How to Avoid Being Seen Naked If You Don't Feel Comfortable

Download Article

Plus, when parents should stop being naked around their kids

Co-authored by Kamila Tan and Bertha Isabel Crombet, PhD

Last Updated: July 16, 2025 Fact Checked

Download Article

Avoiding Nudity Around Your Partner

|

Avoiding Nudity in a Communal Shower

|

Overcoming Shyness About Nudity

|

Parental Nudity Around Kids

|

Tips

It happens to people of all ages, all shapes and sizes: you're just not comfortable being seen naked. And that's okay— it's your body, and it's up to you to decide who sees it. Maybe you want to cover up more while getting intimate with your sexual partner, maybe you're anxious about sharing space in a communal shower, or maybe you’re dreading a visit to the new, trendy clothing-optional resort. No matter the source of your anxieties, there are ways to keep your private parts private. Keep reading for ideas on how to stay modest, with expert insights from life and recovery coach Kamila Tan.

How to Avoid Being Seen Naked

During intimacy with your partner, wear lingerie and cover yourself when leaving the room. At the public showers, wear a towel to and from the shower, and try picking a time when no one's around. You could also use disinfectant wipes in lieu of a shower. Overcome your shyness by practicing being nude at home.

Section 1 of 4:

How to Avoid Being Seen Naked by Your Partner

Download Article

1
Wear lingerie that covers the spots that worry you. Feeling self-conscious about your tummy? Try a corset to cinch your waist and push up your breasts, or a babydoll top for coverage and support. The important thing is to find something you like that highlights your best assets.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Branch out beyond the usual lingerie styles, too. Consider burlesque-inspired, tomboy, and indie designers for new takes on sexy underthings
- Costumes and role-playing may also help you stay covered while ramping up your bedroom activities.
2
Be in control of the lighting. It's helpful if your partner can come to your house, so you can feel a little less anxious and have more control over the environment. While you can simply turn the lights off, you may want to try a few candles or installing a dimmer switch. Low lighting is more flattering, and you and your partner can see enough of each other to feel intimate and connected.
- Use soft light bulbs in the bedroom, which can also provide more flattering light.
- If you're having sex in the morning, wait to open the blinds or curtains, and leave the lights off. It may still be dark enough for you to feel comfortable.
Advertisement
3
Don't undress all the way. Leave your bra, tank top, or t-shirt on. Or keep your skirt on but nothing else. Or even slip into your partner's shirt. Covering up a little can help make you feel comfortable enough that you still enjoy yourself.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- Some types of sex are perfect for staying clothed. If you initiate a sudden, passionate "quickie," you may not even have time to get your clothes off.
4
Wrap yourself in a blanket or towel when leaving the room. If you're self-conscious about getting up to use the bathroom, keep a nice, fluffy robe within reach of your bed. If you don't have a robe available, pull a sheet or blanket off the bed and wear it under your arms like a towel.
- This is another opportunity for you to pop on your partner's shirt, especially if he or she is a little larger than you are or about the same size.
If you’re feeling particularly self-conscious during intimacy with your partner, suggest some sexual positions that are sure to keep you feeling confident and out of the metaphorical spotlight. Positions like doggy style, spooning, or standing are all conducive to both a good time and zero added pressure on your self-image, since your partner will have an obstructed view of your body. What matters most is that you’re comfortable in your own skin… no matter how much of it is showing or not showing!^{[3]
X
Research source}

Section 2 of 4:

How to Avoid Nudity in a Communal Shower

Download Article

1
Use cleansing wipes instead of showering. If you haven't worked up a major sweat, a disinfectant wipe may be sufficient to clean yourself. Some schools are even handing these out to students in gym class instead of showering. Just bring a pack in your gym bag and wipe down your armpits and other smelly areas.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- If you're self-conscious about this, you can wipe yourself down in a bathroom stall.
2
Wear a towel to and from the shower. Stop at your locker to pick up a towel. You can secure the towel around your waist and then slip out of your pants. Remove your shirt next and quickly slide the towel up under your armpits if you want to cover your chest.
- You can bring your towel into a bathroom stall and change out of your clothes in the stall. Then emerge already wearing the towel and no one will have seen you change.
3
Try to shower when very few people are around. If you're going to a neighborhood gym, try not to go during peak hours. During lunch or right after work, there's bound to be tons of people at the gym, and so it's more likely the locker room (and showers) will be crowded. Ask a trainer or the person at the desk when the gym is least crowded, then try to fit your workout in during those hours.
- If you're in gym class and trying to avoid showering with your classmates, talk to your teacher and ask if you may shower after everyone else has done so.
- You can also try to wait the other students out, taking your time so that most other people are finished showering by the time you are ready.
4
If you're a student, change your schedule so gym is your last class of the day. If your school insists on students showering after gym class, talk to a school administrator and see if you can take gym during final period. It will be much easier to talk to your teacher or coach into letting you skip the shower if you assure them that you're going to rinse off when you get home.
- Part of the reason your school wants you to shower is that if students don't clean off after exercising, they may spread serious diseases like MRSA.^{[5]
  X
  Research source} If you're going straight home after gym, however, the chances of that are slim.
If you are experiencing bullying or terrible anxiety because you have to shower at school, ask your parents to write a note to your teacher. You may have to meet with your gym teacher or a guidance counselor, with or without your parents, but if the situation is severe, you may be excused.

Section 3 of 4:

How to Overcome Shyness About Nudity

Download Article

1
Practice being nude. It sounds weird, but when you think about it, most people only spend a few minutes a day in the buff. You can't get better or more at ease with something if you don't practice. Lock your door and add five minutes of nudity to your morning ritual. Do something that makes you feel good and pampered while you're having naked time. Rub a nice-smelling lotion all over your body, brush through your hair, even close your eyes, and meditate. You want to start creating a positive connection with being naked.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- If you're someone who wears makeup, delay getting dressed while you apply your makeup.
2
Move your body in ways that make you feel good. Do you like to dance? Swim? Practice yoga or hike? People who exercise for fun improve their self-image while improving their bodies. If you hate running, don't hit the treadmill! Try a Zumba dance class or play a sport instead.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Focus on making your body strong and capable, and not on how it looks.
3
Connect to a time when you felt accepting of yourself. For some, you may have to go all the way back to childhood, but try to remember a time when you weren't self-conscious about your body. Try to find a picture of yourself from that time and refer to it when you need a reminder that you don't need to be so hard on yourself.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Even if you had a rough childhood, focus on the fact that you had enough strength to survive it and make it to where you are today.^{[9]
  X
  Research source}
- Reader Poll: We asked 285 wikiHow readers if they think mantras and affirmations help boost their mood, and 74% of them said yes. [Take Poll] Repeating a mantra or affirmation can help you feel more comfortable with your body.
4
Remember that you're your own worst critic. If you're terribly self-conscious about your partner seeing you naked because you think they'll lose interest, think again. Your partner isn't checking out your stretch marks or cellulite. Your partner isn't thinking you're too big or skinny. They're just psyched to be getting naked with you!
- Focus on being present with your partner. Instead of tearing yourself down, allow yourself to feel and enjoy the moment.
- Your partner has their own insecurities and imperfections, but does that stop you from loving them or wanting to be intimate with them? Try to remember how good and generous you feel toward them, and imagine that they feel the same way about you.
5
Express gratitude for the skin you’re in. Although you may feel insecure about your naked body, take a moment to internalize and appreciate how much it’s done for you. Tan says, “Give your body a hug when you’re naked. Remember all of the wonderful things your body has done for you.” She adds, “If you’re a mother, your body has birthed a child. If you’re an athlete, it’s sustained you in competition and healed from injury and duress. If you’re a traveler, your legs have carried you far and allowed you to experience many things.”^{[10]
X
Expert Source

Kamila Tan
Life and Recovery Coach

Expert Interview}
- Tan explains how much we pick ourselves apart in the mirror without pausing to express gratitude for our wonderful and capable bodies.^{[11]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Kamila Tan
  Life and Recovery Coach
  
  Expert Interview}
- She shares, “When we see ourselves naked, we focus on all the areas we’re insecure about. But what if we shifted to gratitude for all the amazing things our body does for us, instead?”^{[12]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Kamila Tan
  Life and Recovery Coach
  
  Expert Interview}

Section 4 of 4:

At what age should parents stop being naked around their kids?

Download Article

There is no specific age when parents should stop being naked around their kids. When kids are really little, it’s generally no big deal for parents to join them in the bath or to change clothes with them in the room. But what about as they get older? Growing children slowly but surely develop their own sense of modesty, which may align with nudity at home— or not. Most families and professionals agree that it’s mostly a matter of following your children’s cues.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- When kids begin to feel uncomfortable seeing their parents naked, it’s usually at around the same time that they’ve started to feel uncomfortable being seen naked, which would check out.
- It’s all about allowing them to arrive at their own decision and then respecting it.

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

If you love being in the buff, unless you live with someone else, every time you decide to get in the nude, be sure to leave no clothing at all on. Be absolutely, completely naked (while still being hygienic). Nothing: not bras, not underwear, nothing. This will help you appreciate all of your body and help you feel more comfortable in the nude.
To boost your nude confidence, try to put on makeup or style your hair or do something else that makes you feel confident and attractive.

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!