Man and woman in swimsuits, ca. 1910; she is exiting a bathing machine

Standards of modesty (also called demureness) are aspects of the culture of a country or people, at a given point in time, and is a measure against which an individual in society may be judged. The bathing machine was a device popular in the 19th century to allow people to wade in the Ocean at Beaches without violating Victorian notions of Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic In Political geography and International politics, a country is a Political division of a geographical entity As commonly used, individual refers to a Person or to any specific object in a collection A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions Though the term can be applied to both men and women, and boys and girls, it is most commonly applied to women, and girls.

Modesty is most often rendered as humility, shyness, or simplicity. Humility, or being humble, is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important In Humans shyness (also called diffidence) is a Social psychology term used to describe the Feeling of apprehension lack of confidence Simplicity is the property condition or quality of being simple or un-combined The general principles of modesty include:

• Avoiding attracting attention to oneself by moderating one's actions or appearance;
• Downplaying one's accomplishments (see humility);
• Avoiding insincere self-abasement through false or sham modesty, which is a form of boasting;
• Avoiding the display of one's body and sexuality, especially in public. Humility, or being humble, is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important The human body is the entire physical and mental structure of a Human Organism. Generally speaking human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings Public nudity or nude in public (NIP refers to Nudity not in an entirely private context

Community standards of modesty are applied to children immediately that they are born. One of the first thing that takes place after a baby is born is that he or she is dressed. This is not merely to keep the baby warm. The application of the standards of modesty at an early age is most noticeable on a public beach when baby girls, even before they can walk, are dressed in two-piece bikinis. A bikini or two-piece is a type of women's Swimsuit, characterized by two separate parts &mdash one covering the Breasts (optionally in the case of

Necessity

At times of public or private emergency expectations of modesty are suspended, or modified to the extent of the emergency. An emergency is a situation which poses an immediate risk to Health, Life, Property or environment. For example, during the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States, large numbers of people had to strip to their underwear in parking lots and other public places for hosing down by fire departments, often in front of TV news crews covering the events. The 2001 Anthrax attacks in the United States, also known as Amerithrax from its Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI case name occurred over The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

On the other hand, even in an emergency situation some people still insist on maintaining their standards of modesty. ^[1]

Body modesty

1868 diagram from Harper's Bazaar, showing a mid-Victorian idea of how the hemlines of girls skirts' should descend towards the ankle as a girl ages

Standards of modesty usually discourage the non-essential exposure of the human body. Harper's Bazaar is a well-known American Fashion Magazine, first published in 1867 The human body is the entire physical and mental structure of a Human Organism. This applies to the bare skin, hair and undergarments, and especially to intimate parts. The skin is the outer covering of living tissue of an animal (or plant Hair is a keratinised protein filament that grows through the epidermis from follicles deep within the Dermis. Undergarments are clothes worn under other clothes often next to the skin An intimate or private part is a place on the human body which it is usually customary to keep covered with Clothing in public areas as a matter of Decency The standards not only call for the covering of parts of the body, but also obscuring their shape, by means of suitable clothing. Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather There are also standards covering the changing clothes (such as on a beach), the closing or locking of the door when changing or taking a shower, etc. A shower (also called shower bath is a booth for washing usually in a Bathroom, having an overhead nozzle that sprays water down on the body .

Standards of modesty vary by culture, and vary depending on who is exposed, which parts of the body are exposed, the duration of the exposure, the context, and other variables. The categories of persons who could see another's body would include -

• a spouse or partner,
• a friend or family member of the same sex,
• strangers of the same sex,
• friends or family members including those of the opposite sex,
• people of the same social class,
• people in general. Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more beings Family denotes a group of People affiliated by consanguinity affinity or co-residence An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual

The context would include matters such as whether it is in one's own home, at another family member's home, at a friends home, at a semi-public place, at a beach, swimming pool (including whether such venues are considered clothes-optional), public changing rooms or other public places. A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is an artificially enclosed Body of water intended for Swimming or Clothing is an aspect of Human physical appearance, and like other aspects of human physical appearance it has social significance A changeroom So that wearing a bathing suit at the beach would not be considered immodest, while it would be in a street or an office. A swimsuit, bathing suit or swimming costume is an item of Clothing designed to be worn for Swimming. One's occupation is another consideration, so that the standards that would be expected of, say, a dancer while performing would not be as "strict" as those that would be expected of, say, a school teacher. Some people even argue that a school teacher should not perform as a dancer even outside of the school context. This is usually termed "bringing the profession into disrepute", but is based on notions of modesty and "proper" behavior.

