Emilia Clarke Claps Back at Anti-Feminists Who Attacked Her for Going Nude in 'Game of Thrones'

Nudity is nothing new for televisions hottest show Game of Thrones; heck, it's nothing new for countless popular shows on TV right now. Whether it's full frontal or just partial/implied nudity, it's something that we've all seen in one show or another. But with nudity on TV being so common in recent years, you'd think that the world would keep turning and the actors and actresses involved would be accustomed to it by now. But that's not the case for Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke, who was rocketed into stardom thanks to her role as Daenerys Targaryen, a.k.a. the Mother of Dragons on #GameOfThrones.

It seems as though Emilia has faced quite a lot of backlash from female viewers of the show, as have many of the other actresses, for the flagrant use of female nudity. In a recent interview with Elle Magazine, Emilia spoke out about the steamy scene in Season 4 and how she was attacked because of it.

"I was like, 'That’s a scene I’ve been waiting for!' Because I get a lot of cr*p for having done nudes scenes and sex scenes."

Emilia has always defended her nudity on Game of Thrones, but she's finally reached her limit with the hate and vitriol that is spewed at her for her decision.

That, in itself, is so anti-feminist. Women hating on other women is just the problem. That’s upsetting, so it’s kind of wonderful to have a scene where I was like, ‘There you go!'

Does it actually matter that there is so much nudity?

With Game of Thrones rolling into Season 7 in just a week, this question isn't anything new; it's been a highly contested topic since the show premiered, and although the studio has attempted to balance the scales when it comes to equality in nudity (largely thanks to Michael Huisman in Season 4), there is still a belief that the show is all "tits and dragons," as Ian McShane so eloquently stated, and with Emilia expanding the description to "blood, tits, dragons, and swearwords."

So, if that's how the cast sees it, what's the problem?

Emilia believes that the problem lies in the minds of people who feel the need for every woman to justify their actions, rather than be free to be themselves:

"The roles I’ve played have given me an insight into what it feels like to be a woman who stands up to inequality and hate, and stands out as a feminist. It has forced me to stand by my actions and be OK with the consequences."

With only two seasons remaining for Game of Thrones, it's unlikely that the nudity will be drastically cut, but rather than attack the cast/crew for the nudity, Emilia and the other actresses on the show hope that fans can start looking at the series in the same perspective that they do:

"If you look at 'Game of Thrones' on face value—blood, tits, dragons, swearwords—you're like, Oh, this must be for guys. But if you take that away, the story lines are fascinating depictions of the struggle for power. And women are in on that conversation!"

That's the important thing to remember about everything that has happened throughout the last six seasons on Game of Thrones; through it all we've seen powerful woman capture more power as they attempt to claim the Iron Throne for themselves.