Public nudity

The naked human body has been in the news a lot recently.

 

First, there has been some protest over an art installation at Discovery Green. Some of the statues (not all) depict a naked man. I've seen the statues in question. Honestly, I barely blinked.

The argument is that there are children in the park. But when I was there weekend before last, most of the children didn't even notice the statues. They were focused on the fountains and the animals (there was a wildlife exhibit going on). Static bronze statues can't compete with running through water or seeing a hawk close up. 

 

It reminds of a fuss some people made about a replica of Michelangelo's "David" being placed on the roof of an Italian restaurant in the Woodlands.  They said it was inappropriate at a venue where there were children. However, there were similarly unclothed female statues at the location, and nobody was making a fuss about them. My theory is that they're worried that the girls/women are going to make mental notes and compare. (or worse, point and giggle).

 

Later, in the same week, Dancing with the Stars had a performance where Julianne Hough wore a costume that was quite covered up, but gave the appearance of a lot of skin. Of course, there were people saying that it was too much. Seriously? This is ballroom dancing. Competition (particularly in Latin) requires outfits that are best described as "tight", "short" or "missing".

She wore this in an earlier season, and nobody said anything, but they are making a fuss over a flesh-colored body stocking? I've seen bathing suits that covered less. And this is the 19th season of the show; if you are shocked at this point, it's a self-inflicted wound.

The main argument, in both instances, was that these were at locations and times that children could see them. So what?  Everybody has a body (even children). Wouldn't it be healthier if we just accepted that?