But what happens if nudity becomes normalized? It might be happening now, at least in a legal sense. Lis Wiehl has a thought-provoking essay on the subject of "Sex, Reputations and Accusations", pointing out trends that exposing someone's personal sexual behavior might no longer be defamatory.
But all of this begs the question: in this day and age, do allegations of making private sex videos or being gay really amount to defamation? According to one poll, about 14 percent of sexually active adults have either videotaped themselves having sex or posed for pictures in the nude (and if Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton are any indication, that number may be higher for celebrities). As for any stigma that might still go with being gay, it is interesting to note that Rosie O'Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres, Lance Bass, Grey's Anatomy's T.J. Knight, and Doogie Howser's Neil Patrick Harris to name a few) all seem to be doing just fine.Although Wiehl's examples are limited to sex and homosexuality, it's logical to conclude that simple nudity is certainly losing its stigma, too. Happy will be the day when a person no longer has to be shocked or outraged at nudity, whether it be their own, or that of others. Beauty queens who posed for nude photos could keep their crowns, Air Force staff sergeants who bare it all for Playboy could stay in the military, and people who live as nudists/naturists would no longer have to practice in secret to avoid being fired from their jobs.
To paraphrase Bob Dylan, the times may be a changin' — allegations of private, consensual sex between adults may be losing its historical stigma, and an increasing number of Americans could not be happier.Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
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