The Naked Truth Behind Scott Brown's Centerfold

Upon the death of Ted Kennedy in August, speculation about who would fill his US Senate seat quickly erupted. While a number of names have begun to take over the spotlight, one Republican State Senator is standing out because of a decision he made nearly 30 years ago.

A “starving” 22-year-old student at Boston College, Scott Brown was named “America’s Sexiest Man” and posed nude for Cosmopolitan back in 1982. Seemingly, Brown (father of American Idol Ayla Brown) hasn’t tried to cover up his past, stating that the photos surface around every election.

Personally, I don’t believe the man’s decision to pose nude affects his ability to be a successful politician. In fact, I don’t know many college guys who would turn down the chance at the cash and fame.

However, what’s interesting about this situation is not the fact that Brown posed nude, it’s the reaction to the news that has me fired up. Despite a few articles regarding Brown’s bare-all photos, the majority of news coverage doesn’t seem to be focusing on this element of his past. I can’t help but wonder how different the reaction may have been had the pictures featured Brown’s female contender, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley.

Would the reaction have been the same if Coakley had stripped down during her college years? I think not. Had it been a female politician in the same boat, I’d bet critics would focus on questioning her ethical standards and would not allow her to brush off the incident with as much ease as Brown has been able to.

As women, we are subjected to the endless double standards of society. A man who has many sexual partners is viewed as experienced, while a woman is seen as a slut. A woman who is aggressive is considered a bitch, while her male counterpart is seen as driven, and so on…

What do you think of Brown’s nude past? Does society have double standards when it comes to male and female nudity?