The perception of nudity in the popular mentality

Abstract

The author argues that the sexual morality in contemporary West-European societies is shifting from the strict disciplining of the sexual behavior to the easement of the sexual taboos due to mass media impact. But nevertheless distinction should be made between the public demonstration of sexual behavior on the one hand, and everyday sexual behavior on the other. In nowadays everyday life it is not the nudity itself that is usually ashamed of, but a shy attitude towards it. The article pays special attention to the shift in the balance of power between the genders in favor of women and to the strengthening of "clear relations" model in the relations between sexes. But the new freedoms come along with the higher requirements to the self-control, to the shift of the balance between external compulsion and self-compul- sion in favor of the latter. As a result, it leads to a structural conflict between the sexual appeal and long forms of care for each other.