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Please believe me! If I hear my wife or teenage daughter complain about what am I going to wear today I may let out a primal scream. Bare (pun intended) with me...One of the more interesting developments for me as a result of a paleo lifestyle is that I have alot less stress over what I am going to wear on a daily baisis. I am generally more foucused on eating healthy food and living a paleo lifestyle.

Naturally, I am beginning to look at life through a paleo lens and got to wondering about what Mr. and Mrs. Grok wore to school or the office. I believe (from an evolutionary perspective) that we lost the majority of our body hair to more efficiently chase fat and protein, design the cave thong and the animal skin onesie as well as create space for tattoos. In other words, do you find yourself stressing less over what you are going to wear today? Has clothing become more utilitarian. Or as a follow up question...Do you sleep in some form of pajamas or the buff.

Have a wonderful and healthy day everyone!

BTW, I love my wife and daughter and they can wear whatever they want!

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I asked this 2-3 weeks ago but it got deleted. Anyways, I do take my clothes off when nobody's around, since it decreases stress. When I was young and had frequent tummy aches, taking of my trousers and doing deep breathing were the only things that helped. – Bruno Feb 9 2012 at 13:45
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Outside = dressed. Inside = barely dressed. Sleep = Le Buff. – jesuisjuba - paleorepublic.com Feb 9 2012 at 14:05
+1 for the title alone. Now off to read the question. – Karen Jul 23 at 12:08

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Of course I do not wear clothes, they are not paleo! I also do not use computers, when I want something posted on paleohacks, I ask my gf to type it for me. More over, I do not wash my hands after going to the bathroom because obviously, Grok didn't do it. I go to the supermarket every day because refrigerators are not paleo. I always try to give them shiny stones I found on the street for my paleo food because money isn't paleo either. Unfortunately they haven't accpeted those stones so my gf pays for me, I d never want to touch those toxic neolithic things.

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You need to rethink this. Supermarkets are totally NOT paleo! Find a rock and a stick. Sharpen the stick with the rock. Kill things with the stick (and/or the rock). Maybe start with squirrels. Eat the plants you find. Insects too. Make a note of the ones that make you sick and stay away from those. Now that's paleo! – Dave S. Feb 9 2012 at 13:58
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There's a Joe Walsh song in here somewhere.... – legup Feb 9 2012 at 14:24
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I only wear fur coats, because those are totally Paleo. – Laina Feb 9 2012 at 14:45
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Damn, you guys are right! I will also stop using language and swith to grunting, hopefully my gf will learn how to interpret this so she can type it on PH (kind of like Han Solo can understand Chewbacca, omg, Star Wars is not paleo!!! ;) – ChenZhen Feb 9 2012 at 16:15
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Honestly, I find this kind of commentary dismissive and inflammatory. Of course, this is coming from the perspective of someone who thinks it's interesting to ask how trends in ONE area of one's life might impact OTHER areas of one's life--and to see how they might be inter-related. – Firestorm Feb 9 2012 at 19:47
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Let me know how wearing a loin cloth to the office works out for you :)

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very witty hehehe – HippiPaleo Feb 9 2012 at 13:16
It wouldn't be pretty...If only I were a loin cloth model...LOL – Edward41397 Feb 9 2012 at 13:26
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I mostly wear clothes for other people in order to a) not shock or offend them and b) not get arrested.

I usually refrain from even discussing my interest in nudism to anyone I know personally as I find it to be too weird a topic for most folks.

When I worked in a corporate environment things were obviously different. Now that I work from home I am allowed quite a bit more freedom in this area.

What I do wear lately consists of 4 black tees, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of pants and/or a hoodie when it's cold. I suppose there's a handful of other articles lurking in the closet but those are the core items. I go barefoot as often as I can and wear Vibram KSO's or flip flops when I leave the house. I don't wear much around the house or to bed.

