Launched on Tuesday April 4 at 8 p.m. on Channel 4, the weekly program Naked Education (6 x 60' – Betty TV) is creating controversy in the United Kingdom. The media regulator, Ofcom, said Wednesday, April 12 to have received nearly a thousand complaints. Many criticize the program for showing nudity at too late a time, others for exposing naked bodies in front of teenagers. Conservative media have also attacked the channel and its show.
Channel 4, a public channel known for its innovative and often irreverent programs, intends, with this program, "to normalize all body types, to defend differences and to break stereotypes". "Your happiness shouldn't depend on your ability to be in that perfect shape," says one adult on the show. We see, among other scenes, men and women undressing in front of teenagers from 14 to 16 years old. In the first episode, the presenters want to dismantle “some common myths about body hair”. In the second, they discuss body image with boys, talking about muscles and the size of the penis. It is then a question of female anatomy, the evolution of the body with aging, cosmetic surgery, etc. Facing the naked bodies, the embarrassed laughter of the teenagers burst out. “I had never seen a completely naked man before,” admits a young girl. "It's a unique experience to be seated facing people with their penises out," laughs a boy.
Channel 4 content director Ian Katz took to Twitter to defend the show: Naked Education is "fighting the dangerous myths and toxic images that are bombarded at teenagers by exposing them to real, normal bodies". “It would be hard to find a clearer example of a quality public service program that challenges the kind of misconceptions that are too often at the root of anxiety among young people,” he adds.