On nudity

It probably isn’t too strong of a statement to say that we all, for the most part, have some sort of combination of the same body parts. Certainly the support of this argument is inductive. It is not with extreme certainty that I make this claim. It mirrors the claim that we all have brains within our heads—regardless of opening each one up to check. It is with such support that I say all human beings generally have a penis, a vagina, or some mutation/combination thereof. And yet, many cultures, including our own, seek to censor certain areas of the body (despite the existence of mirrors and necks capable of moving the head down). It is bizarre that something that everyone shares is seen as off limits for society (consisting of genitalia-having individuals). Some common arguments include: think of the children (which someone implies censorship) and protection of females (whether it be for their physical or mental protection). One legitimate argument is a plea for sanitation. While I admit that allowing people to sit naked on public benches would probably result in negative consequences, this is nowhere near enough to say that the human body should be censored.

The most problematic factor to this censorship is inconsistency. First off, the standard of “decency” is relative to each society—ranging from extreme in Saudi Arabia to European Beaches. This is a case for freedom: there’s no objective reason to oppose nudity. The second issue is perhaps the most arbitrary and unjustified: laws against, and only against, topless women. What’s more: women can often acceptably show 90 percent of their breast, as long as the nipple is covered. Any change in skin pigment is, apparently, offensive.