Here is my third posting based on the documentary Whats The Problem With Nudity?
Clothes began to shape our culture and identity from the moment we began to use them to cover our nudity. But uniquely human problems came up as a result. All the parts important for sexual attraction between humans became concealed.
In other primates, the female signals fertility and readiness to mate through striking visual displays on her posterior. In humans, clothing would conceal such displays if they were still used. Even women who remain nude today do not have this type of display.
Dr. Kerri Johnson, a researcher at UCLA, set up a test to see how we can tell the difference between men and women despite the clothing which conceals obvious signs like genitals and breasts. First, she noted that women tend to have an hourglass shape while a mans shape is more tubular. The waist-to-hip ratio is an element taken into account. Also, women tend to have a lateral hip sway, back and forth, and somewhat up and down. Men tend to have a shoulder swagger.
Computer silhouettes were set up to walk along a computer screen. The silhouettes were neither really dressed nor naked. Test subjects were asked to determine whether the silhouettes were male or female. Whether they could give the right answer was immaterial. The goal was to see which parts of the body of the silhouettes were looked at by the test subjects to make their determination.
Tests showed all people of both sexes looked pretty much all over the upper torso for signals, including the waist-to-hip ratio and the way the silhouettes moved.
(Whensomething similarwas tried withreal-life peoplewho volunteered for the documentary, there was a bit of a glitch. The woman who was tested allowed her eyes to roam freely. But the man, perhaps fearing how the results could be interpreted, kept his gaze on peoples faces.)
This leads to a side question ofhow men detect fertility in women. No one really knows yet. But there does seem to be a sixth sense of sorts. Studies show there are cues of cycling fertility and ovulation that are subconsciously detectable by men, even by strangers. Johnson speaks of a study which showed lap dancers were tipped more highly on high fertility days. One clue is womens body odour changes during the cycle and this may make them seem more attractive on high fertility days.
This "body odour" clue brings us to a subject left hanging in my first posting of this series. Why pubic hair and armpit hair? Its believed they are a conduit for scent communication. Bacteria in the pubic hair feed on hormones in our sweat and cause odours which attract or enhance attraction between lovers. If the documentary is to be believed, pubic hair has become a secret weapon of sexual attraction.
The documentary did not explicitly say why we have armpit hair. While it may play a similar role as the pubic hair for sexual attraction, it may also just be there to interact with the sweat and help keep the area lubricated. Pubic hair is thought to play a similar role for the lower limbs.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SocialCO Media, LLC or True NudistsClothes began to shape our culture and identity from the moment we began to use them to cover our nudity. But uniquely human problems came up as a result. All the parts important for sexual attraction between humans became concealed.
In other primates, the female signals fertility and readiness to mate through striking visual displays on her posterior. In humans, clothing would conceal such displays if they were still used. Even women who remain nude today do not have this type of display.
Dr. Kerri Johnson, a researcher at UCLA, set up a test to see how we can tell the difference between men and women despite the clothing which conceals obvious signs like genitals and breasts. First, she noted that women tend to have an hourglass shape while a mans shape is more tubular. The waist-to-hip ratio is an element taken into account. Also, women tend to have a lateral hip sway, back and forth, and somewhat up and down. Men tend to have a shoulder swagger.
Computer silhouettes were set up to walk along a computer screen. The silhouettes were neither really dressed nor naked. Test subjects were asked to determine whether the silhouettes were male or female. Whether they could give the right answer was immaterial. The goal was to see which parts of the body of the silhouettes were looked at by the test subjects to make their determination.
Tests showed all people of both sexes looked pretty much all over the upper torso for signals, including the waist-to-hip ratio and the way the silhouettes moved.
(Whensomething similarwas tried withreal-life peoplewho volunteered for the documentary, there was a bit of a glitch. The woman who was tested allowed her eyes to roam freely. But the man, perhaps fearing how the results could be interpreted, kept his gaze on peoples faces.)
This leads to a side question ofhow men detect fertility in women. No one really knows yet. But there does seem to be a sixth sense of sorts. Studies show there are cues of cycling fertility and ovulation that are subconsciously detectable by men, even by strangers. Johnson speaks of a study which showed lap dancers were tipped more highly on high fertility days. One clue is womens body odour changes during the cycle and this may make them seem more attractive on high fertility days.
This "body odour" clue brings us to a subject left hanging in my first posting of this series. Why pubic hair and armpit hair? Its believed they are a conduit for scent communication. Bacteria in the pubic hair feed on hormones in our sweat and cause odours which attract or enhance attraction between lovers. If the documentary is to be believed, pubic hair has become a secret weapon of sexual attraction.
The documentary did not explicitly say why we have armpit hair. While it may play a similar role as the pubic hair for sexual attraction, it may also just be there to interact with the sweat and help keep the area lubricated. Pubic hair is thought to play a similar role for the lower limbs.
