It’s Okay to be Naked: Normalizing Nudity in the Name of Body Freedom
If you’re lucky, you grew up in a household that uplifted and promoted body positivity. You never felt ashamed of your naked body, and in fact, nudity was something worthy of celebration. This is the dream. And if your experience was the opposite of this, then you might be thinking this sounds too good to be true. But is it?
For many of us, we can’t even recall a time when we didn’t feel the need to cover up our nude body out of fear of indecency or, even worse, over-sexualization. It’s almost as if the moment we’re birthed into this world, we’re expected to shield away our rawness, only to be uncovered for moments of intimacy or necessity. Thus, we unwillingly sign up for a cycle of shame that leaves us feeling embarrassed of our natural state.
The problem with shame is that we mostly live without it for the first two years of our lives. We can’t recall being ashamed of our nudity as babies, and it isn’t until we reach toddler age that society begins to impose its shamed-based values onto us.
Society says parents should fully clothe their toddlers despite their discomfort, and God forbid that parents walk around their private homes nude in front of their own kids.
The implications of this shame regarding nudity start out innocently, until one day it’s not. One day, we realize that we dislike the sight of our bodies. Or maybe one day, we believe that something terrible only happened to us because we wore clothes that showed too much “skin.” These are the moments when shame rears its ugly head.
So while the opening scene may sound unrealistic, imagine what our society would be like if that were the norm. Imagine if no one made you feel different for exploring your body, embracing it, or even loving it in its natural state. If we all embraced our nude selves and were unafraid of sexuality, the shame that we’ve finally unlearned could morph into something beautiful.
What if we replaced shame with empowerment? Instead of telling ourselves that our nude body is something to hide away, what if we said to ourselves that it was okay to come as we are? If we normalized the sight of bare skin, maybe we could give way to a world that doesn’t immediately sexualize nudity, and instead, let’s it be.
Who can say when the rest of the world will get on board with normalizing nudity, but if you’re reading this right now, you’re already doing the work to normalize nudity for yourself. Discover the beauty of your human form, and take your time unlearning the negative values society has ingrained within.
So embrace your bare self, and while you’re at it, we invite you to discover our nudist social network, Perzik, where you can celebrate the beauty of nudity in a safe space. Learn more about the Perzik platform and our community here.
Written by Reese Williams.
Reese is a full-time freelance copywriter and a part-time plant mom, cook, and thrift shop regular. When she’s not caring for her plant babies or cooking up a new dish she found on TikTok, you’ll usually find her online at fiverr.
