Social Nudity Helps People Overcome Body Image Struggles

After 20 years of avoiding bikinis, Helen Berriman finally found peace with her body in the most unexpected way: taking off all her clothes around strangers.

Berriman discovered naturism in 2021 after struggling with body dysmorphia for most of her life. What she found surprised her: being around other naked bodies helped her see her own body as normal and worthy.

She's not alone. Martha Vickery says she "genuinely hated" every part of her body before attending her first naturist event. Today, she describes naturism as the "catalyst" for finally accepting herself.

The science backs up their experiences. Research on 849 people found that participants who engaged in naturist activities reported greater life satisfaction, better body image, and higher self-esteem. Seeing other people naked appeared to be an important predictor of positive body image.

Kerem Soylemez, an assistant professor of psychology at Regent's University London, explains that naturism means "engaging in social nudity with no expectation, no presence of sexual stimulation." The key is being around real bodies instead of the filtered, edited versions we see online.

Social media has made body image worse for millions of people. In the US, around 51% of adults feel pressure to conform to a certain body type. In the UK, 1 in 8 adults have experienced suicidal thoughts because of body image concerns.

Marina Rachitskiy, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Roehampton, says society dictates an unrealistic version of "normal" through social media and beauty filters. One study showed that when teens reduced their social media use for just three weeks, their attitudes about their appearance improved.

Why This Inspires

Naturism works because it exposes people to what real bodies actually look like. "Being exposed to average bodies makes you readjust your perspective about what is normal, and what is acceptable, and what is beautiful," Rachitskiy explains.

For Vickery, the change was profound. She stopped seeing her body as something to criticize and started seeing it differently. "My body is the reason I get to wake up every morning and hug my friends and drink coffee and feel sun on my skin," she says.

The research on naturism and body image is still growing, but early controlled trials show promising results that challenge how we think about body acceptance.