AcharyaChanakya/simple-wikipedia huggingface dataset:
Jackson won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form in 1989 for "Leave Me Alone".
Jackson's eighth studio album "Dangerous" was released November 26 1991. It was produced with Teddy Riley. It is a new jack swing album. It was Jackson's first album to have a rapper on it. Nine singles were released from the album. On June 27, 1992 Jackson started the Dangerous World Tour. All of the money Jackson made from the tour was given to charities such as the Heal the World Foundation, having grossed $100 million, Jackson performed to 3.5 million people in 70 concerts. The tour was supposed to last until Christmas 1992. However, Jackson ended the tour on November 11, 1993 because he was ill and needed to go to hospital. Jackson performed at the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII in January 1993.
"", Jackson's ninth studio album, was released July 16 1995. The album has two discs. The first disc is a collection of some of his greatest hits. The second disc is fifteen songs recorded in late 1994 and early 1995. Thirteen of the songs are new. Two of them are cover versions. In August 1995 the album's single "You Are Not Alone" became the first single ever to go straight to No.1 in the US. "HIStory" won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The video for the single "Scream" went in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most expensive short film ever made. In 1996, he started his HIStory World Tour and ended in 1997. Jackson performed 82 concerts in five continents, 35 countries and 58 cities to over 4.5 million fans, and grossed a total of $165 million, becoming Jackson's most successful tour in terms of audience figures. Jackson released a short film called Ghosts in 1997. He wrote it with Stephen King.
In 1997, "" was released. It is the best-selling remix album ever made. There were five new songs on the album. The album's first single was a new song called "Blood on the Dancefloor". The album and its first single were No.1 in the UK.
Jackson won Artist of the 1980s at the American Music Awards in 2000.
On October 30, 2001 "Invincible", Jackson's last studio album, was released. The album got good and bad reviews. It was No.1 in 12 countries and sold 13 million copies around the world. But compared to Jackson's earlier albums, it was unsuccessful. The album's first single "You Rock My World" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
Jackson won his 22nd American Music Award for Artist of the Century in 2002.
On November 17, 2003 an album called "Number Ones" was released. It is a collection of Jackson's hits. There is also a new song on the album called "One More Chance". It was released as a single. It reached number one in three countries. The album was released as a DVD too.
In 2006, Sony released twenty of Jackson's popular singles.
In March 2009, Jackson told the press that he was going to do a tour called This Is It. He said that he might stop making music after this. Jackson practiced his singing and dancing for the tour in Los Angeles with Kenny Ortega. Jackson died of an overdose of Propofol on June 25, 2009 after having a cardiac arrest, and his personal physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
During an Interview on YouTube during the BBC UK Show featuring ""Michael Jackson's This Is It" Michael talked about the future of his career and that he "may" be retiring after his "This is It" Tour, but he wasn't sure if he would or not. However, due to his death in 2009, the show was cancelled. Some show-goers who paid for tickets wanted refunds but the Jackson Estate did not provide any.
Jackson's voice changed from boy soprano to spinto tenor between 1971 and 1975. He sang 'come on' wrongly on purpose so that it sounded like 'shamone'. Jackson had a three-octave vocal range. He is the most well-known musician to use the 'vocal hiccup'. He first used it in 1973 on "It's Too Late to Change the Time" on The Jackson 5's "" album.
Jackson lived a well-publicized personal life even though he tried to stay private. He was often in celebrity and tabloid magazines. Later in his life he was in magazines because of his personal life more than for his music.
In 1993, he was accused of child molestation, but there was no trial; the case was settled out of court.
In 2003, he was accused a second time of child molestation. This happened after a documentary called "Living with Michael Jackson" was shown on TV. In the documentary Jackson held hands with a 12-year-old boy called Gavin Arvizo and said that he shared his bed with children. His accuser was Gavin Arvizo. He was 13 years old when he made the allegations. This time Jackson went to court and was found not guilty of fourteen charges in 2005.
In May 2013, a dancer called Wade Robson appeared on the "Today" show. He alleged that Jackson sexually abused him for 7 years. Prior to this, Robson had vehemently defended Jackson. Including twice under oath.
He was married to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley in 1994, before divorcing her in 1995 and marrying nurse Debbie Rowe in 1996. Three months after Rowe and Jackson's marriage she gave birth to a son, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. The next year she gave birth to a daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson.
The couple divorced on October 8, 1999. Prince Michael II was born on February 21, 2002. Jackson never said who the mother was. He is better known as Blanket. When Blanket was 8 months old Jackson held him over a balcony. Blanket has a towel over his head. At the time, people did not know that he was called Blanket. Jackson made a public apology after people were upset. After Jackson died, his mother Katherine was made the guardian of his children. In August 2012, Jackson's cousin TJ was made the children's co-guardian.
