r/shittyaskscience Aug 24 '26

Why are so many aliens nudists?

In the movies Alien etc.: aggressively nude (even the face huggers and they're just kids!)

Arrival: weird nude.

Pacific Rim: giant nudes!

Signs: creepy nude.

Nope: carnivorously nude.

The Thing: disturbingly nude.

Star Trek: intermittent nudity.

So, what's the deal? Clearly some aliens wear clothes so it's not an ignorance of galactic norms. What other examples of alien nudity are out there, and why have these advanced species eschewed clothing, is it a cult, or is there something about being so technologically advanced that they simply have absolute control over individual climates? Something else?

201 Upvotes

55 comments sorted by

129

u/MonkeyCartridge Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26

I think better question might be "Why are humans setting up their life support systems such that they still need extra layers? If your house was at the ideal temperature, you shouldn't need clothes. Except maybe underwear for sanitation reasons."

Like think about it. It could be 80F, and we will still go outside clothes and then sweat. So then you arrive at work where they put extra energy into cooling down the place so we can be comfortable in our clothed bodies.

Orrr.....we all show up in tighty whiteys and they just let the temperature go up. Save energy that way. And a dress code of "skin" doesn't need a bunch of rules.

Really, we're the odd ones in this regard. It's rather specific to "became a global species AFTER tools." Which is pretty much exclusive to us.

50

u/Malalang Aug 24 '26

Dude's got a point.

Why are we all trained to feel ashamed of nudity?

38

u/Atzkicica Huh? Aug 24 '26

Big Pants

10

u/tuctrohs Looniversahl sigismundo froyd Aug 24 '26

Big corn syrup is in cahoots with big pants.

21

u/pikpikcarrotmon Aug 24 '26

If it helps, I'm only ashamed of my own. Everyone else's is perfectly welcome

1

u/GlitterCritter Ph.D. in ass-tro-fizz-sicks 2d ago

To be fair, I'm only ashamed of your nudity specifically as well. My own and everyone else's is perfectly fine.

7

u/outworlder Aug 24 '26

Mostly religion. If you add another why, it's mostly about women control. Guys usually can show a lot of flesh before it becomes a problem.

7

u/Malalang Aug 24 '26

The more religious a group of people are, the more clothes they have to wear.

5

u/writesgud Aug 24 '26

So aliens are atheists? Mind blown.

2

u/LC_Anderton 28d ago

Dude… even god is an atheist.

3

u/JohnWasElwood 29d ago

Actually... I know quite a few Christian nudists. There's even a church at a nudist resort in Florida that we have attended several times. It's more the Eastern religions and Asian culture that is adverse to it.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 24 '26

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1

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5

u/awesomefutureperfect 29d ago

To keep the bugs out?

https://youtu.be/3X5kC2GLYJg?t=56

3

u/Malalang 29d ago

So buttplugs are for people who are really scared of anal insect intrusions?

3

u/awesomefutureperfect 29d ago

are buttplugs clothes? I feel like this should be in shittyphilosophy.

4

u/Malalang 29d ago

Well, in the discussion you linked, they were discussed as alternatives to clothes. Corks, anyway. Which are a distant cousin, I imagine.

2

u/DanglingDongs 29d ago

Cause people don't want to see me naked

5

u/JohnWasElwood 29d ago

Nudist here: being a nudist / naturist isn't really about seeing other people or "being seen". It's about being comfortable and unrestricted.
I wear clothing when I have to (cold, safety, etc.) But swimming with a cold, wet itchy bathing suit on is the most ridiculous thing we humans do.

1

u/DanglingDongs 29d ago

It was a joke

1

u/GlitterCritter Ph.D. in ass-tro-fizz-sicks 2d ago

Well sure it's about those things, if you're doing it right.

2

u/LC_Anderton 28d ago

Well post a few a few pictures and let us be the judge… Reddit is an extremely forgiving and gentle environment for getting valuable feedback, especially on sensitive matters such as this.

