Introduction
Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair and living in hospitable climates. As humans became behaviorally modern, body adornments such as jewelry, tattoos, body paint and scarification became part of non-verbal communications, indicating a person's social and individual characteristics. Indigenous peoples in warm climates used clothing for decorative, symbolic or ceremonial purposes but were often nude, having neither the need to protect the body from the elements nor any conception of nakedness being shameful. In many societies, both ancient and contemporary, children might be naked until the beginning of puberty. Women may not cover their breasts, being associated with nursing babies more than with sexuality.
In the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean, from Mesopotamia to the Roman Empire, proper attire was required to maintain social standing. The lower classes might possess a single piece of cloth that was wrapped or tied to cover the lower body; the lowest classes including slaves might be naked. However, through much of Western history until the late modern period, people of any status were also unclothed by necessity or convenience when engaged in labor and athletics; or when bathing or swimming. Such functional nudity occurred in groups that were usually but not always segregated by sex. Although improper dress might be socially embarrassing, the association of nudity with sin regarding sexuality began with Judeo-Christian societies, spreading through Europe in the post-classical period. Traditional clothing in temperate regions worldwide also reflect concerns for maintaining social status and order, as well as by necessity due to the colder climate. However, societies such as Japan and Finland maintain traditions of communal nudity based upon the use of baths and saunas that provided alternatives to sexualization.
The spread of Western concepts of modest dress is part of colonialism, and continues today with globalization. Contemporary social norms regarding nudity reflect cultural ambiguity towards the body and sexuality, and differing conceptions of what constitutes public versus private spaces. Norms relating to nudity are different for men than they are for women. Individuals may intentionally violate norms relating to nudity; those without power may use nudity as a form of protest, and those with power may impose nakedness on others as a form of punishment. ( Full article...)
Selected general article
A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events.
Modern forms of stripping minimize the interaction of strippers with customers, reducing the importance of the tease in the performance in favor of speed of undress (the strip). Not all strippers are comfortable dancing topless or fully nude, but in general, full nudity is common where not prohibited by law. The integration of the burlesque pole as a frequently used prop has shifted the emphasis in the performance toward a more acrobatic, explicit form of expression compared to the slow-developing burlesque style. Most strippers work in strip clubs. A house dancer works for a particular club or franchise, while a feature dancer typically has her own celebrity, touring a club circuit and making appearances. Strippers are often not direct employees of clubs but instead perform as independent contractors.
Before the 1970s, strippers in Western cultures were almost invariably female, performing to male audiences, usually in strip clubs. At the same time, strippers of all genders were dancing in underground clubs or as part of a theatre experience. Since the 1970s, mainstream stripping has adopted a greater gender diversity and male strippers have become an established form of entertainment for female audiences. Their performances are usually fully choreographed, involving dance routines and costumes. Certain male and female strippers also perform for LGBT audiences as well as for all genders in bisexual contexts. The term "male stripper" has decreased in use in books published in the 21st century. ( Full article...)
Did you know...
- ... that having painted a domestic scene depicting his nude wife, Robert Ballagh felt that he had to produce a nude painting of himself as a follow-up?
- ... that Ettore Sottsass's design of the Olivetti Valentine typewriter was inspired by the pop-art nudes of Tom Wesselmann?
- ... that Meghan Trainor was inspired to write " Made You Look" after her therapist asked her to look at herself naked for five minutes?
- ... that film critic and censor D. I. Suchianu wanted Romanian moviegoers to cease "falling asleep whenever they're not shown a naked breast [or] a hip that's getting some action"?
- ... that Loud LDN co-founder Maisi came joint last in the 2022 Maldon mud race, behind a naked runner who had been forced to start after everyone else?
- ... that Chris Ernst stripped naked in 1976 with her Yale University teammates to protest the lack of showers for the women's rowing crew?
- ... that the Indian politician Diwan Chaman Lall failed to get rid of the painting Nude of Indira?
- ... that after women's suffrage in Switzerland was approved in a referendum in 1971, the tabloid Blick sported a cover with a naked blonde and the headline "Thank you for the Roses"?
Need help?
Do you have a question about Nudity that you can't find the answer to?