Bubbles (born 1983) is a common chimpanzee, known for being the one-time pet of American recording artist Michael Jackson. Jackson bought the animal from a Texas research facility in the 1980s. The animal was a frequent travel companion to the singer, whose attachment to the animal led to media mockery and, among other factors, to a public perception of Jackson as an eccentric. The chimp, for example, was permitted to use Jackson's personal toilet.
Their human-animal bond, as well as the entertainer's other alleged eccentricities, contributed to the media epithet "Wacko Jacko", a nickname Jackson would eventually come to despise. The media often focused on Bubbles, rather than on Jackson's music, and published many false stories regarding the animal. One such story was an allegation that Bubbles was not a single ape, but one of several.
Over the years, his changing facial appearance and lightening skin color attracted much attention. From childhood Jackson had afro hair. His hair caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in 1983. Jackson got second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson started taking painkillers for the very bad pain caused by the burns. Jackson always wore a wig in his later years. His autopsy found that his scalp was tattooed black so that it blended in with his wigs.
He claimed to have had only a little plastic surgery to his face. He said that puberty, weight loss, and his vegetarian diet had changed his face. People said that Jackson bleached his skin to make it lighter. In a television interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993 he said he had a rare skin condition called vitiligo. When Jackson died, the autopsy found that he did have vitiligo. This disease made many white spots on Jackson's skin. Jackson used makeup and medication to even out his skin color to treat his vitiligo. This made Jackson appear to have a lightening skin tone. Jackson also had an immune condition called discoid lupus. Dr. Richard Strick said that this "had destroyed part of the skin of his nose". Jackson's nose was the body part that people talked about most.
Jackson was addicted to prescription drugs. In 2009 he died from an overdose of an anesthetic called Propofol. He was given Propofol for his insomnia. The insomnia was a side effect of Jackson's addiction to Demerol. Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray said that Jackson took the overdose himself.
In his autopsy, it was found that he had an and osteoarthritis. His lips were tattooed pink. He used a skin-bleaching cream called Benoquin to treat his Vitiligo.
Jackson was physically abused by his father when he was a child. He would also call Jackson "big-nose". As a teenager Jackson had acne. In "Living With Michael Jackson," Jackson told Martin Bashir how he went home and cried after a woman called him ugly because of his acne. Some medical professionals have said that they think Jackson had body dysmorphic disorder. The disorder is often triggered by appearance-related bullying. Some people think that Jackson had anorexia nervosa. In 1984, Jackson weighed 105 pounds. He was 5"9 tall. This would have made his BMI 15.5, which is very underweight. He weighed 136 lbs. when he died. This is in the healthy range.
A biographer called Ian Halperin wrote that Jackson had a rare genetic disease called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. By the time of his death, it had damaged his lungs so he could not sing. He also wrote that Jackson's genetic disease had caused him to lose 95% of the vision in his left eye.
Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray said that he thought Jackson was "legally blind" and had phlebitis.
Jackson was announced dead at age 50 on June 25, 2009 at 2:25 pm at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. It is thought that he went into cardiac arrest, which means his heart stopped. At 4:36 pm local time, the Los Angeles coroner confirmed Jackson's death. However, he was unresponsive by 12:15, even though he was not proclaimed dead at the time of hospital arrival, he already passed on by 1pm. Jackson died just two months before his 51st birthday. Rumors and news of Jackson's death broke web records causing a cyberspace traffic jam. The circumstances of his death and the outpouring of grief which was experienced around the world were on record scales never seen before. His death gave Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Yahoo the most page views they had ever encountered. Jackson arrived at the hospital not showing any signs of life.
A memorial service was held at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on July 7, 2009. It began with a reading of a letter by Smokey Robinson of comments by Nelson Mandela, Diana Ross and other close friends of Michael Jackson who could not be at the memorial. Mariah Carey sang "I'll Be There" at the memorial service, followed by a speech given by Queen Latifah. Lionel Richie performed "Jesus is Love". Berry Gordy, Motown founder, spoke next, offering condolences. Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson also spoke, with Magic describing the event as a "celebration of Jackson's life and works" rather than a funeral. Jennifer Hudson sung "Will You Be There" accompanied by a music video. Reverend Al Sharpton then gave a speech about how Jackson kept rising and "never stopped". John Mayer played the guitar as he did in Michael Jackson's song Human Nature. This was followed by Brooke Shields speaking. Jermaine Jackson, Jackson's older brother, then performed Smile, Michael's favorite song written by comic drama legend Charlie Chaplin. This was proceeded by speeches by Martin Luther King III and Bernice King. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was the next person who spoke at the memorial service, claiming "people are innocent until proven guilty," (reminding those who accused Jackson of unproven child molestations) saying that Jackson's humanitarian efforts need to be praised. Usher then sang "Gone Too Soon," followed by a montage of old videos of Jackson himself. Shamim sang next, with Kenny Ortega introducing him afterwards. Kenny Ortega explained that Michael Jackson saw the Staples Center as his home, a reason for the funeral service to be held there. This was followed by Kenny Ortega doing a tribute to him, including "We Are the World" and "Heal the World". The service ended with speeches by members of his family, including Jermaine, Marlon and daughter Paris who broke into tears and said that "Daddy was the best father anyone could have" and also that "I will miss him" then she left the microphone and turned into Janet Jackson's arms. The memorial lasted over 2 hours.
