one who has actually eaten a piece of cheesecake in her life. ETA further: Just watched the video. Who the hell sleeps in a thong? ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/6 "2009-05-05T19:38:50Z")
I recall several '80’s movies with gratuous nudity. A couple that come to mind: **Revenge of the Nerds** - When they rig up cameras to spy on the sorority girls, and they end up running in for a panty raid, all the girls are running around topless. I think there was also a shower scene with lots of naked girls, too. (also pot smoking and university-sponsored drinking games but that’s for another thread) **Sixteen Candles** - Scene where they introduce Jake Ryan’s perfect girlfriend, she’s in the shower completely nude and the camera starts at her feet and goes up from there. I guess I had watched the edited versions so many times of these movies that when I watched them recently uncut, the nudity was a bit shocking!! I’m not a prude at all but seems to me it’s misplaced in these types of movies, not to mention misogynistic (didn’t see any naked dudes in either one!!) ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/7 "2009-05-05T19:43:54Z")
Girls do not run around naked in sorority houses. Based on a sample of one. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/8 "2009-05-05T19:50:20Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Girls do not run around naked in sorority houses. > > Based on a sample of one. Though guys in fraternities would prefer to think they do, at least until their second year. Based on a sample of millions…plus one. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/9 "2009-05-05T19:52:01Z")
Any strip scene where the dancer is dancing around in a bikini seems “non-gratuitous”. As mentioned upthread, Airplane! has the best gratuitous scene ever. To that, I will add: - Halle Berry’s topless scene in Swordfish - The orgy scene in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story - The hotel fight scene in Commando > [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Girls do not run around naked in sorority houses. > > Based on a sample of one. You’re a liar!😉 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/10 "2009-05-05T19:52:24Z")
The shower scene in **Starship Troopers** was about as gratuitous as any scene could be. In **National Lampoon’s Vacation** , Christie Brinkley is supposed to be skinny dipping, but the camera never shows anything. It wasn’t to get a better MPAA rating – Beverly D’Angelo goes nude in the film – but probably because Brinkley refused. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/11 "2009-05-05T19:55:38Z")
Any time there is a stripper on stage, she should be topless, or get topless. \*\*Skald the Rhymer \*\* said: > [@](#): > > ETA: Having said all that, if they had to choose between showing Carla Gugino naked and Jessica Alba naked, I’m glad they chose the one who has actually eaten a piece of cheesecake in her life. Why should they have to choose? I mean, the movie was already rated R, it’s not like there’s a quota on boobies. “Oh, I’m sorry, you’ve exceeded your booby quota. One of those chicks needs a bra on. You pick.” And while I appreciated plenty of gratuitous Carla Gugino scenes, I wanted the Jessica Alba, too. **HelloKitty** said: > [@](#): > > **Revenge of the Nerds** - When they rig up cameras to spy on the sorority girls, and they end up running in for a panty raid, all the girls are running around topless. I think there was also a shower scene with lots of naked girls, too. (also pot smoking and university-sponsored drinking games but that’s for another thread) Uh, that was the point of spying on the sorority girls, to see them topless/naked. How was that gratuitous? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/12 "2009-05-05T19:55:47Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In **National Lampoon’s Vacation** , Christie Brinkley is supposed to be skinny dipping, but the camera never shows anything. It wasn’t to get a better MPAA rating – Beverly D’Angelo goes nude in the film – but probably because Brinkley refused. Back when our beauties refused to be naked? Did she ever, do you know? The only one I can think of off-hand is Replacement Killers, but they really should have been fucking, not just nude, and it’s a glaring lack of both. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/13 "2009-05-05T19:57:39Z")
Gratuitous nudity is the norm - we could be naming examples without pause until all of us expire of old age. Recent gratuitous non-nude example - Katherine Heigl’s omnipresent bra in the sex scenes of _Knocked Up_. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/14 "2009-05-05T20:03:09Z")
It seems as though we’ve been introduced to Harvey Keitel’s naked body for no good reason a number of times. I’d also say there was no particular cause for Jason Seagal’s full frontal debut in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Not that I mind eaither of the above; just seems put in for shock value is all. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/15 "2009-05-05T20:08:19Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > The only one I can think of off-hand is Replacement Killers, but they really should have been fucking, not just nude, and it’s a glaring lack of both. There was nudity in The Replacement Killers? Refresh my memory. ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/16 "2009-05-05T20:20:35Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The shower scene in **Starship Troopers** was about as gratuitous as any scene could be. I agree, though a shower scene like that could have been used to show how either soldiers were desensitized to sexuality among peers. Dollhouse uses a co-ed shower this way but without nudity. Given how shallow Starship Troopers is, I can’t give them the benefit of the doubt; it was gratuitous. > [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I’d also say there was no particular cause for Jason Seagal’s full frontal debut in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Not that I mind eaither of the above; just seems put in for shock value is all. I think it’s there to add to his character’s humiliation. He’s being humiliated by his girlfriend breaking up with him, plus he’s humiliated because he’s naked. Or vulnerable. To add my own to the mix, in Pi the main character is shown in kind of an in his head thing against a white background. In the director’s commentary, Aronofsky admits the character should have been naked, but he thinks it would have been too distracting. ---
**Author:** ![Omi\_no\_Kami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Omi\_no\_Kami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omi_no_Kami)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/17 "2009-05-05T20:36:06Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The shower scene in **Starship Troopers** was about as gratuitous as any scene could be. Funny you should bring that up, because there’s a scene in the most recent _Starship Troopers_ where the pilots have to disrobe and do a “full body scan” to get into their robots, which works out pretty much exactly how you’d imagine it would. ---
**Author:** ![Claptree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Claptree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claptree)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/18 "2009-05-05T20:37:07Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Girls do not run around naked in sorority houses. > > Based on a sample of one. Why would you lie? It doesn’t make any sense. Next you’ll tell me that chicks having sleepovers don’t always have naked pillow fights. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/19 "2009-05-05T20:42:34Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Recent gratuitous non-nude example - Katherine Heigl’s omnipresent bra in the sex scenes of _Knocked Up_. Yeah, when I first heard about that movie, I thought “Hmmm, I can think of two good reasons to see that.” But when I heard they never came out to play, I was glad I hadn’t rushed right out. ---
**Author:** ![loafish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d07c76/32.png) [@loafish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loafish)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447/20 "2009-05-05T20:52:04Z")
The naked hotel fight in **Borat** might have been just a tad gratuitous, however, it was hilarious so maybe it was absolutely necessary. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gratuitous-nudity-and-non-nudity-in-movies/495447.md?page=2)