The Naked Man: A Study of the Male Body

by Desmond Morris

No life form has had a greater impact upon this planet than the human male. What is it that has made his legacy so utterly distinct from that of all other life forms, including even the human female? Following on from the international success of The Naked Woman, Desmond Morris investigates this intriguing evolutionary success story. The Naked Man is a study of the masculine body from head to toe, examining biological features of the male anatomy in illuminating detail and describing the many ways in which these features have been modified, suppressed, or exaggerated by local customs and changes in social fashions. This is a natural history of man, viewing him as a fascinating specimen of a far from rare, but nevertheless endangered species.

As with its companion title, The Naked Man is written from a zoologist's perspective and packed full of scientific fact, engaging anecdote and thought-provoking conclusions, including a controversial chapter examining male sexuality.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 22, 2008

About the author

Desmond John Morris (24 January 1928 - 19 April 2026) was an English zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter, as well as a popular author in human sociobiology.
He is known for his 1967 book The Naked Ape, and for his television programmes such as Zoo Time.

After the death of his wife in 2018 he lived with his son and family in Ireland.[ Morris died in Naas, County Kildare, on 19 April 2026, at the age of 98.

abridged from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Addicted to Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars !

I was excited about this book and my excitement died down somewhere 80 pages into the book. That unbalanced and un researched take on male homosexuality at the end reduced the rating by one star . More on that later.

First of all, I just want to say a few things before I proceed to the review.

- I am a hot red blooded female who loves men and I am very interested and fascinated in the male species and I have done quite a bit of research about the points I bring up in my review.

- I am a feminist and I am believe in equal opportunities for women and I believe men and women are not the same. We are different. How much we are different from each other is question I still ask every day as we have reached a different stage of evolution and social constructs play a huge part. I am still in my 20s and I have quite a while to figure out if I ever do.

- I believe the points reflected in the book are reflected of that of a zoologist and how we could have developed or evolved from our physical adaptations. I have also noticed there are many psychological points made and how men parade around today with modifications made to their body.

- I think if a body part in question cannot have evolved to help with the hunting or survival then it was obviously intended to be a sex display or an erogenous zone. After all, we do have recreational sex and not just to procreate. Think about it.

- I believe in variety and all men of all races and age have their own unique beauty.

I have to say I am fascinated with certain parts of the book and slightly put off with the author. I believe that the author is trying to show the popular views of today’s society but he fails to do so.



This book could have been researched a lot better with better comparing and contrasting. I believe the views reflected in this book reflects that of a male depicted at least 70 years ago and not in 2008 (well that was when the book was published). Mostly it also reflects the views of the author and the book didn’t seem neutral. Yes I have that standard for this book. I expected it to reflect a well-balanced documentary.

So the book gives an introduction about the evolution of the human and goes on to talking about several body parts on the male body. Each chapter begins with a scientific or rather biological explanation about the body part, how it evolved , how it is modified in certain cultures and of course non-verbal (sometimes together with verbal) communications using these body parts.

Introduction to the evolution of the human male
This chapter is fascinating and I liked it. It made sense. How we started off as vegetarians and later learnt to hunt. Women having the ability to bear children were protected at all costs. Men went out to bring the food back home.

Sounds familiar? It makes sense. The women cannot die off in big numbers and bring down the chances of survival. Back then women would have had a higher mortality rate due to pregnancy.

From a zoological point, it makes sense. 5 men and 40 women can still bring about a large group of offspring. But 5 women and 40 men will not ensure a large group of offspring. The chapter goes on to talk about how humans developed as a family unit, monogamy and in some ways men seem to the hunters they always were.

I thought the author could have included jawlines and chins which seem different from women.

I felt the author was talking about the modern male reflected in society dating back to at least 1930. This was the modern male example the author was using. Yes I understand that author is trying to depict a normal male in the 1930s with very little modification as possible as the ideal male standard today and argues that it is the standard it seems today.

