Jennifer Lawrence’s ‘No Hard Feelings’ Nude Scene Forces Audiences To Confront Female Nudity In a Way That Is Entirely Divorced From Sex

When Jennifer Lawrence signed on for the signature naked beach fight scene in No Hard Feelings, she must have known that Google searches for “Jennifer Lawrence nude scene” would lead to a far longer-lasting cinematic legacy than any Oscar reel. (As an Oscar-winner and a four-time Oscar nominee, she already has quite a few of those, anyhow.) And honestly? She’s so real for that. Because it is truly a nude scene for the ages, and one that deserves to go down in cinematic history. And now you can watch and rewatch that iconic scene, just in time for Lawrence’s 33rd birthday.

No Hard Feelings, which is now available to buy on digital platforms like Amazon Prime, promised audiences a hilarious, R-rated sex comedy starring one of Hollywood’s hottest movie stars. And yet, to the relief of those concerned about the premise—a broke 32-year-old women named Maddie (Lawrence) who answers a Craigslist ad to have sex with a 19-year-old named Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman)—No Hard Feelings is far more sweet and innocent than you might expect. Percy’s rich, helicopter parents think all he needs is a good lay to come out of his shell, but, as Maddie finds out, he’s a lot more complicated than that. That said, there is one moment that absolutely delivers on the promise of raunch hilarity, and that’s the scene where Lawrence stomps out of the sea, buck naked, and beats up the hooligans that were trying to steal her clothes.

Here’s how it goes down: Maddie, in an effort to seduce Percy, convinces him to go skinny-dipping with her in the ocean. Percy is reluctant to step out of his comfort zone, but Maddie promises him nothing will go wrong. Something does go wrong: Drunk teens wander onto the beach, and decide to prank them by stealing Maddie and Percy’s clothes. What these teens didn’t count on is that Maddie has a) anger issues and b) no shame.

Instead of letting the scoundrels get away with her garments, Maddie charges out of the ocean, completely naked. And yes, you see everything. It’s full-frontal, full-back, and full-side.

Her boobs swing wildly. Her bush, though neatly trimmed, drips ocean water. Maddie doesn’t let any of that slow her down as she proceeds to beat up these kids and get back her clothes. She fights dirty: Throwing sand in their faces, kicking their groins, and, eventually, pulling what can only be described as a pro-wrestler move in which she hoists one of the boys over her shoulders and slams him into the ground. Get it, Katniss! She takes some hits too, including a kick to her groin, but ultimately, her sheer deranged, naked ferocity is enough to scare the teens away. To top it all off, the entire sequence is set to Hall & Oates’s “Maneater,” Maddie’s unofficial theme song.

Look, not to get too deep about boobies and bush in an R-rated comedy, but there is something quietly radical about the fact that Lawrence’s nudity in this scene is 100 percent hilarious and zero percent sexual. Boobs are every bit as funny as dicks—they even share a humorous swinging motion, perfect for slapstick—and yet the vast majority of films see them exclusively as a titillating (pun intended) visual for the male gaze. But women’s bodies are every bit as flabby and farcical as men’s bodies. Sometimes women are naked for non-sexual reasons! Sometimes they have to charge out of the ocean to beat up some kids! That’s funny! This No Hard Feelings scene forces audiences to confront the nude female form in a way that is entirely divorced from sex, and that’s not something you see every day.

Plus, viewers can rest easy knowing that Lawrence, who is also a producer on the film, was absolutely on board with the idea. “Everyone in my life and my team is doing the right thing and going, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure?’” Lawrence said in an interview with Variety in June, when asked if she was comfortable with the idea of the nude scene. “I didn’t even have a second thought. It was hilarious to me.”

The No Hard Feelings beach scene is, without a doubt, going down in nude scene cinematic history. Happy birthday to the movie star who can truly do it all.