It’s not surprising to see naked women in Classical art. If anything, it’s expected. However, female bodies and nudity are deemed taboo in modern society, according to an April 3, 2023 article from BBC. 

Aphrodite cried, “Alas! Where did Praxiteles see me naked?” somewhere around the 4th century BCE. Although attributed to Plato, those words have had a monumental impact on the Western art world, which continues to affect the public conscience. 

“Aphrodite of Knidos” by Praxiteles was the first full-sized statue of the female nude of its kind.

All Greek and Aegean art of women prior to this sculpture showed them either fully or mostly clothed. 

The athletic male youth were the ones sculpted nude, being the beauty standard for the entirety of Ancient Grecian society.

When “Aphrodite of Knidos” was first presented, the sculpture was rejected by almost every city-state it was brought to, according to the Walters Art Museum. 

Eventually, Ancient Greeks accepted the figure, even then, only because of her pose and context.

In her left hand, Aphrodite holds a swath of fabric, presumably her robe, which is falling onto a large vase. 

We can assume that she is preparing to bathe and has just undressed to do so. In this context, Aphrodite is not nude simply for the sake of being nude, but is instead performing an act that requires her to be undressed.

I say “perform” with specific intent: Aphrodite is not the only subject of this sculpture, the viewer is also essential to the composition. When viewers look at this piece, they play the part of voyeurs to her body and actions. 

She is carefully posed with her right hand over her pubis and her head shamefully turned to the side. Without a free hand, she presses her shoulders forward in an attempt to cover her breasts, though she only manages to coyly draw attention to them.

She clearly shows shame in her nudity, making her body acceptable for the viewer.

Voyeuristic pleasure drawn from this piece is the only way in which female nudity could be accepted in ancient Greece, according to a 1996 article from the Oxford Art Journal. 

Aphrodite lacks autonomy. She is under the control of a presumably male viewer, who can look at her body without consequence or pushback.

Painted between 1867 and 1869, “Andromeda” by Gustave Moreau continues to embody the principles set in place by Praxiteles. 

Andromeda sits neatly on the rock she is chained to. Her head tilts to the left, the same as Aphrodite’s had many centuries before. Her arms are carefully draped to her side, simultaneously covering her breasts and bringing attention to where her neck stretches in the opposite direction. 

Her pubis is barely covered by a thin strip of sheer fabric, which seems to play no purpose other than convenient modesty. Andromeda’s pale skin and soft curves serve as a stark contrast against the dark and jagged rock beneath her.

Despite Perseus’ presence, Andromeda’s sexual appeal targets the viewer rather than him. The dark foreground visually separates her from her savior, who is cast in a bright light. 

As was the case with “Aphrodite of Knidos,” Andromeda is shown without autonomy over her nude body. Her eyes avoid the viewer, allowing us to look without the confrontation of her gaze against ours.

Both of these artworks demonstrate the same principle, that the female body is a thing to be ashamed of. They instill the idea that women cannot be confident in the body they live in, according to a Jan. 1, 2020 article from Cambridge University Press.

Women and girls are constantly told to wear modest clothing, to cover up and hide the biology that makes them who they are, according to an Oct. 18, 2023 article from the Commonwealth Times. 

The shame that was inflicted on Aphrodite 2,000 years ago is still being pushed onto today’s women and will continue to be until we can accept that a woman’s body is not a shameful thing.