# Streaking? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 17, 2023, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805 "2023-04-17T16:26:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/1 "2023-04-17T16:26:06Z")
This weekend I got pulled down a rabbit hole which included Ray Stevens’ _The Streak_. It’s made me curious. How big a phenomenon was streaking? Was it just a weird 70s’ thing? Has anyone here seen a streaker? Been one? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/2 "2023-04-17T16:31:11Z")
There was a small-scale fling with streaking at my college\* in the MIdwest during the national phenomenon. I was at a movie showing one night on campus when a couple of guys streaked across the stage. \*a few more exhibitionists managed to get a bit of press around the same time by a slower-paced naked display on campus which they called “gliding”. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/3 "2023-04-17T16:32:33Z")
Late 70s–fairly common.HS Football games got streaked, with some frequency. These days–it happens. BE ADVISED–link are potentiall NSFW > **[Easter streaker takes to the streets for a naked jog - apart from his boots](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/easter-streaker-takes-streets-naked-29656185)** > > A runner was spotted out for a run in only his birthday suit and a pair of black boots on the streets of Hull - leaving people in stitches at the Good Friday surprise > **[Masked Streaker Exposes Butt On Field During College Baseball Game](https://www.tmz.com/2023/03/29/masked-streaker-exposes-butt-on-field-during-college-baseball-game/)** > > There was a full moon during the Texas A&M vs. Texas baseball game on Tuesday -- courtesy of a streaker. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/4 "2023-04-17T16:41:23Z")
I was in graduate school in the middle of Illinois at the time. I never saw it, and certainly never did it, but it happened. This was right after a long cold spell, and my guess was that it was partially triggered by people being able to go out without freezing various parts off. And once it started, it became a fad. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/5 "2023-04-17T16:46:12Z")
In 2003 I was hiking in a state park when a group of streakers ran by on the trail I was on. I later learned it was “Streak for Peace Day”, so presumably they were streaking ostensibly in protest of the US invasion of Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/6 "2023-04-17T16:57:04Z")
Back in my student radio days I covered a group streak at (of all places) St. Louis University. My news director liked the story so much he tried to feed it to one of the commercial news networks, but they weren’t interested. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/7 "2023-04-17T17:43:39Z")
This probably doesn’t count as streaking, but in the mid-70s in San Diego, I was invited to a Christmas party. The host hired a couple to mingle nekkid except for Santa hats. I recall the woman was completely surrounded by a group of men, so she was kinda stuck in one place. I caught a glimpse of her bare shoulder at one point. And when I was at Purdue ('76-'79) the Cary Quad Nude Olympics were still going strong - after the first snow of winter, people would run nekkid around the quad. I never attended, since I lived off-campus, but it always made the paper. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/8 "2023-04-17T18:06:48Z")
Short term fad for the most part. The lingering effect has been the people who run into the field at sporting events sometimes sometimes naked but mostly clothed over time. Maybe the most widely known incident was a guy running naked across the stage at the Oscars and David Niven delivering a quip about the guy being remembered for his shortcomings. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/9 "2023-04-17T18:11:11Z")
Definitely an early-mid '70s thing, as far as being a significant cultural phenomenon, but it also happened before that era, and certainly continues to be done sometimes. I’ve never streaked, nor seen a streaker, but I remember several of my high school classmates (I attended an all-male Catholic high school) streaking through the nearby all-female Catholic high school when we were seniors, so that would have been in '82 or '83. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/10 "2023-04-17T18:13:37Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > How big a phenomenon was streaking? Was it just a weird 70s’ thing? Has anyone here seen a streaker? Been one? It wasn’t something that you would see every day, but it happened. If you were at a sporting event or someone was doing a live news broadcast it was always a possibility. Even in our small town, every now and then you would hear about someone streaking down through the downtown area. And yes, it was just a weird 70s thing. > [@Pleonast](#): > > Has anyone here seen a streaker? Been one? Seen one? Yes. Been one? No. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/11 "2023-04-17T18:25:35Z")
Seen one? Yes, at least a dozen times Been one? Yes, twice. Southern California, mid 70’s. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/12 "2023-04-17T18:36:47Z")
So if caught, does/ did the streaker get arrested? Does one get put on the sex offender list these days if caught by the authorities in public nude? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/13 "2023-04-17T18:39:57Z")
> **[Robert Opel | Streaking incident at the 1974 Oscars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Opel#Streaking_incident_at_the_1974_Oscars)** > > On April 2, 1974, Opel apparently posed as a journalist to gain entry to the stage at the 46th Academy Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. He ran naked past David Niven flashing a peace sign while Niven was introducing Elizabeth Taylor. > After breaking into laughter momentarily, Niven regained his composure, turned to the audience and quipped, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was almost bound to happen... But isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man... ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/14 "2023-04-17T18:44:11Z")
I would assume it depends on the local laws. In some jurisdictions nudity isn’t considered indecent exposure in and of itself, in others it is. San Francisco actually had no law against public nudity until relatively recently, like maybe a little over a decade ago. From what I understand, nudity was not uncommon in the annual Bay to Breakers race before that. ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/15 "2023-04-17T18:53:40Z")
While attending a football game at Southern Oregon University, a “streaker” (he was still wearing underwear) ran the full length of the football field and hopped over a fence, eluding the security guard that was chasing him. This was in 2002. For a short while (a few months?) There was a woman in Ashland, OR who was riding around town on her bicycle with no clothing. I never saw her in the act. I think she moved on after a short while. This was around 2007. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/16 "2023-04-17T18:54:24Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > San Francisco actually had no law against public nudity until relatively recently, like maybe a little over a decade ago. From what I understand, nudity was not uncommon in the annual Bay to Breakers race before that. Seattle has a lot of nude bicyclists at the annual summer solstice parade. It may be illegal, but it’s apparently not enforced (at least at this event) Streaking was a thing we _talked about_ as teenagers in the 70s. We’d dare each other to do some version of it where we could hope no one would see us. (kind of the opposite of the actual idea). Skinny dipping was actually much more common for my group of friends. (in the darkness, primarily) ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/17 "2023-04-17T19:13:58Z")
Seen one? Yes Been one? Yes Of note, we seemed to be inspired to streak during extremely cold weather, to add to the adventurousness. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/18 "2023-04-17T19:31:46Z")
Seen one? Yes. Quite a few, in fact, since I went to high school in a warm location while the fad was at its peak. Heck, I’ve also seen [The Naked Guy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Martinez) in his native habitat. Sorry he came to such a sad end. Been one? I’m not nearly fast enough, and I don’t think racing from the scene of an incident while unclothed counts. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.E](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.e/32/8932_2.png) [@Mr.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.E)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/19 "2023-04-17T19:37:39Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > This probably doesn’t count as streaking, but in the mid-70s in San Diego, I was invited to a Christmas party. The host hired a couple to mingle nekkid except for Santa hats. I recall the woman was completely surrounded by a group of men, so she was kinda stuck in one place. I caught a glimpse of her bare shoulder at one point. You know every time I think I have a handle on how profoundly weird the 70s were I come across something like this. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805/20 "2023-04-17T20:23:16Z")
A lot of high school events (Southern California, late '70s) were interrupted by groups of streakers - and it was always groups. I don’t remember seeing any solo streakers in person. I guess it was a “fad”, but it lasted _years_. Once a year, I participate in an unsanctioned “drunk bicycle race”. You either wear a costume or go starkers. I opt for the former but a good portion of the participants wear their birthday suits. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaking/982805.md?page=2)