Entertainment

Lizzy Caplan on Overcoming Nude Awkwardness

by Alicia Lutes

When your name is Lizzy Caplan and you're on a show called Masters of Sex, the doorway that most media types love to jump through is pushed wide open: mainly, the opportunity to ask question upon question about sex and nudity. People are crazy about it! Be is personal or professional, it does not matter: everyone in Hollywood is sex-obsessed. Because scintillating subjects mean ratings. Though if you're going to choose a place to talk about it, Chelsea Handler's talk show might just be the best option, given her cavalier attitude about genitalia-based galavanting. I mean, Caplan's nudity is in no short supply on the Showtime series, as her character Virginia Johnson strips down for many a scientific study session opposite Bill Masters (Michael Sheen), as well as a handful of others in the name of the science behind sex and intimacy in 1950s St. Louis.

But Caplan's no stranger to skivvy-stripping and has actually gotten quite good at it, thanks to her time on the HBO series True Blood. And given that it is so often we find ourselves in a similar predicament, we thought it was only fair to outline her brilliant and foolproof plan for keeping cool when you're in the nude. Getting naked is a job for some people, and when it's your first time on that merry-go-round, things can get awkward and uncomfortable fast. So why not have a way to combat it, right? Right. Enter: The Lizzy Caplan Guide to Surviving Getting Naked for Work.

Step One: Get Drunk

Now there are obviously some kinks in the armor here: where some work places such as Caplan's may find getting drunk on the job positively charming, others may consider it "against protocol" and a "fireable offense," so just make sure you're up on your own office's policies before downing a fifth of vodka to take the edge off.

Step Two: Get NakedThrow your inhibitions (and your clothes) to the wind: commence the stripping of the garments! This part is pretty self-explanatory, but make sure you go at your own pace. (Not everyone has the deft hand of a frequent bra remover.)

Step Three: Get AwkwardThe best way to ensure everyone else is as uncomfortable as you are, baring your soul and body to a gaggle of coworkers? Make it as weird for them as it is for you. Point out their leery stares, their blushing shyness, and especially any and all boners you encounter along the way. Bonus points for brevity here: screaming single words like "BONER!" really maximize the efficiency and immediacy of your awkwardness.