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The elephants may be a bit much.
A completely nude character's naughty bits are blocked from the camera by a convenient prop or oddity of architecture, yet every other character in the scene gets an eyeful, usually resulting in either ogling and nosebleeds, or Squicks and grabs for the Brain Bleach. Sometimes used just out of cultural necessity, but it can be turned into a gag due to the increasing absurdity of the covering elements, as seen in the Austin Powers films. Even when technically played straight, overuse of this trope tends to break the audience's Willing Suspension Of Disbelief and effectively become a gag.

There's also a variant where the hidden part isn't really "naughty": for example, see the Full House episode "I'm Not D.J." where Stephanie gets her ears pierced for the first time. The actress who played her, Jodie Sweetin, had gotten her ears pierced years earlier but the in-show explanation was that the earlier earrings Stephanie wore were clip-ons despite them being obviously not.

Another common example is when a female character takes a bath. The bubbles will generally cover her naughty bits — somehow like a Modesty Bubble Bath or Modesty Foam Bath.

Bowdlerized is when the original footage is censored to allow normal viewing for a different audience, which contains some overlap with this.

For hidden faces, see The Faceless. For bedtime Peek A Boo techniques, see Modesty Bedsheet. Related to Godiva Hair and Hand Or Object Underwear. For cases in which an actress is pregnant but the character is not, see Hide Your Pregnancy.


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