Public Nudity as Sanctioned Deviance Free Essay Example

Morning has finally arrived in the city. It is the third Sunday in May which marks the annual Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco, California. Enthusiastic participants line the streets at the northeast end of the downtown area dressed from head to toe in elaborate costumes and athletic shoes. Many dress up, but many dress down as well. The tradition of dressing down began in 1983 when a man named Ed Van Sicklin tore off all his clothes at the starting line of the race.

The crowd whistled, cheered and applauded Van Sicklin’s bold actions and thus a San Francisco tradition was born.

A few years later in 1993, a group of of nudists formed a naked running team called Bare to Breakers who began participating in the annual race (Kukura, 2018). Nearly a decade and a half later, thousands from around the world gather in San Francisco each year to participate in the tradition. Despite obvious concerns, it is technically legal to run Bay to Breakers naked.

Though nudity was prohibited at the race in 2009, the 2012 nudity ban, authored by then-Supervisor Scott Wiener, provided an exception for “appropriate venues” (Kukura, 2018).

In addition to Bay to Breakers, many other festivities exist that allow complete nudity such as the World Naked Bike Ride, Burning Man and the Roskilde Festival. So the question becomes, why is public nudity in the United States only embraced in these certain circumstances but punished and considered deviant in others?

Perhaps the best way to explain this cultural ambivalence is through sanctioned deviance.“Sanctioned deviance is the way in which society allows groups and individuals to break away from the strict rigidity of life, allowing for a short time the expression of personal identity, and some kind of self-contained power.”In any setting other than those approved by society, these acts are considered strictly prohibited.

The act of public nudity is considered an act of sanctioned deviance. On one hand it highlights freedom of self expression and body positivity, but on the other hand, it is considered deviant, inappropriate, and infringes upon the morality of others. By shedding light on the norms of these groups, questioning how this act of deviance has come to be sanctioned, and analyzing the sociological repercussions and benefits of this sanctioned act, public perception can be broadened to help understand why this act of deviance is sanctioned.

Deviance is a relative concept.“While norms state respective positions, some norms receive more attention in society than others. These differences often depend on the power of certain groups to enforce their norms over members and other people.”A great deal of the acceptance of public nudity has to do with the context in which nudity is shown and the audience that is exposed to it. General norms of American society state that nudity is against the law in public places, however partial nudity is okay in contexts such as bikinis at the beach or men taking their shirt off outside on a hot day.

These socially allowed contexts are considered to be common sense situations; however, contexts also exist in which nudity can be expressed outside of the realm of practicality. Normalities of those who participate in public nudity vary from person to person but the same general principles still exist. Most who participate in nude activities taking place in the public setting have done so to emphasize freedom of expression and/or to bond with those who share similar ideologies in a way that is unconventional. These values of acceptance, freedom of expression, and rebellion are shared and passed among those who participate in these types of experiences, creating a space of inclusivity and positivity. These bonding experiences which go against cultural norms are part of what makes these experiences so appealing to a variety of audiences and why many continuously return to participate in these activities.

There are many viable explanations to describe how public nudity has come to be the sanctioned deviant act that it is today. One could view this sanctioned deviance from a legal perspective, but to gain a better understanding of why these specific acts are considered deviant in certain circumstances, it is helpful to observe it from a sociological perspective.“Society defines an act as deviant through a political process that exerts power within some symbolic and moral context.

”When groups perceive threats to their interest from certain acts or conditions, they attempt to promote these interests by persuading others of the legitimacy of their priorities (Clinard & Meier, 2016). The theory of differential association perhaps best embodies sanctioned deviance as it relates to public nudity. Differential association, a positivistic theory developed by Edwin Sutherland, states that deviant behavior is learned through social interaction with individuals and groups that engage in and support certain behaviors. More specifically, this behavior is learned through acquiring the motives, rationalizations, and attitudes of a group that make the behavior more attractive or acceptable as a result of excess definitions favorable to violation of the law (Anderson, 2017). When it comes to the topic of public nudity, the differential association theory could be applied in the context that those who decide to participate in publicly nude activities learned the acceptability of this behavior through association with other nude participants who support and engage in these behaviors as well.

