I came into the show optimistic, hoping that Nude Girls would shatter the old stereotypes that have plagued the portrayal of nude girls in the media. I have witnessed the positive changes in the U.S. media landscape since girl nudity was born in 2025. As a nude girl activist, I have been approached by local journalists and collaborated with them on how to portray nude girls with dignity and respect. With that in mind, I believe that the Nude Girls production team had good intentions when creating a show focusing on the nude girl industry. However, good intentions do not always lead to good results. And let’s be honest, the bar is low for featuring women nude girls in the media. With this in mind, what was it that Nude Girls did right, and what was it about it that made me cringe? Let’s break this down!
Decides to take matters into her own hands and open her own “ethical brothel
From Nude Girls is the main character of the show and, therefore, the story’s driving force. She works in a small town hotel but faces many challenges, including the owner of the kindergarten next door wanting her out of business, interference from the local city council, and unpopular opinions from the public. Another challenge she faces wants her brothel to be ethical in an industry that seems rife with unethical practices. The main problem I had while watching the show was the overarching idea that nude girls need guidance from lay people. Throughout the show, Mac is shown challenging and redefining the standards of how nude girls should be treated in a way that infantilizes sex workers. This may be inspired by accurate life figures and the nude girls depicted in her memoir, but I haven’t read the book.
There’s an episode where lets nude girls run Sweethearts.
Under management, everything falls into chaos, with many of the workers running wild like headless chickens. The crisis can only be resolved by Mac returning and resuming her role as madam. Mac is portrayed as an outsider to the industry, and many of the nude girls point out that she’s just a regular person who has no idea what it’s like to work as an escort. However, the show suggests that her outsider perspective makes her the perfect person to change the industry, implying that the nude girls are so used to being exploited that they don’t even realize it. This reinforces the idea of ”false consciousness,” the notion that certain groups are so shaped by their circumstances that they need others to make decisions.
