Non-Traditional Deviance Assignment by Bromley, Ava

Public Nudity

avab24_5 — 2025-02-28 15:20:27 UTC

Describe the behavior and why this behavior is considered deviant and why we should investigate it and why it is important

avab24_5 — 2025-02-28 15:22:54 UTC

The topic I have chosen for this assignment is public nudity and this is described as the act of being completely naked or bare in a public place, which usually draws negative attention to those who are not familiar with it or do not agree with it. Public nudity is considered a deviant behavior for many different reasons, a lot of them being personal opinions that have to do with things like religion. When we are children and growing up we are told our private areas of our bodies, for example breasts, are places that are private and that no one else should see, and I think this contributes to nudity in general being a taboo subject. According to societal norms from multiple of the past decades, it is considered normal to wear clothing, specifically clothing that covers genetal areas and other areas like breasts or even collarbones and shoulders. People who choose to not partake in wearing clothes everyday and choose to be nude are defying societal norms, making them deviant. In most states in the United States it is prohibited or against the law to be nude in public, so this also makes the behavior blatantly deviant. I believe the topic of public nudity is important, relevant, and worth investigating because states in the United States have what are called nudist colonies, and other countries have laws regarding nudity or skin showing, whether they are strict or lenient.

Apply Alder & Adler’s ABC’s and 3 S’s

avab24_5 — 2025-02-28 15:25:18 UTC

Out of Adler & Adler’s ABC’s being attitude, behavior, and condition, I think the one that fits my topic the most would be behavior. Adler & Adler define behavior as actions that are intentional or inadvertent and could be considered an achieved status. I believe behavior relates most to public nudity because this is an intentional action taken on by the individual. Individuals who are involved in public nudity choose that lifestyle and intentionally participate in the act of exposing their body to the public. When applying Adler & Adler’s 3 S’s I would say there are two that relate most to public nudity, those being sin and selection. Sin, according to Adler & Adler is deviance equivalent to sin and satanic influence. Religion as a whole has a lot of influence as to why public nudity is seen as a deviant behavior. In the Bible, verses like Leviticus 18:6-18, Genesis 2:25, Job 1:21, etc, all mention and discuss how nakedness and nudity are considered shameful and degrading. In other religions it is a bit more severe, for example Islam, in the Islamic religion the Quran says it is purer for men and women to conceal their body, specifically their private parts. People who follow religions in which it is sinful to present nudity, especially in public, would clearly label the act of public nudity as deviant. Adler & Adler defines selection as deviance that is intentional and within someone’s control. Similar to how public nudity would be considered a behavior deviance, it is also considered a sectional deviance because it is voluntary, intentional, and fully in that individual’s control.

Provide a brief analysis of the deviant behavior from the perspective of two or more of the sociological theories

avab24_5 — 2025-02-28 15:30:40 UTC

When researching my topic, public nudity, and relating it to Goffman’s research, I came to the conclusion that public nudity would be considered a blemish of individual character. Goffman describes this type of stigma as someone’s behavior being considered weak willing, domineering, or dishonest, or someone who has unnatural passions or rigid or treacherous beliefs. For my topic specifically I think it would fall under the category of unnatural passions. The act of being nude in public and living a nude lifestyle is very unnatural in society's eyes. Public nudity is also considered what Goffman refers to as a discredited stigma, which means an individual’s differentness is known. It is pretty evident a person is different if they are nude in public, it would catch your eye right away and then labeling that person as different, making it a discredited stigma. Another couple of Goffman ideas that I feel relate to my topic is virtual social identity and actual social identity. Goffman defines virtual social identity as assumptions about what an individual ought to be. People look someone who is in the act of public nudity, for example someone in a nudist colony and automatically assume that they are weird, or something must be wrong with them, or something had to have happened to them to make them want to participate in this behavior, or thinking that they are over sexual or overly sexualized, things like that without even knowing the individual. They are assuming that a nude individual had to go through something to want to be nude or assuming their personality must be odd or abnormal. Actual social identity is the character or attributes of said individual that can be proven they possess. If you know someone personally who partakes in public nudity or is part of a nudist colony and you know their personality was odd, or that something happened to them like a major life event, then you could prove that is why they are taking part in this deviant behavior. Out of the three conceptualizations we have learned in class, the one that is most fitting with my topic I would say is normative/positivist conception. This is defined as a conception where we assume there are set norms of behavior, conduct, and conditions on which we agree as a society. It is the norm for society to wear clothes on a daily basis, especially in public places, which is why public nudity is frowned upon and considered deviant, because it goes against the assumed set of norms of behavior. Another theory that is similar to this that I think relates to my topic is strain theory. Strain theory is a macro level theory that shares a couple common assumptions being that social order is a product of a generally cohesive set of norms and these norms are widely shared by community members, and that deviance and community reactions to deviance are essential to maintaining order. Similar to the normative/positivist conception, strain theory describes how there are sets of norms that society generally follows, but it also touches on why deviance is important. Deviant behavior, like public nudity, helps define and reinforce these norms because it labels certain behavior acceptable and unacceptable.

