Why is it Necessary to Take Nude Photos of Oneself?

Why did I take this photo?

I have been wondering why I find it necessary to take skyclad photos, why anyone who is a naturist/nudist or someone who simply enjoys being nude needs to take photos of themselves. Why the images? Why are they posted to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, or other social media sites? Having spent way too much time wondering about this, I think I may have arrived at an answer that fits many who are like me.

Images are there to help us, to help me, get out of our heads.  They become a visible proof that we are more than just feelings and thoughts.There is an honesty, or at least an attempt at honesty, expressed in these images. Risking being vulnerable enough to be honest, is not the same thing as posting images for exhibitionist purposes. The images I am talking about have nothing to do with lewdness, lust, or then tension of sexuality. Intention, it all comes down to intention. Images that are exhibitionist have a motive of obtaining sexual satisfaction or to shock. So, what is the intention?

If you take photos of yourself au naturel, why do you do so? What is your need? Why do you allow others to see these images? Why the risk? All images have a purpose and meaning. However, we rarely know what the purpose and meaning of our own images are about. There is a story, a story of at least 1,000 words for each image. More often than not, the story is yet to be discovered, as the image is more about unconscious projection than that it is about conscious intention.

Up against the fence

As for myself, the images tell the story of my reclaiming my authority rather than having the authority projected onto others. I refuse the authority of the shadows from my childhood. I refuse the authority of a church that would tell me that my naked body is sinful. I refuse to be a victim. Of course, there are laws and a broader society within which we all find ourselves. For our own safety, we find that fine line between “in your face” confrontations and in hiding from the world and our own fears.

Why do you take and post photos? Why do you take and then bury your photos so no one ever knows they were taken? Why do you avoid taking photos of your authentic, human reality? Pick your question and then share your answers below..

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9 Responses to Why is it Necessary to Take Nude Photos of Oneself?

  1. sassycoupleok says:

    All good questions indeed. There is no simple answer for any of them. Trying to be authentic and validate that this is who and what we are is one of our most common responses. We have given this response most often to family and friends who one way or another have stumbled upon our nude photos in various media sites. Yes there have also been photos that were taken and shared for exhibitionistic reasons too. There are times when it has been quite thrilling to share our nudity.

  2. Vittorio Volpi says:

    Nakedness reveals something fulgid in me, the hidden light that helps me to see myself in a parallel dimension, more real and effective as the “real” one. My nakedness shows me that my body is something special, that my presence here and now is exceptional. I like these moments because I know that I will be attracted seeing this picture later on the screen, feeling something unespectedly beautiful and great, which I understand as a whole and not in distinct particulars. Walking in nature along a trail I notice a tree, a branch covering the path as they were a frame for me… better more, a portal: a stream of brand new messages, intuitions, perceptions comes to my consciousness… builds a new consciousness. A sense of perfect timing in a perfect place. And I’m there. “I was here”, and the picture witnesses this and even more. I’m surprised myself that that moment was so unique and special. It’s a real pleasure seeing me afterwards, pleasant, much more than if it was a piece of art. Nakedness is a vector that brings me in Elsewhere, that makes me feel so different an always the same.

  3. mike b says:

    Very good topic and explanation in a form of words that seem to ask as many questions as answers. Why do I allow others around the world, some known but many more unknown, to see me in my natural human state? I feel that I’m on a journey, the journey of life with a definite ending at some time and at least other people in perpetuity will be able to form an opinion of me long after I’m gone, be it good or bad in their own mind. Also since I found naturism many years ago, I want to document that part of my life, which is a big part. I have many more pictures of me naked than clothed but that is my choice!

  4. Pingback: Why is it Necessary to Take Nude Photos of Oneself? | Naturism For People of Color

  5. Ben Mooy says:

    Wow, this is an interesting question. While I don’t share my photos with many people online, out of fear that they get into the wrong hands. The ones I have shared, have had various reactions, from “I don’t need to see this” to “you look healthy and happy”. Most of “textile photos of myself are made by others while my nude images are done as selfies. It is interesting that those with whom I share my own photos are nudists as well and realize that they see me the way I am. Don’t know whether my desire to make and post those photos are because I am simply a nudist who wants people to see for what I am or whether there is an exhibitionest steak in me. I certainly like to be nude in the house and in my garden when I can and the weather permits and my wife who is not a nudist allows me. There are so many boundaries to watch out for.

    • rglongpre says:

      Hi Ben, Thanks for adding your voice in here. There is little doubt in my mind that there is a bit of narcissism in each of us, paired with a pinch of exhibitionism. And, that statement has nothing to do with whether one is nude or not. Obviously, each of us who posts self-images are in the process of self-discovering, wondering what we will see. And naturally, we are listening to other voices to gauge if what we see is what others see. Yes, it’s complicated.

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