Some critics refer to this type of modesty as body shame^[2]. Excessive modesty is called prudishness. A prude ( Old French prude) is a person who is described as being overly concerned with Decorum or Propriety. As a medical condition it is also called gymnophobia. Standards of modesty (also called demureness or reticence) are aspects of the Culture of a Country or people at a given point in time Excessive immodesty is called exhibitionism. Although the implications of each may overlap in special circumstances generally exhibitionism is not to be confused with Indecent exposure. Proponents of modesty often see it as respect for their bodies and the feelings of themselves and others, and some people believe it may reduce sexual crimes.

Modern views of modesty

The modern western view of modesty is critical of some aspects of the standards. Modern society in general supports the notions of gender equality between boys and girls, and men and women. Gender equality (also known as gender equity, gender egalitarianism, or sexual equality) is the goal of the Equality of the Genders To further that objective, many groups advocate and encourage women to be more more assertive than they had been in the past and to be proud of their intellectual and physical abilities and potential. Assertiveness is a Trait taught by many Personal development experts and psychotherapists and the subject of many popular Self-help books Intelligence (also called intellect) is an Umbrella term used to describe a property of the Mind that encompasses many related abilities such as the capacities The main aspect of modesty still not being criticized is that of exposure of the human body or sexuality, especially in public. Public nudity or nude in public (NIP refers to Nudity not in an entirely private context

Cultural traditions of modesty

The specific practices of modesty vary widely between religions, cultures, occasions, and the persons who are present. Some such specific standards are examined below.

Generally accepted western norms

In general, Western culture expects intimate body parts to be covered in public at all times. An intimate or private part is a place on the human body which it is usually customary to keep covered with Clothing in public areas as a matter of Decency A public space refers to an area or place that is open and accessible to all citizens regardless of Gender, Race, Ethnicity, Age or Exceptions are made for situations such as public changing rooms, which tend to be single-sex venues, and saunas, which tend to be mixed-sex venues. A changeroom Sex segregation is the separation of people according to their Gender. A sauna (ˈsɔːnə or as Finnish) is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary

Traditionally, there is an expectation that shirt and trousers or dress etc. A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body Originally an item of underwear worn exclusively by men it has become in American English a catch-all term for Trousers are an item of Clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth stretching across A dress (also frock, gown) is a garment consisting of a Skirt with an attached Bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece be worn in public places. In particular, it is generally unacceptable to be shirtless in most public spaces, except places designated for bathing or in the vicinity of these places (such as beaches, and on deck near a pool). Bare-chested refers to the state in which a man or boy is not wearing any clothes above the Waist, usually in a Public place, exposing the torso and arms Bathing is the immersion of the body in a Fluid, usually Water or an aqueous solution A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is an artificially enclosed Body of water intended for Swimming or However, it is common for formal spaces like restaurants, etc. , to overlook a beach or pool, in which case the boundary of modesty is spatial, but not visually segregated. For example, at a poolside or beach side outdoor patio restaurant, there is usually a railing. On one side of the railing, barefoot and shirtless people can converse with those dining on the other side, and may even be part of the same group. For people with the name Barefoot see Barefoot (surname Going barefoot (also barefoot ed) means for a person not to use or More recently, multi-use spaces such as urban beaches are beginning to emerge, washing away even the above mentioned boundaries between more and less modest space. An urban beach, or urbeach,is defined as a space that includes an intellectually artistically or culturally sophisticated water feature that is also Thus it is now, in many places, acceptable to sunbathe in beachwear next to water play fountains located in the heart of a city or business district. Beachwear refers to clothing suitable for wearing on a Beach or Urban beach.

In private homes, the rules may be more relaxed. For instance, nudity among immediate family members in the home is sometimes permitted, especially in the bedroom and bathroom; or wearing undergarments casually, which would not be done outdoors. A bedroom is a large Room where people usually sleep for the night and/or for relaxation during the day A bathroom is a room that may have different functions depending on the cultural context Elsewhere in the home, particularly when visitors are present, some simple casual clothing is expected like a bathrobe which can be quickly donned when full clothing is not required, or if it is unavailable nearby depending on convenience. A bathrobe or dressing gown/house coat (UK is a Robe typically worn after bathing in the privacy of one's home where the wearer is typically otherwise nude Convenience is anything that is intended to save Time, Energy or Frustration.

