--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Exhibitionism and a nervous wish for…" description: "\"Exhibitionism and a nervous wish for concealment, for anonymity, thus battle inside the buyer of any piece of clothing.\" — Elizabeth Bowen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/elizabeth-bowen-1197_anonymity_exhibitionism-and-a-nervous-wish-for-con_3092643.png" --- # Exhibitionism and a nervous wish for concealment, for… ![“Exhibitionism and a nervous wish for concealment, for anonymity, thus battle inside the buyer of any piece of clothing.” quote by Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/elizabeth-bowen-1197_anonymity_exhibitionism-and-a-nervous-wish-for-con_3092643.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/elizabeth-bowen-1197_anonymity_exhibitionism-and-a-nervous-wish-for-con_3092643.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/elizabeth-bowen-1197_anonymity_exhibitionism-and-a-nervous-wish-for-con_3092643.png) > “Exhibitionism and a nervous wish for concealment, for anonymity, thus battle inside the buyer of any piece of clothing.” [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The desire for exhibitionism conflicts with a wish for anonymity, creating inner tension when choosing clothing. **In simple terms:** Wanting attention yet hiding creates inner conflict. Key Takeaway Balance self-expression with comfort. Themes identity self‑presentation anxiety fashion Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - shopping - wardrobe decisions - public appearance Key Concepts psychology social behavior Questions to Reflect On - Why do you feel the need to hide? - How does clothing affect your confidence? A Different Perspective Societal pressure may limit authentic self. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anonymity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anonymity/) [Anonymity Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anonymity-battle-5324889/) [Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle/) [Buyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buyers/) [Clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes/) [Clothings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothings/) [Concealment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concealment/) [Exhibitionism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhibitionism/) [Exhibitionism Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhibitionism-nervous-5324887/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Wish Concealment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish-concealment-5324888/) ## Related quotes > [“Often, her mate is the child of a narcissist, already indoctrinated to regard exploitation and disregard as love. Others lured by the narcissistic aura…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elan-golomb/often-her-mate-is-the-child-of-a-narcissist-already-indoctrinated-to/) [Elan Golomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elan-golomb/) > [Exhibitionism is like a drug. Hooked in adolescence I was now taking doses so massive they would have killed a novice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/exhibitionism-is-like-a-drug-hooked-in-adolescence-i-was-now-taking/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Most of the writers I know are weird hybrids. There's a strong streak of egomania coupled with extreme shyness. Writing's kind of like exhibitionism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/most-of-the-writers-i-know-are-weird-hybrids-there-s-a-strong-streak/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Jazz should be much less about stress on technical exhibitionism and much more on emotional content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-little/jazz-should-be-much-less-about-stress-on-technical-exhibitionism-and/) [Booker Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-little/) > [The night club had a curious and diverse appeal. To some it was a sex-exciter. To others, frequenting a night club and throwing away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-walker/the-night-club-had-a-curious-and-diverse-appeal-to-some-it-was-a-sex/) [Stanley Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-walker/) > [I have a problem with the blatant celebrity exhibitionism that happens in this business and being sold purely as a brand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-patric/i-have-a-problem-with-the-blatant-celebrity-exhibitionism-that/) [Jason Patric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-patric/) > [“Emotional exhibitionism is one block away from whoring for attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walsh/emotional-exhibitionism-is-one-block-away-from-whoring-for-attention/) [Alice Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walsh/) > [I'm an actor by choice and I love facing the camera. There's a little bit of exhibitionism in all of us. We like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharmila-tagore/i-m-an-actor-by-choice-and-i-love-facing-the-camera-there-s-a-little/) [Sharmila Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharmila-tagore/) > [Luxury is obviously the direction that interests me the most, but there is a lot of confusion between luxury and exhibitionism. For me, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-armani/luxury-is-obviously-the-direction-that-interests-me-the-most-but/) [Giorgio Armani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-armani/) > [The much-vaunted sex appeal of American women is drawn from films, reviews and pin-ups, and is in large print fictitious. A recent medical survey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/the-much-vaunted-sex-appeal-of-american-women-is-drawn-from-films/) [Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/) > [The left-wing Democrats will represent the party of total