The appearance of nudity in music videos has caused controversy since the late 1970s, and several explicit music videos have been censored or banned. Nudity has gained wider acceptance on European television, where audiences often view nudity and sexuality as less objectionable than the depiction of violence. In contrast, MTV, VH1 and other North American music-related television channels usually censor what they think is inappropriate and might be considered offensive to their viewers.
Notable examples
This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by
adding missing items with reliable sources.
1970s
Year |
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
1978 |
"Bicycle Race" (uncensored version) |
Queen |
Dennis de Vallance |
Various actresses |
65 naked actresses racing bicycles at Wimbledon. The video was edited for commercial release.
|
1979 |
"Funkytown" (Debbie Jenner version) |
Lipps Inc. |
? |
Background dancer |
A female background dancer wearing a translucent top and no bra.
|
1980s
1981
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Girls on Film" (uncensored version) |
Duran Duran |
Godley & Creme |
Various actresses |
Partially nude models "strutting" on catwalks. The video was edited for MTV play, but even in that form was controversial.
|
"Sex Dwarf" |
Soft Cell |
Tim Pope |
Various actresses and Marc Almond |
Fully nude actresses tortured on table and covered in meat, threatened by chain-saw wielding midgets. Marc Almond runs around wearing a jockstrap (this video was confiscated by the police).
|
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Libertine" |
Mylène Farmer |
Laurent Boutonnat |
Mylène Farmer, two other actresses, and an actor |
Three woman undress and take a bath together, one of which being Farmer. In another scene, Mylène and an actor have sex on a bed, before showing a complete frontal nude of Farmer on the bed.
|
1987
1988
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Mountain Song" (uncensored version) |
Jane's Addiction |
|
Various actors and actresses |
Hot wax is shown being poured down an actress's breasts, as well as a male actor being repeatedly shown lying down fully nude in a bed of flowers.
|
1989
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Pop Song 89" |
R.E.M |
Michael Stipe |
Michael Stipe and three actresses |
Three actresses dance topless with an also topless Michael Stipe.
|
1990s
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1996
1997
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Face Off" |
Jay-Z featuring Sauce Money |
Abdul Malik Abbott |
Various actresses |
Several topless actresses and one actress full-frontal nudity, vulva also shown.
|
1998
1999
2000s
2000
2001
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Fiesta" |
R. Kelly featuring Jay-Z |
Little X & R. Kelly |
Three actresses |
The three actresses are seen topless at a beach.
|
"Pagan Poetry" |
Björk |
Nick Knight |
Björk |
Björk is depicted topless throughout the video, and appears in stylised scenes of explicit sexual content. Video was banned due to nudity and sexual scenes.
|
2002
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Girls of Summer" (Latin American / European Version) |
Aerosmith |
Dave Meyers |
An actor |
An actor is seen nude when a girl pulls his pants down to humiliate him.
|
"Lapdance" (uncensored version) |
N*E*R*D featuring Lee Harvey and Vita |
Diane Martel |
Various actresses |
Several actresses are seen dancing around Pharrell and other band members topless and showing their buttocks while touching each other's breasts throughout the entire video.
|
"Cocoon" |
Björk |
Eiko Ishioka |
Björk |
Björk apparently is fully naked, but actually it's a bodysuit.
|
"Jenny from the Block" |
Jennifer Lopez feat. Jadakiss and Styles P |
Francis Lawrence |
Jennifer Lopez and two other actresses |
Lopez and two of her female friends are seen sunbathing topless on a yacht with their breasts censored by pixelation. In another scene, Lopez is seen topless in her hotel room with her breasts also pixelated.
|
2003
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Superman" |
Eminem |
Paul Hunter |
Porn star Gina Lynn and Eminem |
Eminem bends his buttocks over through a door, telling a girl he just finished a one-night stand with to kiss his ass. The girl later takes her top off and her bare breasts are revealed in an attempt to seduce Eminem. In the VEVO and television version, Eminem's buttocks and the girl's bare breasts are pixelated.
|
"Work It" (uncensored version) |
Nelly featuring Justin Timberlake |
Joseph Kahn |
Two actresses |
In the uncensored version, two Playboy Playmates appear completely naked on a tennis court with Nelly.
