
Įarly in her career, French actress Sarah Bernhardt posed topless on several occasions for photographer Felix Nadar. Īmerican actress Adah Isaacs Menken created controversy in 1861 when she wore a flesh-colored bodystocking in the play Mazeppa, based on Byron's Mazeppa, in which she played a Polish man who was tied nude to the back of a wild horse by his enemies. Devices used included flesh-colored bodystockings to simulate nudity or long hair as a cover for vital parts for roles such as Lady Godiva. Nudity has almost universally not been permitted on stage, but sheer or simulated nudity may have been. Many directors and producers apply self-censorship, limiting nudity (and other content) in their films to avoid censorship or a strict rating. Nudity in film may be subject to censorship or rating regimes that control the content of films. These standards vary by culture and depend on the type of nudity, who is exposed, which parts of the body are exposed, the duration of the exposure, the posing, the context, or other aspects. Nude scenes are considered controversial in some cultures because they may challenge the community's standards of modesty. Nudity in a sexual context is common in pornographic films or erotic films. A film on naturism or about people for whom nudity is common may contain non-sexual nudity, and some non-pornographic films contain brief nude scenes. Nudity in film should be distinguished from sex in film. Since the birth of film, depictions of any form of sexuality have been controversial, and in the case of most nude scenes, had to be justified as part of the story.

In film, nudity may be either graphic or suggestive, such as when a person appears to be naked but is covered by a sheet. JSTOR ( November 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).

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