Nudity

Nudity is the state of wearing either no clothes at all, or significantly fewer clothes than expected by the conventions of a particular culture and situation.

Acceptance of nudity and required levels of clothing vary greatly with time and culture; it also depends on whether other people are present, and if so, who.

Some nudity is unavoidable when taking a bath or going to the toilet, but these can be done and are often done without any people present.

Nudity in front of a sexual partner is widely accepted, but even here there may be restrictions, for example only at the time and place of the sex, or with little light, or covered by a sheet or blanket.

On one extreme some people view nudity as sinful or otherwise wrong except in such unavoidable cases, while other people assert that nudity is the natural state that should ideally be always acceptable in public.

In some hunter-gatherer cultures in warm climates, near-complete nudity was (at least until the introduction of Western culture) standard practice for both men and women. However, made into an assumption, this can become a stereotype. Native Americans, for example were generally quite prim where nudity was concerned (A notable exception is the Chumash Indians of southern Calfornia who were nudists. Men were usually naked. Women were often topless.)

At the most extreme end of the spectrum, one finds some strict interpretations of Islam that require women to cover their entire bodies, including the face, on threat of severe punishment.

In the West, standards of what constitutes indecent exposure vary widely. Into the 20th century, exposure of male nipples was considered indecent at some beaches. In the United States of America, exposure of female nipples is still not usually allowed in public. (Courts in some North American jurisdictions--including Ontario and New York State--have legalized the exposure of women's nipples on equal protection grounds.) In some European countries (Germany, Finland), saunas and spas with mixed-sex nudity are common while in other countries these places always strictly separate the sexes. Since the mid-20th century topless, clothing-optional and strictly-nude beaches have come into vogue. Topless sunbathing is considered acceptable on the beaches of France and Spain (and even by outdoor swimming pools); generally, the genitals are the limit on non-nudist beaches.

In general and across cultures, the most restrictions are found for exposure of those parts of the human body that put in evidence sexual dimorphism between male and female adults. Therefore, sex organs and women's breasts are often covered. In many cultures children's nudity is not seen as particularly disturbing until they reach puberty. Western culture has become much more restrictive about nudity for children in recent decades, presumably as a result of concerns about paedophilia and child pornography.

Nudity is closely associated with sexuality in most cultures where some level of body modesty is expected. This is evidenced by the existence of striptease in these cultures. As an effect of Catholic cultural heritage, in Latin cultures the common sense of modesty does not generally admit genital nudity, but the definition of what is lewd has changed and and women's breasts are now commonly exposed or depicted without scandal.

In the past, the Roman Catholic Church organized the so-called fig-leaf campaign to cover nudity in art, starting from the works of Renaissance artist Michelangelo. See Michelangelo Buonarroti for details. Islam prohibits any illustrations of human beings, so the question does not arise there.

Some people enjoy public nudity in a non-sexual context. This movement is known as nudism, or naturism, and often practiced in reserved places that used to be called nudist camps but are now properly referred to as nudist (or naturist) resorts, beaches or clubs.