Will Sharon Stone Topless On the Cover of Paris Match Destroy American Civilization?
The year might be 2009, but it might as well be 1984 in America, with an Orwellian paradox defining its perception of virtue. Thus, wife cheating Republican politicos are the defenders of marriage, corrupt judges who send innocent children to privately run prisons for a bribe are held up as the scions of law and order (until they are caught) and our self-righteous mainstream media peddles violence without restriction but will cringe at the mere peek at a mature woman's breasts.
The esteemed French magazine Paris Match featured a bare breasted Sharon Stone on its cover, celebrating the magnificent beauty of a fifty year old woman's glorious body. This is not a girlie magazine for men we are talking about, but one of the most prestigious publications in the world, with a well-earned reputation for journalistic excellence. As would be expected with a revealing magazine cover image of a celebrity, the Paris Match profile of Sharon Stone has been replicated throughout the world. However, when the front cover image of Ms. Stone migrates across the Atlantic, an inexplicable metamorphosis occurs. The Internet's version of yellow tape migrates across the French magazine's cover, intersecting Sharon Stone's breasts at the nipple line, lest we be offended.
Lest we be offended? Americans can view scenes of appalling brutality through the lens of American mass media, with barely a whisper from the morality police. But heaven forbid that the bare breasts of a proud American woman, tastefully photographed and artfully presented in a publication as distinguished as Paris Match, should be revealed in their shining glory. It seems there is a fear that such an uncensored visual experience would hasten the decline and fall of American culture and civilization.
Perhaps my perception on this issues is distorted, due to my passionate interest in fine art photography of the female nude. I have photographed numerous bare breasted women, and have yet to sense that my level of culture and civility is eroding. The sight of a woman's nipple does not transform me into a barbarian. What fine art nude photography does for me is heighten my appreciation for the mystique of feminine beauty, much as the uncensored Paris Match cover portrayal of Sharon Stone is an artful salutation to her middle-age grace and sensuality. However, with the yellow tape over her bosom, she is transformed into a caricature, stripped of her feminine essence.
In its discomfort in presenting the female body as proud and unclothed in any setting outside the realm of pornography and "men's magazines," the mass media in the United States is far more aligned with Iran than Europe. In fact, in both Europe and Canada, tasteful nudity is freely presented on mainstream media. It is the USA that holds to a puritan ethic that reaches the level of the absurd when censoring the cover of one of the world's outstanding magazines.
Those clinging the strongest to a regime of censorship that is primeval in comparison with other countries with more enlightened media policies are often counted in the ranks of those who also support the Iraq war and Bush administration's trampling of the U.S. constitution. I for one hope one day a magazine cover as beautiful as the Paris Match tribute to Sharon Stone and her wondrous femininity will be liberated from such ethical hypocrisy, but until that day arrives, I will continue to photograph the beautiful bodies of exceptional women. For those not afraid that such fine art imagery may lead to their moral destruction and spiritual doom, I extend an invitation to view my gallery at FemmeNudes.com, http://www.femmenudes.com. But be warned, the yellow tape is off.
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I'm all for nudity, but Ms. Stone is played out. Put her out to pasture.
Correction, Mr. Filger; you and most of the other photographers don't want to photograph any beautiful woman, no matter her size, you only want to photograph the ones who've had plastic surgery, implants (such as the saline implants on Stone), Botox, airbrushing, and liposuction. That's why I can't find any natural beauty in manufactured attractiveness.
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Correction, your sweeping generalization is totally inaccurate, at least as it applies to my photographic work. None of the women who have posed for me are professional models, and almost all never posed nude before working with me. They are intelligent, natural women, not one of whom used Botox or breast implants. Have a look at this video of my work, then tell me where you see indications of implants, Botox, airbrushing, and liposuction:
http://ca.video.yahoo.com/watch/5432190/14305262
I was not at all offended by the nudity of the photos. Rather I took exception to the opinion that it was sexy. I found it anything but--except, perhaps to the 12 to 30 male demographic. The pose is awkward and unnatural. The outfit is surreal without the saving grace of qualifying as 'art'.
It's a shame, because as far as appearance alone goes, I've always found Sharon Stone erotic and naturally sexy. This is anything but.
I agree about the pose. Ms. Stone is beautiful, but the open-legged, pelvic thrust pose was terrible. I didn't find the pose sexy or artistic, but more along the lines of "frak me now." A better pose would have done far more justice to Ms.Stone's incredible legs.
"Americans can view scenes of appalling brutality through the lens of American mass media, with barely a whisper from the morality police."
Thank you for pointing this out. I'm horrified at the images of violence that are allows to air on network television during primetime, but good forbid we see a boob. This country's moral priorities are really screwed up.
Agreed.
What's freaking people out is that a) she's 51 (the horror!) and b) she comes across as assertive, if not downright aggressive. Ooh, so scary on 2 fronts!
American civilization? To paraphrase a wise man - I think that would be a good idea.
She's fantastic as always. And I agree about the yellow tape, it actually attracts more attention to the picture and makes it look like something you'd see at a police station.
Ask anyone under 23 who Sharon Stone is and I bet 70% wont know.
And your point is...?
They were way before my time, but I still know who Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner were.
Open any fashion magazine and there's lots of nude women. It's not a big deal at all.
I may get stoned for this, but the day Halli Berry took over Sharon's deserved stardom, I never was the same again. ( Just deep thoughts....)
If there's a chance of getting stoned I'll second your notion.
And the day Halle Berry ran that guy over with her SUV, he was never the same again either.
I hear ya! Just kidding with the cliche......I have photographed nude women and men for years. I met a lady on Haight Street in SF about 15 years ago. I asked her if I could photograph her. We went to her studio apartment and we both outdid ourselves. She is a heavy lady and absolutely was the most comfortable woman with her body that I've ever met.The photographs are absolutely gems. BUT, when I tried to hang them in a community gallery in central Oklahoma all hell broke loose. The reason? Her breasts showed (wouldn't quite be real nude if we hid her breasts) and being nudes of a large lady meant there was more nudity to be seen. I'm not kidding you!!
This wasn't the first rejection. I did beautiful photos of a young woman in New Mexico and the Oklahoma people went nuts. These weren't even as "nude" as the others. And another thing, I shoot in black and white and these are "fine art" (whatever that means) photographs. I've photographed my two daughters nude.... I've had a mastectomy and I've been photographed nude by two internationally known photographers and their best shows were in Canada. Go figure. Not here!
I celebrate the nude body and I'll just be the eccentric old woman who has filthy photographs on her LR walls.....I love it!
American 'civilization', such as it is (truck pulls, townhall mobs, anyone?) , will survive. I am not so sure about the French, tho.
the right wing has already ruined any semblance of civilization in this country. I hardly think Stone's boob's can hurt us any more than the rethugs!
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