|
"P.I.M.P." (uncensored version) |
50 Cent featuring G-Unit and Snoop Dogg |
Chris Robinson |
Various actresses |
In the uncensored version, various actresses are seen dancing topless.
|
"P-Poppin" (uncensored version) |
Ludacris featuring Shawnna and Lil Fate |
|
Various actresses |
In the uncensored version, various actresses are seen dancing nude. Ludacris is seen smacking the backsides of several actresses in very sexual poses. Some of these actresses are exposing their vaginal area.
|
"Protège-Moi" |
Placebo |
Gaspar Noé |
Various actors and actresses |
Various actors and actresses featured full nudity. The video takes place during an orgy and includes explicit unsimulated sexual content. Never officially released due to the level of sexual content.
|
"Come Undone" |
Robbie Williams |
Jonas Åkerlund |
Two actresses |
Robbie Williams is involved in a threesome with two actresses; one is topless and the other fully nude with exposed genital; he is wearing underwear.
|
"Progenies of the Great Apocalypse" (uncensored version) |
Dimmu Borgir |
|
An actress |
|
2004
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Disco Inferno" |
50 Cent |
Ulysses Terrero |
Various actresses |
Several actresses are seen nude while 50 Cent is at a strip club.
|
"Ding Dong Song" |
Günther |
|
Two actresses |
Gunther in seen nude on the beginning, showing his buttocks uncensored. Some actresses also show nude, but not showing the genitalia and the breasts.
|
"My Band" (uncensored version) |
D12 |
Phillip G. Atwell and Eminem |
Two actresses |
A topless woman dances on a pole and a topless woman appears next to Eminem.
|
"Stupidisco" (uncensored version) |
Junior Jack |
– |
Two actresses |
In the uncesored version, two women appear wresling. They eventually pull off each other's bikini's until they're fully nude, touching each other.
|
2005
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Celice (song)" |
A-ha |
|
unknown actress |
Filmed in a brothel in Berlin, one pole dancer is seen as topless for a few seconds in the background. Heat sensors are used to show some of the more graphic images from the video.
|
"One Night in Bangkok" |
Vinylshakerz |
|
Various actresses |
Various actresses are seen topless.
|
"They" (UK version) |
Jem |
Laurent Briet
|
Jem |
Teenager falls asleep building a spaceship model and dreams of Jem, in the spaceship, taking off her spacesuit.
|
"How Do You Do!" |
Cascada |
|
|
Woman riding a bull riding machine takes her top off.
|
2006
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"L'amour n'est rien..." |
Mylène Farmer |
Benoît di Sabatino |
Mylène Farmer |
Farmer does a striptease in the video.
|
"Yeah Yeah" |
Bodyrox featuring Luciana |
|
Various actresses |
Various actresses are seen topless.
|
"Mann gegen Mann" |
Rammstein |
Jonas Åkerlund |
Rammstein members; several actors |
Rammstein members are seen using their instruments covering their genitals; actors are seen nude from behind.
|
"First Time" |
Sunblock featuring Robin Beck |
– |
Various actresses |
In the uncesored version, several women appear topless or almost fully nude throughout the video. In a bedroom playing with their towels, taking a bath together, and in a sauna near the end of the video.
|
2007
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"New Dark Ages" |
Bad Religion |
|
An actress |
For a split second, a topless actress can be seen, what looks like, masturbating. Her breasts are censored by a black bar.
|
"Gimme More" (uncensored version) |
Britney Spears |
Jake Sarfaty |
Britney Spears |
In the uncensored version, Spears is topless near the end of the video during a striptease (she is wearing pasties).
|
"Piece of Me" (uncensored version) |
Britney Spears |
Wayne Isham |
An actress |
In the uncensored version, an actress' derrière is shown in the video.
|
"Survivalism" |
Nine Inch Nails |
Alex Lieu |
Various actresses |
A topless woman is seen at a bathroom mirror via (simulated) security camera footage.
