by KC Kelly, Ph.D., LMHC

www.DOCintheBiz.com

I saw a post someone sent out a long time ago asking about how people felt about nudity in modern cinema. I felt inspired to answer and I did, but I wanted to put a new twist on the idea. So, here is the question now: How do you think the self worth of young actors (to be used synonymously with actresses) is affected by the nudity they see in modern cinema? Here was my answer…

DISCLAIMER: I discuss an A list actor in this post with zero intent to insult. I am merely questioning one of her decisions in an attempt to learn how baring oneself in a major motion picture for the world to see affects their self worth.

How much was it “worth” when Halle Berry showed herself topless in Swordfish? I have read many different articles on the topic about how much money she made and why she chose to do it, but since they all stated different things, I have not been able to come up with an accurate answer.

These are the questions that come to mind…not ONLY for Halle Berry, but others who choose to bare it all in films. Do you think that it makes actors feel good about themselves from a narcissistic point of view to show themselves nude and know that everyone is going to the flick to see them? I state no opinion here, but have many times over in different places that people only went to see Swordfish to see Halle Berry bare her breasts and that the movie was horrible. Do you think actors bare themselves because they may feel as though they are getting older and wanted to show the world that their bodies are still beautiful in return for increasing their self esteem? Or maybe it’s the money they can earn? When actors show themselves nude in movies, do they think that people look at them as if it is just an everyday common theme OR do people realize that most are gawking wide-eyed at the screen as if they have never seen a female breast?

Lastly, but most importantly, how do you think that witnessing the exploitation of women (and men) in film affects young aspiring actors today? Do they think that they have to compromise their talent by exploiting themselves to get ahead? Are they learning that being successful means having to take off their clothes? Unfortunately, and G-d bless America, we live in a society, in my humble opinion, that is SO obsessed with the “female breasts” that they have become the objects of sexual insanity. The line between it being “necessary” to show nudity in a film and just showing it to create a buzz and increase ticket sales, will forever remain debatable.

It’s all around us…sex sells. Yes, I’ve heard it a million times. Has it become all about the mighty dollar and how to obtain it in any way possible? Unfortunately, it doesn’t to be about feeling good about the way you obtain it anymore. Cosmetic surgery is about as popular today as getting a regular haircut. What went wrong? Speaking solely from professional experiences, young girls are believing that without big breasts (hence the cosmetic surgery) they will not succeed in business or in relationships, for example. What happened to feeling good about yourself just the way you are? Is it the parents who are to blame? Society? Is there anyway to undue this and teach our children that feeling good about yourself comes from the inside?

Well, if you’ve been reading my blog, you know how I view the importance of loving yourself and having a high self esteem and a healthy inner confidence. The key to a successful and happy life….is having a good self worth!

Please visit us at http://DOCintheBiz.com for our mental health self help links and the opportunity to  to email Dr. KC for professional and confidential help with any concerns you may be having.

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