From Wikipedia on 10-Feb-2013
Introduction
Nudity or nakedness is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations (such as a need for warmth or protection from the elements) and social considerations. In some situations the minimum amount of clothing or no clothing at all may be socially acceptable, while in others much more clothing is expected.
Toplessness and “topfreedom”
In many western societies and in appropriate settings, such as while suntanning, the exposure of women’s breasts is not, of itself, normally regarded as indecent exposure. In the United States, however, exposure of female nipples is a criminal offense in many states and not usually allowed in public (see Public indecency), while in the United Kingdom, nudity may not be used to “harass, alarm or distress” according to the Public Order Act of 1986.
Prosecutions of cases has given raise to a movement advocating “topfreedom”, promoting equal rights for women to have no clothing above the waist, on the same basis that would apply to men in the same circumstances. The term “topfree” rather than “topless” is advocated to avoid the latter term’s perceived sexual connotations.
Historical Overview
It is not clear when humans started wearing clothes. Anthropologists postulate the adaptation of animal skins and vegetation into coverings to protect the wearer from cold, heat and rain, especially as humans migrated to new climates; alternatively, covering may have been invented first for other purposes, such as magic, decoration, cult, or prestige, and later found to be practical as well. For men and women, public nudity was at least permissible in ancient Sparta, and customary at festivals.
In some hunter-gatherer cultures in warm climates, near-complete nudity has been, until the introduction of Western culture, or still is, standard practice for both men and women. In some African and Melanesian cultures, men going completely naked except for a string tied about the waist are considered properly dressed for hunting and other traditional group activities. In a number of tribes in the South Pacific island of New Guinea, the men use hard gourdlike pods as penis sheaths. Yet a man without this “covering” could be considered to be in an embarrassing state of nakedness. Among the Chumash peopled of southern California, men were usually naked, and women were often topless. Native Americans of the Amazon Basin usually went nude or nearly nude; in many native tribes, the only clothing worn was some device worn by men to clamp the foreskin shut. However, other similar cultures have had different standards. For example, other native North Americans avoided total nudity, and the Native Americans of the mountains and west of South America, such as the Quechuas, kept quite covered.
In 1498, at Trinity Island, Trinidad, Christopher Columbus found the women entirely naked, whereas the men wore a light girdle called guayaco. At the same epoch, on the Para Coast of Brazil, the girls were distinguished from the married women by their absolute nudity. The same absence of costume was observed among the Chaymas of Cumaná, Venezuela, and Du Chaillu noticed the same among the Achiras in Gabon.
Nude Bathing
The trend in some European countries (for instance Germany, Finland and the Netherlands) is to allow both genders to bathe together naked. Many German spas allow mixed nude bathing. For example the Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden has designated times when mixed nude bathing is permitted. There may be some older German bathhouses, such as Bad Burg, which remain segregated by gender, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Most German (not to mention French, Spanish and Greek) beaches and swimming pools offer FKK (clothing-optional) areas. In general, continental Europeans have a more relaxed attitude about nudity than is seen in the British-influenced world. Some have attributed this difference to the influence of Queen Victoria’s husband Albert, who was raised in a very restricting religious sect (see Victorian morality).
The sauna, originating from Finland, is attended nude in its source country as well as in most Scandinavian and in the German-speaking countries of Europe. This is true even when a swimsuit must be worn in the swimming pool area of the same complex. Saunas are very common in modern Finland, where there is one sauna for every three people and became very popular in the remainder of Europe in recent decades. Gender segregation is more the exception than the rule in modern European sauna facilities.
Nudity and sexuality
In most societies and cultures, human nudity is often associated with sexuality. Many people are sexually attracted to nudity, which they find to be erotic and sexually arousing. Some people employ their nudity to sexually attract a mate or sexual partner or as a form of flirting.
Nudity is one facet, and at times a very important facet, in the expression of feelings in intimate relationships in which there is physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity.
Some people have a strong desire to express such emotions and to express those emotions without clothing. Some people may experience erotic and sexual pleasure in seeing their partner in the nude, or to be seen nude by the partner. Some people also experience similar pleasure from seeing other people in the nude, and being seen in the nude by others, not necessarily their immediate partner.
Some cultures equate nudity with sexuality, but that is not always the case. Historically, nudity has been practiced in some cultures without any necessary association with sexuality. Nudity can exist in non-sexual social contexts, such as naturism and figure drawing; it can be sensual though non-sexual contexts, such as erotic performance art and striptease; or in overt sexualized contexts, as in the case of pornography.
Many cultures that expect some level of modesty associate nudity with sexuality. When physical sexual attributes are shown in the mainstream media of these cultures, this is often seen as being sexually related. There are cultural differences regarding the acceptability or sexualization of nudity, but the definition of what is lewd has also changed over the years, as has the comparative acceptability of male or female nudity.
[edit]Sexual arousal
Sexual arousal is an aspect of a person’s sexuality and an indicator of sexual excitement. It is accompanied by physiological changes in the aroused person. A person cannot conceal his or her sexual arousal while fully nude; nor can they conceal the lack of arousal. Penile erection is an obvious indicator of sexual excitement of a male; while in the case of a female, the erection of her nipples is an external indicator of sexual excitement.
Nudity between sexual partners is widely accepted, and bathing with the partner, sleeping in the nude and dressing in front of partners are common. However, even in private, some partners feel uncomfortable being nude in front of another, or exposing their sexual arousal; and insist on some restrictions on their nudity. For example, a person may feel comfortable being nude only during a sexual activity, and then only with subdued lighting, or covered by a sheet or blanket.
Recreation
Certain activities in public areas are more readily accepted to be done while naked, such as sun bathing and swimming. Everyday activities such as riding a train or bus, shopping, or attending school or work are almost never considered by the public to be appropriate without clothing.
Examples include going nude swimming at hot springs, nude beaches, naked hiking, streaking and even roller skating. Sandy Snakenberg has organized nude skating and rollerblading events in San Francisco, the largest of their kind in the world. Nude beaches are found in many Western countries.
In recent times, it appears that public nudity is becoming more common with nude sporting and other activities being held. These include naked hiking, canuding (nude canoeing), the World Naked Bike Ride, Bay to Breakers, Solstice Cyclists. No general public outcry has accompanied these events.