|
"Baby Love" |
Nicole Scherzinger |
– |
Nicole Scherzinger |
Scherzinger has a semi-nude appearance in the video.
|
"Baby Baby" |
Sunblock featuring Sandra Chambers |
– |
Various actresses |
In the uncesored version, several women appear topless or almost fully nude throughout the video, riding a mechanical bull or pole dancing.
|
2008
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Addicted" (uncensored version) |
Saving Abel |
Anthony Honn |
Various actresses |
Various actresses appear topless.
|
"Hustler" (uncensored version) |
Kano |
|
Various actresses |
Various actresses appear topless.
|
"Gobbledigook" from the album Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust |
Sigur Rós |
Arni & Kinski |
Various actors, actresses and band members |
A mixed gender group of 10 or so young adults partake in fully nude outdoor activities which includes walking, running, dancing and swimming.
|
"So What" |
Pink |
Dave Meyers |
Pink |
In one scene from the music video, Pink takes off her jacket, revealing her nude body. Her buttocks and her breasts are censored with a black bar.
|
"Undead" |
Hollywood Undead |
Jonas Åkerlund |
Various actresses |
Various girls are seen topless performing sexual acts on a few of the band members as well as on other topless girls.
|
"Toe Jam" |
The Brighton Port Authority featuring David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal |
Keith Schofield |
Various actresses |
This video uses the censor bars to form figures on the screen.
|
"Womanizer" |
Britney Spears |
Joseph Kahn |
Britney Spears |
Spears appears nude in a sauna, and uses her hands to cover herself up.
|
2009
2010s
2010
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Ain't Got No (I Got Life)" |
Patrice |
|
Various actors and actresses |
Time lapse footage of naked actors and actresses running around throughout the video
|
"Kids in Love" |
Mayday Parade |
|
Various actors and actresses. |
The actors and actresses are nude throughout the video.
|
"Lesson Learned" (uncensored version) |
Alice in Chains |
Paul Matthaeus & Sevrin Daniels |
Brittany Christine |
A woman is seen topless throughout the video. The video was edited for commercial release.
|
"Beauty Through Order" |
Slayer |
Ben Hibon |
Charlie Mayhew |
In the music video, a nude woman emerges from a black liquid (presumably oil) and there are brief shots of her breasts and buttocks.
|
"Hurricane" |
Thirty Seconds to Mars |
|
Various actors and actresses |
Frequent shots of nudity, sex and sexual violence involving males, females and transsexuals. Bondage activities are consistent throughout. Explores sexual fetishism in a nightmarish context. The video was banned from music channels for its explicit content and was replaced by a censored version.
|
"Dirty Picture" |
Taio Cruz ft. Kesha |
Alex Herron |
Various actresses |
In the Dirty Version of the music video, bare breasts are shown one time as a stripper spins around a pole around 2:31.
|
"Calma Pueblo" |
Calle 13 |
|
|
People starts to undress and running nude.
|
"California Gurls" |
Katy Perry |
Matthew Cullen |
Katy Perry |
Perry during her first chorus of the song is seen fully nude lying down on a cotton candy created cloud. Her buttocks are covered by a layer of cloud going over the area for decency.[citation needed] She is shown on the cloud several more times in the video.
|
"Renegades" |
Feeder |
|
An actress |
Same character as seen in the "Call Out" video, destroys the band's dressing rooms while they are rehearsing nearby and also takes her frustrations out on other people. She is seen topless in the video which is not censored.[citation needed]
|
"Twin Flames" |
Klaxons |
|
The Band members and various actresses. |
The band members are involved in an orgy with several actresses. As the video progresses their body parts begin to fuse.
|
"Tonight (I'm Fuckin' You)" |
Enrique Iglesias |
|
Various actresses. |
Near the beginning, actresses are seen topless and Iglesias is shown in bed with many topless actresses.
|
"Window Seat" |
Erykah Badu |
Coodie Rock |
Erykah Badu |
Badu strips during the video and walks around at the site of John F. Kennedy's assassination.
|
2011
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"All Over the House" |
Skepta |
|
Two pornographic actors |
The video features a black pornographic actor and a white pornographic actress having hardcore sex.
