Exhibitionism
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Exhibitionism is the psychological need and pattern of behavior to exhibit naked parts of the body to other people — that is, parts of the body that would otherwise be covered by clothes according to the standards of the local cultural norms. Usually, this involves the female breasts or the genitalia or buttocks of either gender. Exhibitionism does not necessarily imply alterations of the psychiatric condition of the average, everyday individual, although sometimes this occurs, and can be threatening to those exposed, as in indecent exposure.
In exhibitionism the individual shows a tendency to an extravagant, usually at least partially sexually-inspired behavior to captivate the attention of others in a display of a naked body part, or parts, that would otherwise be left covered under clothing. Reasons for this and other types of exhibitionism are varied. The person can act in several forms: by competing to be the "first" in a trend, adhering to a particular fashion, ostentation, posing, being bombastic, showing him/herself in a pre-determined form, and many other instances. These forms can appear isolated or also as a group of manifestations. People showing this type of personality are sometimes called extravagant instead of exhibitionist. Generally this type of exhibitionism does not have legal implications, unless the individual shows an aggressive or criminal behavior.
Exhibitionism generally is also known as Lady Godiva syndrome in reference to the legendary female who supposedly rode naked on a horse through the streets in Coventry, England.
Sexual exhibitionism
Some exhibitionists wish to display themselves sexually to other people, singly or in groups.This can be done consensually as part of swinging or group sex. When done nonthreateningly, the intent is usually to surprise and/or sexually arouse the viewer, giving the exhibitionist an ego rush (see also Flashing). Exhibitionism is not necessarily indecent exposure; for more on the latter, see its article.Some people like to expose themselves in front of large crowds, typically at sporting events; see streaking. A similar phenomenon is when, at the conclusion of a sporting event, a woman may flash her breasts while sitting atop someone's shoulders in a dense crowd of people.
Among the general population, many psychiatric definitions of exhibitionism broadly define it as "sexual gratification, above and beyond the sexual act itself, that is achieved by risky public sexual activity and/or bodily exposure" and include "engaging in sex where one may possibly be seen in the act, or caught in the act."
Exhibitionists who view it as a lifestyle, as opposed to those who do it for a rare thrill, carefully select their target audience and make the exposure brief, inconspicuous and apparently unintentional. It is a fetish, and many such practitioners see it as an art form. Many night clubs and goth bars encourage mild exhibitionism to enhance the venue's atmosphere. This contrasts with nudism, in which the exposure not connected with sexual expression.
Exhibitionism in entertainment media
In current years, though officially censured, transparent clothing, and brief exposure of body parts--particularly, as noted above, female breasts--to viewers is highly popular with the general public, particularly young males. Extensive evidence of this popularity can be seen with the success of the Girls Gone Wild enterprise and Exhibitionistworld.com, Voyeurweb.com, and other "Mardi Gras flashing" websites, almost always featuring women (rather than men) voluntarily exposing their breasts, buttocks and/or vulvas.
DSM IV Classification
According to DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, IV edition), where all psychiatric illnesses are represented as numerals to avoid confusion, exhibitionism is classified as 302.4.
See also
- Anasyrma
- Candaulism
- Dogging
- Human sexual behavior
- Human sexuality
- Indecent exposure
- Mooning
- Sexually liberal feminism
- Voyeurism
- Paraphilia
- List of sexology topics
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