# Why are we ashamed of nudity? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395 "2013-12-15T17:27:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/21 "2013-12-15T20:24:54Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Which is why I wear bowties. And I, a monocle. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/22 "2013-12-15T20:34:53Z")
Because I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/23 "2013-12-15T20:38:20Z")
Isn’t there something to be said for leaving stuff to the imagination? I mean, there are some people who don’t have good-looking bodies. But they have beautiful/handsome faces and have other attractive qualities, like winsome personalities and physical grace. Covering up their bodies allows people to see their best attributes first, rather than just as an afterthought. In the book “Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia”, the author describes how females are invisible to men until they put on the hijab. As soon as their body is covered up, they become sexy. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/24 "2013-12-15T20:51:31Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > … In the book “Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia”, the author describes how females are invisible to men until they put on the hijab. As soon as their body is covered up, they become sexy. I love how counterintuitive this is, but understandable. We want what we can’t have, and desire to see what’s hidden from us. It’s time to turn up the sexy… BRING ME MY NINJA ATTIRE! ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/25 "2013-12-15T20:58:30Z")
Another thing, after the invention of clothes, or maybe even the loin cloth (god bless the loin cloth)… fashion was born. As I said above, clothes can actually make you _more_ attractive. Fashion is the art of this, styles and trends aside, its hallmarks are accentuating or shaping the “landscape” of the body beyond what bare skin can do alone. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/26 "2013-12-15T22:50:12Z")
People with perfect bodies ( Giselle Bundchen, Michael Phelps) look great without clothes. most people don’t.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/27 "2013-12-16T00:57:04Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > That and really, clothes are functional. They keep us warm. Hide our cracks and pits. Conceal our boners and nipples. Keep your bodily residue and/or excretions off my sofa. They can actually serve to make us _more_ sexy. This! ^ I don’t have boners to conceal because I’m female, but I like your response. Imagine this: Human buck naked sitting on the subway after having a BM and not wiping thoroughly. Others sitting in the same spot after said human gets up. No thank you. For me, there’s the hygiene aspect and the fact that I like to feel warm, AND that I really don’t care to look at EVERYONE nude regardless of looks, size…etc. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/28 "2013-12-16T00:58:46Z")
“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” - Mark Twain. That said, phooey. I think an advanced technological civilization such as ours, based on liberty, individuality, freedom, and rights, should legalize public nudity. Most of the reasons against it are either religious or aesthetic, and it is a really poor society that legislates aesthetics. We permit people with ugly faces to walk around in public; why is it so different regarding their ugly bellies and butts? Some people say that our civil rights are “natural rights.” Well, what could be more natural than nudity? And for the government to demand I cover myself – and not pay for the coverings – is an “unfunded mandate!” Tyranny, I sez! Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People” is an image of the first step in the direction of the overthrow of this social evil. How far is it, really, from “You must wear trousers” to “You must wear a burkha or hijab?” Take if off…for freedom! Support the right to Bare Everything. (“I can plainly see you’re nuts…”) ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/29 "2013-12-16T01:08:52Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > We permit people with ugly faces to walk around in public; We shouldn’t. That’s why your argument is flawed. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/30 "2013-12-16T01:13:29Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > That said, phooey. I think an advanced technological civilization such as ours, based on liberty, individuality, freedom, and rights, should legalize public nudity. Most of the reasons against it are either religious or aesthetic, and it is a really poor society that legislates aesthetics. We permit people with ugly faces to walk around in public; why is it so different regarding their ugly bellies and butts? > > Some people say that our civil rights are “natural rights.” Well, what could be more natural than nudity? > > And for the government to demand I cover myself – and not pay for the coverings – is an “unfunded mandate!” Tyranny, I sez! > > Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People” is an image of the first step in the direction of the overthrow of this social evil. How far is it, really, from “You must wear trousers” to “You must wear a burkha or hijab?” > > Take if off…for freedom! Support the right to Bare Everything. An apparently serious campaign: [Free the Nipple](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZTX_sJQ_Cs) ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/31 "2013-12-16T12:45:23Z")
