The Issues 21/07/2002

Who decides public morality?

Not so long ago the topless issue was all the rage in Maltese newspapers during the summer months. Christian movements and anti-immorality gangs used to distribute posters against top less bathing. It has all died down and the issue we raise today is surefire controversy in Christian Malta - nudist beaches.

There is nothing ‘bad’ or immoral about people enjoying their sexuality together so long as they have chosen to do so. Sex should be more out in the open but one has to protect the right of the children.

Living in a democracy should take a favourable decision for those who would like to bare it all. But we have to keep in mind as well that we are human beings. There are children who should be protected and if permits are to be issued for nudist beaches, or to a certain extent nude camps, because we do not have too many beaches to spare, we have to be certain that things won’t go too far.

Today even in the so called normal beaches we frequently visualise some kind of soft porn, which at times is worse than watching several people "bare it all."

But there is the other side of things as well.

Maltese men are subject to many sexual lures daily in advertising, movies and such. Maltese women are culturally confined to being 'attractive' or 'sexy' even when they don't have to be. Young girls dress too sexy in public school and shopping malls. Christian or not, all are experiencing the same culture to conform.

Part of the stress is the dualism we maintain in our mental training.

One side is the need to conform to morality. This also includes ignorance and lack of fulfillment in most cases. Examples of this are the following: Questions about sex are taboo. A young child's curiosity about themselves and the opposite sex will get satisfied one way or another. If a parent refuses to talk to a child about sex and the facts of life on the grounds that it is 'filthy talk', the child will probably seek out someone who will.

If sex is taboo to talk about, child molesting can go on for years before it is stopped because of the shame assigned to the child who asks questions about sex.

Parents and churches systematically teach body shame. Churches do teach morality, but at the same time promote body shame. The more religious a person is, the stronger this sense of shame will (likely) be.

This can make a person feel guilty about doing anything to make themselves feel better about themselves. A new hairstyle is perceived as "worldly", or a new outfit "too revealing", or a job well done is usually attributed to sinful pride. Sometimes religion is the worst offender in a person's sense of well being. It interferes with normal questions, casting inquiries on the subject as immoral thinking.

Many people have been brought up taught that nudity is immoral and we should never allow others to see our true bodies. It is alright to titillate with provocative clothing, or tiny beach wear, but not to show the natural beauty of our bodies, especially genitals or women's breasts.

This sense of shame is not inborn: it is learned. Babies have no shame and neither did many early Christians in Biblical times.

Some believe that nudism promotes a healthy respect and trust with each other and after a few minutes of uncomfortableness when first exposed to this experience it becomes much less sexual and more naturally enjoyable. Nudity can be sexual if consenting persons wish it to be and in appropriate settings, but it is not necessary to progress from nudity to sexual activity. We can learn to respect one another's sensitivities and interests and communicate these to one another.

Many women worry that their nudity might be mistaken to mean availability. Many men worry that nudity might become too stimulating. However, these fears are mainly fears of the imagination, not the reality of actual experience.