My gf made a joke a few weeks back when we were about to do laundry, something about going to wash my "outfit for the week". I'm not trying to impress anyone with some constrained sense of fashion, so it's okay.

In my view, nakedness is natural and extremely underrated. Clothes are just an accessory that I would personally be fine without, and I forget about them as often as possible. For me it's not about re-enactment. They do serve a purpose, I just don't like them.

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But I thought you were invisible? – AlohaSpeck Feb 9 2012 at 13:29
Ha! I sure try to be. – Invisible Caveman Feb 9 2012 at 13:38
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I usually stick with the "outfit of the week" with some variation. If I'm working from home, there's no variation, but I can make 3 shirts and one pair of jeans do marvellous things, and I have less laundry. – Laina Feb 9 2012 at 14:46
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+1 on less laundry, too! Less laundry means less money, time and resources spent as well. – Invisible Caveman Feb 9 2012 at 20:45
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I stopped wearing bras. Camisoles or a strip of nip tape work just fine, and my boobs aren't tender and sore at the end of the day.

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Intriguing....I have to wear a sports bra to work (Pilates instructor), and the amazing feeling I get taking it off after 12 hours is absolute heaven. Almost worth wearing it all day! – legup Feb 9 2012 at 14:26
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being very flat chested, i have only occasionally worn a bra; i hate them! i run braless, lift weights braless. i know some people are uncomfortable seeing the impression of my nipples through my shirts, but hey they're paleo! – sage_ Feb 9 2012 at 15:13
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I've never been keen on the deep seam imprints that are left on my ribcage after taking off a sports bra. Plus, my A-cups don't even fill out the bra material so it's all baggy. Totally unsexy, lol. Those shelf-bra camis are the bee's knees! Nips are totally Paleo, haters gonna hate. – Nemesis Feb 9 2012 at 16:26
[homer]mmm... paleo nipples[/homer] - it sounds like it should be a mixed drink... – Joshua Feb 9 2012 at 17:22
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I can go braless now with a well-fitting tank top, but not a loose shirt. I love it. Went from a D to a B. – Heather Jul 23 at 15:30
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I have to work in an office. For the most part, outside of the office or gym, I'm in a kilt. They are comfortable, they are practical, they make sense for male anatomy, and after Yossi Vardi's report on "Local Warming" - I think it makes the most sense.

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Especially when you go on a pub-crawl :) – Nemesis Feb 9 2012 at 14:00
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please tell me it's either your clan plaid or a utilikilt. =) – Caleb the Hobbit Feb 9 2012 at 15:51
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@Caleb - Please tell me you don't actually go around telling strangers how to dress. =) – Joshua Feb 9 2012 at 17:09
BTW - Just messing with you Caleb - I wear tartan kilts mostly, one of which has a Clan affiliation and the other two are considered "universal". – Joshua Feb 9 2012 at 17:11
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+1 for local warming. – JeJ Jul 23 at 6:15
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I've always been a bit of a hobo, and yes I sleep in my birthday suit. But not because of paleo, I'm just a comfy sloth lol :)

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First off, I've always been more comfortable wearing less, especially when sleeping. Hanging out shirtless (or with a button-down shirt open) has long been a habit. I've also never been comfortable in snug clothes, or in certain fabrics. Most of what I own is cotton, some wool, and on rare instances i get cold I layer things. In any case clothing should not be restrictive.

As for your actual question, though it's not purely a consequence of paleo, I do worry less about clothes. All of my clothes can go together for the most part, I don't own much, and only one pair of shoes. I see mulling over clothes as vain. If "the clothes make the man," I say look more at the things he does surrounding clothes, not the clothes themselves.

