Liberation From Fear and Shame

This post is part of my Why I Like to Be Nude series. In my brief couple of months discovering my penchant for nudity, I've read countless of accounts by others of the benefits of social nudity. The Why I Like to Be Nude series is my attempt to discover and document my own reasons.

I think that I am like most people in that I have had a lot of body shame for most of my life. Although I've generally always been a pretty self-confident person with respect to who I am as well as my abilities, I have been very timid and fearful when it comes my body. This has led to strict rules defining what could and could not be shown in public. Shorts were ok as long as they were long enough. Muscle shirts were good, but definitely not tank tops and don't even think about taking off your shirt! Just think of the havoc this wreaks when at the beach and I had to balance my dos and donts against the separate standards of modesty reserved solely for beaches.

Becoming a nudist has not made my body any more or less attractive, but it has allowed me to say that I am ok with how I am. It has allowed me to confront my worst fears face-to-face and come out the victor. This formally very conservative person is even strongly considering participating in the World Naked Bike Ride in which I'd be riding my bike stark naked down crowded city streets.

Growing up in American culture, most of us are taught from a young age that the human body is something to be shameful about. I don't believe the fashion and pop magazines depicting perfect pecs and emaciated bodies help either. However, socializing in a friendly atmosphere has had a reversing effect. Instead of nudity being associated with fear and shame, it has become associated with fun, friends and good times. I believe this is how social nudity fulfills the claim of helping people to become more comfortable and accepting of their body as well as the bodies of others.