Gymnophobia, in a Nutshell

In a well-intentioned but extremely gymnophobic article, John Hammer frets about body scanners, and in the process provides a glimpse into textile America's disgust with the human body.

I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of strangers have no desire to see my body. In fact, I think most people would not be thrilled to see a bunch of middle-aged men without their clothes on...If the airport was filled with middle aged men in gym shorts, or Speedos, with tank tops, or no shirt at all, and flip-flops, I think the airlines would lobby Congress to do away with the full body scanners because other people would choose to take a 14-hour drive rather than have to stand in line at the airport with a bunch of sweaty old men with their bellies hanging over the waistband of their shorts, or men with unbelievably hairy backs going gray, or men who look like they have birds nests under their flabby arms...if young attractive people want to join in the battle by coming to the airport in bikinis and thongs, I would welcome them. In fact, this is sounding like not a bad idea at all. It would certainly make flying more interesting to have attractive young people at the airport nearly naked, and if that is the sacrifice this middle-aged American has to make to help our government ensure safety in air travel, I'm all for it.

I don't think Mr. Hammer intended to be mean-spirited in his essay, he probably wanted to be humorous, but in the process he manages to expose the underlying problem that nudism has in America - people are conditioned not only to hate their own bodies, but the bodies of others. Hammer is so brainwashed by the perfect bodies he sees on TV, in the movies and in magazines that he has no use for the sight of real people.

This fear and loathing of the human body is a societal disease which is so widespread and insidious that it presents the single greatest obstacle to nudists and naturists in America.