I love the memory of those times bare
which Phoebus loved to gild the statues.
Then the man and woman in agility
Enjoyed without falsehood and without anxiety,
And the sky lovers caressing their spine,
in the health of their noble.
Then Cybele products generous
not find her son too heavy a burden,
But wolf at heart swelled with tenderness Commons
Suckled the universe with its brown nipples.
Man, elegant, sturdy and strong, had the right
Be proud beauties who called him their king;
Fruit pure contempt and any blank cracking,
Whose flesh smooth and firm called bites!
The poet today, when he wants to design
These primitive grandeur, in places where there are
see the nakedness of the man and the woman feels a
cold darkness envelop his soul
Before this black table full of menace.
Monstrosities bewailing their clothes!
O trunks ridiculous! torsos worthy masks!
Oh poor twisted body, thin, plump or flaccid,
the god of Useful, implacable and serene
Children, wrapped in swaddling clothes of brass!
And you, women, alas! pale as candles,
What eats and eats debauchery, and you, virgin
of maternal vice dragging heredity
And all the hideousness of fertility!
We have, indeed, corrupt nations,
to the ancient peoples of unknown beauties:
Faces eaten by cankers of the heart,
And as they say the beauty of languor;
But these inventions of our muses late
never prevent unhealthy races
To make the youth a tribute deep
- A holy youth, to look simple, the soft front
A clear and eye clear as running water,
And that will come upon all, carefree
As the blue sky, birds and flowers,
His perfumes, its songs and its sweet heat!
Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), Les fleurs du mal , 1857, correspondence
L a question of clothing and nudity is certainly that has the greatest importance both from the standpoint of physical health, art and moral health: it is therefore necessary to clarify what we think in this regard, because time is came not to shrink from any discussion. This is a recent achievement of human freedom: a few years ago we would have rejected in advance intrusive as to any proposal where the moral necessity of clothing could have been challenged. Under the influence of this idea of immemorial origin, religion enshrined, unchallenged by morality, it gave way to believe in today's society, so-called civilized conveniences that are found among various peoples in direct proportion to the clothing. The elegant lady pretends not even see those who walk barefoot, their hands, which are par excellence the organs of action, the directors work of human thought, are frequently coated gloves, with most Women Christian non-physical work are forced to veil their faces, in the manner of the Mohammedan, without being forced by other tyrants that fashion: so even the head does not show itself freely, a mist net or crepe stands between the light and nature, even the black dots or red embroidered on the cloth seem to throw a pillowcase over his eyes or sprinkle with buttons on the cheek. Conventions and want, as also in other circumstances the morals of society require that the woman appears in full light shoulders and bare breasts. At the entrance of Charles V in his good city of Antwerp, souls noblest families disputed the honor of appearing naked in the procession of the master, as well as the Directory, you had to dress in transparent fabrics to meet the requirements of fashion. However, it must be said, religion, morality official point openly approve these differences of custom and cope much better traditional clothing, which in some countries such as Tyrol, Brittany, cover the body absolutely and make unrecognizable form. This was the aim of the "Holy Church", which saw the woman the biggest incentive to sin.
Basically, the question is which of nude or clothing, is the safest, most healthy for the harmonic development of man, physically and morally. The first case, there can be no doubt. For hygienists, it is a matter considered that nudity. There is no doubt that the skin regains its vitality and its natural activity when it is freely exposed to air, light, changing phenomena from outside. Sweating is no longer impeded; the functions of the body are restored, it becomes more flexible and yet firm; it pales as a single plant more private day. Experiments on animals have also shown that when the skin is removed from the action of light, red blood cells decreases as the proportion of hemoglobin. This means that life becomes less active and less intense. Another example of this is that the progress of civilization are not necessarily progress and the importance of submitting to the control of science.
