In your skin

“This is it: This body is home. This is where I live and hang my hat. This is where I settle into my hips and sit easy in myself, slung together with strong muscles and bones, made gentle and forging with flesh. This body is durable, has lasted for years, hunkered down through fierce storms and allows for the peaceful erosions of age. It is like a cottage on the shore: weathered and well made, a place where a person could comfortable live. I like it here. It is my own.” –Marya Hornbacher

 

Have you at any point just looked at your reflection in the mirror and felt “Nah, not good enough.” Based your decisions on the way you look? Now I am not just talking about the clothes you decide to wear. No this goes deeper. This boils down to how you should talk or carry yourself or the type of person you think you deserve to date.

I think if there is one thing I envy our four legged friends for, it would be this. Their freedom to exhibit their nakedness. And is it even nakedness if it has never been covered? God forbid the day man decides to put clothes on the pets.

I have never been around animals much but I am sure you have come across many animals just fondling their body, scratching their back against the wall, licking their fur, demanding a stroke from their human counterparts.

Why couldn’t we be like that? Why did we have to go under layers of clothes. Not having access to our own body. Not being able to give that kind of attention to our skin. And within this human evolution, we further discriminate based on gender.

Like, how many cultures around the globe allow women to sit topless and consider it absolutely normal. Any lucky communities that are in this practice are considered tribal or uncivilized.

Do not get wrong idea. When I talk about nakedness, I am in no way, making any associations to any sexual activity. I am referring to a good old naked day spent around in the comforts of your home doing things you like, catching a glimpse of yourself in the mirror in your room and thinking – “Damn I look so good, I feel so comfortable.”

Being a woman raised in India I have many issues with all that was taught to me about my body, growing up. It takes a woman to grow as old as I am to finally have that understanding that- sleeping without your underwear is not a mortal sin, but in fact will be a favour to your body.

I was brought up, like I am sure most women are in India to think that wanting to sleep in less clothing is a sexual fantasy. And we all know how we are taught to curb our sexual fantasies.

This post is an after effect of many positive movements around the world like nudism and free the nipple and many more. Do me a favor shed those clothes tonight, pick up a book you like, spread your legs, arm above your head, enjoy the book and the breeze that captures your body in a gentle caress.