hedonism, total exhibitionism, total bizarreness, total weirdness, and the total right to cripple innocent people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/the-left-wing-democrats-will-represent-the-party-of-total-hedonism/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [You go to someone and you think, 'I'll tell him this.' But why? The impulse is that the telling is going to relieve you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-go-to-someone-and-you-think-i-ll-tell-him-this-but-why-the/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [All my movies have an autobiographical dimension, but that is indirectly, through the characters. In fact I am behind everything that happens and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-almodovar/all-my-movies-have-an-autobiographical-dimension-but-that-is/) [Pedro Almodovar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-almodovar/) > [The laws and the stage, both are a form of exhibitionism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/the-laws-and-the-stage-both-are-a-form-of-exhibitionism/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [As you probably know, I'm often accused of intellectual exhibitionism and all forms of elitism. Although I can understand this point of view, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/as-you-probably-know-i-m-often-accused-of-intellectual-exhibitionism/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) ## More by Elizabeth Bowen > [Temperamentally, the writer exists on happenings, on contacts, conflicts, action and reaction, speed, pressure, tension. Were he acontemplative purely, he would not write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/temperamentally-the-writer-exists-on-happenings-on-contacts-conflicts/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [“Are you really an orphan? Yes, I am, said Portia a shade shortly. Are you? No, not at present, but I suppose it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/are-you-really-an-orphan-yes-i-am-said-portia-a-shade-shortly-are-you/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [It is not our exalted feelings, it is our sentiments that build the necessary home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/it-is-not-our-exalted-feelings-it-is-our-sentiments-that-build-the/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [Every love has a poetic relevance of its own; each love brings to light only what to it is relevant. Outside lies the junk-yard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/every-love-has-a-poetic-relevance-of-its-own-each-love-brings-to/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [without fiction, either life would be insufficient or the winds from the north would blow too cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/without-fiction-either-life-would-be-insufficient-or-the-winds-from/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [One's sentiments -- call them that -- one's fidelities are so instinctive that one hardly knows they exist: only when they are betrayed or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/one-s-sentiments-call-them-that-one-s-fidelities-are-so-instinctive/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [Only in a house where one has learnt to be lonely does one have this solicitude for things. One's relation to them, the daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/only-in-a-house-where-one-has-learnt-to-be-lonely-does-one-have-this/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [To walk into history is to be free at once, to be at large among people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/to-walk-into-history-is-to-be-free-at-once-to-be-at-large-among-people/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [The wish to lead out one's lover must be a tribal feeling; the wish to be seen as loved is part of one's self-respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/the-wish-to-lead-out-one-s-lover-must-be-a-tribal-feeling-the-wish-to/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [Convention was our safeguard: could one have stronger?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/convention-was-our-safeguard-could-one-have-stronger/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [“First love, with its frantic haughty imagination, swings its object clear of the everyday, over the rut of living, making him all looks, silences,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/first-love-with-its-frantic-haughty-imagination-swings-its-object/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [to leap is not only to leap, it is to hit the ground somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/to-leap-is-not-only-to-leap-it-is-to-hit-the-ground-somewhere/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [That is partly why women marry - to keep up the fiction of being in the hub of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/that-is-partly-why-women-marry-to-keep-up-the-fiction-of-being-in-the/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [“But Miss Pym gave an impression, somehow, of having been attacked from within .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/but-miss-pym-gave-an-impression-somehow-of-having-been-attacked-from/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [rudeness to Mrs. Dosely was like dropping a pat of butter on to a hot plate - it slid and melted away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/rudeness-to-mrs-dosely-was-like-dropping-a-pat-of-butter-on-to-a-hot/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) [Explore all 275 Elizabeth Bowen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) ## More Anonymity quotes > [For me, getting comfortable with being famous was hard - that whole side of it, the loss of anonymity, the loss of privacy. Giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/for-me-getting-comfortable-with-being-famous-was-hard-that-whole-side/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [I value my anonymity. I'm happy to come in on the tube or the train and watch other people reading 'Fifty Shades.