Gymnophobia
Gymnophobia is a fear (phobia) of nudity. Gymnophobics experience anxiety from nudity, even if they realize their fear is irrational. They may worry about seeing others naked or being seen naked, or both. Their fear may stem from a general anxiety about sexuality, from a fear that they are physically inferior, or from a fear that their nakedness leaves them exposed and unprotected.[1] The word "Gymnophobia" is derived from the Greek "gymnos" (naked).
Standards of modesty (also called demureness or reticence) generally prevent public nudity. Avoidance of nudity in private situations may be a continuation of modesty, or may extend to prudishness or body shame. Only an actual fear of nudity qualifies as gymnophobia. Only when the fear is beyond one's control or is interfering with daily life can an anxiety disorder diagnosis be made.[2]
Historical Origins and Material Preconditions
Originally clothing was not worn in order to obscure certain parts of the body. The advent of class society, required the female to be the possession of the male, and gradually it became culturally acceptable or compulsory, to obscure certain parts of the body in certain cercumstances.
Evidence Of Intensification
It is quite apparent that with the transition from feudalism to capitalism, gymnophobia became more intense than in Roman times. [3] The squalor of cities in Queen Victoria's time, indicate to have been an additional material precondition.
Modern Media
Where Photography, film and television, proliferated at a time and place of strong gymnophobia, the Genres developed censored nudity, and didn't carry over the genre from painting, where nudity was not generally considered untoward.
The Rollback
Gymnophobia was combated by the Wandervogel of Germany, the "Wandering Birds" or early hippies.
In East Germany, the GDR, the move to widely legalize public nudity around the year 1967 was carried within the Socialist Unity Party.[4]
See also
References
- ^ medterms.com
- ^ Edmund J. Bourne, The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, 4th ed, New Harbinger Publications, 2005, ISBN 1-57224-413-5
- ^
- ^ The German wikipedia article on FKK frei korper kulture tells the story of how the move was carried and the revolutionary roll back if gymnophobia
