Some British euphemistically refer to the genital area of the human anatomy as the bits usually the "naughty" bits. Browsing the web, and following people on Twitter and Flickr has brought me to the conclusion that many Westerners particularly Americans are obsessed with their "naughty" bits. Guys seems obsessed with posting pictures of their genitals and focusing undue attention on them. They also seek out images which focus on the female genitals (crotchshots). Women seem to be less obseesed with seeing men's "bits", they seem overly focused on how men perceive their bits including the female breast. As a curious person prone I can't help but wonder why? Why the undue focus on one area of the body? Why not appreciate whole body in all its beauty and imperfection?
The longer that I have been practicing home and social nudism the more convinced I am that the movement of western culture (and some other cultures) towards greater and greater covering of the body is the culprit. In this social environment the body is rarely if ever uncovered or revealed for anything but sexual activity. The main focus is on the sexual organs the genitals. In some situations those may be the only parts off the body uncovered. It isn't surprising, that as a culture this is the part of the body that is our main focus. In a visual seeing is believing world, it may be the rare to see the fully uncovered nude body in all its various shapes sizes, colors and imperfections. Even the perfected representations of the human body in classical art are being covered.
When I first explored nudism at home I realized how little I knew my body. I typically went from being covered with clothes to the shower got out and covered up again. The only time I was even partially uncovered for any period of time was related to sexual activity. This led to nudity equals sex association that is the conventional wisdom in much of western society. When I started spending more time nude, apart from sex, my body awareness and acceptance grew. As I took time to look at my whole body in the mirror and become comfortable with all my imperfections my body image improved. More importantly I have developed a more accurate healthy perception of my body, one not based on social conditioning. I rediscovered not just one part of my body but the whole.
Becoming comfortable with my body and accepting who I was in my skin helped me have a very comfortable move into social nudity. I learned to focus on more than just one part of my body. It is easier for me to do the same in interactions with others. I could look a person in the eye rather than just focus on their bits. I could see the whole person and their whole, body rather than be drawn to focus only on certain parts. Every interaction in a socially nude situation did not precipitate some sexual response or a focus on the "bits". I am as sexual as the next guy and I am not proposing that we become asexual. However I believe I have a healthier view of my own sexuality, as i have been able to move away from the genitally focused, nudity equals sex idea. My experience may not be typical but I do think that this general concept can be experienced by anyone who is genuinely interested in practicing social nudity and a clothes free life.