Consider examples among the peoples, all travelers agree that Polynesians were the most handsome men before the missionaries, zealous distributors of woolens and cotton, had occurred in the vicinity ocean; we also know that nowhere artists had no more noble understanding of the beauty in the wonderful Hellas, where young and strong fighting, running, playing outdoors, the naked limbs, before the assembled people. It is also aware that the current hygienists who wish to restore the beauty and human health endangered by the lack of method in the food and clothing begin to undress their patients to become accustomed to air and to light. Across Western Europe and into the northern Scotland, establishments have opened, where invalids are rich expose their bare skin to the vivifying action of the wind and sun.
Without doubt the cold regions, such as Scandinavia, and even temperate countries, like almost all populated areas of Europe, have a very harsh winter climate compared to those enjoyed by Pacific Islanders, but shelters and draperies, which are anything but clothes, can also protect them from the cold. Until recently, the Japanese manufacturer that the manners of English had not yet contaminated, do not feel compelled by decency to hide their nakedness and bathed in common is the view of the free play of muscles and Member artists Nippon certainly had their free movement in the use of the brush. They are painters and sculptors who saved the civilization of old Europe in keeping the worship of the human form despite the curses of the church against the flesh. They, however, fought for and won the right to represent the man without the veils that we are legally compelled.
The balance of health, the normal functioning of the body can not recover completely from illness alternatives of cold and heat will continue to threaten the civilized individual as long as the human statue will not "freed from its shroud," as long as man will not again become "completely opposite", to quote a native of the coast of Chile. But it is the view of the moral above the return of the naked beauty is necessary because the artifice of costume and adornment was one of those who, through silly vanity, the servile spirit of imitation and especially by the thousand Vice ingenuity, have most often to the general corruption of society.
One can easily judge in the schools of Fine Arts where the young men, often depraved, draw religiously from the female model, with perfect compliance human form, and indulge in wanton thoughts that later, in contact with women dressed in their finery and trinkets: fashion clothes gave the cup made specially to excite envy. The naked beauty ennobles and purifies; clothing, insidious and deceitful, degrades and perverts.
But fashion still reigns, as the Lord still reigns Capital and the ancient relics of the Church and State. It is therefore hoped that the point mode, which represents the interests of countless providers and responds to an infinite set of small personal passions, abdicates voluntarily or by force to a new regime of art and common sense. Hopefully the less that fashion is the heritage of all the past. It changes from century to century, season to season, but still much less than people imagine usual: it jumps abruptly from one extreme to another, but always taking the forms previously known. None of the old way of adorning and beautifying oneself has disappeared completely, even elegant in our societies. Many men still tattoo themselves, and among the admirals present, we could see that the gloves ceremonies hide an anchor marked in blue at the root of the thumb. European women do not go to ring in the nostril, as Hindu, but she hangs up her ear and she keeps the collar of the savage and wearing the bracelet the captive, is the chain that bound to the pole of the tent. The soldier, who in today's society is the primitive human vanity war and combat, adorned with epaulettes, fringes, stripes in bright colors, plate, crosses enamel or metal flashing, of colored feathers, at the risk of attracting the eye in battle and bullets of the enemy.
But if, among the wealthy classes who want at all to distinguish themselves from ordinary men, love of luxury maintains the separation of classes or even seeks to increase it by dint of spending, the Democratic crowds tend to resemble more the costume is a step forward. In many countries, we can not distinguish much between rich and poor, for the man of taste, even opulent dresses with simplicity, and cleanliness is the rule at all, even for the less fortunate. In addition, the garment of women toiling approximates that of men: those who want to conquer the full freedom of their movements to find ways to get rid of the heavy dresses, corsets, narrow flowery hats.
Some progress was achieved in the positive sense of freedom of dress and yet it was somewhat closer to hygiene. But the great aesthetic and moral revolution that will leave the civilized modern Greek law once had to walk free from diapers to sunlight, this great revolution is still, among all the ambitions of modern man, one who seems the most difficult to achieve.
Elisha Reclus (1830-1905); The man and the earth , 1905-1908
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