Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2018 March 26

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March 26

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Strange anomalies

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  • It's OK to show a man's nipples in public, but it's not OK to show a woman's nipples.
  • It's OK to show the clear shape and size of a woman's breasts through her clothing, and depending on the setting she can even be economical with her clothing and allow a large area of her breasts (except for her nipples) to be exposed - but it's not OK to show the clear shape and size of a man's genitals, either exposed or through clothing.

What is behind these strange anomalies? (Obviously, there are cases, such as nude bathing, where exceptions to the above apply. Ignore these cases.) -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 11:23, 26 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Isn't bathing always done in the nude? Zyc1174 chat? what I did 03:04, 27 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Which particular culture and period are you asking about? I have lived in a culture where no one worried if a woman showed her breasts - but showing her legs was quite unacceptable. Then there was a time in Europe where cod-pieces were worn to show off the size and shape of male genitals. In each case there are reasons behind those customs. Wymspen (talk) 12:18, 26 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Topic already covered in articles Nudity, Toplessness, and Topfreedom. Dimadick (talk) 15:46, 26 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

  Resolved
Hey @JackofOz:, you may be interested in reading some of these relevant past discussions [1] [2] on the reference desk. I seem to recall that we had an article specifically about men's crotch "bulges", but all I can find at present is Packing_(phallus) and tucking. And if you want to see a whole bunch of bulging crotches in a modern Western culture, head to San Fransisc sometime near one of their many festivals ;) SemanticMantis (talk) 16:21, 30 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]
My beating heart would not survive such a cornucopia of carnality. But thanks for the offer.  :) -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 20:41, 30 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]