Judge John Hodgman on Going Nude at 87

“Dan” writes: Last year, The Times offered advice about going naked. I gave it a try. I’ve found self-acceptance and joy in my body. But my wife says that 87 is too old for this. She exiled me to my room! Please tell her to let me out of my room in the nude. (Call me Dan if you print this).

I’ll call you Dan, if that’s how you get your kicks. And I stand by the paper’s reporting that a little everyday nudity can help us feel comfortable in our bodies. I’m writing this naked right now, from my desk on The Times’s Nude Floor. Both of those were lies. I’m not as nude as you, but if I were, it would obviously be in a place of privacy or community consent. Is your wife wrong to shame you? Absolutely. Are you too old? No! (Wait — is she keeping you prisoner in your room? That’s illegal.) But is she allowed to set boundaries that reflect her own comfort? Yes, “Dan,” she is.