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/i-value-my-anonymity-i-m-happy-to-come-in-on-the-tube-or-the-train/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [For many people in the west, Afghanistan is synonymous with the Soviet war and the Taliban. I wanted to remind people that Afghans had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/for-many-people-in-the-west-afghanistan-is-synonymous-with-the-soviet/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Way before Watergate, senior administration officials hid behind anonymity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-woodward/way-before-watergate-senior-administration-officials-hid-behind/) [Bob Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-woodward/) > [The internet's perfect for all manner of things, but productive discussion ain't one of them. It provides scant room for debate and infinite opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brooker/the-internet-s-perfect-for-all-manner-of-things-but-productive/) [Charlie Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brooker/) > [Both multiplayer games and online forums have this property of virtual anonymity. Other people can't really see you; they don't really know who you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sweeney/both-multiplayer-games-and-online-forums-have-this-property-of/) [Tim Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sweeney/) > [People feel they can say nasty things and have anonymity behind the net - as they did with all the nasty comments about me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-roberts/people-feel-they-can-say-nasty-things-and-have-anonymity-behind-the/) [Nicola Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-roberts/) > [Anonymity would be a fantastic umbrella. I don't like intrusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anonymity-would-be-a-fantastic-umbrella-i-don-t-like-intrusion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wouldn't want to even try to begin to describe our customer, as I think she likes a certain amount of anonymity. I try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-philo/i-wouldn-t-want-to-even-try-to-begin-to-describe-our-customer-as-i/) [Phoebe Philo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-philo/) > [Most members of Gamergate, the alt-right movement best known for harassing women in the game industry, operate under a veil of anonymity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-wu/most-members-of-gamergate-the-alt-right-movement-best-known-for/) [Brianna Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-wu/) > [I came from anonymity, and I will continue to write as a private pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-came-from-anonymity-and-i-will-continue-to-write-as-a-private/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) > [The problem with losing your anonymity is that you can never go back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marla-maples/the-problem-with-losing-your-anonymity-is-that-you-can-never-go-back/) [Marla Maples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marla-maples/) > [Human beings are not meant to lose their anonymity and privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-chalke/human-beings-are-not-meant-to-lose-their-anonymity-and-privacy/) [Sarah Chalke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-chalke/) > [Privacy is important to me. But it's not just about sticking two fingers up and saying I don't want anyone to know my business.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/privacy-is-important-to-me-but-it-s-not-just-about-sticking-two/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [Anonymity, in some cases a key civil liberty, also enables society's worst actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wil-wheaton/anonymity-in-some-cases-a-key-civil-liberty-also-enables-society-s/) [Wil Wheaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wil-wheaton/) [Browse all 285 Anonymity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anonymity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Exhibitionism and a nervous wish for concealment, for anonymity, thus battle inside the buyer of any piece of clothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Bowen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/exhibitionism-and-a-nervous-wish-for-concealment-for-anonymity-thus/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anonymity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/exhibitionism-and-a-nervous-wish-for-concealment-for-anonymity-thus/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/elizabeth-bowen-1197_anonymity_exhibitionism-and-a-nervous-wish-for-con_3092643.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/elizabeth-bowen-1197_anonymity_exhibitionism-and-a-nervous-wish-for-con_3092643.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/elizabeth-bowen-1197_anonymity_exhibitionism-and-a-nervous-wish-for-con_3092643.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Exhibitionism and a nervous wish for concealment, for anonymity, thus battle inside the buyer of any piece…” — Elizabeth Bowen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elizabeth Bowen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Exhibitionism and a nervous wish for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/exhibitionism-and-a-nervous-wish-for-concealment-for-anonymity-thus/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/exhibitionism-and-a-nervous-wish-for-concealment-for-anonymity-thus/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```