Indecent exposure
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Indecent exposure is the display of bare parts of the human body that, according to the standards of the individual's cultural surroundings, would otherwise be covered by clothes. In most public places other than designated areas where nudity is acceptable such as in nude beaches, unwelcome exposure of an adult's genitalia is the most common example of indecent exposure. Indecent exposure may also involve masturbation, sexual intercourse, etc. in a public place. Indecent exposure is not to be confused with exhibitionism.
During the Victorian era, exposure of a woman's legs was considered indecent in much of the Western world. An adult woman exposing her navel was also long considered indecent in the West up through as late as the 1960s and 1970s. Meanwhile, many other types of societies worldwide currently enforce strict standards of bodily modesty, an example of which is the Burqa imposed by the Taliban former regime of Afghanistan.
What qualifies as indecent exposure varies depending on the location in question and its corresponding definition of "decency" within a particular jurisdiction. Anything qualifying as indecent exposure within an area is often also a criminal offense within that area. For example, before the Labour Party of the United Kingdom revised the law, "indecent exposure" was defined exclusively as a man exposing his erect penis to the public. However, even if a male exposes his flaccid penis (i.e., without an erection) to an unsuspecting and/or unwilling observer, such an action still differs from mere public nudity in that the intent of indecent exposure is to shock or harass.
Breastfeeding does not constitute indecent exposure under the laws of the United States, Canada, or Scotland. In the United States, the federal government and the overwhelming majority of states have enacted laws specifically protecting nursing mothers from harassment by others. Legislation ranges from simply exempting breastfeeding from laws regarding indecent exposure, to outright full protection of the right to nurse. Even in those states that have no such legislation, breastfeeding is neither indecent exposure nor illegal. However, mainstream ambivalence towards breastfeeding may prevent many women from exercising this right. Laws protecting the right to nurse aim to change attitudes and promote increased feelings of freedom and entitlement to breastfeed in public.
In most places of the world there is a very thin line between nudity, which is nonthreatening, and indecent exposure, which can be. Toplessness, or nakedness above the waist, is not always indecent exposure. Women and men in some parts of the United States and Canada seek topfree equality — a woman's right to be topless in public wherever males are legally permitted do so. As late as the 1930s, both women and men were largely prevented from bathing or swimming in public places without wearing bathing suits that covered above the waist. Today, however, what is known as the "monokini" for women — the most popular style of which is essentially a bikini bottom without the corresponding top, leaving the breasts bare — is quite popular throughout European and South American public beaches. Meanwhile, swimming shorts for men, while taking different forms, are nearly universal worldwide.
On the other hand, in swimming sports, participants both male and female usually wear the sports equivalent of a wetsuit, which ensures not only that both the top and bottom portions of the body are covered, but the arms and legs, as well.
Flashing
Template:Seealso In noted contrast to indecent exposure is the term flashing, which is generally used to denote a typically nonthreatening exhibitionist type of exposure that most often refers to a female exposing her breasts but can also refer to both genders exposing buttocks or genitals to another person or group of people. Flashing is quick, brief, and for the viewer(s), often unexpected. The exposure can be done for shock value, personal amusement, rebellion against societal norms, and/or an attempt to seduce or sexually stimulate another person.
It is uncertain exactly when or how flashing became more socially acceptable, but it likely has at least partially to do with the advent of the Sexual Revolution. According to the history of New Orleans Mardi Gras, for example, the act of flashing in exchange for trinkets such as beads is documented as far back as the early 1960s.
Displaying one's buttocks for shock value, rather than to seduce or to stimulate, is a specific practice known as mooning. Unexpectedly running naked through a public place is known as streaking.
See also
de:Nude in Public et:Liputamine
Categories: Nudity | Paraphilia | Crimes