Consider asking it at the Wikipedia reference desk.
Get involved
For editor resources and to collaborate with other editors on improving Wikipedia's Nudity-related articles, see WikiProject Nudity.
General images
-
-
World Naked Bike Ride in London, 2016 (from Naturism) -
Nudist couple at Terra Cotta Inn, Palm Springs, California, US (from Naturism) -
Ariadne Asleep on the Island of Naxos (1808–1812) by John Vanderlyn. The painting was initially considered too sexual for display in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. "Although nudity in art was publicly protested by Americans, Vanderlyn observed that they would pay to see pictures of which they disapproved." (from Nude (art)) -
-
Susanna and the Elders, 1610, Artemisia Gentileschi. This work may be compared with male depictions of the same tale. (from Nude (art)) -
Nudist hiker in British Columbia (from Naturism) -
Nude men at the Przystanek Woodstock festival, 2014 (from Naturism) -
-
-
-
Florida naturists (from Naturism) -
The Venus of Willendorf (made between 24,000 and 22,000 BCE) (from Nude (art)) -
Photograph by Jean Louis Marie Eugène Durieu, part of a series made with Eugène Delacroix (from Nude photography) -
-
Zoë Mozert was one of the Earl Moran's first nude models in the 1930s. (from Nude photography) -
-
The far west end of Zipolite Beach, Oaxaca, Mexico (from Naturism) -
A Nude Boy on a Beach (1878) by John Singer Sargent (from Nude (art)) -
Bathing in the center of East Berlin, East Germany (1958) (from Nudity) -
Naturist family on Lake Senftenberg in 1983 (from Naturism) -
Sunrise on the beach, Taitung County, Taiwan (from Naturism) -
-
Using birch branches in a Finnish sauna, 1967 (from Nudity) -
-
-
Public naturist recreation area at Lake Unterbach; Strandbad Süd, Düsseldorf-Unterbach, Germany (from Naturism) -
A woman breastfeeding in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2017 (from Nudity) -
This year Venuses again... always Venuses!... (1864) by Daumier (from Nude (art)) -
Crayon-style print by Gilles Demarteau with a nude man after original drawing by Edmé Bouchardon was acquired by Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw as a teaching material (from Nude (art)) -
Families bathing nude at a hot spring in Taiwan (from Naturism)
-
In many European countries women may sunbathe without covering their breasts. (from Nudity) -
-
-
David (1504)
"What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed?"
— Michelangelo (from Nude (art)) -
Naturists in a river, 2014 (from Nudity) -
Odalisque (1857) by Eugène Delacroix, a painting with similar pose (from Nude photography) -
Naturist swimmers in Australia (from Naturism) -
Finnish Sauna (1802) (from Naturism) -
Couple walking naked in the streets of Barcelona, Spain (from Naturism) -
A woman naked on the beach at Valalta, Croatia (from Naturism) -
The Barricade (1918), oil on canvas, by George Bellows. A painting inspired by an incident in August 1914 in which German soldiers used Belgian townspeople as human shields. (from Nude (art)) -
People taking part in the World Naked Bike Ride in London, 2012 (from Nudity) -
Signpost at Mpenjati Naturist Beach (from Naturism) -
Photograph by Jean Louis Marie Eugène Durieu, c. 1855 (from Nude photography) -
One of the photographs of the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal: a naked prisoner being forced to crawl and bark like a dog on a leash. (from Nudity) -
A publicity photo showing a mature naturist couple making tea. North America (from Naturism) -
-
A necklace reconstructed from perforated sea snail shells from Upper Palaeolithic Europe, dated between 39,000 and 25,000 BCE. The practice of body adornment is associated with the emergence of behavioral modernity. (from Nudity) -
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_-_1897_-_Freilicht_-_vmp_01.jpg)
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_-_Nu_masculin_debout_-_ca._1855_-_02.jpg)
Subcategories
- Select [►] to view subcategories
Related portals
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Subtopics
| Nakedness and clothing | |
|---|---|
| Nudity and sexuality | |
| Issues in social nudity | |
| Naturism | |
| Nude recreation | |
| By location | |
| Social nudity advocates | |
| Depictions of nudity | |
| See also | |
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
Introduction
Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair and living in hospitable climates. As humans became behaviorally modern, body adornments such as jewelry, tattoos, body paint and scarification became part of non-verbal communications, indicating a person's social and individual characteristics. Indigenous peoples in warm climates used clothing for decorative, symbolic or ceremonial purposes but were often nude, having neither the need to protect the body from the elements nor any conception of nakedness being shameful. In many societies, both ancient and contemporary, children might be naked until the beginning of puberty. Women may not cover their breasts, being associated with nursing babies more than with sexuality.
