This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Notre Dame chapter.
I cannot tell you how many times I have walked in on my best friend casually walking around the room in the nude. It’s no longer a surprise when I come home from work, the class, the library, or wherever I was to her standing in the middle of the room, basking in her own naked glory. I laugh and tease her about it, but what she doesn’t know is that I think her comfortability being naked in front of people says a lot about the kind of strong woman that she is.
In my personal opinion, one of the worst things that is being shoved down the throats of young women is the idea that they must be completely flawless looking in order to be worth anything in society. Self worth is determined by the absence of acne, perfectly straight teeth, a “perfect” body, and a vast amount of other ridiculous and completely unattainable standards. Nudity is always closely associated with vulnerability, and yet here is my friend, so comfortable in her own skin. Her nudity is power. It shows a woman who knows what she wants, is proud of her own body, and knows how to attain and provide herself with joy and pleasure. Our young women need to be taught to love themselves, to be comfortable in their own bodies, to value their flaws as much as their incredible beauty, intellect, and individual personalities. You have to love yourself before you can healthily accept the love of another.
My naked friend is quite the girl. She brushes off our laughter and jokes, and they don’t bother her and have never forced her to change. I admire her, her strength to continue to do as she pleases in a man’s world, her independence, and her ability to pursue what she wants.