At first, Michael Jackson's custom made quarter million dollar golden casket, nicknamed "The Promethean" was not expected to appear at the memorial service, however, due to a change in the family's plans the casket was taken to the memorial service.
Viewing parties were held all over the world for the broadcast, including at several movie theaters, in Times Square, the Apollo Theater, Raleigh, and Berlin. The broadcast was replayed a few times the next day. An estimated 1 billion people tuned into the farewell concert.
Over 3,000 police officers were assigned to the event, the largest amount assigned to a single event since the 1984 Summer Olympics. It cost the City of Los Angeles 1.4 million dollars.
His funeral took place in Glendale California on September 3, 2009, 9 weeks after he died. He was laid to rest at 9:45pm in the mausoleum, above the ground. Mother Katherine decided on burial details but some family members and friends wanted him buried below ground in the mausoleum. Jermaine Jackson wanted him buried on Neverland ranch.
Although he died in 2009, Jackson is still often in the news. His music is also still popular.
Jackson won Entertainer of the Year at the 2009 Soul Train Awards. That year he also won five American Music Awards.
On October 26, 2009 a two-disc album called "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was released. The album's only single "This Is It" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2011.
On October 28, 2009 "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was released. It was a documentary movie. The movie showed recordings of Jackson's rehearsals for his This Is It tour. Jackson died before he could do the tour. It made $72,091,016 in the United States. It has made $261,183,588 around the world. It got good reviews from movie critics. On 26 January 2010 the movie was released on DVD. It sold over 1.5million copies in the US in the first week it was released. This was more than any other music DVD had sold in its first week.
Jackson won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. His children, Prince and Paris collected the award for Jackson.
A video game called "" was released in November 2010 for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable and Wii.
In April 2011 Mohamed Al-Fayed, who was friends with Jackson when he was alive, showed the public a 7 ft 6in statue of Jackson outside Craven Cottage football stadium. A lot of people did not like the statue. In July 2013 Fayed sold his football club to Shahid Khan. In September 2013 Khan chose to have the statue was removed. It was given back to Fayed. "Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson", a book written by Joseph Vogel about Jackson's life, was published in 2011.
Jackson was voted as the Greatest Singer of All Time by people who did a poll on NME.com.
In 2011 there was a criminal trial for Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray. Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter of Jackson. He was sentenced to four years in prison. On October 28, 2013 Murray was released from prison. He was interviewed by 60 Minutes. He said that he did not think that Jackson's death was his fault in any way. The journalist Liz Hayes asked Murray if he thought that Jackson was a pedophile. Murray stared at her for 13 seconds and would not give an opinion. He said that he would not answer because he did not want to make anything up.
An extinct species of hermit crab was called Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni after Jackson in January 2012.
"Bad 25", a documentary movie about Jackson's album "Bad", was released in August 2012.
In 2012 he sold almost 819,000 albums in the United States. He is thought to have sold 2.7 million albums around the world in 2012. His estate makes $145 million a year.
Jackson made more money than any other dead celebrity in 2013.
In May 2013 Wade Robson said that Jackson sexually abused him from the age of 7 to 14. In 2005 he had been a defense witness for Jackson's child molestation trial. In June 2014 there will be a hearing where it is decided whether Robson can sue Jackson's estate over the abuse.
In November 2013 "Billboard" magazine's issue 44 did a cover with Michael on it. It said 'Life After Death'. Inside the magazine there was an article about the success of .
In January 2014 a judge ruled that Jackson's family could not have another trial against AEG Live. "Xscape" was released on May 9, 2014.
Jackson recorded several songs before his death. He had recently released a compilation album called "Michael" featuring remixed songs and new songs such as "Hold My Hand" a duet between him and popular singer Akon, and "Monster", a strong song with lots of attitude and a hint of dislike for the paparazzi. Also "(I Like) The Way You Love Me", "Keep Your Head Up", and "Much Too Soon".
Something that is portable can be carried or easily moved. The word portable may also refer to:
In electronics:
Graphics (from Greek ) are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone. It includes everything that relates to creation of signs, charts, logos, graphs, drawings, symbols, geometric designs and so on.
Graphic design is the art or profession of combining text and pictures in art, advertisements, publications, or websites. The aim of graphics is to brand, inform, and have a specific effect on its audience.