The motives, rationalizations, and attitudes of this group have made the behavior more attractive or acceptable within the group as well as to those interested in the act, continuing the cycle of participants. From a more general perspective, public nudity has come to be sanctioned based upon those who define it. For example, professor Beth Eek of James Madison University states that nudity is only viewed as socially acceptable when it resides within three familiar frames: art, pornography, and information. She conducted a study of these frames which showed that age is a contributing factor to the acceptability and amount of nudity deemed socially acceptable (Eek, 2001). Professor Eek’s study would realistically explain why certain types of nudity and contexts are considered acceptable and why others are not.

When examining the sanctioned act of public nudity, sociological repercussions and benefits exist which shape the way these acts are expressed and received. From an observational perspective, the sociological repercussions appear to outweigh the benefits of this act but not enough to stop these groups from continuing to participate. One of the largest repercussions of going nude in public is the social backlash that those who participate receive. A great example of this sociological repercussion comes from Martin Weinberg and Collin Williams, authors of the informative “Bare Bodies: Nudity, Gender, and the Looking Glass Body.”

The authors conducted a study which found that experiences of nude embodiment and its effects tend to be strongly gendered. The data in this study showed that women were more prone to sexual objectification than their male counterparts (Weinberg & Williams, 2010). This data does not go to say that men are completely free from sexual objectification, but merely that females tend to face more severe sociological repercussions when choosing to go nude in public settings.“Public nudity in general is not widely accepted, but when expressed in sanctioned settings male nudity is often considered humorous or a sign of virility and athleticism and female nudity is treated as a moral offense, a cause for concern or discussion.”Female public nudity is rarely allowed to be a source of non-sexual power and instead the woman is left to deal with labels that attack her character or self worth.

There is a blatant societal double-standard which highlight one of the many social repercussions faced when choosing to go nude in public. While the sociological repercussions of nudity tend to be contradictory with the sociological benefits of public nudity, participants find the benefits appealing enough to continue these actions. A recent study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that stripping down naked boosts body image, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. It was discovered that increased participation in naturist activities predicted greater life satisfaction mediated by more positive body image, and higher self-esteem (West, 2017). During naturist activities, people are communally naked in the company of non-intimate people, who typically have “non-idealized” bodies.’It’s believed these activities may reduce dissatisfaction with one’s body through seeing other “normal” bodies, and even lead to positive or neutral feedback about one’s own body.”

Public nudity as sanctioned deviance is an attempt for individuals to break away from the strict rigidity of life and express personal identity, even if for a short amount of time. The act highlights freedom of self expression and body positivity even though it can be viewed as, inappropriate, and crude in any other context not deemed acceptable by society. A great deal of the acceptance of public nudity has to do with the context in which nudity is shown and the audience that is exposed to it. General norms of American society state that nudity is against the law in public places, however partial nudity is okay which creates a contradictory standard. Most who participate in nude activities taking place in the public setting do so to emphasize freedom of expression, acceptance and positivity.

These characteristics and bonding experiences appeal to a variety of audiences and are passed along amongst participants. Additionally, differential association helps explain how deviant behavior is learned through social interaction with individuals and groups that engage in and support certain behaviors. There are a variety of sociological repercussions and benefits exist which shape the way these acts are expressed and received. One of the most prominent sociological repercussions of public nudity is the sexual objectification and double standard that exists when it comes to gender and nudity. Despite its repercussions, there are benefits such as boosting body image, self-esteem, and life satisfaction that keep this population in existence. By shedding light on the norms of these groups, questioning how this act of deviance has come to be sanctioned, and analyzing the sociological repercussions and benefits of this sanctioned act, public perception can be broadened to help understand why this act of deviance is sanctioned.