Indecent exposure is the display parts of the human body uncovered in clothing in a manner that is contrary to local custom and law. In most places (other than areas where nudity is acceptable, such as nude beaches) exposure of adult of one's genitalia is the most blatant example of this.
What counts as "indecent exposure" varies according to place and time. Exposure of the breasts of an adult woman is considered indecent in some places, and not so in others. Wearing no clothing over the chest or breasts is sometimes referred to as being "topless". In the Victorian era exposure of a woman's legs was considered indecent in much of the west. As late as the 1930s many places in the United States, including public beaches, prohibited men as well as women from bathing topless. Exposure of the navel of a grown woman was also considered indecent. In some traditional Islamic societies, standards of much greater bodily modesty are enforced than in the west; a particularly extreme example being the Burka imposed by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Indecent exposure is a criminal offence in many jurisdictions, and is sometimes regarded as a sex crime. In some jurisdictions, indecent exposure, even without erection, differs from mere public nudity, in that the intent of the former is often to shock or harass. In most jurisdictions there is a very thin line (if any) between these two behaviors.
Those who deliberately expose themselves are colloquially known as "flashers". An urge to behave like this is a paraphilia, called exhibitionism. In the United States, laws governing the definition of and punishment for indecent exposure vary from state to state.
Mooning is usually considered a mild form of indecent exposure.
See also exhibitionist.
