Everyone take a deep breath. It’s been about a week since a (gasp!) nude picture of High School Musical star Vanessa Anne Hudgens surfaced on the Internet. The picture in question features the 18-year-old Ms. Hudgens posing stark naked in what looks to be her on-set trailer. The word is that this picture was meant for Zac Efron, her co-star/boyfriend. This may very well be the case. Hudgens publicist echoed this sentiment, almost immediately admitting to the media that the picture was indeed of Hudgens and that it was meant for purely personal use. What other personal uses are there for a naked picture than to send it to your boyfriend? As it tends to go with nudity of any kind, there have been divisive reactions to the situation, some even calling for Disney to disown Hudgens. But, Disney has fully supported their High School Musical star throughout the ordeal, effectively turning the picture into a non-issue. However, a couple of questions still remain.
Should anybody care about Vanessa Hudgens‘ nude picture?
Yes, but only if you’re a teenage boy with an Internet connection. I can’t imagine how happy this picture made a nation of teenage male High School Musical fans. Besides that, though, it’s not a situation that anyone should be upset over, let alone outraged. As some of our commentors pointed out last week, America has an incredibly conservative approach to nudity. If this happened anywhere in Europe (and it does all the time) no one would bat an eye. Because it happened here, however, parents are upset, TV viewers assume that Hudgens will be fired from High School Musical 3, and defenders of Hudgens’ purity are devastated. Give everyone a couple of weeks and it will all be a non-issue.
Should Hudgens’ publicist have admitted that the picture was indeed of Vanessa?
The other day, a friend of mine said that it was insanely stupid for Hudgens’ publicist to almost immediately admit that the nude picture was actually of her. Prior to the publicist’s announcement there was overwhelming skepticism as to whether the picture was actually of the High School Musical star. The theory is that had the publicist denied the validity of the picture, no one would ever be able to confirm whether it was Vanessa in the picture. What people are overlooking is that this would not have been a good thing. Had they denied that it was Hudgens, speculation would have continued for weeks, maybe months. Hudgens would be accused of covering her tracks, of being ashamed, and debate would rage online. With admitting the picture is real, Hudgens gets a ton of free publicity. Also, and this can’t be overlooked, it’s not like she looks bad in the picture. It’s as innocent as a private nude picture can be and it certainly has galvanized her male fan base. Mostly, admitting the truth will allow the story to quickly go away, if only because there’s nothing more to be said on it. The case is closed.
There’s really nothing more to discuss. It’s an embarrassing situation for Vanessa Hudgens (she’s admitted as much), but it’s not all that big of a deal. Young actresses appear naked on film all the time, so what’s the difference? The only minor shock comes from the fact that Hudgens is connected to Disney, a family-friendly organization. Everyone will get past this, though, and once High School Musical 3 is ready to be released, all will be forgotten.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of DIsney)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
