IT’S NOT SEXUAL . . . IT’S ALL ABOUT FREEDOM

Musician Jess Maison, 35, is single and lives in London. she says:

I have grown up with parents who are very liberated about nakedness. I used to call them ‘crazy old hippies’, but today I can see that they are far from crazy. They have given me an incredible gift — and that’s to be proud of my body and not be prudish when it comes to my naked form.

My body is far from supermodel perfect — but I am happy with what I see in the mirror. Yes, of course I’d like to lose some weight, but that doesn’t stop me from being able to relax and enjoy living in the moment when I take my clothes off. When I look at my naked reflection, I don’t see any flaws; I see a woman who is happiest in her skin when she is nude.

That’s not to say I have always felt this way. I went through a stage in my 20s of not liking my body. What changed everything was taking part in a photoshoot at a festival in 2008. There were 500 people — including me — standing naked on a hill. It was so freeing being unclothed in nature.

By coincidence, not long afterwards I started seeing a guy who was a nudist. We regularly attended naked swims and gatherings. I felt so alive and free.

Today, I’m extremely comfortable with my body and like to be naked at outdoor settings as much as possible. There are numerous festivals where you can be naked. There is no sexual element. It’s purely about enjoying the freedom.

In lockdown, I moved back home with my parents and would potter around the garden totally naked.