Until recently, it was generally understood that attractive people might expose themselves and unattractive people would keep a lid on it, cultivating other meritorious qualities such as kindness or spite. But recent years have seen the rise of bogus “body positivism” (if you were positive about your body, you wouldn’t want it to expire early from the side effects of morbid obesity) and fallacious “fat activism” (if you were active, you wouldn’t be fat).

As an attempt to redress the prejudice against fat people as being thick and lazy, the movement (or lack of thereof) has fallen somewhat short. This isn’t a struggle (except to get into a size twenty) as we used to understand it — standing on picket lines in the pouring rain helping the wretched of the earth to get a living wage.

Rather, fat activism means being an over-privileged and under-employed blue-hair sitting on your big fat bum and swearing at naysayers on the internet while a gaggle of similarly chunky girlfriends call you “Kween!” …

But when unattractive people strip off for strangers, it’s as cringe as seeing someone who can’t sing going on the X Factor. Which brings us to Sam Smith.

[David Niven got this right nearly 50 years ago at the Oscars after a streaker ran across the stage. “Isn’t it fascinating to think,” Niven quipped, “that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?” And yet, many others with shortcomings (and overcomings) seem determined to show them off, largely for some social-media plaudits for ‘bravery.’ How brave is it to take clothes off in this day and age, though? Seems braver to keep them on. — Ed]