Male Bonding2
For those who like to explore the concept and dynamics of male bonding. Men are socialized in different ways in different societies, and so many men would like to have close male friendships, yet after spending time establishing a career, primary relationship and live in general, find themselves without close male friends. Many of us want male friends with whom we can share openly without...
- created by AZdesertman
Any Idea why Straight Men find Nudity Repulsive?
Return to DiscussionsTo me it is extremely odd. Unless the person is way out of shape or something that looks very bad, I don't understand why so many men are repulsed by male nudity. On the other hand, some people I guess could simply be repulsed by the human body. I don't know. Also are there any straight men who appreciate the beauty of male nudity? There is a nice picture for this group. It is quite attractive. I don't find it sexually attractive. I just like it. I live in a society where men claim they can't tell (as if they are blind) if a person of the same gender is attractive or not. I mean men here. Females comment on each other's beauty all the time. But going beyond that, being nudists (If you've ever spent a lot of time nude and you are straight) do you "notice," "appreciate," find "attractive," or however you would describe it--the male form? Someone had to pick the picture for this discussion group. I don't assume it had to be a gay person. If straight, that picture appealed to that person for some particular reason.Since I'm not completely straight, I find this really hard to understand the various responses people give on the topic. My feelings are obviously different.Does anyone have anything to share about this? It would be helpful to discuss it. I understand that this group being a bunch of nudists are sometimes in the same boat in that they accept nudity and wonder why people don't feel more comfortable. Either way, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
From my perspective, most straight men aren't repulsed by the human body, but may be uncomfortable in thinking their curiosity is an attraction and that their attraction is a sexual desire. It's a fear thing. In the US we have incredible double standards regarding the male body, on one hand anti-gay rhetoric and on the other hand overt homoeroticism in a "straight" store like Abercrombie & Fitch. Polititicians and marketers love fear since it gets votes and sells merchandise, so that fear will continue to evolve. As far as determining what's attractive, it's a very personal thing. We don't need to be homophobic to not know what the general public finds attractive, but we should admit what we find attractive. Accepting my interest in pictures of naked men has helped me evolve and to become more that man, because it is exactly the kind of man I find most attractive who I am suited to be built like, and am making progress.
Just looking at the pictorial history of Males in the USA,.., you can actually see the idea that it's no big deal in the mid to late 1800,..., to the now homophobic environment that we live in today. Just the Male swim suit a lone tells the tale. In the 1920-30-40-and even 50's swim suits were briefs, then the moral majority shows up in the mid 60's and the rest is history. Nude swim contests in the HS and YMCA where you can see clothed females watching the swim. NOW!? OH HELL NO!. The Sexual Revolution of the 1970's brought about too many negatives to keep the Male form as admired. Everything from women's lib to HIV has made the Male Human form a very unsavory thing sorry to say. Face it,..., we're not that kings of anything in the USA Society now,..., diminished beyond belief. It is why I have left the mainstream and follow my Ways and Robert Bly among other Male Movements writers and leaders.Pictures tell the story tho.
I honestly do not think straight men or men in general are repulsed by nude men...I think in many ways they are jealous because they are not comfortable in there own skin...deep down they wish they had the ball to show there naked body.
Well some of this goes back to one of the Popes in the 1500 or earlier who went around the Vatican with a hammer and chisel and chiseled off the penis and scrotum of all the nude male statues in the vatican because he thought they were too revealing and promoted lustful thoughts. That is number one.
Today, a lot of str8 men, not all of them, fear being labeled as gay friendly if they acknowledge their approval of or state that another man is very attractive.
Being a gay man I like to compliment someone who I think is very attractive, being female or male. It is just a compliment does not mean I want to jump into bed with you, but it is simple compliment on how well you look.
Yet another situation where generalizations are odious. I disagree with the title statement though understand the cultural influence.
I know of gay blokes who would not be seen nude in a fit. Should we general use from that? No
I know other s8 guys myself included who can see beauty in a human body. Should we generalize from that. No
I do however believe that most humans are bi and that it is circumstance that effects us. Perhaps some who realize that try to deflect any "suspicion" by verbalizing comments contrary to their true feelings and hence we hear or see behavior that could be interpreted as being repulsed by the naked body.
Lets get over it. Ws are all created in God's likeness. Let's celebrate that.
It is a matter of upbringing of the individual and the acceptance levels one is prepared to to support or decline. We actually can say thanks to the media for having great negative impact on nudity as well. Fashion is a great deterrent of nudity, which they think, isn't flourishing if nudity would be more widely accepted. There are a lot of trendsetters out there, however nudity is not the frontrunner.
I think it is wrong to suggest straight men find nudity repulsive. Some may, but then some bi or gay men may find it repulsive also. I don't think people's opinion of nudity is connected in any way to their sexuality and to suggest so is a gross generalisation. Some periods in history were more tolerant of nudity than others, and today certain cultures are more tolerant of nudity than others. Views on nudity vary quite dramatically, but without scientific proof to the contrary I don't think we can link them to sexuality.
I think it is the way they were raised by their parents, that was what was wrong with me and the fact I had a small penis too. I was told that you never let anyone see you naked and you don't look at others. Then in the sixth grade I had to start taking showers after PE, so I went to my dad and told him they were trying to make me take showers with the other kids and he just said I had to do as they say even though it was totally against the way I was raised. It took a week or so to get over and by then the pantsing had started, then when I was about 17 a bunch of us guys were running around and one suggested one hot night we go swimming at the YMCA, he told us others that it only cost a quarter and everything we needed was furnished, It was but he forgot the small detail you had to swim naked, but we went on and done it anyway. After I graduated I started driving a truck and after a while I started driving long distance, usually gone a week or too. The only showers were gang showers at the truck stop, it was that or stink. This pretty well ended my shyness to being naked around others.So it didn't take long torealize that there is nothing wrong with men being together naked. It all started in the sixth grade with showers after PE, something most kids don't have now. It should be required in all schools for everyone.
In the US, I think it's religion. They're told that it's a sin, hence the increase in the locker room towel dance, etc. It wasn't this way years ago so it can only be the proliferation of Christian preaching.
I don't think the idea of public nudity (I guess this is what you are getting at) being abhorrent is limited to straight men. That's a stereotype that should be challenged. It's not just straight men. Lots of people, straight, gay, trans, bi, whatever, have a problem with nudity. It's about culture, religious upbringing, and so on. Some of us are brought up in a culture of shame - and being naked for some people is shameful. I was brought up by a mother who thought anything to do with sex was shameful, and being naked was always equated with sex (which any nudist worth her or his salt knows isn't true). Generalisation sometimes have truth behind them, but are usually dangerously inaccurate,