Naked Exhibitionism: Gendered Performance and Public Exposure

What does it mean to be naked in public? Approaching this question from across the disciplines, this book examines the evolution of female exhibitionism from criminal taboo to prime-time entertainment. Taking an interdisciplinary approach which brings together all fields of popular culture including literature, media, film and linguistics, 'Naked Exhibitionism' examines gendered exhibitionism from the mid-twentieth century to the present day and asks whether bodily exposure provides the liberation it professes or restricts our most secret selves to the sanitised realm of socially-sanctioned gender roles. Innovative, unflinching and pertinent, 'Naked Exhibitionism' explores naked bodies in the public gaze and critically reformulates the feminist and cultural debate around the performance of gender.