We’re told to hide out of respect. Sometimes that’s care. Sometimes it’s control.
There’s a difference between “I won’t show this here” and “My body is unacceptable.” One is a boundary; the other is a belief. The first can change with context. The second eats you alive.
Nudity without permission isn’t a demand on others. It’s a refusal to outsource your worth. In art, in nature, at home, in designated public spaces, your body can be present without being a performance for anyone else’s gaze.
Will some people get uncomfortable? Yes. Discomfort isn’t a verdict. It’s feedback. We can honor someone’s limits without inheriting their shame.
If consent means anything, it must include the right to be visible without becoming a spectacle—and the right to look away without making visibility a crime.