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In the present society, there's a certain discomfort associated with nudity. And the reason for the discomfort is obviously not just the untimely and unwelcome sexual arousal it might lead to.

If we go back in history long enough, we will reach an era where this was not the case. For example, when clothes weren't even invented, of course nudity was completely normal.

Somewhere in the middle, this transition happened. When exactly did nudity become uncomfortable and why?

My hypothesis:

Clothes were invented for the practical reason of protecting oneself from severe weather. But then people with more resources started wearing more and more sophisticated clothes until it become a means of signalling high status. Thus no clothes started being associated with very low status and hence the discomfort.

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This is more a question of anthropology than history. Prehistoric humans almost certainly wore some kind of clothing; outside tropical climates, clothing is a physical necessity for most of the year. – choster Sep 4 '12 at 5:03
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The answer to this probably lies in the development of "morality." Also, to imply that this is a universal cultural norm seems narrow. There are groups of people who don't find nudity uncomfortable (e.g.: African tribes with women that don't cover their breasts). Since mores differ between cultures, the level of acceptance of nudity also varies. – SocioMatt Sep 4 '12 at 13:00
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@choster Anthropology can be considered a sub component of history. :–) – E1Suave Sep 4 '12 at 22:46
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@e1suave Don't tell that to any historians or anthropologists. :-) – choster Sep 6 '12 at 0:12

closed as off topic by choster, Tom Au, Steven Drennon♦ Sep 10 '12 at 14:14

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