Undress code

An undress code is the opposite of a dress code - it prohibits the wearing of all (or specific types of) clothing, enforcing the exposure of certain body parts or the full body (see nudity).

Like dress codes, undress codes may be established by society, institutions or individuals in authority.

Examples of undress codes

• For religious reasons:
  • No wearing of shoes in religious places such as temples and mosques
  • No wearing of hats traditionally for males in Christian churches
  • Semi-nudity, e.g. in religious ceremonies in antiquity such as the Lupercalia
  • Full nudity:
    • in religious ceremonies and festivals in antiquity (e.g. in Sparta)
    • in the ancient Indian Gymnosophists
    • in the Christian sect of the Adamites
    • by ascetics of certain Indian religions, as in Jainism

• For social and hygienic reasons:
  • No wearing of shoes inside a private house or flat
  • No wearing of clothing other than specific types of swimwear, e.g. in public swimming facilities
  • Full nudity:
    • in saunas and steam baths in Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe
    • in some public shower rooms
    • in some public swimming facilities and in school swimming classes in the past
    • in private homes when taking a shower or bath

• For medical reasons:
  • full or partial nudity for medical examinations, treatment and operations

• For cultural and recreational reasons:
  • Wearing of costumes that expose the legs and/or upper body
    • in sports
    • in dance and similar performances
  • Full nudity:
    • in sports in antiquity (e.g. in ancient Greece)
    • in modern nude sports (e.g. nude riding, swimming, jogging, wrestling, etc.)
    • in nudist recreation facilities (lakes, beaches, camps, etc.)
    • in some cultures in Africa, Latin America, South-East Asia and Oceania

Related aspects

Today, in some clubs and parties with a sexual background, there are rules that if a prospective visitor does not meet the dress code (e.g. specific types of fetish clothing), he or she may be admitted in a specific state of nudity if they are willing to do so.

Laws in many countries that require a person to undress when requested to do so by a customs or police officer, usually to find illegal drugs or weapons on a suspect during the strip search, may also be considered a type of undress code, because the person in question is required by law to remove their clothing. However such states of undress are normally not public and kept as short and discreet as possible.

Nudity is also an important element in arts such as drawing, painting and sculpture. For example, there are undress conventions for depictions of some pagan gods (especially child-gods, e.g. Eros/Cupid) and certain Christian prophets, saints and angels, especially cherubs.

See also

• Forced nudity

More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Undress_code ]

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