Exhibitionism

**Exhibitionism** is the act of exposing in a public, semi-public, or pseudo-public context those parts of one's body that are not normally exposed – for example, the breasts, genitals or buttocks. The practice may arise from a desire or compulsion to expose themselves in such a manner to groups of friends or acquaintances, or to strangers for their amusement or sexual satisfaction or to shock the bystander. Exposing oneself only to an intimate partner is normally not regarded as exhibitionism. In law, the act of exhibitionism may be called indecent exposure, "exposing one's person", or other expressions.

## Psychological aspects

The term *exhibitionist* was first used in 1877 by French physician and psychiatrist Charles Lasègue. Various earlier medical-forensic texts discuss genital self-exhibition, however.

When exhibitionistic sexual interest is acted on with a non-consenting person or interferes with a person's quality of life or normal functioning, it can be diagnosed as *exhibitionistic disorder* in the *Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders*, fifth edition (DSM-5). The DSM states that the highest possible prevalence for exhibitionistic disorder in men is 2% to 4%. It is thought to be much less common in women. In a Swedish survey, 2.1% of women and 4.1% of men admitted to becoming sexually aroused from the exposure of their genitals to a stranger.

A research team asked a sample of 185 exhibitionists, "How would you have preferred a person to react if you were to expose your privates to him or her?" The most common response was "Would want to have sexual intercourse" (35.1%), followed by "No reaction necessary at all" (19.5%), "To show their privates also" (15.1%), "Admiration" (14.1%), and "Any reaction" (11.9%). Only very few exhibitionists chose "Anger and disgust" (3.8%) or "Fear" (0.5%).

## Types of exposure

Various types of behavior are classified as exhibitionism, including:

* **Anasyrma**: the lifting of the skirt when not wearing underwear, to expose genitals.
* **Candaulism**: when a person exposes his or her partner in a sexually provocative manner.
* **Flashing**: the momentary display of bare female breasts by a woman with an up-and-down lifting of the shirt or bra or the exposure of a man's or woman's genitalia.
* **Martymachlia**: a paraphilia which involves sexual attraction to having others watch the execution of a sexual act.
* **Mooning**: the display of bare buttocks by pulling down of trousers and underwear. The act is most often done for the sake of humour, disparagement, or mockery.
* **Reflectoporn**: the act of stripping and taking a photograph using an object with a reflective surface as a mirror, then posting the image on the Internet in a public forum. Examples include "images of naked men and women reflected in kettles, TVs, toasters and even knives and forks". The instance generally credited with starting the trend involved a man selling a kettle on an Australian auction site featuring a photograph where his naked body is clearly visible; other instances followed, and the specific term "reflectoporn" was coined by Chris Stevens of Internet Magazine.
* **Streaking**: the act of running naked through a public place. The intent is not usually sexual but for shock value. Streaking is often associated with sporting events, but can occur in more secluded areas. Streakers are often pursued by sporting officials or by the police.
* **Telephone scatologia**: the act of making obscene phone calls to random or known recipients. Some researchers have claimed that this is a variant of exhibitionism, even though it has no in-person physical component.

The DSM-5 diagnosis for exhibitionistic disorder has three subtypes: exhibitionists interested in exposing themselves to non-consenting adults, to prepubescent children, or to both.

## Legal Exhibitionism

Exhibitionism is normally thought of as a form of risk-taking behavior, and in a public place it would be, but it can be done in a ***pseudo-public*** place without doing anything dangerous or illegal. (A place that feels public even though it isnt)

At its heart true non-risk-taking exhibitionism is about deriving pleasure from being used by others for their enjoyment and pleasure without regard for ones own feelings and/or dignity (in particular without regard for the embarrassment it might be causing) and about deriving pleasure from the intimacy and closeness that results from this. Note that this is ***not inherently sexual*** and individuals may show such tendencies long before puberty (long before it becomes sexual).

## Nudists

From Wikipedia:Nudity

See also: Nude recreation, Issues in social nudity

Attitudes toward public nudity vary depending on culture, time, location, and context. There are particular contexts in which nudity is tolerated, accepted, or even encouraged in public spaces. In Europe, such contexts include nude beaches, within some intentional communities (such as naturist resorts or clubs) and at special events.

While some European countries (such as Germany, for example) are rather tolerant of public nudity, other nations disfavor or punish public nudity. In the United States in 2012, the city council of San Francisco, California banned public nudity in the inner-city area. This move was met by harsh resistance because the city was known for its liberal culture and had previously tolerated public nudity. Similarly, park rangers began filing tickets against nudists at San Onofre State Beach—also a place with long tradition of public nudity—in 2010.

## Sexual objectification

From Wikipedia:Sexual objectification

**Sexual objectification** is the act of treating a person solely as an object of sexual desire. Objectification more broadly means treating a person as a commodity or an object without regard to their personality or dignity. Objectification is most commonly examined at the level of a society, but can also refer to the behavior of individuals and is a type of dehumanization.

Although both males and females can be sexually objectified, the concept is mainly associated with the objectification of women, and is an important idea in many feminist theories and psychological theories derived from them. Sexual objectification of girls and women contributes to gender inequality, and many psychologists associate objectification with a range of physical and mental health risks in women.

Ariel Levy contends that Western women who exploit their sexuality by, for example, wearing revealing clothing and engaging in lewd behavior, engage in female self-objectification, meaning they objectify themselves. While some women see such behaviour as a form of empowerment, Levy contends that it has led to greater emphasis on a physical criterion or sexualization for women's perceived self-worth, which Levy calls "raunch culture".

Levy argues that contemporary America's sexualized culture not only objectifies women, it encourages women to objectify themselves.