Mackenzie, age 16

When my parents first told me we were going to a nudist resort for the weekend, I honestly thought they were messing with me. But they weren’t. They were serious. And I was seriously uncomfortable. I mean, what kind of normal teenager wants to be naked around a bunch of strangers? I pictured the worst—awkward silences, weird people, and total embarrassment.

Don't get me wrong, my familiy isn't prudish. We're very comfortable with our bodies. While some of my friend's don't have a memory of seeing their parents naked, I can't remember a week when I haven't seen mine naked. It's not that we are naked around the house all day, but that bedroom and bathroom doors are seldom closed. It was not unusual for me to open the shower curtain and find my little brother brushing his teeth or sitting on the toilet waiting his turn, completely nude. It is no big deal for either of us.

But being naked with family is different than being naked in front of strangers.

The days leading up to the trip were filled with me wanting to get out of it and me wanting to go. But my parents promised I didn’t have to do anything I wasn’t okay with. They said I could stay fully clothed the entire time if I wanted. (My brother on the other hand stopped wearing clothes altogether.) That helped a little, but I still felt butterflied in my stomach pulling into the resort.

What surprised me right away was how normal everything looked. Families were playing volleyball, kids were riding bikes, couples were chatting at picnic tables. Yes, people were nude, but it wasn’t creepy-weird like I imagined, it was just novel-weird. Kind of like when you visit a foreign country and things look so similar, while being different. No one was staring at each other. No one was acting inappropriate or creepy. It was like going to any city park or rustric camp ground, except most everyone was naked.

At first, I stayed fully dressed. Even though the strangeness of everyone else's nakedness faded away much quicker than I imagined it would, I still felt awkward. But no one made fun of me or asked why I was dressed. They just talked to me like they talked to anyone else. This ease made started to make me feel okay. Then I met a couple other teens who had been coming with their families for years. They were friendly, completely comfortable in their own skin, and didn’t make a big deal about anything. One of them told me it took her a while to get used to it too. That made me feel a lot better.

The next day, I decided to give it a shot. I went to the pool with just a towel and sat by the edge. I took a deep breath and slowly dropped the towel before sliding in. And guess what? No one cared. Seriously—no one looked. No one reacted. I swam for over an hour, and for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t worried about how I looked or what people thought. I just felt free.

That weekend ended up being one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I laughed a lot, met cool people, and honestly felt more confident than I expected. I realized how much energy I normally waste worrying about my appearance—whether my clothes look right, if I look awkward, if I’m being judged. At the resort, none of that mattered. People were just people.

I never thought I’d say this, but I actually want to go back. It turns out, trying something way outside your comfort zone can change the way you see yourself—in a really good way.