Should aliens in fiction not be depicted as almost always naked?

Not necessarily. The embarrassment of nudity is a later development, as body coverings were originally developed as protection.

What @canidmajor says is certainly what I’ve always read.

Clothing was also protection from the cold, and later, a display of wealth. To be without clothing was shameful.

But so much about aliens as depicted is highly unlikely. If life out there exists, it would probably not evolve the way we have, Even if it developed to the stage of insects, that’s still far beneath what has developed on Earth, and unlikely to have any interest in exploring the universe,

If Aliens were more anthropomorphic and developed like us, they probably would wear stuff. But use whatever rational suits your purpose. The imagination, the mind, and free, educated speculation, is what the Sci-Fi and Fantasy realm of thinking is all about,

Good question, btw.

Clothing was also protection from the cold

And scrapes and scratches and burns and rain. If we didn’t have clothes, I would want a thick fur coat or a shell.

Clothes also give you pockets to hold tools.

Of course! Animals, too.

I suppose a certain amount of clothing would protect a hunter’s genitals from thorns and such while pursuing game.

Humans have always worn clothes. Even in the movie ‘one million BC’ Raquel Welch was wearing clothes (much to my dismay). They certainly would not have portrayed it that way if it wasn’t true.

Maybe they are wearing a suit and its not naked.
As per SiFi movie I saw a few years ago which the name escape’s me . I thought it was Keanu Reeves who was the star role in it but the movie title i cannot recall at this moment.
Where its outer skin was cut open and he emerged ( human form) .

Obviously space aliens are more evolved – But also in our fantasy representations less well endowed.

I mean ever since my abduction I ALWAYS check, and I’m like “where is that thing?” It’s just not like what I remember… * sigh *

There were a lot of problems with tentacles getting caught in zips.

Maybe the Aliens are drunk and streaking on a bet?

The problem with this question is that it is imposing human logic on aliens.

This is the equivalence of an alien race saying they are the only species that break extraterrestrial rocks and cover themselves with the dirt from it because the dirt indicate status and power.

Or a tentacle alien race saying they are the only species with tentacles because they developed tentacles for the sake of multitasking because multitasking is the symbolism of a powerful leader.

We have come to the conclusion that we can’t impose human logic on other animals hell, it’s already problematic to impose one culture’s logic to another the culture, within the human race alone, why do so with aliens?

If alien junk were to hang out in the breeze, I would think even the alien wouldn’t want it to get caught on (or in) something…

“Humans have always worn clothes.” Nope.
Research shows that humans started wearing clothes relatively recently, about 107,000 years ago. And when they first started wearing clothes it was for decoration.
[ref Cody Cassidy “Who Ate the First Oyster” chap 4]

Wow! That recently!