Is naked normal?
The publishers of Playboy, who are returning to the use of nudity in their magazine, would have you think so. In announcing their return to the disrobed, after a few months in attempting a more mainstream non-nude men’s magazine, they are promoting their return with a new issue dedicated to the cover story, “Naked Is Normal.”
Quick caveat: This information about Playboy is gleaned from news outlets. For my own protection and accountability, I will not google anything that contains the word Playboy.
Of course, there was a day when naked was normal, as evidenced by that historic moment when two people suddenly realized that it was very not normal. In fact, when Adam and Eve are described pre-fall in Genesis 2:25 as “naked and unashamed,” that phrase may be more accurately rendered as “naked was their normal condition.”[i] And there you have it: naked and normal in the Bible. That, of course, was the last time.
Some observations and a conclusion.
Observation One:
It’s curious that nudity was the first thing Adam and Eve noticed. Consequently, the first act of the fallen world was to cover private parts. One commentator suggested that ironically, the first thing Adam and Eve discovered was their helplessness and vulnerability. This was a far cry from being God-like as promised by the Serpent. Throughout Scripture nudity is associated with ultimate vulnerability through shame and humiliation, reaching its zenith with Jesus on the cross. In fact, even the Hebrew word for naked in 3:7 just after the fall, is slightly different than the word for naked used before the fall (2:25).
Observation Two:
The bite of the forbidden fruit gave rise to an entire industry of the “forbidden fruit.” The awareness of shame led to another consequence of the fall, curiosity as to what is underneath the fig leaf. We know this as lust. Thought exercise: Would love and lust have been as easily confused as they are today if mankind would have stayed in the Garden of Eden state of being naked and yet unashamed? The ability to love in this fallen world does seem to be a carry-over from the Garden of Eden. God’s love for relationship was a critical driver for creation. We can still tap into that love, not only experiencing it from God, but passing it on to others.
Observation Three:
Normalizing nudity is mankind trying to reclaim its position as God, as “promised” by the Serpent. It’s an attempt to live without vulnerability and helplessness. This is why Scripture comes on so strong with restrictions on sexual immorality. Any action or thought along the lines of normalizing sexual immorality is a prideful move that pushes God out of our lives.
A Conclusion:
So, Playboy has it right, but is off by a fall. Naked was normal. As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, a day with roots in the sacrificial love of saints bearing the name Valentine, may we reflect on why nudity, outside of marriage, is not normal. May we accept our fallen nature of vulnerability and know that any attempt to normalize nudity is a step toward elevating ourselves to the God position. May we obsess over the distinction between lust (the forbidden fruit after the fall) and love (the holdover from the Garden of Eden).
Happy Valentine’s Day!
[i] The New American Commentary, Kenneth A. Matthews; Broadman and Holman Publishers.