It's a little strange how men aren't "allowed" to appreciate eroticism in art without it being viewed as lustful

There's a little bit of a double standard in the way men and women get treated in the viewing of art. Usually, as a center-left kind of guy, I might have some blind spots for ones that apply to men because so many of the discussions are about ones that apply to women (I'm always looking for new things to learn though), but I've recently noticed one that I hadn't before.

So firstly, I'm a voracious consumer of art in all forms, and I think eroticism and nudity can be a way to communicate feelings or themes in a more intimate way than might be possibly otherwise. If we're not literally talking about pornography (tasteful nudes, if you will) I think you can use it to evoke a wide breadth of ideas from strength, tenderness, confidence to even things like sadness or nostalgia. I also have a genuine appreciation for the human form in all it's bumps and curves and freckles, etc.

However, as a man, I do get a sense that I'm not necessarily "allowed" to actually talk about any of that because most people will just interpret anything I say as a cope made to hide my ooga ooga caveman brain. It almost feels like male sexuality is viewed as more primal and all-encompassing, so any genuine deeper thoughts a man might have about a piece are written off as animalistic man-lust.

This isn't to say that the male gaze isn't a genuine phenomena in art from time to time (did you really need a close up of the victim's exposed tiddies as she was hacked to death, Mr Slasher Director?), but also I think it's unfair to treat every example of a man sharing or trying to have a discussion about a piece of art that involves nudity as such a thing.

Additionally, for a lot of people it seems very difficult for people to separate eroticism and pornography. There is a discussion to be had about there being a thin line between the two, but sometimes it's pretty clear whether something is intended to evoke a feeling through nudity besides pure lust. Men shouldn't feel awkward if their girlfriend walks in while they're watching Under the Skin during the nude scene. You honestly think he turned on a nearly 2 hour slow burn psychological horror film so he could see boobs for 30 seconds of the runtime? Preposterous