Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Naked thoughts

Why do you suppose humans lost overall body hair? I know there are various theories, but viewing nature at large, we’re visually outside the box. Aside from aquatic mammals, naked mole rats, and possibly a few other species unbeknownst to me, humans are uniquely bare-skinned.

Obviously, we miss our hair—few of us run around naked in our daily lives. We cover our skin from the cold, rain, sun—are other mammals as prone to skin cancer? On the flip side, we shave and rip out the remaining hair we have…I’m just as guilty. Not that I plan to donate my wardrobe and begin a bare-skinned existence, but as I contemplate weekly laundry hours, I’m a little annoyed with the evolutionary process.

There seems to be no valuable reason for bare skin, except that as a teen, the combo of tanned skin and blonde hair came in handy… Think of the money and time body hair would save. No clothes to purchase, launder, repair—just shower, style and go. Even human interactions would be simplified—without clothing, body language speaks volumes…

Fashion designers, plastic surgeons, and clothing manufacturers shun these philosophical, pertinent questions regarding humanity, but jewelry designers and hair color companies see exciting possibilities. I myself will continue pondering evolution as I transfer wet clothes from washer to dryer, refill the washer and fold dry clothes. I should probably shave my legs too…

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