The Modesty of Nudity

I recently got involved in a discussion of nudity.  Someone said that nudity was against Christian principles for women.  That is, women should be modest in their apparel.

Then someone else pointed out there wasn't much that was more modest than nudity.  "Hard to put on airs when you ain't got nothing else on."

22 comments:

  1. In Maine it's legal for women to go topless. Of course it's too cold (or too many black flies around) most of the year for women to take advantage of it. In the late spring/summer of 2010 there were a couple of 'topless' rallies in Maine (one in Farmington, one in Portland)- the gals trying to bring toplessness into the mainstream. The movement quickly died out. Culture is too big a ship to turn around with a couple rallies, I guess.

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    1. Culture is extraordinarily difficult to change even under the best of circumstances.

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  2. It's legal for women to be topless here in Ontario, too.

    Quite a few women take advantage of it during Pride week every summer. I haven't seen anyone take advantage of it the rest of the year (with the exception of nude beaches of course. :) )

    What do _you_ think about this topic, Paul?

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    1. I used to practice nudism, Lydia. I was a novice to it until in my 30s, when a friend took me (along with her two children) to a gorgeous clothing optional resort located up in the Rockies.

      I was very nervous at first, but I soon enough discovered I was unexpectedly at home with the experience. I went back with other friends many times, and it was always the same -- a positive experience.

      The odd thing is, it seems that when you take off your clothes, any pretensions you might have follow your clothes soon thereafter. It really is hard to put on airs when you ain't got nothing else on!

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  3. A woman is dangerous not for what she shows but how she hides what she does not show. Nudity is not as provocative as some garments can be.

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    1. In my limited experience, women are sexier with some clothing than without any.

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  4. For Medicinal Purposes Only

    The Topless Parade was called off
    When the Church Ladies gasped, "Enough!"
    "But," said Garnet, "You see..."
    "We need Vitamin D!"
    "That's the reason we march in the buff!"

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    1. To quote Irene Ryan ("Granny" in The Beverly Hillbillies):
      "Medicinal purposes."

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    2. Your rime just made this whole thread, Garnet!

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  5. I have seen and professionally photographed more naked females than most alive and feel it is just a condition where human covering rational are either rejected or celebrated by omission.

    I believe minors should not be exposed to nudity by wire and yet GOOG, MSFT, and the FCC continue to allow it.

    It should already be illegal and will be within the year.

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    1. I think a lot depends on how sexualized the nudity is, Curtis. Plain old nudity never hurt anyone -- except maybe the egos of a few.

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  6. There is nothing modest about "showing" your modesty. It's just another form of strutting your stuff.

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    1. I think you might be right that it's a form of strutting your stuff for some people, Fleurs, but in my limited experience, nudists are less likely to make a big deal of themselves than people walking down a city street.

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  7. In many cultures, lavish and elaborate coffins are believed to honor the dead. In Judaism, the only proper way to bury a person is in a plain shroud or a plain, board box. Anything else is considered immodest, putting on airs, and dishonoring the dead.

    Ergo, people of cultural sensitivity will always appear nude for Jewish funerals. Even when it's cold in Maine or black fly season in Ontario.

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    1. I'm getting to like Jewish funeral customs, S. W.!

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  8. If walking around nekkid couldn't make me humble, nothing could.

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  9. Love it. It is ironic how so many who preach "modesty" are actually terribly conceited.

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    1. I'll say it again, Donna: If you want to find conceited people, walk down a city street. A nudist resort is the last place I'd look for them.

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  10. The problem with nudity is that it desexualizes the body. Nudity is rarely sexy. You need certain poses or clothes (or bubbles if you're mormon) for that.

    Breastfeeding is so maligned in public because it shows the breast as something other than a sex toy.

    What some Christians call 'modesty' is actually placing the burden on women for the behaviour of others. "Don't cause so and so to sin" really means they feel so and so is entitled to indulge in disrespectful thoughts if you exist. (Not that it is necessarily disrespectful, but who minds respectful appreciation?)

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    1. I agree with you, Prairienymph, that nudity is "rarely sexual". I might prefer to put it slightly differently, though. I think of nudity as significantly lowering the volume of sexual interest. That is, it doesn't go away for me, but it instead becomes so muted that I have to listen quite well to notice it.

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  11. Good post and comments. Last fall, I was at a nudist resort in Jamaica talking to an Australian guy at a swim-up bar. He shared his french fries with me and, in the course of our conversation said, "It's amazing how much nicer people are when they'r not wearing any clothes."

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  12. Hey Paul,

    I just came across your blog today. Modesty is an attitude, not any particular article of clothing (or non-clothing), in my opinion. A Christian woman wouldn't be a nudist though. It does go against the Christian principle of not being a stumbling block to others.

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Comments Welcome -- but no flaming. If you wish, you can email me at paul_sunstone@q.com