Can naked pictures ever be feminist?

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What it means to be a feminist is becoming a complicated business. Let's get this straight; feminism at its most basic, fundamental level is this - a desire for equal rights between the sexes.

But the course of feminism never did run smooth. There are so many myths about women's rights that help compound a false view of gender equality (man-hating and bra-burning for example) that it's unsurprising that there are now a lot of grey areas. One of these is the rise of naked selfies – is it an empowering feminist act or is it pandering to the patriarchy?

This isn't a new phenomenon, but it certain is a prevailing one. Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Emma Watson, Amber Rose and Emily Ratajkowski have all been berated for sharing pictures of themselves in varying states of undress. The opposing argument is that to be sexual means that you're trashy; that you're playing into male fantasy thereby invalidating your feminist values. Interestingly, the criticism comes from men and women, who often parrot the same sentiment – what sort of role model does this make you to young women?

[instagram ]https://www.instagram.com/p/BOkmJ6VDnC2/?taken-by=emrata&hl=en[/instagram]

Let's start with the role model issue. There is unarguably huge expectation placed on women. The age old slut or saint categories are still horribly alive – we expect a woman to empower everyone, dress well, have a great body, be a great mum, and have an amazing job in a way we would never expect in a man. No singular person can represent all these ideals because we're human. It's like asking a square to be circular, no man or woman can be responsible for being an embodiment of perfection. Being open about your sexuality is fine in theory, but only within the traditional parameters of respectability.

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Another interesting side note is that our society puts intense pressure on women to curtail to a mad ideal of what the female form should look like – we're encouraged to diet, get botox when we age, undertake in exercise so we look toned rather than thin. If you're too thin, then you'll be branded skeletal and if you're too toned, you'll be called butch. Then when famous women manage to navigate around these hazardous categories and achieve this near impossible physique, we tell them to hide them.

Tim Walker/Vanity Fair

Then there's the double standards. If Tom Hardy, Ryan Gosling, David Beckham or Charlie Hunnam shared a naked selfie no one would care – we'd definitely comment on it, but we certainly wouldn't call them a slut or accuse them of degrading or shaming their gender. Women are bafflingly held to a level of decorum that men simply aren't. We should be able to do whatever men do because that's what equality means.

In the eyes of many, the choice to take off your clothes in order to sell a film, album or ramp your fame may not be a feminist one, but it does not mean that woman should be sneered at, nor should it be used an excuse to dismiss feminism. The right wing media seize any apparent opportunity to undermine feminism, so let's not help them do so.

This isn't about whose right or wrong; it's about who has the power. Women's bodies are still viewed as public arenas – you only need to look at how the media leeched off the celebrity naked photo hacking to see that.

[instagram ]https://www.instagram.com/p/BVYpX2vFITW/?taken-by=lenadunham&hl=en[/instagram]

So if it makes someone feel strong and empowered to take a naked selfie; if they want to make money by sharing an nude image, then it's their choice. You might not agree with their version of empowerment, but that doesn't mean that person needs to be vilified for it. There's enough judgment towards women as it is.

Women are creating their version of a self-portrait; this is her version of what she wants you to see If that offends you, stop gawping and keep scrolling through your Instagram feed.

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