Hundreds of graphic designs of animals were made by primitive people in Chauvet cave, in the south of France, about 30,000 BC. Also, similar art was done in the Lascaux cave, France, about 14,000 BC. The art of primitive hunters is found in the rocks of Bhimbetka in India, drawn earlier than 7000 BC. Aboriginal rock art in Kakadu National Park of Australia, show that graphics has a long history in many parts of the world. This history (with writing, which emerged in 3000–4000 BC) are the foundation of graphic art.
Religious books have used graphics extensively. Among these books are Bibles that were created in the monasteries in Ireland, Scotland, and England. Spiralling and interlocking patterns, often including small figures, were part of the ancient graphic tradition of the British Isles. From the 6th century onwards these were applied to the decoration of illuminated gospels.
In Islamic countries the graphic designs can be found in their holy book, the Quran. The Quran was first wriiten an angled style called Kufi. This appeared in the 8th century, and reached its peak in the 10th century. Later on decoration of margin, page and other graphic techniques were added to beautify the book. In the 12th century the Naskh script was invented: it used curves instead of angled lines. Other styles were added later on.
From ancient times graphic design has been used for decoration of pottery and ceramics.
William Morris had an influence on modern graphics. In the second half of 19th century his Kelmscott Press produced many graphic designs, and created a collector market for this kind of art. In Oxford he was associated with artists like Burne-Jones, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. They formed the Pre-Raphaelites group, whose ideas influenced modern graphic design considerably.
The Dutch painter Piet Mondrian in the years 1920–21 courageously introduced the style of minimalism in painting. His simple geometric compositions, together with the use of only three basic colors, blue, yellow, and red, in combination with black and white created
a new venue for the graphic designers. He demonstrated that with simple relocation of these colors, and experimenting with the proportionality of various square surfaces, one can achieve extremely different ambiances and various feelings. For the graphic designers who intend to convey a message with a minimum interference from the extraneous elements his experiment in minimalism was a valuable gift.
A trademark, identified by the symbols ™ and ®, or mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, company or other entity to identify its products or services and to distinguish them from those of other producers. A trademark is a type of intellectual property, and typically a name, word, phrase, logo, symbol, design, image, or a combination of these elements.
In 1921, Otto Neurath, an Austrian social scientist, introduced graphic design to help the understanding of social and economical data. In 1925, the Museum of Economy and Society used such graphics for the public. This style of presentation at the time was called the Viennese method, but now it is known as Isotype charts.
Placards and posters existed from ancient times. The Greek "axons" and the Roman "Albums", with their decorative designs and announcements, were quite similar to today's posters. In ancient Greece the names of athletes and games schedules were written on columns that were slowly turning on an axis. Romans used whitewashed walls in their markets in which sellers, money lenders, and slave traders wrote their announcements and advertised for their products, and to attract the attention of customers they added an attractive design.
With the invention of printing, in 1440, and particularly the development of the lithographic process, invented by a Czech named Alois Senefelder in 1798 in Austria, creation of posters became feasible. Although handmade posters existed before, they were mainly used for government announcements. William Caxton, who in 1477 started a printing company in England, produced the first printed poster.
In 1870, the advertising poster emerged.
After the Second World War, with the emergence of new color printing technology and particularly appearance of computers, the art of posters underwent a new revolutionary phase. People can create color posters on their laptop computers and create color prints at a very low cost. Unfortunately, the high cost of sophisticated printing processes can only be afforded mostly by government entities and large corporations. With the emergence of the internet, the role of posters in conveying information has greatly diminished. However, some artists still use chromolithography in order to create works of art in the form of print. In this regard the difference between painting and print has been narrowed considerably.
Today graphic design has penetrated into all aspects of modern life. In particular modern architecture has been influenced by graphics.
Pornography (or porn) is the name for writing, pictures, and films which feature sex for the sole or primary purpose of arousing people sexually, either to help them masturbate, or to prepare them for sex with a partner.
When, however, writing, images, and movies feature or deal with sex, or images show naked people or persons engaged in a sexual act, not to arouse readers or viewers sexually, but to deal with sex as a reality that is moral, psychological, cultural, or aesthetic, people do not call such works "pornography," but "erotica."
In the law of most countries, showing naked people is not called "pornography" unless the people are doing something sexual; even so, material that counts as pornographic may still be legal. When people consider photographs or movies to harm or to disrespect the people depicted or the viewers, or to violate the community's moral or religious standards, they condemn the material as "obscene." Most countries have laws against obscenity. One type of pornography against the law in most countries is child pornography.
