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?
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