Bare Naked: An Update on Getting Nude

If you haven’t noticed, there’s a very obvious theme in my 2015 bucket list: get naked.

#14: Go to Spa World (an Asian-style spa and you are required to enjoy it naked)

#17: Get nude in front of others and feel comfortable

#26: Go to a nude beach

I walk around in my house naked all of the time. Well, maybe not all of the time. That would be weird. But I’m totally comfortable in my house in front of Kris. Move me to a gym with strangers and everything changes. I’m so afraid that I even get undressed/dressed in a bathroom stall.

I realize how stupid this is. We’re all born naked. A naked body isn’t shameful. People are not the hairless, cellulite-free creatures we’re bombarded with in magazines and television. Boobs exist to feed babies. As a female, I have more body fat because my body was designed to house a fetus. Despite the fact that I don’t have kids, I still have stretch marks and a prominent stomach pooch. Perfection doesn’t exist and the beauty myth is just that — a myth. I’ve tried to tackle this issue in the past. I ran the Nearly Naked Mile in 2012. It was an empowering experience, but I need to push myself even more this year.

Obviously, going to a nude beach is pretty extreme for someone who is as reserved as I am. I’m already taking baby steps in order to knock this one out in the summer. For example, in January, I started to undress in the common area of the women’s locker and when I take showers, I don’t put on my clothes while I’m still hidden behind a shower door and now do so in the locker room (albeit with a towel still wrapped around me, but sometimes the towel becomes loose and a nip is out). Baby steps.

Before we part, I must share another tactic that few people know about that is helping me in my journey to feel comfortable with my nudity… seeing myself naked. And not just a mirror reflection. Uncharacteristic to anything my soul or heart desires, I occasionally ask Kris to take pictures of me in my natural state. Nothing provocative or salacious. Just me.

So, basically this post is to serve as my defense in case some pervert hacks into my phone and releases these images without my consent and my future grandchildren are wondering why Nana White is naked on the internet:

Dear future grandchildren:

It’s kind of weird that you’re seeing these pictures, but your grandmother was on a continual quest for self improvement, and this exercise helped her get over her body issues. I hope you feel as comfortable in your skin as I once did.

Love,

Grandma Lyssa