Naturism

Naturists reject contemporary standards of modesty which discourage personal, family and social nudity, and seek to create a social environment where people feel comfortable in the company of nude people, and being seen nude, either just by other nudists, or also by the general public. Naturism or nudism is a cultural and Political movement advocating and defending social Nudity in private and in public. Definition In the absence of agreement about its meaning the term "social" is used in many different senses referring among other things to attitudes ^[3][4]

Finnish sauna

The Finnish have the custom of the Finnish sauna, in which nudity is routinely accepted, and sometimes even required. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. A sauna (ˈsɔːnə or as Finnish) is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary ^{[5] [6]} This is true even though a swimsuit may generally be required to be worn in a pool area. ^[7] Saunas are quite common in modern Finland, where there is one sauna for every three people. A sauna (ˈsɔːnə or as Finnish) is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. ^[8] It should be noted that men and women generally do not use the sauna together unless they are related. Children normally stop going to the sauna with their parents by age six or seven though this age has sometimes been higher in the past and has varied regionally.

Gender differences

Men and women face different expectations as to modesty. While both men and women, in Western culture, are expected to keep their genitals covered at all times, women are also expected to keep their breasts covered. On the other hand, by the dictates of fashion and societal norms, some body parts are expected to be more covered by men than women, e. g. the midriff and the upper part of the back. In the human body the midriff is the section of the body between the Chest and the Waist, i Also swimming pants are often larger for men than for women. A swimsuit, bathing suit or swimming costume is an item of Clothing designed to be worn for Swimming.

Traditional indigenous modesty

Traditional indigenous cultures, such as some African and traditional Australian aboriginal cultures, are more relaxed on issues of modesty, though how much exposure is acceptable varies greatly, from nothing for some women, to everything except the glans penis for men of some tribes (see foreskin). Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. The glans penis (or simply glans) is the sensitive tip of the Penis. In Male Human Anatomy, the foreskin or prepuce (a technically broader term that also includes the Clitoral hood, the homologous In some African cultures, body painting is considered to be body "coverage", and is considered by many an "attire. "

Religious traditions of modesty

Religion also often has a very strong impact on practices concerning modesty. Some such religious traditions are examined below.

Islamic modesty

A headscarf

Main article: Sartorial hijab

Modesty has and continues to be considered important in Islamic society, but the interpretation of what dress constitutes modesty varies. This list of types of sartorial Hijab indexes styles of clothing found in predominantly Muslim societies commonly associated with the word hijab. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Many Muslim women wear a headscarf (hi jab) as a sign of modesty. In more conservative societies, women are required to cover everything with the exception of hands and face. A woman who choses to also cover her face and hands is said to be expressing greater "modesty and holiness". ^[9] In some Islamic societies, women wear the niqab, an all-encompassing garment intended to conceal every part of the body, sometimes including the eyes. A niqāb ( Arabic: نِقاب‎) is a Veil which covers the face worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb. Wearing a niqab (sometimes referred to as a burqa, although this term only technically applies to an Afghan all-in-one garment) is common in some countries with a majority Muslim population.

In most Muslim countries, such expressions of modesty are voluntary, while in others, such as Afghanistan under the Taliban, they were enforced under the threat of severe physical punishment. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately ^[10]

Likewise, according to some Islamic interpretations of Hadith, men are required to cover everything from 'navel to knee'; with some men choosing to extend this to the traditional Islamic head covering kufi, the male counterpart to hijab which closely resembles the Jewish yarmulke but is slightly larger in size. A kufi or kufi cap is a brimless short rounded Cap worn by people of African descent. "Kipa" redirects here For the supermarket please see Kipa (supermarket. The kufi may vary in shape, size or color just as the hijab does, with many regional differences according to tradition and personal taste.

A burqini is a swimsuit designed for Muslim women that covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet, that enables them to satisfy the requirements of Muslim standards of modesty while enabling them to take part in swimming activities. A burqini (or burkini) swimsuit is a type of Swimsuit for women designed by Lebanese Australian Aheda Zanetti under the company name Ahiida

Jewish modesty

Main article: Tzniut

Three styles of hair covering common among married Orthodox women. Tzniut or Tznius (also Tzeniut) ( Hebrew: צניעות " Modesty " is a term used within Judaism and has its greatest influence From right to left: snood, fall, and hat.

Modesty is also important in Judaism, especially in the case of women. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut An orthodox married woman is expected to cover her hair in public, and sometimes at home. The hair covering may be a scarf, hat, snood, or a wig ("sheitel"). A snood is a type of Headgear, worn by women over their long Hair. A wig is a head of Hair made from horse-hair human hair wool feathers buffalo hair or synthetic worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic Sheitel ( שייטל, sheytl msg שייטלעך, sheytlekh mpl Some communities have stricter standards and expect women to cover their elbows and legs, with blouses covering the collarbone and sleeves covering elbows. Skirts are expected to cover the knees. All slits in skirts are expected to be closed. See-through materials may not be used and clothes are expected not to be tight-fitting, provocative, loud in color, or display texts. ^[11] Some communities apply these standards to girls as young as three.