Clark Gable


David Gandy


I don’t think so. Think about it. Clark Gable is so different from David Gandy.

This is where I feel the research seems bad. The male of the 2000 is very much different from 1930. I know Desmond Morris is trying to promote a healthy body image. Good for him and I appreciate it and I do like the healthy non steroid induced looking male but however it does not depict the truth about males today.



I liked this chapter on hair. Had an interesting take on balding. Desmond Morris claims a bald or balding man shows male sexual dominance over younger males with hair. He claims it shows sexual virility. If so, Hair should grow back at a later part in life or every man should be bald by the time they are 20 or so. Does that happen? No. How does lack of hair on a man's head show sexual dominance? Arrghhhhh!!!!!!!! Men can claim favours from women or show dominance if they are strong, can continuously provide food, protect and show proof that their sperm could produce children. I bet this was the case thousands of years ago and still is the case in lower numbers today.They certainy cannot claim favors or show dominance by losing hair.

What kind of men do you think the women will favor? Balding men? How does any of the things I mentioned (being strong, can continuously provide food, protect and show proof that their sperm could produce children) have anything to do with the hair on a man's head?




Can we agree not everyone is created equal physically and that is ok? There is nothing wrong with balding. Women sometimes lose hair too. Balding is just like having hair or eyelashes or darker skin or being extremely tall. It is the stigma we attach to it matters and affects the most. However I think this was the only chapter which was well done. It goes on to say how the male pubic hair never ages for the male and is always youthful(Biologically I think this is impossible. But hey he claims it in the book).He argues that we are in a youth worshipping culture and yet he brings up a point like that. That is why you must be careful how and where you insert your own views. If you want to do so, do it intelligently.



This is under the brow chapter. Desmond, do you really think men go to have cosmetic surgery because they look sad, angry or tired? Can we agree men too want to look younger nowadays? Men also pluck or sometimes wax their eyebrows. It is quite a trend to be groomed. To remove those excess hairs. It is called manscaping and some other terms include boyzillian Why wasn’t that mentioned?

The nose.
I think more could have been said about nostrils. Men do have plenty of cosmetic surgery and I wish the author had done interviews with plastic surgeons across varying cultures to find out more about how men modify noses. I was at a modelling gig where a photographer told me that standards of a man’s has changed a lot. I wish this chapter could have been more in depth.

Google male models and look at their noses and compare that to male models 70 years back.

Stomach: Why are men with six pack showing are narcissist? Personal judgement? At age 58, my dad still had six pack. Not because he was a narcissist but because he believed in being healthy and the core of your body's strength comes from your stomach. He needed to be strong to do his physical work.
The Buddha’s fat belly was spoken about quite a bit. But nothing of Jesus. how about Jesus’s flat belly or how he has been depicted on the skinny side ? Why was there not much compare and contrast in the book?

Penis: Why wasn’t the pursuit of penis enlargement spoken about here? It is a million or even billion dollar industry I heard. There are cosmetic surgery for penile enlargement. Special exercises carried out to enlarge the penis dates hundreds of years back. Like how the Chinese lift weights with their penis. Etc etc Why was this big portion left out ?

I am going to stop here and not point out every single point. I felt anything the author felt would diminish masculinity ( as he defines it )was excluded.



Lastly, about the homosexuality commentary. I am always good for a well-structured and well balanced argument. Yes if everyone is homosexual, we would die out. True, theoretically. There are biological needs to reproduce within humans right ?

As a zoologist, throughout the book you kept comparing the human male to animals, why not for the homosexual behaviour? Animals do show homosexual behaviour as well. Are they dying out?

Comparisons and examples were used throughout the book dating back to classical era and Roman Empire era, why wasn’t it compared to the Greek classical period where it seemed normal and was accepted during Plato’s time for men to have homosexual relations. In fact it was encouraged. Did the Greeks die out?

The whole book lacked research and did not compare and contrast well.

