Getting Naked Makes You Stronger

Getting Comfortable in Your Own Skin

What does being comfortable naked actually mean?

Years ago I ran a simple poll asking men whether they felt comfortable in their own skin and being naked. More than half of those who answered said no.

What interested me was not what their bodies looked like. It was how differently men can see themselves compared with how everybody else sees them.

I have worked with men's bodies through massage and grooming for more than two decades. Men of every age, shape and size can be self-conscious. The concern might be weight, scars, body hair, ageing, genitals, muscle, skin or simply the feeling of being exposed.

There is no body type that automatically gives someone confidence.

Nudity and vulnerability

Being naked can make us feel vulnerable because clothing normally gives us privacy and control over what other people see. Feeling uncomfortable with nudity is not weakness, and being comfortable naked does not make somebody more confident or psychologically healthier than someone who prefers to stay covered.

What can be useful is becoming curious about your own reaction. Is there something about your body you have decided is unacceptable? Are you comparing yourself with edited images, pornography, social media or what you imagine other men look like?

Sometimes the judgement we expect from other people is much harsher in our own head than it is in reality.

You do not need to love every part of your body

Body acceptance does not require standing in front of a mirror convincing yourself that every part of you is perfect.

You can dislike something about your appearance and still recognise that your body is yours, it has carried you through your life, and it does not need to meet somebody else's standard before you are allowed to feel comfortable in it.

That is a much more realistic goal than forcing yourself into constant “body positivity”.

Can spending time naked make you more comfortable?

For some adults, spending private time unclothed at home may make nudity feel more ordinary simply through familiarity. For others, it will not appeal at all. There is no evidence-based rule that you need to practise nudity to build confidence, and there is no reason to force yourself through discomfort to prove something.

If you want to experiment with it, do it privately, legally and because you are curious about your own comfort — not because somebody has told you it will make you stronger.

What I see in the treatment room

One of the things men sometimes worry about before a massage is how much they need to undress and whether they will be judged.

The answer is simple: your comfort matters. Different treatments involve different levels of clothing or draping, and you can ask questions before anything begins. A professional treatment is not a body competition.

After seeing thousands of bodies over the years, the things clients are most worried about are usually far less remarkable to the practitioner than they imagine.

Permission rather than pressure

I still like the idea behind the original version of this article: becoming more accepting of your body can be freeing.

What I would change is the idea that getting naked automatically makes you stronger. It might help one man become more comfortable with vulnerability. Another man may build the same acceptance without taking his clothes off at all.

The important part is having permission to explore what makes you uncomfortable without judgement — and deciding for yourself what you want to do with that information.

Explore our men's massage options in Toowoomba or Core Benefits services for men.