It yearns me not,

If men my garments wear;

Such outward things

Dwell not in my desires.

— Shakespeare, Henry V, IV, 3

No woman would ever utter what that quote expressed, for they seem to place more premium on clothes than almost everything else. The truth is, they are naked under the garments. Interestingly, as I mentioned last week, I saw a poster that read, “If men could only see women for who they really are with their clothes on, and if women could only see men for who they are without their wallets open.”

That really got me thinking, for if we all walked around naked, no one would know what class, creed or religion we belonged to. We were born naked, and we’ll also end up naked when it all ends, so why this big hang-up and shame affixed to nakedness?

Well, it all began in the Bible when the Lord decreed to place shame on nakedness after Adam and Eve broke the rules. I’m sure that Dr Michael Abrahams would voice his opinion about that biblical fable, but the Bible did express countless statements about nakedness, to wit: “Woe to you who make your neighbours drink, who mix in your venom even to make them drunk so as to look on their nakedness.” Remember what I said about candy is dandy but liquor is quicker?

There’s more: “Then the eyes of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin covered.” That was in reference to Adam and Eve who I mentioned earlier.

So much has been said about nakedness, but the naked truth shall be revealed right after these bare responses to ‘Human sexuality’.

Hi Tony,

Mankind in general is highly sexual as you correctly stated, but I have a couple of theories why Jamaicans, more than others, are more prone to the sexual act. Firstly, the almost year-round hot weather is a factor. The warm wind wraps us in its folds and caresses our bodies, almost erotically. Secondly, Jamaicans are uninhibited about sex, perhaps learning from an early age that sex is not taboo, but to be experienced.

Donald

Tony,

We must rank as perhaps the most highly sexed country in the world. Other countries embrace passion, eroticism, romance, but we revel in raw, unadulterated sex. Where else in the world do female tourists go to ‘rent a dread’? Our music, dance, language and movement reek of sex. But guess what, I love it. It’s who we are and that makes us special.

Latoya

We came out of the womb naked and that’s how we were first seen by those who brought us into this world. Babies and young children revel in their nakedness and have no inhibitions as they run around stark naked around the house, in the yard, or out in the street if they get the chance.

But as quoted in the Bible, mankind was cursed with the shame of nakedness, and we were all told to cover our bodies with whatever garments we saw fit to wear. No longer would a fig leaf do, as Adam and Eve wore, but fancy raiment and garments.

Even so, beneath the clothes we are still naked, and when a man sees a woman, he envisions what she’s like under her clothes. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase from women, “I felt as if he was undressing me with his eyes.”

Say what, that’s not true? Right. If that wasn’t the case, then that quote about men seeing women for who they really are without them taking off their clothes would not be relevant. God bless nakedness! Nothing is as beautiful as a naked woman and, if you ask most men, nothing excites them as much as a seeing a beautiful woman naked for the first time.

True, as time goes on, that thrill may wane, but that first look at her naked body can be mind-blowing. The naked truth is, nudity is most appealing although, sadly, most people look better with their clothes on. Nevertheless, when you see some women out in public, nothing is left to the imagination, and a man doesn’t even have to close his eyes and wonder what she looks like naked.

“Man, I could see everything. I could see from her head to as far down as possible, from her foot to as far up as possible, and I could even see possible.” Apart from that, so many men wish that they had X-ray vision like Superman so that they could see the naked truth of women.

People place such a premium on nudity that some will go to any lengths to look at a naked woman. Enter the voyeur, as the French call them, or the peeping Tom, as we call them. Call them by any moniker, their mission is to shamelessly peer at a naked woman when she’s not aware.

Others will pay good money to visit peep shows where they spend hours peeking at naked women who pique their interest until they peak erotically. Come now, calm down. Men will spend countless nights ogling strippers in night clubs just to see as much as possible of the woman’s nakedness. Do you think that if go-go dancers gyrated in smocks or nun’s habits they would have men looking at them? It’s the lure of the naked body that entices.

Porno films, videos, photographs of naked women are prized possessions of countless men, and some women too. All because the female form in all its glory is appealing. It’s not necessarily about sex either, but just to gaze at a woman’s naked body is often enough to slake the thirst of many men who love the female form. “Hey Seaton, you buying today?”

“No man, just window shopping.”

But some views about nakedness do vary from person to person and society to society. There are women who are ultra modest and won’t ever let their husbands see them naked. Yes, there are also some cultures that forbid couples from seeing each other naked. No wonder some men have been duped by men posing as women, even marrying them as depicted in the movie based on a true story, M-Butterfly.

Could that catch you, could you marry a woman and never see her naked? Well, even in Jamaica I know of women who have never allowed their husbands to gaze upon their nakedness. Give me a break. What sort of backward thinking is that? But to each his or her own. Others couldn’t care less and will even post nude selfies on the Internet for the world to see.

Speaking of the Internet, there are some men who use nakedness as a weapon to shame their exes after an acrimonious breakup. With sheer spite, they post nude pictures of the women after the relationship has gone sour. Revenge porn or revenge photos, all intended to damage the woman’s reputation.

Nakedness is so frowned upon by society that a streaker at a large public gathering can still illicit laughter, mirth and much humour from those looking on. Usually the police will chase down the naked person, cover him or her in a blanket or coat, and whisk them away. Even here in Jamaica there are laws against public nudity, that’s how seriously we take it.

But why, what can a naked woman walking down the street do? Nakedness can be so liberating, and the first thing that I do when I get home is to take off my clothes. Female peeping Toms take note.

Everyone’s naked at a nudist colony, where people simply stroll around with no inhibitions or hang-ups whatsoever. The irony is, though, many people at a nudist colony would be better off if they were covered up. It would be great if they all looked like models, but seeing fat, wrinkled, gnarly people parading around stark naked with tons of flab jiggling away is certainly not appealing. But a well-toned, naked female body is a joy to behold.

Listen, nakedness is nothing new, as nude drawings have been found on cave walls of ancient man, and nude paintings and sculptures have been around for centuries. I remember the furore that was created when the nude sculpture of that couple was unveiled at our very own Emancipation Park.

The human body is wonderful, and the naked female form is one of God’s greatest creations. Being naked can be so liberating, and only the prudes and the hypocrites will make a fuss about it. But for Heaven’s sake, before you put on any impy-skimpy carnival costume that barely leaves anything to the imagination, make sure that your body looks good. The naked truth can reveal more than you wish it would.

More time.

seido1@hotmail.com

Footnote: I mentioned that some women wore clothes that left nothing to the imagination. Well, recently my wife and I went on our regular date night at Carib Cinema to see Fifty Shades of Gray, Freed, final chapter. That’s where all the women came out, as it’s supposed to be a chick flick, even though I enjoyed it immensely. The real joy though, was seeing how some women dress to go out, and that to me is as fascinating as the movie. Most do not dress fat-appropriate, as the bigger they are, the skimpier the clothes. The fatter the legs, the shorter their shorts are, and even the skinny bird-legged ones wear shorts that are smaller than a bikini bottom, leaving nothing to the imagination. I really love going to Carib.