Communication is "the process whereby humans collectively create and regulate social reality." (Trenholm & Jensen 2004).  Beginning at birth, communication is a life long process in which we as humans are told what is and is not "real," or socially acceptable.  Having struggled with social definitions and realities for many years, I was all too pleased when I was assigned to disobey one of these realities.  More specifically, I was told to break a rule of nonverbal communication.  Nonverbal communication, though commonly under-credited, is an integral part of how we send and receive messages.  Looking at someone while we speak or nodding to show awareness from across a room are all ways in which humans communicate nonverbally, often unconsciously.  I wanted to consciously break a rule so basic that the recipients of my message would be blinded by its blatant disregard for social normality.  I decided to get undressed.

Staying clothed is one of the basic principles of our society, not the least of all because clothes serve to cover sexual organs.  In only a handful of situations is it acceptable to remove your clothes in the presence of others: infancy and gym locker rooms are probably the most predominant.  I wanted to see what would happen if I began to remove my clothes in other situations.  I decided to start conversations and undress while I spoke.  I would not be naked (that would be unethical) but I would show no sign of stopping once I started.  I would stop whenever my subject asked, "What are you doing?"  I explored this in a variety of settings: public, private, with women, with men, with friends, and with strangers.

My routine was the same every time.  Clad in a backpack, a pair of shorts, an undershirt, and a button-down, I started a conversation with a subject.  As we spoke I removed my backpack and then unbuttoned my shirt, eventually taking it off and dropping it on the floor.  Next went my shoes, then watch, then undershirt.  My belt and my shorts were the last to go.  In this way, I could measure the response of my subjects: At what article of clothing would they ask, "What are you doing?"  Repeating the experiment several times, I began to notice patterns in the way different groups responded.

Friends would generally let me strip longer than strangers.  With friends I could usually have my belt off before I was stopped, whereas with strangers I was normally stopped as I removed my undershirt.  One good friend of many years said nothing as I got down to my boxers; acquaintances of the last few weeks waited until I reached for my belt to say anything, and strangers often didn't make it past the undershirt.  Both friends and strangers admitted afterward that they originally believed I was changing into a second shirt or taking off my button-down because it was hot.  As I continued, they became uneasy, though were reluctant to speak up, possibly believing that I would stop and explain my actions.  Eventually, they were forced to ask me for my motives.

Men generally allowed me to continue longer than women, perhaps because I am male.  However, it soon became apparent that their acceptance was conditional.  I found that in public men were more likely to wait longer or just not stop me at all, while in private spaces where they believed they had superiority they stopped me much faster.  One group of men, for example, sat and watched a football game in a common room as I made it all the way to my boxers and sat there for a full 10 seconds before commenting.  When I repeated the experiment down the hall in a dorm room, however, the resident stopped me before I could take my shoes off.  Women, on the other hand, showed no distinction between public and private and consistently stopped me as or after I removed my undershirt.

A subject would often inquire, "Why are you doing this?"  It is a question that I had to ask myself.  Why study nonverbal communication? What can I learn?  For one thing, a better understanding of nonverbal communication aids in communicating entirely, just as having a better command of grammar allows one to speak more clearly.  Additionally, studying the unwritten rules of society can help us understand why these rules exist, rather than accept them at face value.  We as a society should constantly be probing and prodding the rules that govern us with the intent to confirm or deny their practicality.  Only when this is done can we be confident that our rules exist for a reason and know that they are not the remnants of an archaic Old World society.  "Eat salad with this fork, eat ice cream with this spoon," is the kind of rule that seems to have less purpose and more pomp.  Staying clothed is practical for physical reasons as well as social, though subjects' responses were most likely due to my disregard of society and not physical practicality.  More clearly, no one thought, "Oh, he shouldn't do that. He'll get cold.", but more likely thought, "Why is he stripping?  This isn't acceptable!"

Above all else my study, though admittedly unscientific, showed the degree to which our relationships with others affect their responses to us, which will in turn affect ours to them in the ongoing process of communication.  By observing at what point in my bizarre process I would be stopped, the limits and boundaries of my relationships with friends and strangers were tested, much to the delight of all.

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