The Skin Game

The Skin Game


I can recall with great clarity the first time that I ever stepped out onto a topless beach. I had just recently graduated from West Point, and was enjoying what was referred to as Graduation Leave, sort of an ‘atta boy’ pat on the back from our Uncle Sam. My friends and I had decided to use the opportunity to explore the pleasures of Europe. Of course, Europeans have a very different philosophy when it comes to both sexuality and fashion (one begetting the other), and so it was upon the shores of France that I first encountered this unencumbered way that was, initially, a shock to my eyes. In deed, I thought I had died on the plane over and ended up in some sort of Islamist version of heaven.

Soon there after, however, and on spending several days upon this and likewise beaches, I noticed that something strange happened inside of me. What had seemed like a glorious revelation upon my initial entry onto the beaches of Europe became normalized, common, and I would dare to say mundane save for the fact that I still found great allure with the women present, but no longer the novelty of the observance of bare breasts. The beaches of France, Spain and Italy, in this way, became no different to me than those I had found in Florida, California or Texas. The feelings stirred inside of a young man surrounded by like-minded friends co-mingled into the heady mix of frivolity that always accompanies the breaks of spring or frolics of summer remained, unchanged really save for the circumstance. The casual observance of unclad bosom hadn’t caused some fundamental shift in either my arousal nor my motivation, and in surprisingly short order, all things normalized, and my initial reaction to what was otherwise aberrant to my conditioning revealed itself to be little more than a momentary spike in adrenaline, and brief tachycardic state.

Now to a polar event. I once found myself working for a vendor at an extremely large arts fair in Indiana State called Amish Acres, so named because it is, in deed, hosted by and on the lands of the Amish community that resides there. As I sat in the booth representing the arts which were my charge, I had copious opportunity to observe the Amish as they came to and fro. I was particularly struck by the Amish girls, who I say without shame, I found to be absolutely beautiful. I had never seen an Amish girl before, so I came without expectation, but there was a purity in their look, one that incidentally did not always transfer to their eyes, that I discovered had a magnetic charm. Of course, though I found the openness of their flirtations, which consisted mostly of sly looks and girlish giggles as they passed, to be a bit shocking in reference to their reputation, still, I presumed girls will be girls. They betrayed nothing in their dress or overtness of their behavior that would otherwise belie an abrogation from the dictates of their chastity. And so I can only speak to what I found occurred inside of me, and interestingly enough, it was exactly the same thing that occurred on those beaches of Europe.

An Amish girl in dress essentially reveals two distinct areas of her body, as I found. The first, of course, is her face, which as I previously mentioned, I discovered to generally contain a beauty that I found most appealing. The second, at least for the summer months in which I was there, were their feet and just the smallest hint of their ankle revealed at the bottom of their long black dresses. The funny thing that I came to realize was that this smallest hint of reveal found at the bottom of their garb became a fantastic nature of allure, in which I was able to see even the most fractional hint of their bodies and yet came stirrings of those desires of old. Einstein even spoke of this condition when he told us that all things were relative. You see, you can take conditions for desire away from the man, but you can’t remove the desire from the man.

And so, much like on the beaches of Europe where all women were likewise clothed (or not clothed, as it were), I still found a greater sense of allure in some than others. So too did I discover this same disparity of desire in the equally clad women of the Amish. It was exactly the same. The playing field being equal, those indicators which allowed for my observance became the criteria of visceral desire, whether the entire body was revealed or covered, I found that I equilibrated. My sense of desire found its way, unchanging, but rather forming to the conditions in which it found itself.

Having established the above premise, now let us take a moment to perform a quick thought experiment. Let’s take me back and put me upon the farms and lands of Amish Acres during those times that I was there before, and surround me with the populace of fully clad Amish girls, that I might look over them and choose in my mind’s eye those whom I would desire. Now, likewise, let’s remove me to those aforementioned beaches of Europe, that I might do the same. Only this time, let me choose from among those whom I might find more plain, less apt to capture my attention than others. If you were to take the Amish girls and place them upon the beach with the more plain and chosen girls of the same lot, I would still find my allure in those I had chosen from the Amish, I would simply be able to see more of them. Likewise, if you took those that would not be found most alluring by me on the beach and placed them in Amish garb amongst the girls in Indiana, I would still find my greatest allure with those previously chosen. If, however, and this gets to the point, you were to transport the more plain looking lot wearing nothing but a bikini bottom, and walk them through the middle of the populace of Amish girls, the totality of both my and everyone else’s attention would rocket to the scantily clad, yet admittedly less desirable among them. They would simply be winners in The Skin Game, and that is exactly what our young girls are doing today.

reply to post by BBobb


S&F. Well-written and thought-provoking.

I found this point to be quite interesting:

The playing field being equal, those indicators which allowed for my observance became the criteria of visceral desire, whether the entire body was revealed or covered, I found that I equilibrated. My sense of desire found its way, unchanging, but rather forming to the conditions in which it found itself.

One's desires can/will equilibriate and adjust to the conditions in which one finds him/herself.

Do you think the "Skin Game" is by design (ie: indoctrinating youth via MSM - Miley Cyrus anyone?), or simply a refletion of society's current values? If by design, for what purpose?

reply to post by BBobb


Thanks for your carefully articulated observations. Not sure exactly what point you are trying to make.

You've illustrated two things. Bare skin is highly attractive and innocence is also highly attractive. There is a certain duality to it. The emotional calculus all reduces to reproduction.

Religions have obnoxious ways of trying to modify reproductive behavior in Humans. Only the most oppressive and violent have much success.

reply to post by BBobb


Yes, OP, you are correct, naked boobies > all, even if they are on average girls...

A "profound" revelation indeed...

reply to post by Coup_Detat_Cam


By design or not? Hmmm...I think it definitely happens and is ultimately competitive, where the competition is for attention. This was an article that I wrote for a small group at my church (they are mostly all elderly, I'm not there yet), so they're literally confused by these behaviors of these upcoming generations. I wrote the article to try and explain, by analyzing myself, why girls are increasingly dressing like this. You might also look at my last posted article called THE TRANSFIGURATION OF MILEY CYRUS in which I delve into another facet of this same sort of behavior.

reply to post by BBobb


Very interesting insights, thanks for posting.
So - what, then, is your point in regards to religion and "The Skin Game"?

Seems to me that men are attracted to women whether or not they see skin. Does this, then, justify the full burka including the mesh through which they must look?

Men may not be able to control their 'desires' - indeed they are not, for hormones and pheromones are part of our biological make-up. Procreation is an innate instinct, and attraction is a tool of nature to ensure it happens.

The problem is when men CHOOSE NOT to suppress their desires, or BLAME the women for them.

It should make no difference whether a woman is clad or not; and I appreciate your thoughts about finding equilibrium. Makes a strong point in favor of allowing us to appreciate our own bodies - they are NOT shameful things to be treated as "poison."

Anyway, S/F. I'll be interested to see where this goes.