Montaigne uses clothing as another vantage point for viewing culture — amazed that human beings are the only animals that cannot make do with the hides with which we are born. He seems to see this as an oddity, I see it as a gift. Whatever it is that created the custom of wearing clothing, I am deeply grateful for it, because I never like being without it.

This is true even when — perhaps even most especially — in a public locker room where I must shower. First of all, I avoid such situations as much as possible and tend to travel in my sweatty clothing to change in the privacy of my home. But when I must change in public, I attempt as much as possible to do so away from all eyes and change rapidly.

To be honest, I have never liked being naked at all — I try to shower and bathe quickly even when alone. I prefer to get into bed and under covers quickly even in sexual situations. And I absolutely loathe sleeping with clothes, which usually leads me to being even more uncomfortable than usual, which keeps me tossing and turning all night.

None of this is due to any sense of shame about my physique or any parts of my body, although I am probably more self-critical than most, aware of every imperfection. It doesn’t bother me at all if someone wants to observe my clothed body and form any judgment they like.

But I do prefer to have a somewhat hidden and curated presentation of myself. I’m not bothered that people choose to bare their bodies for money, but I am somewhat confused by it — why let anyone own that image of you? I see less of a moral surrender in that activity than a loss of dignity. Isn’t your own self-conception more valuable than the price the market puts on your bare skin?

As for the clothing I put on my body, I admit to being highly unimaginative in my choices and tend to repeat purchases of similar clothing often. This is also the inevitable result of my sloppy eating habits and tendency to get stains on my clothing, leading me to replace pieces often, usually for something very similar.

This is, however, exactly as I want it to be, so I’m not making these self revelations as some kind of confession in hope of doing better. It’s simply the way I approach the subject and have my entire adult life. It will likely remain the same for whatever time I have left on this planet.