Each month during 2025 we’re offering two tiny changes which may help improve your life. This month …
This is the second of four articles addressing nudity and society. Although a series, the first three will stand alone; the fourth article will be a selection of useful supporting links. Consequently there will be overlap of material between the articles. The articles are not fully referenced (hence Article IV), although a Google search on “nudity society body acceptance” (or similar) will find many articles (academic and otherwise) relevant to the whole series, starting perhaps with British Naturism’s 2020 Submission to Parliament.
Read Article I.
At the risk of stirring up a hornet’s nest, I want to consider something that gives people pause: nudity and sex.
Almost all societies and cultures have taboos about sex and nudity. These appear largely based around the idea that if someone is nude then sex must be involved – and vice versa. Nudity and sex become inseparable; one cannot exist without the other.
But the liberating truth is:
Nudity does not require sex;
and sex does not require nudity.
Neither needs to be a taboo.
Think about that for a minute …
When we separate nudity and sexuality, we make room for more genuine comfort and body confidence – with ourselves and with others.
Nudity doesn’t have to be sexual. Being nude doesn’t automatically mean being sexual. Sometimes (most times) it just means being comfortable – in your own skin, with no pretence or performance. Think of when nudity is about freedom or expression: sunbathing, painting a self-portrait, breastfeeding, or stepping out of the shower to feel the air on your skin. None of those moments require sexual intent to be meaningful or beautiful.
Unfortunately though we’ve built a whole culture of taboos around nudity. Most of us have been taught to associate nudity with shame, temptation, or worse – an equation which is at best flawed. Such conditioning makes it hard to see the body as neutral let alone something to be appreciated, rather than judged. When we uncouple nudity from sexuality, we start to see bodies (ours and others) with more compassion and less anxiety.
Sex doesn’t have to be naked. Sexuality is about connection: emotional, physical, spiritual. While we often picture it involving total nakedness, that’s certainly not always the case. People can share deep intimacy while partly or completely clothed. Words, eye contact, emotional vulnerability, can be just as intimate as anything physical – whether clothed or not.
When we realize sex is about energy, communication, and consent – as opposed to what the body looks like – it takes the pressure off; it helps us redefine intimacy in ways that feel authentic rather than performative.
We live in a culture obsessed with, but terrified of, the human body. It seems to me a large part of the problem, and the reason for the taboos, is fear: we’re frightened of nudity because we don’t understand it; we think it (might be) an invitation, a sign of doubtful morals; and we’re petrified of losing control and being unguarded.
Because we see nudity as an invitation the media and marketing droids play on it; constantly trying to sell us a new Utopia in a bottle or a bra. Meanwhile society insists we cover up, hide, or feel guilty about our bodies, our physicality. We must not be seen to give the “wrong” messages.
This kind of mixed messaging makes it hard to know what’s “appropriate” or “normal”. So no wonder we cling to the taboos; they’re the only thing we know which appears safe.
We’re brought up with these mixed messages. But it needn’t be this way. We know kids are oblivious to nudity until we teach them otherwise. Research has also shown that being around nudity does kids no harm; it actually does them good because they develop better body image, and a better ability to see through society’s bullshit. We can do this through teaching kids about consent, boundaries and context so they can see the beauty and vulnerability of the body – and of course intimacy when/where appropriate. Sexuality can, and should, be approached in the same way.
How can we hope to have balanced and open minds when there are important elements of being human we keep closed off?
If we can’t talk about sex, we end up with shame and a lack of education.
If we can’t talk about (or see) nudity, then mental health suffers and we’re constantly fearful and prudish.
Healing this starts with awareness. It’s OK to admire the human body – yours or someone else’s – without turning it into something sexual. Let’s be honest: which of us doesn’t appreciate a pretty girl or a handsome guy (depending on one’s proclivities) whether nude or not. It’s OK to feel comfortable in, appreciate, and admire your skin, your body, without shame; and it’s OK to appreciate others. The body itself isn’t the problem; it’s the meanings – so often creepy or (latently) abusive – we’ve learned to attach to it.
