No reason to be shy, girl! | Source: Shutterstock

Everywhere we look, there’s more skin. The hotter that it gets, the more clothes come off. This means that any perceived “imperfections” from body hair and love handles to s-t-r-e-t-c-h marks become more visible. Add basking in the presence of your favorite crush to this mix and, oy vey!

I once heard a newscaster say that trying on bathing suits is one of the most stressful things that women can do. Really? Not surviving war or childbearing?

At any rate, it’s natural to be nervous about being naked or nearly naked in front of a crush. We wonder: Ack! What will he or she think of my jiggly parts or non jiggly parts? The truth is, my lovelies, looking good is all about confidence, and feeling confident with less clothes on is all about self love.

Here’s how to be comfortable naked (or nearly naked!):

1. Feel comfortable naked by yourself.
If you don’t feel confident when you’re naked and alone, it can’t happen miraculously when others are around. How we can expect someone else to love what we don’t? Feeling better about being in the buff around your crush starts with learning to love your body.

Homework Alert! It is majorly cool that you have access to your beauty-FULL body 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Go into the bathroom or your bedroom and lock the door. Now, take your clothes off. (Yes, everything.) And take a good, long look in the mirror.

This is not a fault finding expedition. Your goal is to indulge in a little body love. Stand there until you can name 10 awesome things about YOUR body. It’s not about the size of your body parts. Some real girls have curves and some real girls don’t. You are gorgeous just for being you.

2. Love your real beauty!
It’s easy to get caught up in the hype. I’m a fashion mag junkie. However, gazing at pics that someone took in The Best Moment Of Her Life is not realistic to how we look every day. The people in the photos we want to look like don’t even look like that! It takes a Glam Squad village of 15 experts to make our favorite cover girl or reality TV chick look flawless.

Confidence is KEY! | Source: Shutterstock

Your body is a freaking miracle of nature! When you’re sweaty in private or at the beach, makeup washes away and hairstyles go awry. All that’s left then is you glorious you. Anyone who is around when that happens is super privileged and lucky.

3. Make sure you feel comfortable with him with your clothes on.
So you really like this person with a capital “L.” You may even use the other L word, love, to describe your ooey gooey feelings. Add a third L-word, lust, to this trifecta and you feel like it’s time to get naked. So how do you feel comfortable around him or her with your clothes off? FIRST, make sure that you first feel comfortable around this person with your clothes on!

We all turn into a bundle of nerves when we have a crush. It’s natural. Your heart is thump-thumping, your mouth goes dry and you forget where to put your fidgeting hands. We wonder, does he really like me? No one wants to feel or look stupid.

If you’re thinking of spending “nekkid” moments with someone, take the time to get to know them. The more comfortable you feel rocking out with them on a day-to-day basis, the more comfy you’ll feel overall.

Remember, guys get nervous too. They may act like they have swag but they don’t have anything more figured out than we do. Dude is probably too insecure about all of the things that he thinks are wrong with him to judge you. Release the fear of judgement. Know that anyone who would criticize your beautiful self is not someone who deserves to be in your big, fat shiny life anyway.

Would you feel comfortable naked (or almost naked) in front of your crush this summer? Do you ever feel self-conscious in a swim suit? Tell us everything in the comments!

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