2.5 stars for humour and still being a fascinating read! I just expected a lot more from this book.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently this is Desmond Morris's 1967 'The Naked Ape' repackaged in 2000. Not that you'd know this if you looked at 'The Naked Man'. I don't have a copy of the 'Naked Ape' to hand so I can't tell how much up-dating has been done, very little I suspect, except for the photographs (this edition uses before and after pictures of, for example, Michael Jackson cosmetic surgery. That wouldn't have been possible in 1967 when he was all of nine years old!).

The reason I doubt the text has altered is because it is so old fashioned in its statements and examples. His talk about an 'all-boy' phase reads as if he was basing his experience on 1950s American high schools or single sex UK schools, but then of course he was, that was all he had to go on. His discussion on 'why' some boys don't emerge from the 'all-boy' stage and go on to heterosexuality is practically an example of out-date modish thinking that had barely moved from Freudian stupidities and the 'it's a phase' everyone goes through. Reading this rubbish in 2025 when the discourse is about gender is eye opening as a good example of how it is almost impossible, without great effort, to understand the past. It is 'another country' and 'they do 'do things differently' and understanding why that is essential.

Considering this originally came out in 1967 it is extraordinary how limited Morris's understanding of the past or other cultures was. He picks and chooses bits of 'anthropological' observation of tribal behavior in, for example, Africa or Polynesia but shows no awareness that by observing the anthropologists changes things, nor that the anthropologists 'unbiased' observations are biased by their cultural assumptions, background, education and beliefs.

That Morris believed that Prince Albert, and other German Princes, wore 'Prince Alberts' is a frightening example of how superficial his 'learning' was.

I know that real scientists had nothing but contempt for the work of Morris. It is not simply dated, as any research can be, but superficial, glib and dangerous. I wouldn't want any young person to read it because of its idiocies and prejudices. Indeed no one should approach this book except with a sever health warning.

[T-bone · Rating 2 out of 5]

My quest to read randomly has taken me to a strange place inhabited by The Naked Man. This, apparently, is the follow up to the international success, The Naked Woman, a book I thought I'd read in high school, though now I wonder if that was a different project altogether.

After the opening chapter breezes through human evolution, The Naked Man works its way down the male body, chapter by chapter, beginning with Chapter 2: "The Hair," then Chapter 3: "The Brow," Chapter 4: "The Eyes" and I think you get the idea. If you wish to skip ahead to what I think are the key distinguishing features of the male body I recommend heading straight to chapters 19 and 20.

Although if you have any insecurities concerning your own chapter 19, I would suggest skipping it altogether as there is information on average dimensions that will have you reaching for the measuring tape. Lucky for me I am a very, very secure person.

The opportunity for childish chapter 19 jokes aside, I found the book structure problematic. For one thing, the plot development is too obvious. I knew where this book was heading the whole time and the feet are no place to end a story.

For another thing, many parts of the human body seem rather the same for men and women, except maybe slightly larger in men on average. This meant that many chapters began with a few vague statements about advantages for hunting then delivered a series of anecdotes about cultural practices involving that part of the body.

You probably knew that Michael Jackson had the odd nose job in his time, but did you know that Tom Jones has also had work done? I didn't, but I do now thanks to chapter six.

While it's too early to tell if this book has changed my life, I would still hesitantly recommend it to people who are seeking additional dinner party conversation.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The male body, its structure, appearance, function and uses, is described in descending order from the top of the head to the soles of the feet.

Morris has always been one to take the less-travelled path when it comes to his work, and this one is no different. He relies on a few select researchers who tend to back up his prefered position and is certainly happy to make all sorts of suppositions and suggestions when there is nothing to back anything up.

Basic rule of thumb: if the body part in question cannot have evolved to assist the manly hunting activity, then it was obviously intended to be a sex display or an erogenous zone.

Morris ends the book with a very unique take on homosexuality which seems hare-brained if anyhting and which seems to stand in opposition to the rather liberal attitudes he takes elsewhere.

