Ismond Rosen, editor of Sexual Deviation (Oxford University Press, 1979, p145), calls exhibitionism "a complex and fascinating" act, because it is systemic.
In other words, exhibitionism is not carried out haphazardly, whenever the mood takes one, but rather it is a carefully planned system of exposures.
Even exposures that appear to be accidental, are often carefully orchestrated beforehand.
Moreover, to add to the complexity of the act, it has been noted that there is not just one system in place, but rather a whole series of systems.
In other words some flashers will expose from cars, some from their homes, some in parks, some on the beaches, some use change rooms, some use transparent clothing and some even dress in drag, to name just a few of the systems.
But whatever system an exhibitionist uses, the tendency is to repeat it again, and again, and again.
And to make the study of the subject even more "complex and fascinating", some exhibitionists will use multiple systems.
In this article we will focus on the car as a flashing "vehicle", or system.
A car is often used by exhibitionists because it offers the illusion of safety.
After all, if things go wrong, they can simply drive away.
Unfortunately the feeling of safety is illusory because their number plate is there for any one to see.
And report.
Some exhibitionists will cover their number plates and others will use false plates, but most do not; they rely on the good will of the public not to report them.
One man wrote to the Advisor column of a popular men's magazine and detailed his habit of driving around unclothed.
The magazine Advisor not surprisingly warned him of the risk he was taking, but interestingly, the fellow had been doing it for quite a number of years and no one had reported him.
The method of operation is quite straightforward.
Usually the exhibitionist will drive around unclothed, or partly unclothed, while searching for a target, and he is quite specific in what he is looking for.
Preferably the target is a woman driver, and ideally she is in a 4-wheel drive, or some such vehicle, that sits high off the ground, so the woman can peer into the flasher's car with ease.
The exhibitionist then takes care to drive alongside the driver's side of the target car, otherwise she will not be able to see him.
If however there are female passengers, then he can drive on either side of the target car.
Buses, especially tourist buses, make ideal targets for flashers.
They are high off the ground and there are many passengers, many of them women, and they do not have to concentrate on driving or the traffic.
They are free to look around and that is ideal for the flasher.
Women who are flashed in this way, while in their own car or in a bus, feel safe and are unlikely to feel unduly alarmed or threatened and they rarely report the incident.
However, there is a dark side to this...
Some exhibitionists take it a step further and will pull up beside a woman who is walking along a footpath and ask her for directions to some place or another.
The unsuspecting woman will lean forward and look inside the car to give directions and of course she will see what the flasher wants her to see.
In these instances, especially if it is dark and secluded, women can, and often do, get alarmed and they very often do report the incident.
But cars are not the only way to display one's person, as the puritanical law would put it.
In following articles we will examine some of the other methods that exhibitionists employ to achieve their ends.
After all, to be forewarned is to be forearmed! To conclude, exhibitionism is usually (though not always) a carefully thought out procedure, often involving a considerable amount of guile and cunning.
A method of exposure is first chosen, a target then carefully selected and an exit strategy, or escape route, is formulated.
In other words, exhibitionism is not carried out haphazardly, whenever the mood takes one, but rather it is a carefully planned system of exposures.
Even exposures that appear to be accidental, are often carefully orchestrated beforehand.
Moreover, to add to the complexity of the act, it has been noted that there is not just one system in place, but rather a whole series of systems.
In other words some flashers will expose from cars, some from their homes, some in parks, some on the beaches, some use change rooms, some use transparent clothing and some even dress in drag, to name just a few of the systems.
But whatever system an exhibitionist uses, the tendency is to repeat it again, and again, and again.
And to make the study of the subject even more "complex and fascinating", some exhibitionists will use multiple systems.
In this article we will focus on the car as a flashing "vehicle", or system.
A car is often used by exhibitionists because it offers the illusion of safety.
After all, if things go wrong, they can simply drive away.
Unfortunately the feeling of safety is illusory because their number plate is there for any one to see.
And report.
Some exhibitionists will cover their number plates and others will use false plates, but most do not; they rely on the good will of the public not to report them.
One man wrote to the Advisor column of a popular men's magazine and detailed his habit of driving around unclothed.
The magazine Advisor not surprisingly warned him of the risk he was taking, but interestingly, the fellow had been doing it for quite a number of years and no one had reported him.
The method of operation is quite straightforward.
Usually the exhibitionist will drive around unclothed, or partly unclothed, while searching for a target, and he is quite specific in what he is looking for.
Preferably the target is a woman driver, and ideally she is in a 4-wheel drive, or some such vehicle, that sits high off the ground, so the woman can peer into the flasher's car with ease.
The exhibitionist then takes care to drive alongside the driver's side of the target car, otherwise she will not be able to see him.
If however there are female passengers, then he can drive on either side of the target car.
Buses, especially tourist buses, make ideal targets for flashers.
They are high off the ground and there are many passengers, many of them women, and they do not have to concentrate on driving or the traffic.
They are free to look around and that is ideal for the flasher.
Women who are flashed in this way, while in their own car or in a bus, feel safe and are unlikely to feel unduly alarmed or threatened and they rarely report the incident.
However, there is a dark side to this...
Some exhibitionists take it a step further and will pull up beside a woman who is walking along a footpath and ask her for directions to some place or another.
The unsuspecting woman will lean forward and look inside the car to give directions and of course she will see what the flasher wants her to see.
In these instances, especially if it is dark and secluded, women can, and often do, get alarmed and they very often do report the incident.
But cars are not the only way to display one's person, as the puritanical law would put it.
In following articles we will examine some of the other methods that exhibitionists employ to achieve their ends.
After all, to be forewarned is to be forearmed! To conclude, exhibitionism is usually (though not always) a carefully thought out procedure, often involving a considerable amount of guile and cunning.
A method of exposure is first chosen, a target then carefully selected and an exit strategy, or escape route, is formulated.