Why Indecent Exposure is a Crime

If you are arrested for indecent exposure, then you obviously were showing off something that no one wants to see to everyone around. Some forms of indecent exposure may include flashing, streaking, mooning, masturbating in public, partaking in intercourse in public, and just walking around in public butt naked. The human body is a beautiful thing, but sometimes, not everyone wants to see it in all its glory. There is a time and a place. But the question is why is indecent exposure considered a crime that one can be arrested for?

There are many reasons for this. For one thing, it is quite disrespectful to bystanders and onlookers who have to watch you in all your glory, when they probably do not want to. Honestly, there could be children around and it is not appropriate for a young child to view someone who is nude for obvious reasons. Indecent exposure is morealess considered a subcategory of disturbing the peace and therefore, can be an arrestable defense. It is an obvious disturbance of your natural surroundings when there is a guy running around the city butt naked. 

More times than not, people arrested for indecent exposure were drunk or high on inhalants at the time they decided to commit the act. Therefore, one count of indecent exposure is added on to a charge of public drunkedness and/or possession and abuse of a banned substance. Together, the two charges could more than likely buy that person jail time. In of itself, indecent exposure is usually punished by a fine or very minimal jail time. An exception to the indecent exposure rule is breastfeeding in public. 

The standards of indecent exposure have been brought down immensely since the early 1900s, when a woman by the name of Annette Kellerman was arrested for indecent exposure. She was wearing a one-piece bathing suit, as worn by swimmers today. The two-piece bathing suit soon became exceptable and nowadays, indecent exposure is only classified by complete nakedness of a part of your body that is deemed to be offensive or disrespectful, causing discomfort to the people around. Indecent exposure is honestly a ridiculous thing to be arrested for, but it is even more ridiculous if you are the one caught.