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why do humans wear clothes?

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
That does seem ridiculous though. We kill animals for food, leather, fat and so on. There's no difference.

Talk to the lawmakers about it.

As it stands it suits me, you have a different view. While i can understand your view i feel wearing animal fur as a fashion statement is wrong.
 

Rival

se Dex me saut.
Staff member
Premium Member
Talk to the lawmakers about it.

As it stands it suits me, you have a different view. While i can understand your view i feel wearing animal fur as a fashion statement is wrong.
I certainly wouldn't consider it for a fashion statement.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
I certainly wouldn't consider it for a fashion statement.

Unless you are living off grid fur is a fashion statement.

Yes north Yorkshire is pretty off grid ;-) but you aren't there now...
 

Rival

se Dex me saut.
Staff member
Premium Member
Unless you are living off grid fur is a fashion statement.

Yes north Yorkshire is pretty off grid ;-) but you aren't there now...
I would wear it because it's one of the toughest, best, most natural materials around. It will last a lot longer than any other coat I could buy. It would be the best value for momey.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
Why exactly is it that it is inappropriate to go about public spaces in the nude?

* Because many people have not been properly raised to accept the human body as a real thing that no one should feel scared or ashamed of.

* As a particular of the previous item: because there are many people who have actually been taught to perceive nakedness as a trigger of sorts for rude and wrong behaviour of various forms.

* Because many parents have somehow been convinced that the best way of teaching their children about the human body and sexuality is by way of neglect.


Why do humans wear clothes when there is no need to keep warm or dry?

Cleanliness is a big reason. Clothes help in keeping dirt, grease, sand and all kinds of other contaminants (even living ones such as insects and very small animals) apart from our bodies. They may also protect from abrasion, chemical irritants and temperatures that might prove unconfortable or harmful.

There are also vanity and the wish to express our senses of aesthetics, as well as to change and express how attractive and sexualized we want to be or to avoid being.


What's wrong with everyone seeing each others genitals?

Many people are sensitive and self-conscious about the specific apperance of their own genitals, out of modesty or insecurity.

Many people are accustommed to perceiving the permission to see other people's genitals as at least a hint of sexual invitation. Of course, it is very easy to be mistaken on that particular.

Also, there are specific changes in the human body that may happen for various reasons, among them sexual excitation. Most people want to have some measure of control over how obvious those changes are for the people nearby, mainly to avoid both correct and incorrect interpretations of the causes of those changes.


Why is it inappropriate to be naked?

It isn't always, of course. But if you have no control over who might be peeking, then it probably is.


There must have been a point when it wasn't..... so what changed?

Access to furs, textiles and other fabrics changed along time. So did awareness of the possibility of wearing clothes and the consequences of doing so. Clothes are also often significant in rituals of social status.

And why is the desire to be clothed rather than nude such a strong and powerful one?

It really isn't always. Many, many people would be naked more often if they had the choice.
 
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9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
It's dry if you stay inside

And warm if you have the heating on and/or wear warm clothes whilst being inside!

If you're wearing warm clothes, then you're wearing clothes. ;)

Until around my grandparents' era, staying indoors in climate-controlled spaces all the time wasn't even possible.

These days, it's still only a portion of the population for whom this would work. Most people still have to worry about sunburn/heat stroke, cold, getting scraped by bushes, keeping ticks off their skin, etc., etc.

IMO, the option of nudism is a luxury and a relatively recent innovation, which is why society hasn't really adapted to accommodate it.
 

Glaurung

Denizen of Niflheim
Why exactly is it that it is inappropriate to go about public spaces in the nude?
What is and is not appropriate in regard to clothing (or the lack of it) is culturally determined. It is simply a reality of most human cultures. My personal theory is that the wearing of clothes developed as a means of protection against the elements. Once a culture gets into the habit of wearing clothes a sense of modesty develops as nakedness becomes associated with vulnerability and sex.

Why do humans wear clothes when there is no need to keep warm or dry?
Because most cultures inculcate a requirement to be clothed in public.

What's wrong with everyone seeing each others genitals?
In and of itself, nothing. There is nothing inherently shameful about our genitals or any other part of our bodies. To feel shame over being seen or seeing others naked is an artifact of culture. There is no rational reason for it beyond the culture being what the culture is.

Why is it inappropriate to be naked?
No culture claims that it is always inappropriate to be naked.

There must have been a point when it wasn't..... so what changed?
See my first answer. You will notice that cultures that traditionally required little or even no clothing were located in hot parts of the world. That is why I think clothing started as a mostly Eurasian thing. Places where you would die without some protection.

And why is the desire to be clothed rather than nude such a strong and powerful one?
I don't think nudity should be considered as anything shameful or embarrassing. I think Anglo-American culture (of which Australia is a part) should frankly grow up and realize that seeing breasts and pee-pee parts is not a big deal.

That said if you're going to a shop or a café or whatnot, then I think you should be clothed. I don't want to deal with potential bodily fluids near my table or my train seat. But I would be perfectly confortable with a culture where going to the beach or the pool naked becomes normal if not expected. Places where it makes sense not to be wearing anything.
 
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mangalavara

सो ऽहम्
Premium Member
It's My Birthday!
Why exactly is it that it is inappropriate to go about public spaces in the nude?

It’s not so much inappropriate as it is non-protective. If the Soviets were to launch a nuclear missile at us, the fire would burn off our skin unless we were wearing clothes.

There must have been a point when it wasn't..... so what changed?

For centuries, people everywhere were nude all the time, and they only wore clothes for portraits and photographs. Ever since the Cold War, we all have been wearing clothes all the time for warmth and protection.

You can trust what I say because I have my own facts. :p
 

☆Dreamwind☆

Active Member
Go out in a snowstorm, a bramble patch, or a desert in the heat of summer, bare-booty naked for about 5 minutes. (Would highly reccomend not getting caught by the coppers.) That tells you the why.

We have also learned to wear clothes and other adornments to attract mates and look good for ourselves. I'm sure cave people were adorning themselves with pretty flowers, feathers, shells and rocks, as well as making special clothes from animals that differed from the norm.

To make statements, be identifiable in our profession, protect ourselves from man-made hazards.

Also, it is rather unsanitary. Would you want someone's muddy bare feet on your floor? Or their unwashed cheeks plunking themselves down onto a chair that the general public uses?

Historically speaking, I'm not sure when and which societies decided to start talking about shame and guilt for those running around nekkie.
 
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