A new UK series, Naked Education, aims to challenge our notions of shame, sex, and the naked human body. With the transphobic political climate in the US and the UK, the show seeks to normalize nakedness while demystifying trans bodies for cis viewers.
The spinoff of the dating show Naked Attraction is a groundbreaking series that fights negative body image issues while educating viewers on the beauty of the naked human form. While the show might seem titillating and exploitative at first, it also aims to remind us that body image issues are something we all share, especially as we approach puberty.
Hosted by Anna Richardson, who has transitioned from fatphobic reality content to more body-positive fare, Naked Education seeks to showcase the diversity of bodies while breaking down the stigma surrounding nakedness. Richardson, an openly bisexual woman, dated Great British Bake-Off host Sue Perkins until their 2021 split.
One of the main highlights of the show is its efforts to normalize trans bodies. Naked Education features trans men who are willing to bare all to educate a terrified cis audience that trans people are not the monsters they seem to think we are. While it shouldn’t take getting naked on camera to prove this, the show’s approach has been lauded for its efforts in increasing trans visibility and understanding.
YouTube personality and author of Top to Bottom, Finlay Games, expressed his excitement about an upcoming episode where he and another transmasculine person bare all in the interest of education. He said, “There is so much misinformation around being transgender in general, but especially around gender-affirming surgery and what that is, and why we have surgery. It was so important to show that this isn’t just surgery that we choose, it’s life-saving stuff.”
In a world where body shaming and transphobia still exist, Naked Education’s efforts to normalize nakedness and showcase the beauty of all bodies are a step in the right direction.