I can just imagine sitting in a crowded restaurant, rubbing cheeks with a sweaty naked 20 stone guy, while eating my Frankfurter, trying to ignore the pendulous breasts of the old woman across the table. Plus, where would I put all the stuff I usually carry in my pockets? Please don’t suggest I buy a purse. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/32 "2013-12-16T16:21:39Z")
I’m troubled by all the boys I see ashamed of their nudity in the locker room. I’d say about 10% of the boys have no trouble being nude with the remainder doing the ‘under the towel’ shuffle getting out of their swim trunks. I don’t understand why they are so shy/ashamed. We all have the same bits. I just hope this doesn’t translate into some sort of societal neurosis down the road. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/33 "2013-12-16T16:27:04Z")
Aw. I googled [The Naked Guy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Martinez), from Berkeley. I remember when he first hit the news. The end of his life was sad, though. I’d never heard about that. Apparently when you google “naked berkeley biker” there are twenty links to annual naked bike rides that come up before The Naked Guy’s wiki link does. So there’s more naked biking happening than I’d realized. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/34 "2013-12-16T16:36:09Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > I wonder how nudists deal with their menstrual cycles if they don’t like tampons. Seems like pads would not be an option. That’s reason enough to ‘cover up’ as far as I’m concerned. > > Another is esthetics. Years ago, my husband wanted to go to a nude beach when we were in Europe. I think he was expecting all the women to look like Victoria’s Secret models, but he was wrong :). Diva cups. Or, they do what strippers do and trim the string. (You didn’t think strippers stayed at home one week a month, did you? 🆒 ) Oh, also, I blame the Puritans. For everything. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/35 "2013-12-16T18:01:46Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > It is obvious that it has everything to do with what is sexual. If breasts were not considered sexual, then women could walk topless too. I believe that the pubic area must be covered in all cultures and by both sexes. Beyond that it is mostly cultural. I remember seeing some beach photos from California around 1900. Both the men and women are essentially covered from ankle to neck with only face, hands, and, feet visible. By the 30s, both men and women were wearing swim suits not that would not be considered that unusual today. And we know that some cultures require that women cover their hair and others insist that everything be covered except a pair of eye slits. Then you have the sub-continent. People will go up in arms if you as much as show a glimps of a woman’s leg, but bare midriff? Meh. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/36 "2013-12-16T18:13:35Z")
> [@demian\_travis](#): > > Anyway, most of us wear clothes in public (unless you are on a strip club or a nudist). Why? I mean, why do we have to cover up so much? Why is is acceptable for a man to walk shirtless but not for a woman to do that? Why are we ashamed of our bodies? Wearing clothes is not the same thing as being ashamed of one’s body. I wear clothes whenever I’m out in public and most of the time when I’m at home, but I’m not ashamed of my body. Similarly I only shave at home, never in public. It’s not because I’m ashamed of shaving, but because that’s what feels natural and comfortable. On the question of why “we” as a society still wear clothes, perhaps it’s because history gives us examples of societies where clothes were the norm and societies where they weren’t, and the clothed societies seem to function better. Regarding why women can’t go shirtless in public, most women prefer it that way. Even in countries where it’s legal for women to go shirtless, few do. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/37 "2013-12-16T18:26:35Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Because I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly. and here I was with all this toast…\ ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/38 "2013-12-16T19:14:24Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > Years ago, my husband wanted to go to a nude beach when we were in Europe. I think he was expecting all the women to look like Victoria’s Secret models, but he was wrong :). I’ve only been to nude beaches a few times in my life. And while you’re right that the women mostly didn’t look like Victoria’s Secret models, they were with few exceptions an improvement on the scenery. And if they weren’t, so what? Other people exist for their own purposes, not for mine. If I see a woman at a nude beach that I wouldn’t want to fuck if she were the last woman alive, that’s my problem and not hers. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395/39 "2013-12-16T19:21:14Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > When crossing a river, one of the young men lost his penis sheath in the water. He was extremely embarrassed, and tried to cover himself with his hands when he met other people. Well, I do have this as a recurring dream. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-ashamed-of-nudity/676395.md?page=1)