Pornography can made in different media. Some ways include photos, drawings, paintings, animations, and movies. Live shows (like sex shows or striptease) are usually not considered pornography. Pornography is made to entertain adults. Many people are involved in the industry of making, selling or showing pornography. People shown in pornographic movies are called pornographic actors (or actresses), and when they attain the popularity to appear in any films, they are called "porn stars."
The word "pornography" comes from the Greek words meaning "prostitute" and "writing". The word was first used for stories about sex, but is now also used for photographs, paintings, illustrations, cartoons, and movies that depict sex to arouse people to sexual activity. It is also called "porn" or "porno" for short.
There are different ideas about what is and what is not pornography. Diana Russell, a psychologist, says that there is a difference between pornography and erotica. The word "erotica" is often used for pictures, movies or stories that focus on the beauty of sexuality. There is not often a clear difference between "erotica" and "pornography." The dispute over what is or is not pornography can even go to the courts.
Some people believe that anything that shows a naked body is a type of pornography. The laws of the United States and many other countries do not support this. There can be all sorts of reasons for showing a naked or partly undressed body. Some of these reasons include art work or a medical diagram.
There are different kinds of pornography. The term "soft porn" is sometimes used for pictures that show people who may or may not be naked, but who are posed in a sexy manner. Pictures of women like this are sometimes called "cheesecake," and pictures of men are called "beefcake." Pornographic pictures or movies which show people having sex are sometimes called "hard porn."
Businesses have been making pornography for many years. Until the 1970s, businesses making pornography were small because there were many laws against it. In the 1970s, pornographic magazines such as "Penthouse" became a huge and successful business. Pornographic movies also become popular at this time. In the 1980s, the creation of the video cassette recorder caused a rise in the pornography business. A number of companies began making pornographic videotapes in the United States. In the 1990s, as more people began using the Internet, businesses began selling pornographic pictures on the Internet. In the 2000s, the increased speed of computers allowed pornography companies to sell porn videos over the Internet. The pornography brand Mitchell Gaffney was the first website that contained such items.
Many different kinds of businesses make and sell pornography: magazines such as Playboy and Hustler, movie companies such as Vivid Video, and web sites, such as Pornhub, that make and sell porn. Since "pornography" is a word that many people consider to be the name for something that is morally wrong or ugly, businesses do not say that they are in "the business of pornography," but rather in the "adult entertainment" business.
In the nations of Western Europe and the United States, the law permits people who have reached the legal age of adulthood (the age of majority) to own, buy, sell, make, or participate in pornography. Laws about the public display of pornographic materials for sale may vary in the West: in The Netherlands the very liberal laws allow stores that sell pornography to display books, magazines, photographs, and the covers of videos openly, but in Canada and the United States the laws require that such stores keep pornographic material out of the sight of children. In many nations of the Middle East, however, like Indonesia, Iran, and Pakistan, making or owning pornography is a crime.
In the law of most countries, those people who have not reached the age of majority, or minors, may not buy, let alone sell, pornography of any sort. More importantly, there are laws against showing minors naked in photographs or films meant to arouse others sexually, or showing them engaged in sexual acts. Such material is called "child pornography," and is considered not just illegal, but a very serious crime. Because the laws against child pornography (also called "child porn") are meant to protect children against people who "use" or "exploit" them, the laws also require those who make pornographic photos or films to keep records to prove that their models, actors, and actresses are over the age of legal majority.
Since the 1970s, many women's groups and feminist writers have criticized pornography, especially hardcore pornography, arguing that such pornography degrades and humiliates women. Some psychologists who have talked with many people in jail for violent sex crimes believe that pornographic depictions of violent sex often make people less caring about other people's feelings, which might make them more likely to commit rape and other sex crimes. Many pedophiles, who sexually assault children, also have collections of child pornography.
Religious people believe that, because it depicts the sexual act without any relation to love and marriage, pornography is unholy. Most parents do not wish their children to see pornography because they believe that it will make them less capable of romantic love. Special computer programs can be installed on computers to block access to pornographic websites, or websites otherwise objectionable.
In the novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four" by George Orwell, pornography is described as a tool that is secretly pushed by some evil governments, who believe that use of pornography makes the public less likely to care about injustice, let alone to rebel.
Even though many countries have laws against child pornography, enforcement has become a problem because new computer technologies allow pornographers to make an adult in a photograph look like an adolescent, or in making a film can use actors and actresses who, although they have passed the age of majority, still look much younger. In addition, organized crime makes money from trafficking human beings; they force girls and women into prostitution, and sometimes force them to make pornography.
Nudity
Nudity (or nakedness) is when a person is not wearing clothes. The word "nudity" can also be used when only part of a person's body is uncovered. It is used particularly if the person's genitals (or a woman's nipples) can be seen, even if other parts of the body are covered.
Nudity can also mean that a person is wearing less clothing that other people would expect. This type of nudity is related to culture. People of different cultures wear different amounts of clothing, and keep different parts of the body covered. For some people nudity is a lifestyle, belief system or a default state of being, which is called naturism or nudism.