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I totally agree that you must judge a persons worth by their actions. Unfortunately I can also still judge them for having wearing pants that are too short, or wearing socks with sandals or mules. – MeepsIsWellfed Feb 9 2012 at 16:24
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Actually I read recently (sorry no link) that theres a specific species of lice that lives only in human clothes, that evolved from a form of hair lice. Examining the genetics of when that species evolved, and comparing it when man became hairless, the academic speculated that for a large part of our prehistoric history we were either naked, or at least wearing things made of materials the bugs couldnt inhabit (ie not furs).

I tend to beleive this reasoning. Our skin became dark to protect against the sun, around the time we lost our hair (either to stay cool while hunting, or because of swimming as we have finger and toe webs too). Of course not everyone today is dark, because we spread across the globe, but in africa, there would have been little practical purpose for wearing clothes all the time at least (except to protect our genitals perhaps). However, in colder climates, such as in the ice age, it would make perfect sense.

So I am not convinced that clothes are paleo, or even loincloths.

As for me? Well I wear clothes. I like them very very comfortable, but have some interest in appearance too. I sleep naked though. And would enjoy if I could be naked more. Naked is free.

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I spend about 95% of my time at home naked

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In public, I keep my clothes on. I go to some events where it is family friendly clothing optional, where people are playing drums, dancing around the fire nakey or half-clothed, and drinking, but I generally stick with just the drinking, myself. I don't mind other people's nakey, though. I have some ugly scars on my arms and so I generally wear at least 3/4 sleeves in public. Around close friends or family, I like wearing cotton sundresses in hot weather. In winter, I like wearing sweaters and jeans.

I'm also super-pale, so I don't want to burn and I'd rather not slather on high SPF sunscreen all the time, so I avoid sitting in the sun or exposing too much skin. I get enough (according to the Norwegian Air Institute) for my Vitamin D needs, which right now for my area in the dead of summer for my skin tone is 4 minutes per day. :)

To sleep, undies and a sports bra. My ladies are not overly large but I'd like them to stay where they are supposed to and I find it more comfortable to have some support and nipple chafe is super unpleasant.

I never, ever go barefoot. Usually flip flops in the summer if I'm just hanging out, regular shoes otherwise. I just can't stand the feeling of dirt or bits of stuff on my feet.

It seems like I am the odd one here!

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I agree with you. I do not live in a tropical climate, therefore not wearing clothes would be a bit chilly. As the owner of a pair of DDs, I prefer to keep the ladies under control so that people will not be distracted when talking to me- and a sports bra is an ABSOLUTE must! – Rachel Jul 24 at 1:11
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Yep, but I live by myself specifically so that I can walk around naked. This freaked out the last Boyfriend ('it's not special if it's always hanging out!') so I compromised with a wrap. My favorite clothes when I have to wear them come from the less-developed country I work in...wrap skirt and another piece of fabric draped across my chest. I do pretty much have to wear a bra (36DD) if I don't want to be in some serious pain at the end of the day, but other than that? Nothing beats naked.

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Your boyfriend didn't want you to walk around naked? Was he gay? – Nemesis Feb 9 2012 at 16:27
some people perv on the taboo of nudity well into adulthood – sage_ Feb 9 2012 at 17:03
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Yes, I enjoy being naked, no, naked from the waist down, to emphasize my nakidity!

Imaginary 10 pointa put forth to the first to correctly identify the comedian...

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I do wonder whether we are "designed" to wear clothes and what is more "normal". BUT, we also live in society and this is clearly one of society's bigger norms.

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Kind of like Caleb said, I'm very sensitive about fabrics and the feel/restrictiveness of my clothing. I pretty much can't wear a coat in winter. If I have to, I take it off as soon as possible (when the car heats up). I have resorted to wearing long open, flowing sweaters instead. Unfortunately the moths like them and I'll have to stock back up next year. I like long cotton hippy skirts and tank tops or simple cotton dresses. I always wonder how many other people are weird about fabric?

At home usually cotton shorts and a sports bra, but only cause I have growing kids. Otherwise naked, naked, naked. Even in my yard (an acre in the mountains).

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I'm wearing fur pajamas

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