WHY ARE AMERICANS OBSESSED WITH THE FEMALE NIPPLE?

Perhaps living and studying in Europe on a number of occasions changed my perspective, but I cannot understand the silly outrage that many Americans show when some female displays her nipples, or other parts of her anatomy that are supposed to be off-limits. Contrarily the displays of male genitalia and buttocks are more often treated as comic relief. Public or private nudity does not pose a threat to American values and morality.

Too many Americans have an unhealthy and uncomfortable attitude towards the human body, the opposite sex, and sexuality in general. This attitude also extends to the female nipple which is objectively essential for breast-feeding babies. Perhaps this unhealthy obsession with occasional nudity, and then endlessly discussing it and looking at photos on the internet, might reflect a lack of a healthy occupation with sex.

This blog is not a discussion about the many variations of human sexuality but just the simple inability to look at the human body as something natural and that human sexual intercourse in its many forms are a normal part of our humanity. Perhaps some fault lies with most of the world’s religions and some of their extreme American expressions (i.e. Puritanism) for such a social, emotional and intellectual mess. Too many people were taught the strange view that things of the body are completely separate from things of the spirit, and anything enjoyable is probably ungodly and sinful.

We have for too long in the U.S. been taught and we still teach our children through our words and actions that human sexuality is somehow dirty and cannot be discussed openly in public, except by innuendo. Thus we only encourage more confusion, exploration, and some excessive behavior because we cannot take sex out of the “purient interest” closet. Children need to appreciate their bodies and learn to fully respect those of other people. They need to know the correct medical terminology for all the parts of the human anatomy and how to safely engage in sex while understanding the consequences. Then we can dump all our stupid euphemisms and warped attitutdes into the garbage heap of history.

In Europe with its far more casual attitude towards human sexuality and public nudity, pregnancy among unwed teenagers and sexually transmitted diseases are just a small fraction of what they are in the U.S. We are certainly doing something wrong with respect to sex education, particularly if we want to eliminate the need for abortion and the long-term public costs of unmarried teenagers raising children.

Perhaps all beauty pageants should require contestants to be judged in part on their complete naked state; otherwise they are not judging true beauty. If some performers and celebrities insist upon having public wardrobe malfunctions, they should be required to parade around publicly for a year completely naked. Maybe some professional sporting events should be conducted in the nude except jockstraps might be required for athletes during appropriate weather conditions. (We can probably forget about nude Cleveland Browns football in December even though fans will regularly show up practically naked painted in brown and orange to most games.) Most attendance records would be quickly broken for such modified sporting events.

Perhaps we should encourage all people of all ages, sizes, shapes, colors, and types to fully expose themselves at beaches and public pools. Then and only then when Americans get used to the human body in all its fascinating and natural forms that we may finally get over our stupid sexual perversions and hang-ups about our bodies. Sexual deviants would likely remain in the closet because they probably would not be able to handle an open and honest display of sexuality. Arguably if more women showed their nipples regularly, men might find looking into their eyes when talking to them to be far more interesting.

Of course, if everyone paraded around in their birthday suits, some might develop body envy of others. Those who are young and beautiful should be considered works of art. Unfortunately, those who are really ugly might best try a burka for a complete public cover-up. I’m sure Donald Trump would welcome the chance to separate the ugly from the beautiful. I have found nudists to be more practical and less obsessed about each other than those who are constantly teased by skimpy bikinis and partially-revealing outfits. The rest of us might just get a healthier outlook on ourselves and our fellow human beings.

Except for personal modesty or religious reasons, the only reason for clothing is to keep warm. In places and during seasons when keeping warm is no longer an issue, (i.e. Phoenix for 4 months when the daily temperature regularly goes over 100 degrees Fahrenheit) clothing should be optional. Of course, good personal hygiene is a must if one is to go around completely naked. Some little foldable loincloth might be needed when sitting on public trains and busses, in private cars, and riding bicycles.

Without clothing, we might all need to carry purses for our cell phones, iPods, keys, wallets and condoms. Shoes or sandals are probably still needed as our cement urban landscapes are not friendly to human feet. We would be able to fully apprciate those with extensive tatoos. We could probably eliminate most security checks at airports and public buildings if we literally have nothing to hide. Finally, we could save quite a bit of money in this recession if we dispensed with most of our clothing needs.

However, we do not have to create a completely open society everywhere to make ourselves more comfortable with the human body. Just permitting optional nudity at public beaches and pools, and on television when it is a normal part of the story, would be a sufficient national policy. Permitting mothers to breastfeed their children in most public places would also be a reasonable policy. Most important would be an intelligent and comprehensive sex education program in all our schools starting at age 10 when children begin to ask questions. Perhaps some adults should take a few sex-ed classes as well.

Of course some uptight people would scream that they should not be subjected to all this nudity and sexuality. They would simply have the right to stay home.

5/15/09 by Marc Pascal in Phoenix, AZ.