Everyone has different levels of comfort around nudity and sexuality. Some, like me, are completely open and unfazed regardless of circumstance (it’s how I was brought up, enabling me to develop my own beliefs); others the complete opposite; most somewhere in between. What matters is choice and consent. You get to decide what feels right for you; when, where, and with whom. In return, others deserve the same respect.
Not assuming nudity always means sex, and sex always means nudity, gives us permission to create clearer boundaries, deeper trust, and an open mind; and it’s easier to honour what’s truly comfortable, rather than what’s culturally expected.
At the end of the day, your body’s not just something you “have”; it’s an integral part of who you are. It’s not inherently sexual, shameful, or wrong. It’s your home. Learning to inhabit that home with kindness and acceptance can be incredibly healing.
Let’s accept nudity as normal; and let’s see sex the same way. But they’re not ipso facto joined. Why should we not accept nudity as normal, just as we would Fred’s new suit or Suzy’s cocktail dress? We can admire and appreciate them, without seeing them as inherently sexual.
So whether you’re fully clothed, completely nude, or somewhere in between, remember you get to define what intimacy means for you; not anyone else and certainly not society. Which means: nudity doesn’t require sex (unless all those involved consent for it to do so); and sex doesn’t require nudity. But both, when approached with awareness, consent and respect can be deeply human (even transcendental) experiences.
November’s collection of recently encountered quotes …
His own sex life had always been rather a mystery. There was nothing so very unusual about that. Most people’s sex life is a mystery, especially that of individuals who seem to make most parade of it.
[Anthony Powell; The Military Philosophers]
You must always be willing to truly consider evidence that contradicts your beliefs, and admit the possibility that you may be wrong. Intelligence isn’t knowing everything, it’s the ability to challenge everything you know.
[unknown]
In Athens … nude sculpture is a thing. There are life size or better penises, breasts and butts in public squares, and, of course, in every museum. This is the way it has been for thousands of years. It is not so unusual, though, to observe a gaggle of young girls from the States giggling over a particular male’s anatomy, but at the very least they will know what a penis looks like. Education is a wonderful thing.
[unknown]
What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed?
[Michelangelo]
Madness is rare in individuals, but in groups, parties, peoples, ages it is the rule.
[Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil]
There is a misconception that Buddhism is a religion, and that you worship Buddha. Buddhism is a practice, like yoga. You can be a Christian and practise Buddhism. I met a Catholic priest who lives in a Buddhist monastery in France. He told me that Buddhism makes him a better Christian. I love that.
[Thich Nhat Hanh]
I recently called an old engineering buddy of mine and asked what he was working on these days.
He replied that he was working on “aqua-thermal treatment of ceramics, aluminium and steel under
a constrained environment.”
I was impressed until, upon further inquiry, I learned that he was washing dishes with hot water under
his wife’s supervision.
[unknown]
Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they didn’t they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.
[Ray Bradbury; Dandelion Wine]
So many people from your past know a version of you that no longer exists anymore.
[unknown]
I have lived with several Zen masters – all of them cats.
[Eckhart Tolle]
They fear love because it creates a world they can’t control.
[George Orwell, 1984]
This is the first of four articles addressing nudity and society. Although a series, the first three will stand alone; the fourth article will be a selection of useful supporting links. Consequently there will be overlap of material between the articles. The articles are not fully referenced (hence Article IV), although a Google search on “nudity society body acceptance” (or similar) will find many articles (academic and otherwise) relevant to the whole series, starting perhaps with British Naturism’s 2020 Submission to Parliament.
Every one of us has a body, but the simple act of showing it – or even talking about it – can set off a storm of reactions. In some parts of the world, a bare shoulder or a topless photo will cause moral panic, outrage, or even legal trouble.
So why is nudity such a big deal? Because it hasn’t always been. Homo sapiens has been wearing clothes for only the last few thousand years, or an estimated 1-2% of the species existence.
