Introduction
"When traveling through the country of Monrovia many years ago I noted a young woman who had been bathing in a stream near the railway line and as the train passed, turned her back to it and raised her chemise. (Here we have to bear in mind the ancient method of exorcism by displaying the nates, later degenerating into a way of showing contempt, especially practiced by women.) True exhibitionism is rare in the female except in childhood. As Douglas Bryan puts it, 'Women in exhibitionism treat the whole body as a penis to be exposed.' "
-Havelock Ellis
If one could give credence to the writers of the nudist press, all men and women feel a need to expose themselves, not only to sun and wind, but even to onlookers.
A pronounced urge to self-exposure certainly affects only a minority. Contrary to often-heard claims, however, when the desire to show oneself naked does exist, it is as common among women as among men. Female exhibitionists can, however, often satisfy this urge in a legitimate manner, through the channels provided by the theater and variety shows; and their urge does not have the same strictly genital character as male exhibitionism. That it does not constitute a criminal-political problem is probably also due to women's lack of sexual initiative. It is, of course, conceivable that there are a great number of women everywhere who indulge in superheated fantasies of genital exhibitionism.
The excitement a woman experiences when she notes the reactions of males who view her exposures becomes an obsession with her. All women sexually appreciate this reaction. It proves to them that they are a sexually accepted creature and that they are playing their role correctly. Some females become so enamored with this that they carry it to an extreme.
It has been suggested that one excellent, although unorthodox, avenue of treatment would possibly be visiting a nudist organization. When everyone else is in a state of nudity, what can the exhibitor exhibit?