Last year, while I was laid up at home with a broken pelvis, my friend made jokes about my acting like Jimmy Stewart did in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. It’s true that when you have nothing better to do than to stare out the window, you do begin to concoct elaborate storylines for the lives of all the neighbors that pass by.

My accident also had me trapped during the hottest part of the summer. I can certainly say that heat does tend to drive people to distraction. Normally modest folks-next-door wear less and less clothing while venturing onto balconies or in front of windows not visible from ground level but hardly private from my invalid’s perch

Obviously, the guys bared more than female compatriots in the neighborhood did. One dude from across the way seemed to be rather bold about stepping onto his balcony in nothing but tight white boxer briefs. Granted he seemed slightly enamored with himself judging from his strut. At least, his self-love seemed to involve a regular fitness regime so for some he mightn’t have seemed completely delusional displaying himself so freely.

How common is my neighbor’s or my own behavior? According to The Local (Swedish news in English) (08/17/06), researcher Nikklas Langström of Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute along with a Canadian colleague interviewed 2450 randomly chosen Swedes both men and women ranging in age from 18-60. From that group, 1996 agreed to answer varied questions on sexuality and health.

One in eight Swedish men and one in 25 Swedish women admit to sexual arousal while secretly spying on sexual acts. Meanwhile, one in 20 men and about two percent of women admit to exhibitionist behavior at some point in their lives. Therefore, I guess it more normal than expected as these were average people instead of patients seeking treatment as have been used in previous studies.

Not counting the gym-bred specimen from last year, my problem with anytime that I’ve seen a flasher is that they’re never quite so fine. The last time I saw inappropriate sexual behavior in public, involved a middle-aged Indian man who masturbated through his corduroys while staring at me.