|
"Ihmisixsixsix" |
Turmion Kätilöt |
|
Various topless actresses |
The video was removed from YouTube due to this "offending material". As a response, the band directed a brand new video, featuring behind-the-scenes and off-stage material with numerically even more explicit content, censored by pixelation.
|
"E.T." |
Katy Perry |
Floria Sigismondi |
Shaun Ross |
An actor is seen nude with rear shown toward the end of the video
|
"Moves Like Jagger" |
Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera |
Jonas Åkerlund |
Various dancers |
The explicit version has female frontal nudity (flashes of naked actress breasts, one shown in 2:50 of the video)
|
"Get Away" |
Yuck |
Michael Reich |
An actress |
A girl stands naked in the entire clip and is tied and gagged, and drizzled with what appears to be oil.
|
"I Feel Like Dancin'" |
All Time Low |
|
Matthew Stawski |
In a scene spoofing Katy Perry's California Gurls, the lead singer is shown lying nude on his stomach on a pile of cotton candy with part of it covering his buttocks.
|
"Marry the Night" |
Lady Gaga |
Haus of GaGa |
Lady Gaga |
Lady Gaga dances topless with her breasts covered by a black censor bar.
|
"Down for Whatever" |
Kelly Rowland featuring The WAV.s |
Sarah Chatfield |
Kelly Rowland |
Rowland is standing on a platform supposedly nude in high heels with strategically placed streaming lights obscuring full frontal nudity.
|
"Antidote" (uncensored version) |
Swedish House Mafia vs. Knife Party |
Maxim Bohichik & Alex Bergman |
Various actresses |
In the uncensored version, two dancers are dancing topless in a strip club. While the robbery is being performed two more dancers run completely naked.
|
2012
2013
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Stay" |
Rihanna |
Sophie Muller |
Rihanna |
Rihanna is bathing in water completely nude.
|
"Bag Skyerne" |
Anne Gadegaard |
|
Anne Gadegaard |
Gadegaard is sitting down on a floor completely nude.
|
"Thank You Very Much" |
Margaret |
Chris Piliero |
30 extras |
Nudist birthday party.
|
"Blurred Lines" |
Robin Thicke |
Diane Martel |
Emily Ratajkowski, Jessi M'Bengue, and Elle Evans |
In the unrated version, three topless girls are walking and dancing around, through the whole videoclip.
|
"Tunnel Vision" |
Justin Timberlake |
Jonathan Craven, Simon McLoughlin, Jeff Nicholas |
Various actresses |
Three models dance topless.
|
"Come & Get in Trouble with Me" |
Ricki-Lee Coulter |
Marc Furmie and Rikki-Lee Coulter |
Rikki-Lee Coulter |
Coulter rides a horse nude and appeared topless in gold paint.
|
"Pretty" |
The Weeknd |
Sam Pilling |
An actor and actress |
An Asian actress (assumed to be portraying The Weeknd's girlfriend or ex-girlfriend) can be seen nude in a shower, with her breasts fully exposed. Later, she is seen having sex with an actor, assumed to be portraying her new boyfriend. Breasts and buttocks are shown.
|
"Wrecking Ball" |
Miley Cyrus |
Terry Richardson |
Miley Cyrus |
Cyrus appears nude atop a wrecking ball.
|
"Afraid" |
The Neighbourhood |
Ends |
Jesse Rutherford |
Rutherford is briefly shown nude showing his penis while sitting in a chair.
|
"Missing You" |
2NE1 |
Han Sa-min |
CL |
In two consecutive scenes, CL is pondering in the nude with temporary tattoos on her back, fingers and feet. She is initially in the bathtub "mourning the loss of her lover", as her back is to the camera. Eventually, a shot follows of her "wistfully" crawling up in an empty and derelict room. No genitals were shown.
|
"Eureka" |
Sakanaction |
Yasuyuki Yamaguchi |
Various actresses |
Nude models appear in a line from the start while covering their faces, and later form the eureka in the end.
|
"Centuries" |
Emika |
Matt Lambert |
Emika |
Emika suns herself nude in a field, interspersed with a fully clothed Emika in a color-filtered night. Near the end she seems to collapse, then starts laughing.
