As Poldark strips off (again!), why is it ok for women to ogle men — but not vice versa?
QuICk, pass me the spyglass! Who is that handsome devil emerging from the foaming waves without blame, without shame but, most importantly, without his shirt?
Be still my beating heart. For it is none other than Captain Poldark, back to thrill us all afresh with his tin-mining skills, his swashbuckling bravura, but most of all his pleasing willingness to pose topless around the Cornish countryside — whether the plot demands it or not.
the topless scything scene in the first series implanted a thousand farming fantasies in a million minds, as did the unforgettable naked swimming scene. Later, Poldark was sponged in the bath in front of a roaring fire by his wife Demelza — what a tease.
And now we have this. the return of the delicious Aidan turner, the chest hair on his tanned torso rippling in the wind for the forthcoming fourth series. And those flesh-coloured, barelythere breeches! they demand a second glance at least.
All I can say is hurrah for Ross and hurrah for us girls, who’ve been gripped by Aidan’s portrayal of Poldark since the new adaptation of Winston Graham’s novels was brought back to our screens by the BBC in 2015.
Whether storming around the Cornish cliffs in his frock coat (lovely), his big boots (crikey) and his tricorn hat (tremble), this new Ross has been a hit with the ladies since day one.
With his boyband hair and perma-scowl, he is an irresistible blend of Rhett Butler and Mr Rochester — and now by emerging from the water like a damp god, he has thrown in a dash of Mr Darcy in for good measure.
In the Pride And Prejudice miniseries from 1995, there is an unforgettable scene where Mr Darcy, played by Colin Firth, strides out of a lake in a dripping wet shirt.
THAT was the sexy moment that started it all, the one that launched the double standard — so prevalent today — which makes it acceptable for women to gently perve aloud over the finely muscled, tortured heroes of period drama ( and elsewhere), while men risk being sent to feminist jail should they dare to speak of women in the same way.
Imagine the fuss if any male commentator were to suggest that an actress playing Elizabeth Bennet in Austen’s Pride And Prejudice or, for that matter dear Demelza, would look pretty damn cute in a wet t-shirt? the twittersphere would explode in horror.
Yes, we women can ogle, but men can’t. Is that entirely fair? No. But it is entirely wonderful.
One could argue — and I do — that women have centuries of female oppression to get even with. We’ll never be able to punish boys enough for all that cavemen nonsense and then holding out on letting us vote. then there are the decades of endless novels, films and television series where female characters were little more than a cleavage or a skirt or an empty receptacle for male sexual needs.
So, don’t even start on us for getting innocently excited about our beloved Poldark.
Also, there is a world of difference between the simple admiration of beauty for its own sake — and objectifying, commercialising and demeaning one sex for the cheap titillation of the other. A topless model in a nudie mag exists purely for the sexual gratification of leering men, whereas there is nothing reductive about a topless Aidan turner. that is merely the icing on the beefcake.
the Irish actor’s good looks are only part of the reason he got the Poldark role — his winning performance as the brooding hero speaks to the sensitive side of the female psyche. honest, m’lud!
In a recent article for the Radio times, broadcaster Mariella Frostrup addressed this double standard while describing her own not inconsiderable Poldark lust as ‘harmless lasciviousness’. She was honest enough to admit that what really gets her ‘adrenal glands pumping’ is not the latest Poldark plot turn, but the prospect of ‘ shirtless, sea- soaked Aidan turner emerging from the whitecapped waves of the Atlantic.’
Stating that she didn’t want to live in a world where she couldn’t give a voice to ‘my carnal impulses’ without controversy ensuing, Mariella worries that we are losing our sense of humour along with our sense of proportion. And she has a point.
Meanwhile, back on the beach, Ross is still the boss. his Poldark is so much more nuanced than a mere pin-up, a seafaring hunk, a simple bodice-ripper.
however, if there are bodices and if they must be ripped, then what better man to do it than him? I mean that in an impeccably feminist, non-sexist way, of course.