Scientists have a general idea about when humans started wearing clothes. They draw their conclusions from genetic studies of the common body louse. The body louse feeds on humans but needs clothing to infest in order to do so. Studies show that humans began wearing clothing around 72,000 years ago. That’s roughly 42,000 years old, so it’s not exactly identified. Humans have existed in their current form, homo sapiens, for about 200,000 years, so the figures show that it is most likely that for more than half the existence of our species, we were all nudists. A nudist is, of course, a person who does not wear clothes.
In those early days, most humans lived in hot climates and there is some indication that they were much hairier than they are today. It was only when they began to migrate to colder climates that clothing was first worn and even then it was not modesty but warmth that was the motivation. Even when we were civilized and in the time of recorded history, the attitude towards nudism was very different. In ancient Greece, for example, the habit of nudity was so common that even our word, gymnasium, comes from the Greek word gymnos, which means naked. This was because nudity at sporting events was common and accepted. Nudism as a cultural problem exists only in a few primitive and scattered tribes in the Amazon basin or remote Pacific islands and these few that remain are under relentless pressure to dress.
Today, in so-called nude colonies, or nude resorts, people selectively remove most of their clothing. This has given rise to some myths about nudity or naturalism, as it is sometimes called. One of those myths is that nudity is immoral. The reason is considered sexual in nature. It can be considered erotic or pornographic, but still sexual. In fact, nudists do not see themselves as voyeurs, people who have a lewd interest in seeing naked bodies, or exhibitionists, people who have a lewd interest in being seen naked. In fact, the truth is that most nudists see it as a natural state and our purest form. They claim that we are born naked, so how can it be bad to be naked? They also extol the health benefits. Exposure to sunlight is good because it leads to the production of vitamin D in the body. On the other hand, our greater knowledge of the causes of skin cancer has led to sunscreen to be part of the nudist’s equipment.
Nudism is practiced in many forms today. Nude beaches are quite popular, as are nude vacations on public or private land. The movement has several divisions of a philosophical nature within the lifestyle. A major one is found between the “clothing optional” and “required nudity” subgroups.