I don’t have to tell you that self-love isn’t always easy – you already know that. Loving yourself may be the promotional tagline of countless online campaigns but it can feel nearly impossible when you’re in the throes of an emotionally draining dip in your self-confidence.
One third of UK adults have had negative relationships with their body image.
Did you know that over a third of UK adults have felt anxious and/or depressed due to concerns about their body image in the past? Pushing that even further, one in eight (13 percent) of adults have experienced suicidal thoughts and/or feelings because of concerns over their body image, according to MentalHealth.org.
How you feel about your body can deeply impact other areas of your life.
Your relationship with your body is incredibly important because how you feel about yourself can impact things such as your quality of life, psychological state, and lifestyle habits such as eating and sleeping. So much of our lives can be affected by our relationship with ourselves and our bodies, to the point that body satisfaction and appreciation have actually been statistically linked to better overall wellbeing.
Social media can often create unhealthy and unrealistic standards of beauty.
In a world where social media outlets and influencers often portray extremely unrealistic body image and beauty standards – not just women but for men as well – it’s not surprising that people are feeling down about the way they look. How can you combat that? While photo-sharing online may be part of the problem, it can also be part of the solution.
How Sharing My Nudes Boosted My Confidence
Sharing my nudes online helped me love myself. It helped me appreciate my body, my beauty, and even my personality. It even helped me combat an eating disorder I’ve struggled with for my entire adult life.
Whether it’s creating an account on a popular NSFW platform or simply sending a sexy snapshot to a friend or lover, sharing your body with other people (consensually) can help you develop a healthy relationship with your body and yourself.
Self-Image vs What Others See
Often, we have a warped sense of self-image. In fact, many people struggle with something called body dysmorphic disorder (BDD, otherwise known as body dysmorphia). This is a mental health condition where a person spends an excessive amount of time worrying about the flaws in their appearance, often on a detrimental scale.
While the condition is devastating to anyone who struggles with it, the interesting thing about this is that the things people focus on are often completely unnoticed by others or not even entirely true about themselves. Your mind can play tricks on you, and having someone else see your body can help dispel those negative thoughts and emotions.
An Excuse for Sexy Self Care
Posting nudes isn’t just about taking a photo and sharing it online – you can have so much fun with it! Entire photoshoots, dressing up in cosplay or cute lingerie outfits, doing your hair and makeup, shaving your legs, painting your nails, finding flattering angles for photos… All of these things can make you feel like a goddess.
When life is busy and difficult, we often don’t put enough time and energy into ourselves. Since I started posting nudes online, you best believe my nails are always done. I take better care of my skin, I put more effort into my appearance and I buy clothes that highlight my curves. It’s totally transformed the way I care for myself, and I love it.
A Coping Mechanism
One of the things that drew me to NSFW content creation was the idea that when I was feeling down about myself, I could do something about it. Physically doing something to ensure my mood shifts from negative self-talk to positive affirmations has made a world of difference. I could put on lingerie, set up a sexy photoshoot, post some cute photos and feel better about myself because I was able to view myself in a different way.
Who Doesn’t Love Compliments?
When you post a photo online, people see it. This is obvious. What isn’t obvious is how much people are going to love it. Even photos and videos I wasn’t really happy with when I created them have blown up online because other people were able to see things I was not. Their reactions – whether likes, comments or tips – helped me appreciate that I am, well, appreciated. Fishing for compliments isn’t always a toxic thing; sometimes it just helps you see yourself the way others do.
One Person’s ‘Flaw’ Is Another Person’s Fetish
I’ve spent a long time hating my feet and stomach. From dry skin scarring on my feet to stretch marks on my chubby tummy, these parts of my body and I have been enemies for a long time. I will never forget when I realized that there were people out there who not only adore chubby tummies and stretch marks but actually prefer it! And the day I realized foot fetishes were a thing and someone slid into my DMs telling me that mine was the sexiest they’d ever seen… I was blown away. There is always someone out there who can see your beauty, even when you can’t.
It’s Simply Badass AF to Make Money This Way
“Oh look, more money for being me,” I say gleefully, as I chomp on a piece of pizza and swipe away a $10 tip notification. Obviously, developing a healthy relationship with yourself and your body is stellar but being able to make bank on that healthy relationship and develop a social media presence that you’re proud of and that helps support you? Damn, babe, you’re a beautiful badass!
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