Which is all well and good, but that much was covered in the OP. The subject was not why do we wear clothing, rather, why are we ashamed to be seen without it.
There is one theory that the naked human body is a flashing neon sign of sexual signals and that this threatens pair bonding which led to covering up and therefore being shamed into adopting cultural norms.
But that’s the same question, isn’t it? If we do something, we do it because we think it’s the right thing to do, which means that not doing it is wrong. That’s just how the human mind works.
I don’t know. There are plenty of things that we do for fun notional reassert next that we don’t feel shame for not doing.
So people from northern climes (i.e., lighter folk are more intelligence/consciousness) than people from tropic climes (i.e., browner folk)???
Nah, doesn’t sound racist at all. Clearly climate has nothing to do with it. :dubious:
What about the basic idea that this shame comes from simple non-compliance with societal norms? (Unless I am missing the real question of why this is a societal norm)
I wouldn’t make a quick trip to the convenience store with my hair messed up like Nick Nolte in his mug shot. There is nothing illegal about having uncombed hair in public. But society has conditioned me to have a minimum of pride in my appearance even in a non-professional situation like grabbing a half gallon of milk that my wife SWORE she bought at the store yesterday.
Likewise I think the fact that society has society has said that I shouldn’t go to the convenience store with my dick flopping around visible to all and God is an even greater societal faux pas (not to mention areas where that could subject me to arrest) and my shame comes from not complying with this universal and basic societal condition.
I think that md2000 has the right of it of why society has imposed these conditions. That’s not to say that the societal conditions are perfect or even largely right, but the universality of human beings not walking around in the nude says that there is something to that belief and that society hasn’t just been oppressing people with clothing since antiquity.
What do you mean “not climactically necessary”?
Even if the temperature is perfect, those bits are delicate.
Sunburn, flies, running through tall grass, all could have very unpleasant repercussions if you are not covered.
For that matter, have you ever experienced (or seen, if you are not male) what happens if a relaxed naked male sits on a flat surface? 1 in about 8 chance of sitting ON your nuts!
There is a very, very, very good reason why slobs sit around in their underwear, not in the nude.
I think that the need for some form of genital clothing results from our uniquely upright stance + relative lack of protective fur.
As for the morality/shame factor?
If the environment strongly encourages covered genitals, and everyone has covered genitals, and you have been raised to consider uncovered genitals shameful, then of course you will feel ashamed when naked.
But, as noted, it’s not universal. It’s near-universal in advanced societies. Not so much in more primitive ones. The primitive ones probably are more indicative of whether something is part of our nature, as a species, or whether it is learned behavior, depending on culture.
If you went around all the time with your testicles swinging about like a true scotsman, you would learn how to not sit on your nuts. Sitting down while wearing a kilt, or toga, or tunic, or, really, even boxers, does not protect your coinpurse from being sat upon, except that once you do, you learn how to sit without crushing your juevos. If anything, the vulva probably calls for a bit more protection when sitting, which is why most nudists carry a towel around.
I think that is nitpickery. We can point to primitive societies that practice incest, cannibalism, or polygamy, but those are the extreme minority. There are people in first world societies that dance in strip clubs or live in nudist colonies and are not ashamed of nudity. That doesn’t really speak to the OP and the implication that the large and widespread taboo against it is generally applicable and why we are ashamed of it.
Some of these responses would be like asking why I should be ashamed of eating my dead grandmother for Thanksgiving dinner when some tribes in Papua New Guinea are perfectly fine with it.
You should really be ashamed of eating her if she is not yet dead.
Missed the edit window: I think it is more accurate to say that these extreme minority of societies who go against established taboos are acting upon their cultural norms which have overcome the basic norms against those activities.
Except if they offered him a codpiece, that meant that they had a division between nude and not-nude: the genitals had to be covered. They still had a nudity taboo, just defined it differently.
No, it’s not. It’s science (anthropology). But you don’t need to travel to some remote area to see this. Young children have no shame running around naked. They learn not to do this as they are culturalized.
They are the minority now.
Exactly. It’s a cultural norm either way. If you grew up thinking it was respectful, you’d have no problem with it.
Having been in that situation, it’s more to keep the chair you’re sitting from being… marked. That’s why both sexes do it.
Right. So the answer to the question of “What is the scientific explanation for people being ashamed of nudity?” is that because such a thing is culturally unacceptable, people are ashamed to be seen in the nude.
Much like in my example when yesterday I had to run to the store to get the milk that my wife “purchased” before but presumably the grocery bag ate it. Before leaving, I went to the bathroom, splashed water on my face, and combed my hair. Why? There is no law that says one cannot be in public with mussed hair and the store would not have barred me for it.
I combed my hair because society expects people to take a reasonable amount of pride in their appearance when they go in public. I don’t want other shoppers to whisper and point and make fun of me. The same goes double if my tally whacker is flopping around the dairy case.
Ooo, that would be cold!
Couldn’t have said it better if I’d posted several times.
Climactically necessary… nobody argues that Inuit or Laplanders are avoiding nudity mainly because of shame. But almost every society I’m aware of, even in the tropics, wear some minimal clothing; and when they do, their primary covering is to cover the genitals. In the Wikipedia nudity article linked, almost ever depiction included covering the genitals. (Except for the modern day exhibitionist).