Thursday, April 22, 2021

If Social Conditioning Shunned Clothing Itself As Sexual

It is extremely common for those in America to almost exclusively encounter clothed people in daily life, with nudity often being reserved for bathing or showering, privately changing clothes, erotic media, in-person sexual acts, or the occasional nude beach or resort.  The shock at nudity in other contexts, whether the intention or actions taken afterward are sexual or not, perpetuates the general public perception that nudity has an inescapable sexual component even when a naked person in the presence of others is not doing or thinking anything sexual.  This misleading perception actually could have been the opposite of what it is, however rare this inverse set of perceptions is now.

Perhaps if the majority of a large society's members regularly went about their lives without clothing instead of regularly wearing some kind of clothes, it would be the case that wearing clothing, especially tighter or more revealing clothing that showcases male and female bodies, would actually be mistakenly assumed to be sexual and nudity would be perceived as nonsexual.  It would still be irrational for anyone to think that any kind of clothing or the lack of clothing is sexual, as both the clothed and unclothed body would be objectively nonsexual while still being subjectively perceived as sexy by some individuals at some times.  Still, if most people in a culture acted like clothing is sexual and nudity is not, the prudish American attitudes towards nudity could be reversed.

After all, the same people who think that nudity is a sexual thing that can be used in nonsexual contexts, as opposed to an objectively nonsexual thing that can be used in sexual contexts, could be conditioned to think that it is actually clothing that is inherently sexual and not the naked body.  All it would take is a culture of different myths.  Multiple people might then mention that certain clothing, perhaps of a certain tightness, transparency, or otherwise revealing nature, is more arousing to them than simple nudity.  Others might assume that people only wear clothing at least in part to sexually entice those of the opposite gender into wondering how sexy their unclothed bodies might be.  Instead of this possible set of perceptions, we have in America a different set.

Maybe the present public perceptions are simply how things would seem to them left to themselves, and maybe those perceptions were shaped or even completely brought into their experiences by social conditioning, intentionally or unintentionally, but no one would be unable to reason out the truth of the matter.  Every individual could still sincerely reflect on the matter, look to reason, and see that there is a difference between sexiness (which is all about whether an individual finds something sexually attractive or exciting at a certain moment) and the logical nature of clothing, nudity, and sensuality.  The truth is that while neither clothing nor the absence of clothing is sexual, nudity and clothing can both be appreciated sexually on a selective basis--and either or both can be mistaken as sexual.

Different groups of people have different perceptions of how sexual or nonsexual the naked human body is, as well as different perceptions of how sexual or nonsexual the body of either gender is when adorned with various styles or degrees of clothing; all people can give themselves philosophical enlightenment on the matter by thinking about it rationalistically.  This knowledge of the differences between sensuality and sexuality, beauty and sexiness, and nudity and sex can be attained without thinking about a hypothetical society where clothing itself is thought of as shockingly sexual.  The hypothetical society in question only shows how arbitrary and socially enforced the current American approach to nudity is in a general sense.

1 comment:

  1. There is nothing hypothetical about the Facts that 1.) when #USgovt soldiers, at the Pentagon Pool ( until the mid 1970s ) or in gang showers or swimming Nude communally away from pools, saw each others’ Naked Male bodies they didn’t instinctively think about or get triggered to have Sexual Contact with Other Naked Soldiers’ Bodies because that would result in a lack of Order & been banned; 2.) Rigged Corporate sports team members, or scholastic level athletes, male of female, in locker rooms don’t constantly have orgies when in the intimate presence of legions of Nude bodies; 3.) Nude YMCA Pools ( were Nudity was also common from their Founding until the 1970s) were never bordellos for rampant Sex Acts; or that Children in myriad domestic scenarios, when seeing their Parents, or vice versa, in partial states of undress or fully Nude, instinctively think “I need to have Sex with that person!” or even get minimally aroused; or workers & patrons in Islamic Hammams or their derivative ancient & modern public baths; or even modern gym lockerrooms, saunas, steam rooms — perceive #PublicSocialNudist situations as anything but a bit boring or banal — when not Liberating in the feeling of not being encumbered with tight, constricting, suffocating, uncomfortable, wet or stuffy garments or gear. “Bathing Suits” have always been a contrived corporate construct to .... ... wait for it ... PROFIT from folks’ sense of insecurity about their own Bare bodies or mandates, those corporatists handed to govt officials via coporate memos ( as 90% of laws are “crafted”, to criminalize peaceful harmless non-violent Human Bodies — turning the cheapest most flimsy tiny materials into astoundingly over•priced costumes — sometimes exceeding the costs of a full body covering set of trousers & longsleeves. Hence, you Cooper Cooker are conflating & coupling “Nudity & Sex” more than The Reality; when Rationally, you could equally easily prioritize associations wtih Nudism & Economical Practicality, Rigid Asceticism, Artistic Aesthetics, Therapy, Humility/Lack of Pretension, Honoring God/TheCreator’s Creations, Health ( Read Dr Herbert Shelton among other physicians on Nudity ), Communing with Nature Air/Sun/Earth-ering/Water & Rain ( Nude is the best raincoat! ), etc. Why not leave Sex out of the equation with Nudism & just elaborate on other Real & Rational examples.

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