[75Carrera]

From the viewpoint of this humble (?) artist there are many reasons the naked human form has such a profound affect on those who view it. First is the obvious sexual interests we have as humans. The opportunity to see, study, compare and even to judge something as basic as the raw human form is all but irresistible to most vital humans. Sure we are influenced by the media (seeking youth and perfection to sell us endless, useless products) and the clergy that would have us feel guilty for our natural feelings toward nudity, sexuality and the naked human form.
Ask yourself what you see when you look at a nude body. Do you see the wonders of diverse shapes and forms. Do you see the endless parade of nipples, breasts, private hairy places and dangling male parts or do you see the faces of those nudes expressing their pride or shameless exposure of their so-called flaws? These aren't train wrecks we look at to make ourselves feel better about our own bodies. These aren't examples of how we or someone we know might look if they just tried harder. These are the actual, real and honest shapes that make up the human race.
How do we celebrate this aspect of our being? Often we look away and/or express our judgments against those who shamelessly display their bodies. This seems to me to be the result of generations who were told that nudity was somehow evil because it focuses on our sexual interests. Painters have used the nude form to express everything from pure, basic human beauty to the life of Christ. When did that become a bad thing? Sure we can compare the bodies we see to our own (not usually a good idea) in an attempt to make ourselves feel better about our own shape or to stimulate our senses. The nude represents "honesty", nothing to hide, pure expression. Is it sexual? Of course it is. Humans are sexual (every single one of us) so don't fool yourself. Any shame, curiosity, lust, guilt or other emotion brought on by viewing a nude (alive or in print) is absolutely normal and human and nothing to get one's panties into a twist over... (that is "if" you're wearing any) LOL