When I heard about Margo’s Got Money Troubles, the latest book adaptation from Apple TV to turn up on the 2026 TV schedule, I was excited, intrigued, and a little afraid to press play. I had heard it was about a young woman who turns to OnlyFans to pay the bills after getting pregnant, and I wasn’t sure if the subject matter would leave me watching yet another oversexualized show that's more showy than a genuine portrayal of a woman’s relationship with her body and sexuality. Thank goodness I went for it, because I think this show is my favorite so far of the year, and one reason for it is actually the nudity.
What’s Going On With The Nudity In Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Now, everyone has their own preferences when it comes to nudity in movies and TV shows, but for me, typically, I just kind of feel awkward and embarrassed about it if I’m being quite honest. Most of the time, nude scenes are random and kind of invasive to me. There’s also been so many movies and shows about young women the same age as the protagonist in Margo’s Got Money Troubles, where the female nudity/sex scenes just feel kind of gross, like I’m watching it through the eyes of a man who’s turned on by it. To each their own, of course, but women’s bodies don’t simply exist to turn people on… they also exist because they do.
But then there’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles. I can’t quite place how the TV show achieved this, but whenever Elle Fanning’s naked body is on the screen (yes, that’s not a body double minus some prosthetics for the breastfeeding scenes), I don’t feel that way. When there’s nudity in the new TV show, we’re not seeing it through the lens of a camera that wants to sexualize her; it’s portraying her as the realistic human she’s depicting.
Sexy But Not Minimizing, Margo Just Feels Human
This particularly surprised me, even in scenes where she’s sexualizing herself to make her OnlyFans account. She looks great and sexy, of course, but I’m not thinking about that or exploitative, like those kinds of scenes often do; it simply fits in the show.
I find this aspect of Margo’s Got Money Troubles pretty groundbreaking, to be honest, for that reason. When I was reading the reviews on the series, one comment stuck with me, too. TV Guide asked, “How many stories that are theoretically meant to examine female sexuality actually end up as exploitative trauma porn?” And I’m gonna tell you right now, I’ve got nothing off the top of my head.
I think perhaps because we’re seeing the story play out from Margo’s point of view, whose body is either exposed when she’s trying to feed her baby or when she’s taking photos for her OnlyFans account. Most shows would have used the fact that Margo is putting herself in a sexualized position to turn her nude scenes into racy scenes meant to turn the viewer on.
And don’t get me wrong, I think there’s a time and place for that in the entertainment space for sure. But, it’s a very welcome change of pace to follow the story of a multifaceted woman who is discovering her own sexuality in an authentic way that found a way to make it as if we're watching her experiences through her own eyes.
