Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Nudity And Sexual Arousal

Some people may fear being naked in front of other people not because of an illogical understanding of nudity (that it is inherently sexual or humiliating, for instance), and not because of insecurities about their body image, but instead out of concern that they will experience unwanted sexual arousal of their genitals in front of others.  Such arousal may be uncomfortable for both the one aroused and onlookers.  But it is not itself something to be frightened by, ashamed of, or condemn.  Each of those three responses is irrational.

There are two different types of sexual arousal: arousal of the genitals and body (which is necessary for sexual intercourse) and arousal of the mind (which is not necessary for sexual intercourse).  When a man gets physically aroused, his penis extends and becomes firmer and more rigid, the foreskin, if he is uncircumcised, retracting (in many cases) to expose the head/glans of the penis.  When a woman gets physically aroused, her vagina secretes a lubricating liquid, her labia majora and minora swell, and her clitoris--a miniature equivalent to the male penis--can become engorged with blood and erect out from under a hood of skin.  Female genital arousal can be much less visible than male genital arousal due to the anatomy of male and female genitals.  Lack of visibility does not mean something does not occur, though.  But the fact that an erect penis is more visible than a wet vulva may deter some men from wanting to try social nudity.

Now, when naked in the company of others, a man or woman might become physically aroused.  This does not indicate that the nudity of either the one aroused or the nudity of any surrounding people is sexual, but it can be embarrassing for some.  Physical arousal can be purely involuntary, and having an erect penis or a wet vulva does not mean that the situation or stimuli that triggered the response is sexual.  This is important for people to remember--just as truth is true even if some people mistake it for a lie, nonsexual scenarios and things are nonsexual even if some people become aroused by them.

If a man has an erection or a woman's vulva "gets wet" or she has a clitoral erection while naked on a nude beach or in some other setting of social nudity, whether only one person is naked or multiple people are, the physical physiological reaction does not necessarily mean at all that the man or woman is having sexual thoughts or is experiencing sexual desire.  It does not follow at all from physical arousal that mental arousal is present.  Mind and body are distinct.

Physical arousal is not something to fear or ostracize people over, though, and even people who are initially discomforted by it can come to understand what it does and does not intrinsically mean and become less tense about it.  Rational people who have no illogical, emotionalistic objections to the human body will realize that genital arousal is just a natural physiological reaction that does not indicate either mental arousal or that the setting is sexual, that it cannot always be controlled, and that not everyone is offended by or uncomfortable with aroused human genitalia.  Some people may be horrified at the involuntary reactions of their genitals, and others may derive some degree of enjoyment from being physically aroused before others; likewise, some people may experience discomfort around others whose genitals are aroused, and others may not care at all and may even appreciate the scene.  Fear of the human body and its functions is ultimately irrational, but people in settings of social nudity can handle arousal, should it occur, in a way that respects the discomfort of others.

Christians can realize that genital arousal is not sinful and is just another sign that the human body functions as God intended it to.  There is nothing sinful about experiencing physical arousal, and therefore, on the Christian worldview, nothing at all to be ashamed of if one experiences it in private or in public, whether clothed or naked.  Prudery about the human body and about sexuality, when praised as good, is not only entirely irrational logically speaking, but is also antithetical to Christian metaphysics and theology.

People who want to try public nudity need not feel shame or fear about possible physical arousal.  If they realize that nudity is nonsexual in itself, that genital arousal can be entirely involuntary, that it does not indicate mental arousal, and that not everyone is offended by it--and if Christians realize that that human physiology and the human body are not sinful--then they can enjoy social nudity without dreading this phenomenon, should it occur.  They can handle this issue with rationality and move on.

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