Trinitarian Christian modesty

Catholic Church

Although Catholics are expected to dress modestly^[12], there have never been any "official" guidelines issued by the Catholic Church. But, from time to time the Church hierarchy, and even some popes, have given opinions on various matters; although these "guidelines" are not binding on Catholics, many tradition-minded Catholics find them persuasive. ^[13] Pope Pius XII stated that women should cover their upper arms and shoulders, that their skirts should cover at least as far as the knee, and the neckline should not reveal anything. Pope ^[14] Another example is Giuseppe Cardinal Siri of Genoa, who stated that trousers were unacceptable dress for women. Giuseppe Cardinal Siri ( May 20, 1906 &mdash May 2, 1989) was an Italian Prelate of the Roman Catholic ^[15] Many tradition-minded Catholics have attempted to further expand on this latter standard. ^[16]

Some Catholics have attempted to form cohesive theories of modesty. Sometimes this is from a sociological perspective,^[17] while at other times it takes a more systematic, Thomistic approach, combined with the writings of the Church Fathers. Thomism is the philosophical school that arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas. The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church ^[18] Approaches arguing primarily from traditional practices and traditional authorities, such as the saints, can also be found. ^[19]

The Church also expects men to dress modestly, but the demands are not as strict for them as for women; this is largely because men are often thought to be more inherently susceptible to sexual thoughts.

Other Trinitarian Churches

Many other Trinitarian Christians also consider modesty extremely important,^[20] though considerable differences of opinion exist about its requirements and purposes. ^[21]

Church of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued official statements on modest dress for its members. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known Clothing which can stimulate sexual desires, such as "short shorts and skirts, tight clothing, and shirts that do not cover the stomach"^[22] are discouraged, as well as extremes in clothing or hairstyles. Rules on modesty also include women being asked to wear no more than one pair of earrings. ^[23]

The Church also requires students of Brigham Young University, its private university, to sign an agreement to live according to these standards of modesty before being considered for admission. Such standards must also be accepted by tenants of BYU housing regardless of the tenants enrollment status with BYU ^[24]

Modesty in the arts

Cupidon (French for Cupid), by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1875; the tip of the right wing "happens to cover" the boy's genitals. In Roman mythology, Cupid (Latin cupido) is the god of Erotic Love and Beauty. William-Adolphe Bouguereau (November 30 1825 – August 19 1905 was a French academic painter.

In some works of art, the depiction of nudity is reduced, in the interest of modesty, by the use of:

• fig leaves
• a piece of cloth (or something else) seemingly by chance covering the genitals
• with regard to nudity in film, filming a supposedly nude person from the waist up (or from the shoulders up, for women)
• in a movie, maneuvering (turning, having objects in front) and film editing in such a way that no genitals are seen (in The Simpsons Movie, in between scenes where this is applied, it is humorously reverted when only Bart's genital area is seen through a gap in a fence [2]; also Mike Myers consciously mocked this technique several times in his Austin Powers films, and decades before, W.C. Fields had done the same thing in one of his films)
• showing nudity from a distance
• in a movie, showing nudity only briefly

In cartoons, even in cases where the genital area is not covered with clothing, genitals are often simply not drawn. Depictions of nudity refers to Nudity in all the artistic disciplines including Vernacular and historical depictions A fig leaf is the covering up of an act or an object that is embarrassing or disagreeable Nudity in film refers to the presentation in motion pictures of people without clothing whether as full nudity — a view of someone's entire nude body — or more modest Film editing is an art of storytelling practiced by connecting two or more shots together to form a sequence, and the subsequent connecting of sequences to form an The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated Comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons Bartholomew J "Bart" Simpson is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons Michael John "Mike" Myers (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian Actor, Comedian, Screenwriter and Film producer Sir Austin Danger Powers, KBE, is a Fictional character from the Austin Powers series of films W C Fields ( January 29, 1880 &ndash December 25, 1946) was an American Juggler, Comedian, and Actor The word cartoon has various meanings based on several very different forms of Visual art and Illustration. In the film Barnyard, showing anthropomorphized cattle of both sexes walking on two legs, instead of either showing genitals of male cattle or not showing them, the concept of a "male cow" was used, with an udder. Barnyard is a Computer-animated Film, produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures, that was released on August 4 Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely Human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings natural and supernatural phenomena material states and objects An Udder is the mammary organ of Female Cattle and some other Mammals including Goats and Sheep. In Underdog a partly animated anthropomorphized dog is shown with penis when a real dog is filmed, and without penis in the animated parts. Underdog is a 2007 Film released on August 3, 2007 featuring

See also

• Indecent exposure
• Exhibitionism
• Topfree equality
• Wardrobe malfunction
• Nudity in physical education
• Tzniut

Footnotes