Leave it to Lady Gaga to effortlessly demonstrate exactly how posing naked should be done. The singer can be seen adopting myriad flamboyant characters within the pages of British Vogue’s December issue, but there are also two nude images that speak to her most recent evolution: into a woman who has truly found her confidence. Keenly aware of the power of vulnerability – just see her documentary Five Foot Two on Netflix for proof – Gaga lays herself bare in images that show her looking more poised and self-assured than ever before. Inspired by Gaga’s Steven Meisel moment in British Vogue, and because feeling comfortable in your own skin is always about more than just looking your best, we spoke to self development coach Roxie Nafousi, for her tips on how to truly feel good naked.
Feel the fear and do it anyway
“With anything that gives us a feeling of immense fear, anxiety or apprehension, I recommend feeling the fear and doing it anyway. To offer a metaphor, I moved house last year, and there are bollards in the road which make it hard to park the car (it’s a tight squeeze). Every time I approached it I’d feel so anxious. I regularly ended up driving the long way around because I didn’t want to put myself through that feeling of discomfort. One day I had had enough and decided I just had to start doing it – the more I did, the easier it became, and now I don’t even think about it, which is just like life in general. Being naked is just like the bollard; it’s something we’re not used to, that makes us feel uncomfortable, so start by accepting that feeling of discomfort. Begin slowly. Rather than rushing to get changed in the morning, start by spending 30 minutes in your underwear. Know that discomfort is okay – it won’t kill you and you can progress through it. Take a deep breath, exhale, and eventually you’ll feel a sense of immense pride that you did it.”
Make mantras a priority
“We see mantras on Instagram but most of us don’t actually know how they work. Our subconscious essentially doesn’t know when you’re lying to it, so if you repeat a mantra or thought in your head, your subconscious believes it must be true. There was a scientific study in which two groups tried to lift weights, and those in the group that repeated ‘I am strong’ to themselves were able to lift heavier weights than those that didn’t. Their subconscious believed it to be true. A mantra is really a way to reprogram how we think and make our thoughts more empowering, positive and uplifting. When used repeatedly, we can form new neurological pathways in the brain because of something called neuroplasticity.
“You can use a mantra at any time – let’s say you have negative thoughts that pop into your mind when you see yourself in the mirror. Your mind might say, ‘I’m not good enough. I’m disgusting. I hate myself.’ Horrible, self-loathing thoughts that we all have and experience. You can simply replace these thoughts with a mantra. One to have in your toolbox might be, ‘I am grateful for my body and all that it does for me. I love my body. I love the person that I am.’ Even if you feel worthless, the truth is that your subconscious doesn’t care what is truth or a lie, so as long as it’s hearing it, it will believe it.
“When it comes to reprogramming our beliefs and our self-worth, the subconscious is most susceptible first thing in the morning, at night just before falling asleep, and when we’re in a meditative state, so it’s really powerful to start your day by repeating a mantra five times, or having a positive affirmations playlist to listen to as you fall asleep.”
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What you look like is the least important thing
“Possibly the most important thing to remember is that the way we look is one of the least important things about us – what is more important is the way we make people feel. If you think about all the people that you love in your life, the people that inspire you or who you admire, would you like them more, or feel more inspired by them, if they were thinner or had more tattoos? It wouldn’t occur to you.
“We need to shift the emphasis onto how we make others feel. So much of that is related to how we feel about ourselves, because everything is a projection of our own internal world. If we can feel more comfortable with ourselves, we will feel better about ourselves, and then make other people feel better as a byproduct.”
Journaling is great for body confidence
“A nice thing to do – especially if you’re low on body confidence – is to journal your gratitude for your body. It could be that every night you write down everything you’re thankful for that your body allows you to do. I recently launched my own 12-week self-love and empowerment journal which contains daily exercises you can do to help you get there. The more gratitude we can have for our bodies, and the more emphasis we place on what it does for us, rather than how it looks, the more comfortably we will be able to sit with it. Shower it with adoration and celebration.”
The December 2021 issue of British Vogue is on newsstands on Friday 5 November.