All in all, a strange little book, but entertaining nonetheless.

Rated M for frequent adult themes and medical descriptions. 3/5

[Daniel C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

One-line review:
The book lapses into hoary evo-psych bullshit just often enough to keep distracting from the otherwise potentially interesting subject matter... and that's not even touching the last chapter, which is not only terribly written, but entirely unrelated to the rest of the book to boot.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: this is a combined review for The Naked Woman and The Naked Man.

Years ago I read Desmond Morris’ The Naked Ape, an anthropological look at humanity. In scrutinizing human beings’ animal nature directly, Morris was something of a pioneer. The Naked Man and The Naked Woman borrow that title’s naming trend, and provide a study of the human body from the top of our hair to the bottom of our feet. The result is an entertaining if sometimes opinionated study that mixes biology, history, culture, and speculation. Morris begins with the top of the head and moves steadily downward, although he spends proportionately more time around the head for each subject – understandable given how many different individual subjections our heads contain. Morris typically opens by describing the section of the body in question, commenting on its variations within nature, elaborates extensively on its use in body language, and wraps up with how the body part has been regarded, used, or abused across cultures. The study of how different body parts have been decorated or mutilated in some cultures provided fascination and horror at the same time. Although Morris sometimes repeats himself across the books, it isn’t terribly noticable unless you read them back to back as I did. A bit of repetition is unavoidable to some degree, since some body parts aren’t hugely variated. Sexual differences are enormous, though, and not merely the obvious bits that we think of; there are differences in shoulder size, forearm length, eye dilation and more that make the male and female distinct, and place sex well beyond surgical erasure. Both books abound in interesting information (like the importance of spit in sealing human pacts) and speculation – like Morris’ offering that breasts draw male eyes not for their parental potential, but for their similarity to the buttocks, where male primates across species have looked for sexual-interest cues. Although our bodies, male and female, are unalterably distinct from the other, Morris does not argue that one is better than the other; the male grip may be stronger, but the female grip is more flexible. We are partners made for the other, each possessing different strengths – not rivals.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

The naked man is an interesting book with some worthwhile reading regarding historical trends in the expression of masculinity. Cultural differences in ideas of masculinity and the male form.

The books starts off well focusing on the male as part of the family unit and the evolutionary pressures that lead to the distinctive features we see in the human male to day compared to a human female. Quite a lot of the first two thirds of the book didn't really focus on the male expression of the body parts being focused on and we're more general observations about human behaviour.

Some interesting discussions where the reason why males have nipples, why the testicles are located outside the body and the long obsession with male foot size in the middle ages up until today.

The final chapter (preferences) was a very short , highly un researched take on why male homosexuality exists. The author follows one theory by Clive Bromhall based on his four classifications of human males. The theory is interesting but I imagine is not applicable or could not be applied to the majority of homosexual males around the world. Also I feel the author believes that homosexuality is a relatively new trend in the evolution of the species and that homosexuality males themselves are the counter evolution to the alpha male. This theory has too many holes in it and the author did not discuss this enough for me.

After reading the naked ape, I feel the naked woman and naked man books were unnecessary reads. The naked ape is enough of an insight into this zoologist's theories or observations of the species from his point of view. There is nothing in the naked man that you could not find out about with a quick Wikipedia search.

[Isra · Rating 5 out of 5]

La verdad es que me quedé encantado al igual que con el primero, considero, si es que vas a leer estos libros, comiences por el de La Mujer Desnuda porque contiene cosas que en cierta medida de obvian en esta parte siendo que se habló en el anteorior texto.
Me gusta mucho cómo es la invetigación y la indagación en tanto el mundo de la psicología evolutiva y cómo es que el ser humano funciona, incluso en la sociedad actual, en donde, muchas de las cosas que nuestros ancestros hacían, actualmente se presentan pero de maneras más refinadas o simbólicas. Si te interesa este tipo de conocimiento, pues, El Hombre Desnudo de Desmond Morris es algo que no puede faltar en tu librero.

