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Shame is the enemy of body positivity. It thrives in darkness and secrecy. Many people grow up with deep-seated shame regarding their genitals, their secondary sex characteristics, or their size. This shame is often instilled by parents, schools, or religious institutions that equate nudity with indecency.

This is the ultimate achievement of body positivity: decoupling your self-worth from your desirability. Naturism forces you to realize that you have value even when you are not trying to attract a partner. You are valuable because you are kind, or funny, or good at grilling burgers. J Purenudism1 jpg

One of the biggest hurdles to body positivity is the hyper-sexualization of the human form. In mainstream media, specific body parts are fetishized, and nudity is almost exclusively linked to sex. This teaches us to view our bodies through the lens of desirability. "Is my body sexy enough?" Shame is the enemy of body positivity

For the body positivity movement, this is gold. Seeing hundreds of real bodies in one afternoon does more for a person's self-esteem than looking at a thousand "body positive" posts online. You realize, often with a sudden jolt of relief, “Oh, I actually look normal.” The shame of having a body that doesn't look like a celebrity’s evaporates because you see that nobody looks like the edited photos we see in magazines. This shame is often instilled by parents, schools,

When you spend 16 hours a day hiding your perceived flaws, telling yourself "I love my body" for the five minutes you see it in the mirror is an uphill battle. You are trying to convince your brain of a reality it never experiences in social settings. The moment you step outside, the clothes go on, and the armor goes up. The shame, even if quiet, remains.