In the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean, from Mesopotamia to the Roman Empire, proper attire was required to maintain social standing. The lower classes might possess a single piece of cloth that was wrapped or tied to cover the lower body; the lowest classes including slaves might be naked. However, through much of Western history until the late modern period, people of any status were also unclothed by necessity or convenience when engaged in labor and athletics; or when bathing or swimming. Such functional nudity occurred in groups that were usually but not always segregated by sex. Although improper dress might be socially embarrassing, the association of nudity with sin regarding sexuality began with Judeo-Christian societies, spreading through Europe in the post-classical period. Traditional clothing in temperate regions worldwide also reflect concerns for maintaining social status and order, as well as by necessity due to the colder climate. However, societies such as Japan and Finland maintain traditions of communal nudity based upon the use of baths and saunas that provided alternatives to sexualization.
The spread of Western concepts of modest dress is part of colonialism, and continues today with globalization. Contemporary social norms regarding nudity reflect cultural ambiguity towards the body and sexuality, and differing conceptions of what constitutes public versus private spaces. Norms relating to nudity are different for men than they are for women. Individuals may intentionally violate norms relating to nudity; those without power may use nudity as a form of protest, and those with power may impose nakedness on others as a form of punishment. ( Full article...)
Selected general article
A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events.
Modern forms of stripping minimize the interaction of strippers with customers, reducing the importance of the tease in the performance in favor of speed of undress (the strip). Not all strippers are comfortable dancing topless or fully nude, but in general, full nudity is common where not prohibited by law. The integration of the burlesque pole as a frequently used prop has shifted the emphasis in the performance toward a more acrobatic, explicit form of expression compared to the slow-developing burlesque style. Most strippers work in strip clubs. A house dancer works for a particular club or franchise, while a feature dancer typically has her own celebrity, touring a club circuit and making appearances. Strippers are often not direct employees of clubs but instead perform as independent contractors.
Before the 1970s, strippers in Western cultures were almost invariably female, performing to male audiences, usually in strip clubs. At the same time, strippers of all genders were dancing in underground clubs or as part of a theatre experience. Since the 1970s, mainstream stripping has adopted a greater gender diversity and male strippers have become an established form of entertainment for female audiences. Their performances are usually fully choreographed, involving dance routines and costumes. Certain male and female strippers also perform for LGBT audiences as well as for all genders in bisexual contexts. The term "male stripper" has decreased in use in books published in the 21st century. ( Full article...)
Did you know...
- ... that having painted a domestic scene depicting his nude wife, Robert Ballagh felt that he had to produce a nude painting of himself as a follow-up?
- ... that Ettore Sottsass's design of the Olivetti Valentine typewriter was inspired by the pop-art nudes of Tom Wesselmann?
- ... that Meghan Trainor was inspired to write " Made You Look" after her therapist asked her to look at herself naked for five minutes?
- ... that film critic and censor D. I. Suchianu wanted Romanian moviegoers to cease "falling asleep whenever they're not shown a naked breast [or] a hip that's getting some action"?
- ... that Loud LDN co-founder Maisi came joint last in the 2022 Maldon mud race, behind a naked runner who had been forced to start after everyone else?
- ... that Chris Ernst stripped naked in 1976 with her Yale University teammates to protest the lack of showers for the women's rowing crew?
- ... that the Indian politician Diwan Chaman Lall failed to get rid of the painting Nude of Indira?
- ... that after women's suffrage in Switzerland was approved in a referendum in 1971, the tabloid Blick sported a cover with a naked blonde and the headline "Thank you for the Roses"?
Need help?
Do you have a question about Nudity that you can't find the answer to?
Consider asking it at the Wikipedia reference desk.
Get involved
For editor resources and to collaborate with other editors on improving Wikipedia's Nudity-related articles, see WikiProject Nudity.
General images
-
-
World Naked Bike Ride in London, 2016 (from Naturism)
-
Nudist couple at Terra Cotta Inn, Palm Springs, California, US (from Naturism)
-
Ariadne Asleep on the Island of Naxos (1808–1812) by John Vanderlyn. The painting was initially considered too sexual for display in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. "Although nudity in art was publicly protested by Americans, Vanderlyn observed that they would pay to see pictures of which they disapproved." (from Nude (art))
-
-
Susanna and the Elders, 1610, Artemisia Gentileschi. This work may be compared with male depictions of the same tale. (from Nude (art))
-
Nudist hiker in British Columbia (from Naturism)
-
Nude men at the Przystanek Woodstock festival, 2014 (from Naturism)
-
-
-
-
Florida naturists (from Naturism)
-
The Venus of Willendorf (made between 24,000 and 22,000 BCE) (from Nude (art))
-
Photograph by Jean Louis Marie Eugène Durieu, part of a series made with Eugène Delacroix (from Nude photography)
-
-
Zoë Mozert was one of the Earl Moran's first nude models in the 1930s. (from Nude photography)
-
-
The far west end of Zipolite Beach, Oaxaca, Mexico (from Naturism)
-
A Nude Boy on a Beach (1878) by John Singer Sargent (from Nude (art))
-
Bathing in the center of East Berlin, East Germany (1958) (from Nudity)
-
Naturist family on Lake Senftenberg in 1983 (from Naturism)
-
Sunrise on the beach, Taitung County, Taiwan (from Naturism)
-
-
Using birch branches in a Finnish sauna, 1967 (from Nudity)
-
-
-
Public naturist recreation area at Lake Unterbach; Strandbad Süd, Düsseldorf-Unterbach, Germany (from Naturism)
-
A woman breastfeeding in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2017 (from Nudity)
-
This year Venuses again... always Venuses!... (1864) by Daumier (from Nude (art))
-
Crayon-style print by Gilles Demarteau with a nude man after original drawing by Edmé Bouchardon was acquired by Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw as a teaching material (from Nude (art))
-
Families bathing nude at a hot spring in Taiwan (from Naturism)
-
In many European countries women may sunbathe without covering their breasts. (from Nudity)
-
-
-
David (1504)
"What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed?"
— Michelangelo (from Nude (art)) -
Naturists in a river, 2014 (from Nudity)
-
Odalisque (1857) by Eugène Delacroix, a painting with similar pose (from Nude photography)
-
Naturist swimmers in Australia (from Naturism)
-
Finnish Sauna (1802) (from Naturism)
-
Couple walking naked in the streets of Barcelona, Spain (from Naturism)
-
A woman naked on the beach at Valalta, Croatia (from Naturism)
-
The Barricade (1918), oil on canvas, by George Bellows. A painting inspired by an incident in August 1914 in which German soldiers used Belgian townspeople as human shields. (from Nude (art))
-
People taking part in the World Naked Bike Ride in London, 2012 (from Nudity)
-
Signpost at Mpenjati Naturist Beach (from Naturism)
-
Photograph by Jean Louis Marie Eugène Durieu, c. 1855 (from Nude photography)
-
One of the photographs of the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal: a naked prisoner being forced to crawl and bark like a dog on a leash. (from Nudity)
-
A publicity photo showing a mature naturist couple making tea. North America (from Naturism)
-
-
A necklace reconstructed from perforated sea snail shells from Upper Palaeolithic Europe, dated between 39,000 and 25,000 BCE. The practice of body adornment is associated with the emergence of behavioral modernity. (from Nudity)
-
Subcategories
- Select [►] to view subcategories
Related portals
Subtopics
| Nakedness and clothing | |
|---|---|
| Nudity and sexuality | |
| Issues in social nudity | |
| Naturism | |
| Nude recreation | |
| By location | |
| Social nudity advocates | |
| Depictions of nudity | |
| See also | |
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus