Image Credit: Bare Project
- Before Estelle Keeber turned 40, she had to make one bold move to give up the shame she felt of her body for the rest of her life.
- In 2022, Estelle decided to go nude for a year and on her birthday she stripped bare in Spain.
- After a year of saying no to airbrushed bodies, the nudist life has allowed her to find a new wave of confidence and freedom in her womanhood.
Here Estelle tells her story in her own words.
Stuff it, I’m 40!
That’s what I scrawled at the top of my list.
I was heading towards the big 4-0, and after a few massive shake-ups, I decided life’s too short to fret over flab, stretch marks, cellulite, or what other people think.
Top of my list of things to challenge myself with? Go naked for a year.
I’d sunbathed topless in my backyard around seven years earlier. At the time, I’d felt ashamed of my mum tum, having given birth to two beautiful boys in 2008 and 2009.
But as I felt the unfiltered warmth of sun on my skin, I realised just how freeing it felt to accept the skin I was in.
Still, going completely nude in public was a whole new ball game.
I was sick of social media flogging the idea that bodies had to be smooth, perky, and pencil-thin. I wanted to normalise real women, no matter what the size of their bums, bellies or boobs.
So in September 2022, I began my year-long naked challenge. I flew to Spain with a friend and we headed to a nudist beach so that I could kick things off in the most literal way possible – by spending my big day in my birthday suit.
READ MORE: We’re Travelling Oz In The Nude
Before turning 40, Estelle wanted to leave her shame behind.
‘This is nerve-racking,’ I whispered as we eyed the naked sunbathers, strolling around as if nothing was amiss.
‘Why don’t we just strip and run into the sea?’ my friend suggested.
‘Great idea!’ I replied.
‘This is nerve-racking.’
So we tore off our clothes and sprinted bare-bottomed into the waves. The warmth of the ocean washing over my naked body was incredible.
‘This is fantastic,’ I sighed happily, as the water wrapped me in a silky hug.
‘It’s brilliant!’ agreed my mate.
Lying naked on the sand afterwards, I noticed something magical – nobody was staring or judging anybody else.
Sunbathing nude felt amazing, and not having to wear a wet cossie was a game-changer.
It was all so freeing, and I was hooked.
READ MORE: Why I hike in the nude!
Wanting to show others that nudity didn’t have to be associated with sleaze or sex, I began sharing my adventures on Instagram
@nakedadventureswithme, amassing 2500 followers in just a few months.
I did get some negative comments, but otherwise people were incredibly encouraging.
Brave woman, one person commented.
So natural and free, wrote another.
‘Nudity is brilliant!’
I’d always been a go-getter – I ran a company that helped businesses to grow – so ignoring the critics, I booked myself into a nude spa break.
One day, after a blissful naked massage, I headed to the spa’s nude dining room. At first it felt like one of those terrifying dreams where you’re suddenly in a public place without a stitch on – only this was real life!
What if I splosh food on my boobs or leg? I fretted. And where on earth do I put the napkin?
Taking a seat, I soon found everyone just chatted away like it was perfectly normal to eat food in the nude. It was so freeing.
I took my 53-year-old Aunt Jen next time, and she became a convert.
‘Nudity is brilliant!’ she said.
By 2023, nudity had become second nature, and I threw myself permanently into the naturist lifestyle, taking part in naked barbecues, nude glamping, life modelling for art classes, and nude hikes.
Sometimes I’d do them with people I met through social media, but mostly I’d go alone.
My friends and family aren’t surprised I’ve become a fully-fledged nudist. Although I was once shy, I can proudly say I’m an open-minded, body-positive mum.
Though I don’t go naked around my teens, I hope to teach them that nudity is nothing to be ashamed of.
When I’m outdoors – gardening, swimming, or hiking – I love the freedom of just wearing sunscreen and insect repellent.
I want to show women of all shapes and sizes that they can love their bodies exactly as they are.
READ MORE: We’re Ageing Disgracefully!
There’s still a stigma around nudism, but I’m tired of being bombarded with airbrushed images of ‘ideal’ bodies. I want to normalise non-sexual nudity.
To any newcomers, I always advise that you remain alert when you’re going nude in public and, where possible, go with a partner or friend.
I’m divorced and, while I’ve never dated a fellow nudist, I’d be open to it if I met the right man.
Mostly, I just want others to feel the same body confidence I’ve gained and realise that it’s normal to be natural.
I’m actually two sizes bigger than when I started, due to an undiagnosed illness affecting my joints which restricts mobility, and the old me would never have dared go naked.
Now, I’m just grateful my body has carried me through 43 years and given me my two amazing sons, now 16 and 14.
While I keep my kit on around them, as obviously they don’t want to see their mum naked, they are supportive of me promoting body positivity.
I’ve just finished shooting a naked charity calendar to raise money for a friend’s sick child called ‘Bare for Nazario.’
As well as Aunt Jen and myself appearing, there are 10 nude non-naturists, including Nazario’s 63-year-old great-gran Rita, who posed naked on a paddleboard.
It was a lot of fun and, although I still love fashion, there’s nothing more beautiful than your birthday suit.
Going starkers is sublime – and I’m not stopping any time soon!