|
2014
2015
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"This Summer's Gonna Hurt like a Motherfucker" |
Maroon 5 |
Travis Schneider & Adam Levine |
Adam Levine |
Levine is briefly shown to be fully nude (exposing his buttocks) in the start of the video.
|
"Timebomb" |
Tove Lo |
Emil Nava |
Tove Lo |
She appears nude on a beach.
|
"Bitch Better Have My Money" |
Rihanna |
Megaforce and Rihanna |
Rihanna |
A woman shown to be tortured by Rihanna and her sidekicks is completely topless near the beginning and middle of the video, while Rihanna herself appears nude, covered in blood at the end of the video with only a bill covering her genitals.
|
"Cream" |
Tujamo & Danny Ávila |
|
Various actors and actresses |
Various actresses appear naked throughout the music video.
|
"Be As You Are" |
Mike Posner |
|
Mike Posner and various actors and actresses |
People are shown stripping nude and running into the ocean after ripping up signs showing negative things they have been called. Posner does the same at the end of the video ripping a sign which reads "afraid." Only their buttocks are shown.
|
"Free Love" (Playboy version) |
Anca Pop |
? |
Anca Pop |
The singer strips naked and exposes her breasts while singing.
|
2016
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Pick Up the Phone" |
Young Thug and Travis Scott feat. Quavo |
|
Various actresses |
Several topless models are seen around Young Thug
|
"On Hold" |
The xx |
Alasdair McLellan |
An actor and actress |
An actress is sunbathing topless, whilst a male is shown doing press-ups fully nude.
|
2017
2019
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Ausländer" |
Rammstein |
Jörn Heitmann |
Various actresses |
Various actresses are seen topless.
|
"Press" |
Cardi B |
TBA |
Cardi B |
The artist along with various actresses appear fully nude with invisible censorship to the breasts and genitalia.
|
2020s
2020
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Daisies" |
Katy Perry |
Liza Voloshin |
Katy Perry |
Singer is naked during second chorus, however she uses her arms to cover her breast
|
"Simmer"
|
Hayley Williams |
Warren Fu |
Hayley Williams |
Hayley Williams is seen running in the forest naked throughout the video at night. Her butt is visible.
|
"Spanish Night"
|
KLEINOD |
? |
Two women |
Two nude women, one of whom exposes her breasts, are kissing and caressing each other.
|
2021
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Industry Baby" |
Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow |
Christian Breslauer |
Lil Nas X and various actors |
Lil Nas X, with others behind, is seen dancing naked in a jail shower during the first chorus. The genitals are pixelated.
|
"Moth to a Flame" |
Swedish House Mafia & The Weeknd |
Alexander Wessely |
Various actors and actresses |
Several people are shown nude while kissing, fondling, and laying on each other.
|
"Freaks" |
Surf Curse |
Nick Rattigan & Jacob Rubeck |
One actress |
A female actress can be seen stripping nude after kissing a member of the band. She can be seen walking into a swimming pool with her buttocks shown.
|
"In the Morning" |
Jennifer Lopez |
Jora Frantzis |
Jennifer Lopez |
Lopez is seen totally naked apart from a pair of angel wings, and uses her hands to cover herself up.
|
2022
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"I Like You (A Happier Song)" |
Post Malone feat. Doja Cat |
child. |
Doja Cat |
Doja is seen topless on two occasions, running through a field of flowers topless with her breasts pixelated, and having flowers covering her breasts as Post Malone paints her. Her buttocks are also pixelated and are seen as she is running away from the camera.
|
2023
Music video |
Artist(s) |
Director |
Nude person(s) |
Nudity description
|
"Flowers" |
Miley Cyrus |
Jacob Bixenman |
Miley Cyrus |
Cyrus' buttocks can be seen in a mirror reflection in a bathroom. Her cleavage can also be seen multiple times outside in the dark, with only beam lights being shown.
|
"Lavender Haze" |
Taylor Swift |
Taylor Swift |
Taylor Swift |
Swift is implied nude moving around in a pool of lavender colored water.
|
See also