Young Blonde Girl With Necklaces Shows Off Her Body In The Sand On A Nude Beach

Cultural and/or religious traditions usually dictate what is proper and what is not socially acceptable. Many non-Western cultures allow women to breastfeed in public, while some have very strict laws about showing any bare skin.
• Africa
- The curse of nakedness
In Africa, the idea of a woman stripping naked on purpose, is a curse even in modern times. The idea is that women give life and they can take it away. The curse is invoked only under the most extreme circumstances and men who are exposed are considered dead. No one will cook for them, marry them, enter into any kind of contract with them or buy anything from them. The curse extends to foreign men as well, who will go impotent or suffer some great harm. The threat has been used successfully in mass protests against the petroleum industry in Nigeria and by Leymah Gbowee during the the Second Liberian Civil War.