Modestly Yours

Standards of modesty are aspects of the culture of a country or people, at a given point in time, and is a standard against which an individual in society may be judged. Standards of modesty vary by culture, and vary depending on who is exposed, which parts of the body are exposed, the duration of the exposure, the context, and other variables. Though the measures are applied to both men and women, typically there are differences based on a person’s sex. This is especially true with respect to standards of body modesty. Body modesty standards usually discourage non-essential exposure of the human body in public, especially the bare skin, undergarments and “intimate” parts. In general, Western culture expects intimate body parts to be covered in public at all times. For males, intimate body parts are generally the genitals, anus and bare buttocks. However, for females, in addition to the genitals and anus, given that they have been so highly sexualized in Western culture, the female breasts are also generally considered intimate parts. So while it is perfectly acceptable for men to appear topless in many public areas, the same is not the case for females who are expected to keep their breasts covered.

Naturists and nudists reject contemporary Western standards of modesty which discourage personal, family and social nudity, and seek to create a social environment where people feel comfortable in the company of nude people, and being seen nude, either just by other nudists, or also by the general public. They hold that the naked human form is neither immoral nor inappropriate and endorse a culture of positive body acceptance. Naturists and nudist maintain that all parts of the body are just natural and should not be treated as something that should be hidden. They believe that the practice of hiding body parts for the sole purpose of shame only causes people to have unhealthy or shameful thoughts about the nude body. The practice of nudity however produces a safe, healthy, wholesome atmosphere that allows everyone, to have a better body image, learn respect and develops healthy self-esteem.

Pope John Paul II once observed, “Sexual modesty cannot in any simple way be identified with the use of clothing, nor shamelessness with the absence of clothing and total or partial nakedness...Immodesty is present only when nakedness plays a negative role with regard to the value of the person. Nakedness itself is not immodest... Immodesty is present only when nakedness plays a negative role with regard to the value of the person, when its aim is to arouse concupiscence, as a result of which the person is put in the position of an object for enjoyment.”

Just because a nudist embraces the practice of nudity does not at all mean that they are immodest. For the nudist, modesty is not shed with one’s clothes. While doing research for his study, “Sexual Modesty, Social Meanings, and the Nudist Camp.” Social Problems 12, no. 3 (Winter 1965), Martin S. Weinberg visited three nudist camps in the Chicago area, letting them know that he was doing research, and went on to interview 101 of the camp members away from the nudist camps to learn more about their attitudes. He concluded, “The rules and customs at the nudist camps were sufficient to maintain modesty in all areas except the active display of the body, (i.e. being naked in front of others). In other words, except for being naked, these nudists were every bit as modest as non-nudists in every single way.”

Nudists simply hold to a different standard when in comes to modesty. During social interaction, traditional nudists do not engage in behavior or conduct that draws undue attention to the genitals for the purpose of producing sexual excitement nor engage in overt sexual activity. As has been upheld by extensive legal precedent nationwide, “Mere nudity is not in itself lewd or ‘indecent exposure.’ “Mere nudity cannot be offensive or immoral ‘conduct’ for it is not conduct at all, but merely the natural state of a human being.” Hence I suggest that naturists and nudists are not at all modesty challenged and I thus remain, modestly yours.