The word "nude" is often used in art. A "nude figure" is a figure without clothes on. The nude figure might be a live person who is posing for an artist. A painting or sculpture that shows a nude figure is often just called a "nude".
There are several things that affect how people and societies feel about nudity:
In most cultures it is normal to keep parts of the body covered. The feeling that a person has about covering their body is called modesty. Modesty is different in different cultures. Often, people feel shame if their body is not covered to match their culture's idea of modesty.
The amount of clothing needed to take away the feeling of shame is different for each culture. With some indigenous peoples like the Yanomami, a piece of string is enough to make that feeling go away.
In some cultures, people nearly always keep their bodies covered. In these cultures, nudity is only normal when a person is alone, for example, dressing or bathing. In other cultures, it is quite normal for people to be naked together, for example, when dressing or swimming. In still other cultures, particularly indigenous ones, people wear very few clothes, and complete nudity is normal.
Even with people from the same culture, different people can have different feelings about nudity. Some people in Western culture (for example the United States) do not mind if a family member sees them naked in the bath. Other people from the same culture would be uncomfortable if anyone saw them naked in the bath. Some women in a Western culture are happy to wear a bikini. Other women feel naked in a bikini and always wear a one-piece swimsuit. Nudity is more acceptable in European countries.
Many societies have rules or laws about nudity, and where they allow it. For example, in some societies, the law allows nudity on a beach, but does not allow nudity in a public street. The same sort of laws can also allow people to be partly naked in some places but not in others, for example, women might be allowed to have naked breasts on the beach, but not in a shopping centre. When a woman uncovers her breasts on the beach, this is called toplessness (because her swimsuit is "topless"). This is allowed in many parts of Europe and Australia. In many other countries, it is not allowed.
The rules about dress and nudity may be set by a government, or by a church or some other organisation. For example, in some Christian churches, a woman must cover her shoulders and a man must not have bare legs. Another example is in many schools, a man must wear a jacket over his shirt, and a woman must wear a dress that has sleeves. Another example is that some hotels that are near beaches will not serve customers who are dressed only in swimsuits.
Some countries have very strict laws about whether a person can be nude in public, like Spain, and what parts of the body can be shown. In many countries, if a person breaks these laws, they can be charged with indecency (which means that they have acted in a rude way that upsets people). For example, if a man took his trousers off near a school, so that the children would see him, he would be charged with indecency. The reason why a person is nude, affects whether the law says that their nudity is indecent.
"Functional nudity" is when a person is nude for a reason. Even where nudity is generally not allowed, functional nudity often is.
An example of this is when a person at the beach changes from a wet swimsuit to their dry clothes. Often the person who is changing can use a towel so that other people do not see their nudity, and do not become embarrassed or angry.
Another type of functional nudity happens when a woman is breastfeeding in public. A woman who would not usually show her breasts because of modesty, might be quite happy to show her breast while she is feeding her baby.
A very similar thing is called contextual nudity. That means nudity is considered normal in a particular situation or place. For example, people sometimes are nude so their doctor to check if they are healthy or not.
In some countries, "functional nudity" is usual for people of different genders in some places. An example is in a mixed-gender public sauna.
In many cultures, "functional nudity" is usual in front of people of the same sex. Places where functional nudity happens, such as public toilets or changing rooms are usually separated by gender. There is one for men, and another one for women. In many cultures it is usual for people of the same sex to undress or take a shower in a public change room. In some cultures, such as Japan, open showers and open urinals in men's toilets are not allowed.
Among people of Western culture around the world, there are several influences on the way societies feel about nudity. In European society, it is not usual for older children or adults to be completely nude in public. In most European societies, when people swim in public, they cover their genitals, and women also cover their breasts. In most European societies, change rooms and toilets are separated for men and women.
Countries in Southern Europe, where the Catholic Church is very important, as well as English-speaking countries which have been affected by Puritanism usually have a lower tolerance towards nudity in public. Countries in Central Europe, and Scandinavia care less about public nudity.
"Naturism" (or "nudism") is a cultural and political movement. Followers of this movement think that nudity should get a higher value, both in the private as well as the public context. It is also a lifestyle based on personal, family and/or social nudity.
Naturists reject current standards of modesty. These standards discourage people from being nude with others, they say. They want to create a social environment where people feel comfortable in the company of nude people. They want a society in which people do not fear being seen nude, even by the general public.
The singer Janet Jackson was the cause of a scandal during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2004. While she was performing, her robe moved. Her left breast could be seen for a few seconds. Today, this is known as the "Wardrobe Malfunction" or "Nipplegate" by the media, the latter being a comparison to the Watergate scandal.