How do these deviants view their own behavior, do they see it as a one time deviance or a full time or career deviance?

avab24_5 — 2025-02-28 15:32:12 UTC

I am originally from Crofton, Maryland, and there actually is a nudist colony right up the road from me about 15 minutes away, and I always wondered what their thoughts were about themselves. People who take part in public nudity feel as if that is their norm. As a society we agree that wearing clothing everyday is the norm and how public nudity is seen as breaking those norms. For them it is considered a normal way to live their lives. It is about body acceptance and a stress free environment. I believe the people partaking in public nudity can really think of it as either a one time deviance or a career deviance, but usually you see more of a career deviance. A specific example of this would be nudist colonies. There are individuals living in a place where being naked every minute of the day is the norm, and they spend their time there for long periods of time, this being an example of a full time deviance career.

What impacts (positive or negative) does the deviance have on society? How has society responded to this deviance?

avab24_5 — 2025-02-28 15:34:22 UTC

I do believe public nudity has an effect on society as a whole. There are many factors that go into the topic of public nudity, why it is considered deviant, when it became deviant, etc. I think public nudity could potentially influence social norms regarding body image, religion as a whole, sexuality and sexual situations and actions. The act of being nude in public is ultimately considered taboo and could cause disruptions, for example getting arrested by police and causing a public disruption. Society as a whole has deemed public nudity as a deviant act that people should not partake in, and if they do they are deemed as abnormal and different. It was even made into an illegal action that could lead to arrest and prosecution. As a society we have completely condemned the act of being nude in public.

What do scholars think about this deviant behavior? Do they agree with it?

avab24_5 — 2025-02-28 15:35:50 UTC

According to research I have done, scholars believe public nudity impacts legality with respect to the “public sphere.” Scholars bring up the fact that public nudity might be bigger than we as individuals would think, the act itself brings up conversations on things like public-private distinction, how the body is constructed, and whether or not it should be condemned when relating to the liberal positions of the “public sphere.” A discussion I found particularly interesting was the topic of why the unclothed body is circumcised in public. It wasn’t until the late 20th century where the right to privacy became a evident subject and more freedom for the individual. With this being said, there is a limit to the freedom one has in the public sphere, in order to protect public sensibilities, for example if someone were to think being nude in public is offensive because of their religious beliefs. I think it depends on who is arguing the subject to make a judgment on whether they agree with it. For example, people with a more liberal view on society could find ways to justify this deviant act, but people with more conservative views could argue against it just as well.

Sources Cited

avab24_5 — 2025-02-28 15:38:20 UTC

100 Bible verses about nudity. What Does the Bible Say About Nudity? (n.d.). https://www.openbible.info/topics/nudity

FAQ – Pine Tree Associates. (n.d.). https://pinetreeclub.org/faq/

Goffman. Erving, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. New York: Touchstone (Reissue edition). 1982. 2 ISBN: 978-06716224422

Power, autonomy, and the role of law: Nudity and the public ... (n.d.-b). https://scarab.bates.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1312&context=honorstheses