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In the Islamic societies of Africa, nudity is forbidden, while in that never abandoned—or are reasserting—pre-colonial norms, partial or complete nudity is accepted as natural. In contemporary rural villages, both boys and girls are allowed to play totally nude, and women bare their breasts in the belief that the meaning of naked bodies is not limited to sexuality. Full or partial nudity is observed among some and Nilo-Saharan (e.g. and )—during particular occasions; for example, tournaments in Ethiopia. In , some parents continue to allow children to be naked until puberty. There is now an issue with strangers taking photographs, and they worry about pedophiles, but want kids to grow up with a positive body image and have the same freedom they remember from their own childhood. The upper torso of women is not sexual due to the general acceptance of breastfeeding in Africa, while their legs are covered by skirts to a greater extent than by Western clothing.
One of the first—but now obsolete—meanings of in the 16th century was “mere, plain, open, explicit” as reflected in the modern metaphors “the naked truth” and “the bare facts”. Naturists often speak of their nakedness in terms of a return to the innocence and simplicity of childhood. The term is based upon the idea that nakedness is connected to nature positively as a form of , that all humans are alike in their nakedness. Nudity also represents freedom: the liberation of the body is associated with sexual liberation, although many naturists tend to downplay this connection. In some forms of , nudity has been used to promote open interaction and communication. Religious persons who reject the world as it is including all possessions may practice nudism, or use nakedness as a protest against an unjust world.
In much of the world, the modesty of women is a matter not only of social custom but of the legal definition of . In the United States, the exposure of female nipples is a criminal offense in many states and is not usually allowed in public. Individual women who have contested indecency laws by baring their breasts in public assert that their behavior is not sexual. In Canada, the law was changed to include a definition of a sexual context in order for behavior to be indecent. The topfreedom movement in the United States promotes equal rights for women to be naked above the waist in public on the same basis that would apply to men in the same circumstances. Advocates of topfreedom view its illegality as the institutionalization of negative cultural values that affect women’s body image. The legal justifications for topfreedom include , the , and .
The sexual nature of nudity is defined by the gaze of others. Studies of naturism find that its practitioners adopt behaviors and norms that suppress the sexual responses while practicing social nudity. Such norms include refraining from staring, touching, or otherwise calling attention to the body while naked. However, some naturists do not maintain this non-sexual atmosphere, as when nudist resorts host sexually oriented events.