The Royal Academy of Arts runs some museums in London, and elsewhere. In 2008, they did an advertisement so that more people would visit their museums. In this advertisement, they showed a picture of a naked woman. This painting was done by Lucas Cranach the Elder in the 15th century. It is called "Venus" (shown above). The picture was printed on ads in the London Underground. It caused protests in London. Because of the protests, Transport for London refused to allow the ads to be used in the Underground. On December 7, 2008, the Internet Watch Foundation put the Wikipedia article on Virgin Killer, on their blacklist. This meant that most Internet users in Great Britain could no longer access the article. The foundation did this because they believed the original album cover could be child pornography. The cover is pictured on the Wikipedia article. It shows a naked ten-year-old girl in a sexual pose, with her breasts shown.
There are different traditions about nudity in Africa. Some of Africa south of the Sahara (called "sub-Saharan Africa") is similar to how they were after colonialism. In certain Togolese tribal areas, it is common for big families to not wear any clothes at all for certain festivities. Others do not wear any clothes below the waist. This makes it possible for young men to see women and girls whom they may marry. Stick-fighting tournaments are very popular places to do this.
Other people, like the Bantu do not like public nudity at all. A newspaper in Botswana once printed a photograph showing how a thief was punished. He was flogged on his bare buttocks. Many people did not like this. The problem was not the flogging, but the newspaper showing the picture.
The Ugandan Kavirondo tribes are a mix of Bantu and Nilotic immigrants. Traditionally, they went mostly naked. Over time, the men began wearing clothing similar to men in western culture.
Among many Muslim people, a woman is thought to be not properly dressed unless her legs, arms and hair are completely covered. In some Arabic countries, women wear a garment called a burqa. The burqa fully covers the woman and has only a slit for her eyes to see. If a woman does not wear this garment when she goes out but shows her face, hair and arms, she is thought to be naked. Not wearing the burqa brings shame on herself and family.
There are different levels of nudity. Societies have different moral values for these levels. One such level in English is called "full frontal nudity". This usually is a pose where the nude person faces the viewer. In this pose, there are no things covering parts of the body. Many societies see this as very bad. The image below called "Truth" shows this pose.
Most movies try not to show this type of nudity. This is often done by putting an object somewhere. This object will hide the pubic area of the naked actor or actress. This kind of nudity can also be seen in the picture "Woman Bathing".
Since the very early ages, nudity has been a subject of the arts. One of the earliest works of art known is the Venus of Willendorf. It is a statuette (a small statue) of a nude woman. The face of the woman is not visible. The belly of the woman as well as her breasts are exaggerated. It is not known what the statuette meant to the people who made it, or what importance it had. From the Renaissance onward, nude figures were shown in works of art more often. Michelangelo is one of the Renaissance artists known for doing this.
Since the beginning of photography, people have taken photographs of nude people. Some people simply photographed nude people. Some of the photographs were made to sexually arouse people. These are generally called pornography. Some people also photographed nude people because they thought the human body was something beautiful to show. These photos are usually not sexual in nature, and are known as nude photography. The kind of photography that is in between is called erotic photography.
Fashion was relatively constant in Ancient Egypt, and did not change much. In general, Egyptians did not wear much clothing. Men were often topless and bare-footed. They usually wore a tunic around the waist. Women wore loose clothes. People who were showing spectacles, usually did not wear any clothes. This applied to both men and women. In general, children did not wear any clothes, until they reached puberty, that is, until they were about twelve years old. Later cultures did not like these clothing rules.
Europeans also did not like these clothing rules. When Meyers Konversationslexikon (an encyclopedia) was published in the 1880s, the depiction of murals in the Tomb of Ti was changed to the image that can be seen on the right. Other publications were also changed in the same way.
The creation story in the Old Testament of the Bible mentions nudity as a sign of innocence. Only after Adam and Eve have eaten from the tree of knowledge do they become aware of their nudity, and start to feel ashamed. Theologians see this feeling of shame as a consequence of the fall from grace. Because of this, they are later chased away from the Garden of Eden. The Bible does not make a distinction between shame as a consequence of not obeying a rule, and the shame resulting from nudity.
The Old Testament often sees nudity as a consequence of being poor or of being a social outcast. It is not seen as a result of breaking rules, and accepted. Later Orthodox Judaism sees nakedness as a bad thing.
In Ancient Greece, especially Ancient Athens, people did not see a problem with nude men. Nude women were seen as bad, though, and women were forbidden from being nude in public. The Cynics taught that it was bad to have worldly goods. Feelings like shame were also seen as bad. There was nothing wrong with being naked.
The Gymnasion shows by its name alone that public nudity was not common in Ancient Greece. The name comes form "gynós", which means "naked". The gymnasion was used for sports. In Ancient Greece most sports were done totally naked. In most places in Ancient Greece, women were forbidden from doing sports, or from attending sports events.