[Edith Wasco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es un libro interesante, con mucha información y datos curiosos, pero es altamente especulativo y comparado con otros libros de Morris (El zoo humano y El Mono Desnudo) no es muy bueno. A pesar de todo, cosas buenas aquí y allá sí las tiene.

[Makomai · Rating 2 out of 5]

come scoprii che le mie figlie non sono figlie di mia moglie

Ho sempre amato Desmond Morris. Trovo i suoi libri intelligenti e ben scritti. Ma ho anche sempre avuto una remora: il suo evoluzionismo mi e’ sempre sembrato troppo speculativo e poco attento alle meccaniche genetiche. Sospettavo fosse dovuto alla sua formazione, ma… come si puo’ conciliare il mio amore per Morris con lo spettacolare errore a pag 52, che dimostra che non ha capito i meccanismi base dell’ereditarieta’? Parlando dell’orecchio Morris scrive: “the gene for free lobes is dominant and the gene for attached lobes is recessive. What this means is that, if both your parents have free lobes, you will also have free lobes and if one of your parents has free lobes and one has attached lobes, you will also have free lobes. You will only have attached lobes if both your parents have them”. Non contento di confondere genotipo e fenotipo, non pago di evocare un “gene per” il lobo pendulo (quando ancora non si e’ sicuri che esista una tal cosa), non consapevole neanche – apparentemente – dell’esistenza e del ruolo degli alleli, va oltre affermando: “the genetic earlobe difference means that, if a woman with attached earlobes is married to a husband with free earlobes and she gives birth to a child with attached earlobes, her husband cannot be the father of that child. Evidence of this kind can be useful in disputed paternity cases”. Ora, capita che io abbia i lobi attaccati e mia moglie li abbia penduli. La nostra prima figlia ha le orecchie come le mie e la seconda le ha come la madre. Peccato che secondo il ragionamento di Morris non sarebbe in discussione la paternita’ della mia prima figlia, ma la sua maternita’!!! (ero presente al parto e posso giurare che Lavinia e’ figlia di mia moglie). In effetti, dato che in realta’ e’ l’allele “lobo pendulo” (supposto che esista un singolo allele che codifichi tale tratto) ad essere dominante sull’allele “lobo attaccato” (determinando quindi il fenotipo), e considerato che la meiosi e’ un processo ricombinatorio, l’unica certezza e’ che da due genitori con lobi attaccati non puo’ nascere un figlio con lobi penduli. Del resto, analogamente, il mondo e’ pieno di bambini con gli occhi azzurri (carattere recessivo) figli di coppie in cui non necessariamente entrambi i genitori hanno la stessa caratteristica… (tanto per fare un altro caso personale, anche per tali circostanze Morris negherebbe la maternita’ delle mie due figlie, le quali hanno entrambe gli occhi azzurri come i miei, quando la madre li ha castani!!!).
Il libro, inoltre, e' di una banalita' che spesso sfocia nell'aneddotica. Grande delusione!

[Alperen · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Naked Man" is a highly extensively researched book which explains the male form in excruciating detail. Desmond Morris separates the body into parts and inquires into each in their own respect. As far as non-fiction goes it provokes great thought by not just being a documentation that uploads information to you-at times it urges you to take pauses and consider.

Morris displays a vast amount of knowledge of human history, customs, various cultures and biological treatises. Each new chapter of the book will leave you in awe due to the amount of obvious countless hours of research that they require. It is one of those pieces of work where you have a vague idea of what you are getting into at the beginning and are left surprised with how much more it had to actually offer. Reading "The Naked Man" might be a life saver in certain travelling situations and help you finally make sense of weird cultural niches you have seen around the world.

One short coming "The Naked Man" has is it is full of apriori assumptions that are not really supported by any tangible evidence, the book is brimming with suggestions that are not much better than simple guesswork. Yes, the extensive research and facts are present, however the interpretations of many of the subjects seems at times mere waffle. This is what pretty much breaks the book. Having the potential to become something beautiful and respectable, it decreases its quality and makes the content overall cheaper.

