I saw a 70-year-old man with a colostomy bag playing water volleyball. I saw a young mom with stretch marks reading a book. I saw a teenager with acne scars diving off the board without a care. I saw a woman with a double mastectomy sunbathing on her back, free and unashamed.
That is the radical, terrifying, and ultimately beautiful secret of the naturist (nudist) lifestyle: The Performance of Fashion In the textile (clothed) world, body positivity often gets tangled up in a paradox. We are told to love our bodies as they are, but we are sold a wardrobe to "fix" them. Clothes are armor, but they are also a lie. They shape us, hide us, and create a silhouette that isn't really ours.
It wasn't a euphoric, fireworks-in-the-sky moment of self-love. It was something quieter, and more durable: PureNudism HolyNature Collection Pictures Set4
I read the books. I followed the body-positive influencers. I repeated the affirmations: "Your body is the least interesting thing about you."
For the first time in my life, I didn't think, "I need to fix that." I saw a 70-year-old man with a colostomy
When you are a naturist, there is no shapewear. There is no "good angle." There is no Instagram filter.
In the clothed world, we assume everyone is looking. We assume they are critiquing. We project our own harshest inner critic onto the eyes of strangers. I saw a woman with a double mastectomy
Look for a non-landed club (a social group that meets at pools or private homes) near you. Look for groups that emphasize "body acceptance" in their mission statement. Call the organizer and voice your fears. I promise you, they have heard it all before.
And that is terrifying—until it isn't.
I thought, "Oh, right. That's me."