As recently as the Ancient Greeks the human form was celebrated as a thing of strength and beauty. Their statues and athletes were unapologetically nude, and there was nothing inherently scandalous about it.
However as religion and moral codes evolved – particularly through the Abrahamic religions – the idea of nakedness became entangled with sin and shame; and over time we came to see our skin as something to be hidden, controlled, or covered. And the mindset stuck.
Most of us are taught as children being naked is something to be embarrassed about, and we’re conditioned to see nudity as dangerous; it instantly crosses some invisible moral line.
Such conditioning confuses the natural with the sexual. The human body can, of course, be sensual, but it’s still human. It eats, breathes, moves, and ages! – although it’s rarely represented that way in mainstream media. Instead it’s airbrushed, idealized, and used to sell everything from perfume and lingerie to cars and kitchen refits.
Not everyone experiences these double standards the same way. Women’s bodies, in particular, have been both glorified and policed for centuries. For example there’s the current-ish debate around #freethenipple: men can go shirtless in public without a second thought, but when women do the same, it’s indecent or provocative. It’s a small example of a much larger issue – the use of modesty to enforce social control, especially over women.
Cultural differences play a huge part in this. In some communities – especially indigenous or equatorial societies – nudity isn’t shocking or taboo; it’s practical; even ordinary. By contrast in most of the West, it’s still wrapped in moral judgment. Religion, tradition, and colonial history all shape how we decide what’s “appropriate”, even if the rules no longer make much sense. The
taboo is supposedly to protect children from seeing anything not “age appropriate” – which means essentially anything the child’s parents/guardian may be uncomfortable with.
Art, however, provides an interesting contradiction as restrictions mostly don’t apply in public museums or art galleries. Nude art has been celebrated for centuries; it’s beautiful and pure: as long as it’s in a museum. But when similar images appear in the media, they’re labelled obscene. The line between “artistic” and “inappropriate” shifts continually, thus revealing our that discomfort isn’t really the body itself but about context and control. Only half jokingly, I often say that a B&W nude photograph is art; but in colour it’s pornography.
The recent rise of the body positivity and naturism movements has tried pushing back against all this. The message is simple: seeing real, unfiltered bodies makes us more accepting of ourselves and others. If we stop treating nudity as shameful and inappropriate, we’ll stop treating our bodies as problems to be fixed. But old habits die hard, and society’s obsession with modesty and image continues to dominate.
So why is nudity such a big deal? The answer is essentially because it sits at the crossroads of morality, power and identity. Our discomfort with the naked body says less about the body and more about the cultural stories told about it. Questioning those narratives can lead to a healthier and more honest relationship with ourselves and others.
Although they seldom realise it, what really makes people uncomfortable isn’t the naked body itself, but the vulnerability and honesty that come with it.
Here are the answers to this month’s six quiz questions. If in doubt, all should be able to be easily verified online.
Physical Science & Mathematics
Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2024.
Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat (opening)
TS Eliot
There’s a whisper down the line at 11.39
When the Night Mail’s ready to depart,
Saying “Skimble where is Skimble has he gone to hunt the thimble?
We must find him or the train can’t start.”
All the guards and all the porters and the stationmaster’s daughters
They are searching high and low,
Saying “Skimble where is Skimble for unless he’s very nimble
Then the Night Mail just can’t go.”
At 11.42 then the signal’s nearly due
And the passengers are frantic to a man –
Then Skimble will appear and he’ll saunter to the rear:
He’s been busy in the luggage van!
He gives one flash of his glass-green eyes
And the signal goes “All Clear!”
And we’re off at last for the northern part
Of the Northern Hemisphere!
Find this poem online at Famous Poets and Poems
This year our Ten Things column each month is alternating between composers and artists a century at a time from pre-1500 to 20th century. As always, there’s no guarantee you will have heard of them all!
Ten Composers Born in 20th Century
Fools multiply when wise men are silent.
Nelson Mandela
As well as everything else, each month I offer you something to think about and get the brain working. This month …
Do illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup?