Nudity is one of those simple things in the world that has more taboo surrounding it than it should. For instance, here in America you can show people being killed on TV, but you show one nipple and everyone freaks out. Seriously? You’d rather your kids see deplorable acts of violence that the female body? And people have the balls to ask what is wrong with this country…
So I’ve decided to put my personal feelings aside and turn to science – because that is the rational thing to do right?
Matthew Westra, a psychology professor at Longview Community College in Missouri, hit the nail on the head when he said: “Nudity is a taboo in America because we primarily equate nudity or nakedness with sexuality and we have taboos about sexuality.” With the popularity of pornography and strip clubs, all of the sudden nudity is something to be sought behind closed doors and velvet ropes. By desensitizing nudity you take away that “forbidden” aspect of it – thus removing the taboo nature of nudity.
Dr. Conrad Manning wrote in his paper “Virtues of Nakedness: Physical & Psychological Health,” “By making nakedness an ordinary, matter-of-fact, common experience, unassociated with sexuality, the unhealthy prurient interest in pornography would be considerably lessened.”
Read: According to Science, It’s Time to Stop Masturbating So Much
Then take into consideration all of the problems people have with body image and self-confidence. As children, nudity is again seen as taboo and in most cases flat-out wrong. Marilyn D. Story published an article in the Journal of Social Psychology about a study in which she researched 264 children and their parents – specifically their views on nudity. in the household.
The article , entitled ” “Comparisons of Body Self-concept Between Social Nudists and Non-nudists,” found that: “coming from a nudist family played a more significant role in the children’s positive self body-image than their race, gender, or area of the country in which they lived.”
Read: Can 10 Minutes of Eye Contact Really Alter Your Consciousness? Science says It Can.
So, putting the psychological aspects of nudity aside , let’s talk about why nudity is good for your body. One would think that clothing would actually help protect us from whatever mother nature could throw at us, but that’s not true. Clothing actually helps parasites latch on to us.
In a study from the University of Reading called “A Naked Ape Would Have Fewer Parasites,” researchers point out: “Lyme Disease deer ticks can grab onto our sweaters and sea lice can sneak into our bathing suit crotches.” Yep, Sea lice in your crotch – sounds fun doesn’t it?