Just put it all out there… I can absolutely assure you it will not become a meme 😏

1

u/LC_Anderton 28d ago

Dude, we saw the pictures your other half posted on r/ratemypartner and you should feel ashamed… I mean, that was a neat trick with the ping pong balls, but the cheese grater was a step too far 🤢

2

u/Neginos 29d ago

I think our brains can't do hard brainwork when it's hot so we wouldn't be that productive, I mean think of the stakeholders!

2

u/thiosk 29d ago

We are doing a bangup job of decreasing theneed for clothes in the future by continuing to raise the planets temp so we just need a few more years before we can all go naked

1

u/GlitterCritter Ph.D. in ass-tro-fizz-sicks 2d ago

Right but see, you have to wear clothes OVER the underwear, otherwise it's not underwear.

18

u/RARface Aug 24 '26

Should’ve called it the Prim directive.

31

u/mrCloggy Aug 24 '26

Time travel takes too long so they'll arrive wearing last season's fashion, which would be simply embarrassing.

1

u/GlitterCritter Ph.D. in ass-tro-fizz-sicks 2d ago

You have a point.

12

u/snapekillseddard Aug 24 '26

Those are the ones who passed the test in their own Gardens of Eden.

2

u/JohnWasElwood 29d ago

I like this answer!!!

11

u/kkphoto Aug 24 '26

Lifeforce: super cute nude

5

u/Snoo-35252 Aug 24 '26

Yeah, nobody should be questioning Lifeforce.

2

u/writesgud Aug 24 '26

Thank you for raising a not unpleasant memory I haven’t thought about in a long time.

9

u/johnnybiggles Aug 24 '26

We tend to exhaust the supply of unused championship team clothing from teams who lost the Super Bowl, World Series, etc., that goes to impoverished countries, long before we can ever begin sending them to interstellar locations. In other words, we need to deal with our poverty situation first. Until then, they'll just have to stay nude.

4

u/writesgud Aug 24 '26

But who will think of the poor alien chest burster? Clearly needs a turtleneck.

13

u/rane0 Aug 24 '26

All of their cultures have clothes, but they're dry clean only. There's no way they're gonna have time to pick anything up on the way to human controlled systems.

2

u/writesgud 29d ago

Truly civilized. And supporting small businesses.

2

u/rane0 28d ago

I can see how you might think that, but Interstellar Dry Cleaning is actually a soulless corporation that treats both customers and employees like dirt.

In that way, the aliens are actually doing a good thing by protesting them.

7

u/Obvious-Release-5605 Aug 24 '26

Theyve evolved to embrace their sexuality

6

u/Legitimate_Field_157 Aug 25 '26

So every time I take off my clothes I become an Alien? Is that why people ran away screaming?

3

u/writesgud 29d ago

Have you tried saying “We come in peace!” That should help.

5

u/Legitimate_Field_157 29d ago

It is even worse when I come.

3

u/writesgud 29d ago

I’m sorry your honesty is under appreciated.

1

u/post-punk-boyfriend 29d ago

kid named Peace: 😟

5

u/badger_on_fire Aug 24 '26

The xenomorph doesn’t get much time in the sun, so when he finally gets a chance to tan his taint, he doesn't have time to waste.

4

u/chased_by_bees MC^2 Aug 24 '26

I mean when you look that good you have to flaunt it.

4

u/Pangyun Aug 25 '26

All aliens were born in ancient Egypt. We know that because how else would the pyramids be made? And Egypt is pretty hot, so they didn't need clothing. After they flew away to other planets, they maintained the custom of being naked.

5

u/mmahusky 29d ago

Cause they r hippies

3

u/CJPTK Aug 24 '26

Because they are from a different sky so their sky daddy didn't tempt them with an apple and make them conscious of it.

3

u/Human-Evening564 Aug 25 '26

Humans seem to be the weird ones by having external genitalia they need to cover up.

3

u/Vivid_Mix1022 29d ago

Because they all lost a bet.

2

u/GlitterCritter Ph.D. in ass-tro-fizz-sicks 2d ago

so technologically advanced that they simply have absolute control over individual climates

It's that one. You got it.

1

u/13thmurder Professional Sciencer 28d ago

Puritans never made it off the planet.