I never realised that some view it this way!

In my household and my parents and my grandparents, clothing has always been something optional. It’s seen by some as exhibitionist but we have never thought it this in any way:

Types of exposure

Various types of behavior are classified as exhibitionism, including:

Anasyrma: the lifting of the skirt when not wearing underwear, to expose genitals.

Candaulism: when a person exposes their partner in a sexually provocative manner.

Flashing:
the momentary display of bare female breasts by a woman, with an up-and-down lifting of the shirt or bra
or, the exposure of a man's or woman's genitalia in a similar manner

Martymachlia: a paraphilia which involves sexual attraction to having others watch the execution of a sexual act.

Mooning: the display of bare buttocks by pulling down of trousers and underwear. The act is most often done for the sake of humour, disparagement, or mockery.

Reflectoporn: the act of stripping and taking a photograph using an object with a reflective surface as a mirror, then posting the image on the Internet in a public forum. Examples include images of naked men and women reflected in kettles, TVs, toasters and even knives and forks. The instance generally credited with starting the trend involved a man selling a kettle on an Australian auction site featuring a photograph where his naked body is clearly visible; other instances followed, and the specific term "reflectoporn" was coined by Chris Stevens of Internet Magazine.

Streaking: the act of running naked through a public place. The intent is not usually sexual but for shock value.

Telephone scatologia: the act of making obscene phone calls to random or known recipients. Some researchers have claimed that this is a variant of exhibitionism, even though it has no in-person physical component.

Underwear as outerwear: the intentional display of underwear as a fashion statement or to be provocative can also be seen as exhibitionism. When revealing thong underwear above pants or a skirt, the result is often called a whale tail.

The DSM-5 diagnosis for exhibitionistic disorder has three subtypes: exhibitionists interested in exposing themselves to non-consenting adults, to prepubescent children, or to both.

In a Swedish survey, 2.1% of women and 4.1% of men admitted to becoming sexually aroused from the exposure of their genitals to a stranger.

A research team asked a sample of 185 exhibitionists, "How would you have preferred a person to react if you were to expose your privates to him or her?" The most common response was "Would want to have sexual intercourse" (35.1%), followed by "No reaction necessary at all" (19.5%), "To show their privates also" (15.1%), "Admiration" (14.1%), and "Any reaction" (11.9%). Only very few exhibitionists chose "Anger and disgust" (3.8%) or "Fear" (0.5%).

A study conducted in Hong Kong among people who self-identified as perpetrators of sexual assault found that exhibitionists and zoophiles are less likely to commit sexual assault by contact or rape than those who suffer from voyeurism, frotteurism, or scatophilia.

According to another study, serial sex murderers have different profiles from those who have committed a single sexual homicide. Both groups often have personality disorders, but serial sex murderers are distinguished by a higher prevalence of narcissistic, schizoid, or obsessive-compulsive traits. They are also more likely to exhibit paraphilic behaviors such as masochism, sexual fetishism, pedophilia, exhibitionism, or voyeurism.

Exhibitionism, understood as self-promotion, is a fundamental driving force in human psychological life. When expressed constructively through sociability, creativity, volunteering, performance, or public responsibility, this dynamic promotes personal fulfillment and collective creativity. From this perspective, exhibitionism can be seen as a driving force, capable of connecting individuals and stimulating research. The forms this exhibition takes vary according to the individual and the circumstances, but could all unconsciously refer to a quest for recognition. Scenes of exhibitionism, whether they arise from dreams, fantasies, theater, aggression, or media culture, function as small dramatic devices in which issues of identity and sometimes deep suffering can be replayed.

Exhibitionism is compulsive behavior and, as such, is one of the possible symptoms of childhood sexual abuse. It can be linked to traumatic behaviors and traumatic sexualization. Neglect and trauma during childhood, particularly sexual trauma, are strongly linked to the development of paraphilias, of which exhibitionism may be one form. This traumatic conditioning can lead exhibitionist women or men to prostitution or sex shows. This information should be considered by anyone suffering from these paraphilias and seeking help.