Naked Feminism: Breaking the Cult of Female Modesty

Is it right that, despite the promises of feminism, women’s bodies remain at the mercy of state, society and religion? Should a scantily clad woman, or a promiscuous one, be worth less than a fully covered woman, or a chaste one? Are being sexy and being smart really mutually exclusive? Can a woman be both body and brain? Victoria Bateman has confronted these questions with actions as well as words. She has appeared naked on national television, on stage, in art and at protests—using her body, as well as her brain, to deliver her message. In “Naked Feminism,” Bateman makes a compelling case for women’s bodily freedom, and explains why the current puritanical revival is so dangerous for women. Illustrating the swinging pendulum of bodily modesty through the ages, she takes us on a journey from the ancient civilisations of Egypt and Babylon, through the birth of Christianity and Islam, to the lax morals of the medieval period and the bawdiness of Chaucer and Shakespeare; to the clampdowns of the Puritans and later the Victorians and, more recently, to the re-veiling of the Middle East and the purity pledges of modern-day America. She ends with a plea: feminists must unite to challenge the repression of the female body, as only then can women be truly free.

Victoria N. Bateman (born 1979) is a British feminist economist and academic specializing in economic history, and is a fellow in economics at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. She serves as Director of Studies for the Economics Tripos at Gonville and Caius College. Brought up in Lees, Oldham, Bateman attended Saddleworth School and Oldham Sixth Form College where she was President of the Student Union, before reading economics at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and receiving master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on economic history, including the role of markets in economic development, and the role of women’s rights and freedoms in stimulating economic growth. Her previous book “The Sex Factor: How Women Made the West Rich” (2019) explored the relationship between women’s economic participation and Western economic growth. Bateman is well known for her public protests against Brexit and in favour of women’s rights, occasionally appearing naked. In 2016, she attended a university meeting naked, with “Brexit means economic disaster” written across her body, specifically in protest at the result of the EU Referendum. Her performance “Brexit: The Naked Truth” allowed audience members to create a living anti-Brexit petition by signing her bare body. Bateman identifies as a feminist, writing: “I believe passionately in freedom for women, and whilst many battles have been won in the past century, there is still a long way for society to move until women enjoy the levels of freedom that they should be able to. I am not afraid to use my body as well as my brain to deliver important messages.”

“Naked Feminism” is a provocative and sometimes uncomfortable book. Bateman’s arguments and methods will provoke strong reactions. But this is precisely such a book’s value—it forces us to confront our assumptions about women’s bodies, sexuality and freedom. Whether or not one agrees with all of Bateman’s claims, her historical examination and theoretical analysis provide valuable perspective for understanding why body politics is so central to gender justice.

Victoria Bateman, with her analytical rigor as an economist and passionate courage as an activist, has written a book both scholarly and radical. “Naked Feminism” is essential reading for anyone concerned with bodily autonomy, gender equality, or simply wanting to understand women’s body politics. It reminds us the most personal is the most political, and the struggle over women’s bodies is central to the struggle for women’s freedom.