Yes, of course, being totally naked just plain feels great – at least under the right conditions of temperature, social and physical environment, etc. But there’s more to life than just feeling great, isn’t there? Other good responses that answer the question “Why be naked?” are many and varied.
The reasons for wearing nothing whenever possible go well beyond just how great it feels. There are various good reasons why being clothesfree is a healthy lifestyle, both physically and psychologically. But there’s a lot more than that. Some of the best reasons for naked living, however, are subtle and more difficult to articulate. Here are some possibilities to consider for choosing to live naked:
- Being unencumbered by any clothing – even shoes – allows you to feel much closer to the natural world.
- When you’re completely naked, there are fewer inessential barriers – emotionally as well as physically – between yourself and others – especially (but not only) when everyone around you is naked too.
- Dispensing with clothes eliminates the possibility – and the burden – of using clothes as a type of armor or disguise to unnecessarily protect or conceal yourself from others.
- Living naked challenges you to accept and be at ease with yourself and your body just as they are, without pretense, embarrassment, or shame.
- When people interact without the misdirection of clothing, the value of “authenticity” is easier to appreciate.
- Without the artifice or distraction of any clothes, it’s easier to think about and discuss with others things that matter more than physical appearance or mundane trivia.
- With others who are naked it’s easier and less awkward to have honest, useful conversations about your body and theirs – including topics related to nakedness itself.
- When you’re comfortable being naked with others, you’re predisposed to feel more at ease, closer, and more trusting. Being naked is an offer of trust.
- Makng strong, satisfying friendships with others who enjoy nudity is easier because of the significant interest existing in common.
- Elminating clothes from your life as much as possible leads you to question more seriously what is important and real around you and disregard things that are neither.
- When we’re wearing nothing at all, it’s easier (in Shakespeare’s words) to “speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.”
Image credit: Mona Kuhn