Exhibitionism
QUESTION:
"Naked," 31-year-old manI am an exhibitionist. I like being nude and like to be seen nude. The only place this can happen is at legal nude beaches or at home. I have an office job and am pretty "normal" in every other aspect except this one. If it were legal, I would spend every minute nude, even in public.
The people who visit the beach seem to be the same. They go out of their way to be seen doing everyday things nude (e.g. buying food, playing sports, having picnics on the beach). It started about 4 years ago for me when we had exhibitionist neighbors. They would do everything naked, including having sex in front of open windows with the lights on. Ever since, I have been the same (not the sex in front of open windows part). I spend every minute I can nude, even though our house is private. The double standard doesn't help either. If a woman was to walk down a street nude, people would stop have a look and walk on, men would get excited by it. If a man did it, the police would be called and he would be arrested for indecent exposure.
Where can I find more information on this condition? Can it be treated? Why do I feel like this? I just want to stop feeling trapped by wearing clothes and to stop the urge to have everyone look at me. Is it something that will go away by itself? How do other people cope with this?
ANSWER:
Robert W. Birch, Ph.D., ACS Certified Sexologist
There is the old question: How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? The answer: Only one, but the light bulb really has to want to change. You seem to have invested a lot of energy in to finding places to be nude. I guess the question is, are you an exhibitionist or are you a nudist? If you find sexual excitement in being nude (which would get you thrown off nude beaches) then you are an exhibitionist. If you simply like being free of your clothing (with no arousal) and can easily restrict that to legal settings, you might be a nudist.
If you want to change, really want to change, simply grab the phone book and find a therapist. If you don't want to change, be careful, for you are right. Men get arrested if they appear nude in public and in front of people who have not given consent. To do this is exploitive and abusive. If there is any risk of you offending people, run, don't walk, to your nearest therapist.
Bob Birch
Robert W. Birch, Ph.D., is a retired sex therapist, now identifying himself as a sexologist and adult sexuality educator. He now devotes his time to writing educational and self-help books for adults.For more information visit: http://www.oralcaress.com/