Exhibitionism
Exhibitionism is the
psychological need and pattern of behavior to exhibit
naked parts of the body to other people â€" that is, parts of the body that would otherwise be covered by
clothes according to the standards of the local cultural norms. Usually, this involves the
female breasts or the
genitalia or
buttocks of either
gender. Exhibitionism does not necessarily imply alterations of the
psychiatric condition of the average, everyday individual, although sometimes this occurs, and can be threatening to those exposed, as in
indecent exposure.
In exhibitionism the individual shows a tendency to an
extravagant, usually at least partially
sexually-inspired behavior to captivate the attention of others in a display of a naked body part, or parts, that would otherwise be left covered under clothing. Reasons for this and other types of exhibitionism are varied. The person can act in several forms: by competing to be the "first" in a trend, adhering to a particular
fashion, ostentation, posing, being bombastic, showing him/herself in a pre-determined form, and many other instances. These forms can appear isolated or also as a group of manifestations. People showing this type of personality are sometimes called
extravagant instead of
exhibitionist. Generally this type of exhibitionism does not have legal implications, unless the individual shows an aggressive or criminal behavior.
Exhibitionism generally is also known as
Lady Godiva syndrome in reference to the
legendary female who supposedly rode
naked on a
horse through the streets in
Coventry, England.
Some exhibitionists wish to display themselves sexually to other people, singly or in groups.This can be done consensually as part of
swinging or
group sex. When done nonthreateningly, the intent is usually to
surprise and/or
sexually arouse the viewer, giving the exhibitionist an ego rush (
see also Flashing). Exhibitionism is not necessarily
indecent exposure.
Some people like to expose themselves in front of large crowds, typically at sporting events; see
streaking. A similar phenomenon is when, at the conclusion of a sporting event, a woman may flash her
breasts while sitting atop someone's shoulders in a dense crowd of people.
Among the general population, many psychiatric definitions of exhibitionism broadly define it as "sexual gratification, above and beyond the sexual act itself, that is achieved by risky public sexual activity and/or bodily exposure" and include "engaging in sex where one may possibly be seen in the act, or caught in the act."
Exhibitionists who view it as a lifestyle, as opposed to those who do it for a rare
thrill, carefully select their target audience and make the exposure brief, inconspicuous and apparently unintentional. It is a
fetish, and many such practitioners see it as an art form. Many night clubs and goth bars encourage mild exhibitionism to enhance the venue's atmosphere. This contrasts with
nudism, in which the exposure not connected with sexual expression.
In current years, though officially censured, transparent clothing, and brief exposure of body partsto viewers is highly popular with the general public, particularly young
males. Extensive evidence of this popularity can be seen with the success of the
Girls Gone Wild enterprise and Exhibitionistworld.com, Voyeurweb.com, and other "
Mardi Gras flashing" websites, almost always featuring women (rather than men) voluntarily exposing their breasts, buttocks and/or vulvas.
According to DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, IV edition), where all psychiatric illnesses are represented as numerals to avoid confusion, exhibitionism is classified as 302.4.
Martymachlia is the
paraphilia involving
sexual attraction to having others
watch during a sexual act.
*
Anasyrma*
Candaulism*
Dogging*
Human sexual behavior*
Human sexuality*
Indecent exposure*
Mooning*
Sexually liberal feminism*
Voyeurism*
Paraphilia*
List of sexology topics
