Ill-considered pressure to eliminate nakedness in indigenous cultures

Nakedness, as opposed to nudism, tends to occur in the natural tribal state. Because it is equated with backwardness, savagery and immorality, efforts have been made, particularly by missionaries (and in recent years by governments) to ensure the use of clothing, often according to the Western mode. Clothing of indigenous tribespeople has resulted in the development of diseases fatal to them, either because they were carried from the country of manufacture within the clothing, or because wearing the clothing in tropical climates provided unhygienic conditions under which normally insignificant diseases may become of major importance. Clothing is expensive for underprivileged peoples and is often completely unnecessary in tropical climates. Moralism and the obligation to wear clothing to be 'decent' imposes economic dependency.

The insistence that the men in certain indigenous tribes of West Irian should wear trousers has caused both resentment and suffering.