Public Nudity and Human Reactions

Recently, people have showed concern about the fact that women are allowed to roam around topless in the streets of Toronto, and there is no question that some people find public nudity offensive. However, whether people should be offended is debatable; their reaction is often closer to confusion or embarrassment. The human body deserves to be shown and respected both for its beauty and its so-called “imperfections”. In the appropriate places and situations, public nudity can be comfortable, healthy and can ultimately break social barriers, which hinder communication between people. There are appropriate times and places for anyone who would like to roam around nude. Exposing oneself in the city might not be a good idea. It could lead to sexual harassment or legal consequences. But what is wrong with people expressing themselves at a local park, beach or on their own front lawn? Anyone who has spent any amount of time in ill-fitting, uncomfortable clothing knows how good it feels when clothing is not being worn. Clothing is, by nature, something foreign to the body, and its presence is always known to the wearer. Clothing does have some practical uses. It keeps us warm from the harsh conditions of the environment and protects us when doing dangerous work. Clothes do not exist to “hide” our bodies. There is a tremendous feeling of freedom when nude. Once you have been swimming nude, you'll never understand why anyone would ever want to wear clothes in the water. Medical research has shown that clothing can be unhealthy in certain situations. For example, evidence supports the hypothesis that wet, clingy swimsuits can constrict the flow of bodily fluids. Eliminate the swimsuit, and you've eliminated that problem. Furthermore, it is beneficial to ones mental health to be expressive. In a free society, people should be free to express themselves and do what they want as long as their freedom doesn’t impede the freedom of others, endanger them, or remove their