Wow, this post is fantastic. Everyone here had put forth interesting points. Although I had pondered over this question since my childhood, I never found so many points. I really had to disagree with puberty because other primates also go through it and they don’t feel the need to cover themselves. Kudos to Mesosmagnet for managing this topic well and making sure people stayed with the agenda.

Since school days they say we clothe ourselves to protect ourselves and to cover our shyness. I had always disagreed with cover our shyness. Like Mesosmagnet, I felt that human had no reasons to be shy about their genitals. In the western world people have no qualms about being in the nude in public baths. In Malaysia we see some who don’t care too much about being in the nude but some would be more comfortable with a towel wrapped around. Nonetheless the famous prehistoric loincloth could prove that covering the genitals was a reason for clothing.

Of late I was convinced that it was a biological need to clothe ourselves. A full meal can last 6 hours but I doubt we can stay under the sun for that long without feeling the itch when it begins to scorch our skins. I began to see clothing as portable shelter. Unlike other animals we are not blessed with furs to protect our skins. Like us pigs don’t have fur to protect themselves. This explains why they splash themselves in mud when expose to the sun. Pigs in sheltered commercial farms don’t “play” with mud.

In due time humans figured out that they needed fur to protect their skin. Of all places, our genital is the most sensitive part. Lo and behold, the loincloth became one of the first inventions. Over the span of time culture, religion, status and all the other points mentioned here became part of the reason why we wear clothes.

Alex Kos,

If you read the first post, TS said to keep religion out of the issue. We are using reason to explore why we clothes ourselves.

I am sure TS will not disput that we wear clothes because the bible say so. You find in other threads that the TS does bible study with family. TS want to explore the logic for wearinng clothes. I hope you read before you post next time.