The only place were women were allowed to do sports was Sparta. There, they also did sports, like the men, but separated from these. They were also naked while doing sports.
Another place where nakedness was tolerated was in the arts.
In Ancient Rome, nudity was nothing special or unusual. It was seen more as a sign of not needing much. People did not attach sexual feelings to it. When the Romans had conquered Ancient Greece, they did not think it was necessary to discuss or forbid that the Olympic Games were done in the nude. Cato the Elder mentions that usually the virtuous Roman worked nude during the summer months.
The Celtic and Germanic tribes bathed nude in rivers and lakes together and sometimes children grew up nude. Romans also tell us that some of them fought the Romans in the nude.
Both Jainism and Hinduism have special monks. In Jainism these are called Digambars (or Digambarras), in Hinduism they are called Sadhus. Both lead an ascetic lifestyle, and are well-respected in their community. Part of this lifestyle is that they wear little or no clothes.
Many cultures that expect some level of modesty associate nudity with sexuality. These cultures usually know striptease in some form. When the difference between the sexes is shown in the main stream media of these cultures this is often seen as sexually related. In Latin cultures the common definition of modesty does not generally allow genital nudity, but the definition of what is lewd has changed and women's breasts are now commonly exposed or depicted without scandal.
Nudity in front of a sexual partner is widely accepted, but there may be restrictions—for example, only at the time and place of sex, or with subdued lighting, during bathing with the partner or afterwards, covered by a sheet or blanket, or while sleeping.
In Ancient Greece it was seen as normal that the athletes taking part in sporting events, like the Olympic Games were nude, for most events. At that time, women were not allowed to take part or in the games or watch them. Nudity with women was frowned upon.
In the 20th century, it was very common for boys to swim nude in the United States. Boys usually found rivers, ponds or lakes to swim in. If there were no girls or adults there, boys just took off their clothes to go swimming. In the United States, recreational (fun) nude swimming (but not school nude swimming) is often called skinny dipping. Boys didn't care if other boys saw them without clothing. Poor boys and farm boys did not even own a bathing suit. Some teenagers, usually boys, still go skinny dipping. It is most common outside of cities.
Until the mid-1960s boys were usually nude in swimming pools. From the 1890s until 1962, men and boys used to swim nude at the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association.) The YMCA is an organization with many swimming pools in the United States. After women were allowed to join the YMCA, the rule changed. Nobody could swim nude there.
At school swimming pools and public swimming pools there were different hours for boys and girls to swim. Sometimes the pool had bathing suits for girls to wear. Many families did not have money to buy bathing suits for children then.
Teachers told boys to swim without a bathing suit at most high schools in the United States. It was normal for boys. Swimming nude at school was usually not allowed for girls. (A few schools had nude swimming for girls. At some schools, girls were not allowed to swim at all.) The boys had to swim nude in high schools in Houston, Texas from 1930 or earlier until the mid-1960s. In Chicago, Illinois schools, boys were required to swim nude until in the early 1970s.
Until the 1960s, nude swimming was the rule for men at many colleges and universities. Some colleges had only male students. Other colleges had only female students. At colleges with men and women, there were separate pools or different swimming times for men and women.
In the United States and Canada, there is not nude swimming at school now.
There are some places where people swim nude. People swim nude at special clothing optional beaches. Usually these are called nude beaches. It is not as common in the United States and Canada as in Europe. Sometimes a city or county owns the beach. Sometimes a state or province owns the beach. Sometimes the federal (national) government owns the beach. Optional means people can swim nude or with a bathing suit. Usually the government does not tell people they must be nude. Each person can choose what to wear.
Some people have a pool in their house. Some people have an outdoor pool or a pond in their backyard. Some people swim nude in their own pool or pond. Sometimes neighbors complain. Some people swim nude in lakes or rivers when they go camping. Some public pools have special hours or special days for nude swimming. That is more common in indoor public pools.
Clubs for people who like to be nude usually have nude swimming. These are usually called naturist clubs or naturist retreats. A retreat is like a camp or park. It is usually away from the city. Many years ago they were usually called nudist clubs. The name nudist club is less common now. If there is enough space, the club may have other nude sports. They sometimes have nude volleyball or nude basketball. They sometimes have nude soccer (football) if they have a big space. Sometimes people use boats without clothes. People sometimes use a sailboat, rowboat or canoe nude. Sometimes a camp or retreat owned by a church has nude swimming or other sports.
If there is a swimming pool or pond at a house, sometimes teenagers are happy to swim nude with their teenaged friends or with their brothers or sisters. They might not want to be seen nude by their parents. They might not want to be seen nude by much younger brothers or sisters. Sometimes parents are happy to swim nude with other adults. They might be happy to swim nude with young children. But they might not want to be seen nude by teenagers.