In conclusion, "The Naked Man" is a solid non-fiction book that harbors colorful knowledge about pretty much anything human related. However, the unprofessionalism in the interpretations and suggestions makes it an inferior alternative in comparison to other anthropological works on the market.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A day or so ago, I finished reading the "The Naked Woman" and couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. I wanted to know would there be stark differences between the male and female gender, specifically the perception of ideal bodies? Pretty soon I found the answer to my question; there were no photos in the book at all. NIL. I do not blame Desmond for that; I blame our societies and their distorted perception of female as nothing but a sexual body. For example, undue pressure is put on a female to accessorise and perfect every part of her body whereas all a male has to do is accentuate his physical strength. I did not have to read Desmond's book to know these gross standards; I have grown up with this bias in standard of beauty. No... the reason I was excited to read this book was because I hoped that there was research proving otherwise..that history proved otherwise. I was WRONG. Some of the unrealistic beliefs held today have been adopted from societies as early as the 16th century and continue to be adopted even at the price of death. I am in 100% agreement with Desmond when he says "We should cherish our differences and not try to smother them. And we should put behind us, once and for all, the rigid beliefs and ancient bigotries that demand that we should all think the same way, look the same way and behave the same way. Variety is not just the spice of life, it is the very food of life".

[Rory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Highly speculative. Largely consists of the author's own pseudo-scientific musings.

Good idea for coffee-table book, but lacking substance for anyone interested in a serious approach to why a male body is the way it is.

[Ram Kishor Poddar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book along with another book in the same line " The naked Women" to get a wholesome picture. "The Naked Women" was written before this book and referances have been revised. As i stated in the review of "The Naked women" this too is an absolute masterpiece and a must read.

[Selena Stan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea behind the book is interesting but the style is somehow boring. Unclear sources of information which cast a question mark on the validity of various parts of the book. Got bored after the first 4-5 chapters and gave up on reading...

[Seda Baykal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Türkçe baskısı NTV yayınlarında "Çıplak Adam" ismi ile mevcut. Erkek cinsiyetini biyolojik fizyolojik ve sosyolojik açıdan inceleyen kolay okunur bilimsel içerik. (Aynı yazarın The naked woman: The study of the woman body adlı kitabı da mevcut fakat okumadım.)

[RUI BARRETO SOUSA · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to read

A fine collection of facts bound to astound readers of a very ample range. It's easy to read and not at all boring. I have read other books by the author and I must say that this one improved my knowledge of the matter. The author deal masterfully with the theme.

[Wendy Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly dated despite only being published in 2008, has so much changed? His take on homosexuality at the end of the book is a tad bizarre.

It's an interesting and occasionally amusing book but it hasn't really stood the test of time.

[Shannon Vyff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Desmond Morris's latest book, published 08--he is prescient as always and it gives so much more meaning and breadth to his monumental work now, having read The Naked Ape, as a teen.

[Florence Buchholz]

Desmond Morris always has an amusing analysis and he doesn't disappoint in this book. I learned the insulting, obscene hand gestures from many different countries.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un libro interesante al que le gusta saber cosas curiosas del cuerpo humano.

[Beth (bibliobeth)]

Excellent book for anyone who is interested in the human body and how it works. Complete guide from hair to buttocks to feet! Brilliant ancedotes and useless information also. Worth a read!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining and interesting mix of facts, urban legends presented as fact, and speculation about the human male body, each chapter covering a different body part.

[Ala'a Al jazaeri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives you a perspective of the reproduction power and it's effect on how our body functions

[Deborah Vespo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took home from work when I read a few interesting passages. Not as scientific as I thought it would be.

[Arturo Rubio Beltran · Rating 3 out of 5]

The First chapter is a de light, then the Next ones become repetitivo and tedious, but in general it is a good book.