Maybe the genitalia on Michelangelo's David are undersized for a similar reason.Undersized? From what I've seen around nude men, that size isn't unusual at all. I think it only seems that way because much of the rest of David's anatomy is supersized, so to speak.
True, I meant small in proportion to the size of the statue.
Some additional historical perspective on athletic nudity in Greek from academia exploring the introduction of nudity in the Greek Olympic Games. The quote and the two papers by the same authors illustrate that nudity was not always a part of the Olympics. In fact there were 15 Olympiads over 50 before the introduction of any nudity in the games. They suggest its introduction was utilitarian in nature. Not some high minded acceptance of public nudity, as is oft implied in current modern nudist mythology.
Nudity at the Olympic Games was neither primitive nor original, by all accounts it was deliberately introduced around the l5th Olympiad or 720BCE, more than 50 years after the traditional founding of the Games.11 Before that, athletes presumably competed in loincloths (zomata) that covered their genitals, as they had in Homer's epics-our earliest written account of Greek athletics. Outside of sport and certain religious rituals, nudity was and always had been considered shameful in Greek society
Interestingly enough, explanations for the introduction of athletic nudity at the ancient Olympic Games include (l) performance enhancement and (2) safety. The 2nd c. CE travel writer Pausanias tells us that Orsippus of Megara initiated the practice by winning the footrace after losing his loincloth. "My own opinion," Pausanias adds, "is that at Olympia he intentionally let the girdie slip off him,realizing that a naked man can nm more easily than one girt."3 On the face of it, this story seems plausible since we commonly think of athletes as doing anything and everything to improve their performance. Dionysius of Halicarnassus concurs that the runner intentionally dropped his shorts, adding that before the incident Greeks were ashamed to appear naked at the Games.
Ancient Athletic Nudity and the Olympic Ethos of Arete
Naked Virtue: Ancient Athletic Nudity and the Olympic Ethos of Arete
Another view posited but the authors of the papers suggests that because the games were more religious festival that athletic competition the introduction of nudity was in homage to the Greek gods.
It seems plausible, in light of such ritual, that athletic nudity was introduced into the Olympic Games in religious imitation of gods and heroes. The connection is powerfully illustrated in Greek art by the many "god or athlete" statues, which appear about the same time as athletic nudity.3l The very first of these werekouroi, 7th century BCE images ranging from small bronze figurines to larger-than-life statues (their female counterparts, like female athletes, wear clothing).
While the authors provide no definitive reason or origin for introduction of nudity to Olympics they suggest it was tied to a communal ethos the ethos of Arte. The ethos of Arte represented certain shared communal values and virtues. This reflects a great similarity adherence to communal virtues and values expressed in early naturist movements like Lebensreform and FKK.
One theme seems to emerge from this exploration is Greek nudity was deeply connected to social mores, norms and values. The papers suggest nudity was never just for the sake of individual nakedness but had ethical, philosophical, religious, communal and even democratic purpose.
Another view posited but the authors of the papers suggests that because the games were more religious festival that athletic competition the introduction of nudity was in homage to the Greek gods.It seems plausible, in light of such ritual, that athletic nudity was introduced into the Olympic Games in religious imitation of gods and heroes. The connection is powerfully illustrated in Greek art by the many "god or athlete" statues, which appear about the same time as athletic nudity.3l The very first of these werekouroi, 7th century BCE images ranging from small bronze figurines to larger-than-life statues (their female counterparts, like female athletes, wear clothing).While the authors provide no definitive reason or origin for introduction of nudity to Olympics they suggest it was tied to a communal ethos the ethos of Arte. The ethos of Arte represented certain shared communal values and virtues. This reflects a great similarity adherence to communal virtues and values expressed in early naturist movements like Lebensreform and FKK.One theme seems to emerge from this exploration is Greek nudity was deeply connected to social mores, norms and values. The papers suggest nudity was never just for the sake of individual nakedness but had ethical, philosophical, religious, communal and even democratic purpose.
How does the practice of all nude exercising and athletic training and some nude academic education fit into this concept?
Nice to have a lesson on Ancient Greek Behavior.
When I was 8 I was sent to a private boarding school in England.
Once the children who didn't board went home, we turned into a nudist camp " boys only " we swam naked, had baths and showers naked, went to the Gym and got fit naked. On swimming sports day I was shocked when we competed in front of the Parents and Teachers naked. My poor shrunken genitals would have pleased the sculptures. I do however feel there would have been a slow evolution of social and political behaviour which molded the Greeks thru the ages .
By the time the Romans became the big influence and moral compass
orgies became popular with dinner or bath time . Nudity with sex seemed to have been tolerated.
There's always someone that ruins it for everyone . Not the One God people, of course not!! How many crusades over how many hundreds of years?
My personal opinion is; We have lost the natural side of life and replaced it with an artificial- "natural " asexual form of naturism that seems to have rules about every little suggestion of sex or pictures of peoples
penises that are too prominent or engorged. People can still be discreet and have their private moments away from public scrutiny. As sex should be a healthy part of everyones lives.
It's taken me 50yrs to come to terms with childhood sexual abuse , those abuses often came via the church whose moral compass was extremely questionable . They promoted nakedness as a cleansing ,
'Baptism in water '
Or a humiliating descent into shame and guilt.
Shame on them for bringing us to today in a state of Anxiety, confusion, abandonment and so much shame
.. Good luck to one and all.
As the abstact term "ethos" is used, it's worth defining it: Ethos is a Greek word meaning 'character' that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology; and the balance between caution, and passion. One of the academic articles cited refers to a Greek ethos of civic responsiblity and individual effort (for the greatest good), which lies counter to the individualistic consumer "what's in it for me" contemporary culture of the US. However, in the 50's and 60's, the golden age of naked swimming for men in YMCAs across the US, a more military ethos coming from the soldier culture of WW II vets prevailed. At that time modesty followed the thinking that we're all males and in it together, so what makes you think you have anything to hide?
As the balance between caution and passion shited to the later in the late 60s and early 70s, social male nudity became an issue. One one hand, that can be celebrated for less conformity, more tolerance and greater respect of women's and heterodivergent orientations. On the other hand, the sense of beloning as a male in community was also diminished if not lost. What strikes me is the loss of that balance between caution and passion. If the 50s were overly cautious and the 70s overly passionate, I agree with Old4me's assessment that we have lost a less self-conscious attitude towards nudity and sexuality to replace it with a legalistic and asexualized view of social nudity. Can that even be called Puritanical when men of the Victorian age swam and bathed naked in each others' company? Have men among men ever been so shy around each other as in contemporary society, so homophobic and afraid of their own shadow? That has pretty much killed nudism as we know it.
Young men today may do odd towel dances in locker rooms and other public spaces because of all the fear they grew up in. But put them among friends and I understand many are very open and casual about their nudity and sexuaity. Perhpas their ethos has shifted in ways that are still being articulated. I see hope in them that they are less individualistic than their parents (my generation) and more aware of the "greatest good" not necessarily defined by their local community watching in the bleachers, but rather the global community.
Homosapian was first coined in 1758, but Im pretty sure weve been around a bit longer than that.
Homosapien means "the wise human" and came out of the Enlightenment to recognize that humanity is part of nature and not separate from it. From my understanding, there was no awareness of other humans at that time as Neanderthals remains weren't found until the mid 19th century and not commonly recognized until the later 1800's.
Homosexuality has also been around and recognized longer than the word. The key difference was using it to define people rather than behavior. Like the concept of race, it was defined to label and control people. At the end of the day, there is only one race and sexuality: human.
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