If you like the way you look dressed, do you like the way you look nude?

[NeverUseThisName]

I only developed any body-confidence in my late 40s. Only then did I learn to feel comfortable wearing what pleases me, rather than what was 'safe'. I look back at photos of myself in my teens and twenties, I can even remember what it felt like to have a flat belly and immaculate skin, and I regret all that wasted time. Why didn't I appreciate myself then?

I have never minded the damage carrying three babies did to my body, I feel the stretch marks are a badge of honour.

But, while I learned to love my dressed self, I never quite learned to love my undressed self - it was just...OK. And now I feel I'm starting to really show the signs of ageing and lack of care over the decades. I look at my 52year old body, my thighs beginning to sag between my legs, my empty handbag overhanging at the front and my buttocks drooping at the back, and I begin to feel the old self-doubt creeping back in again.

Do you love the skin you're in? Do you still feel good about yourself even after you've changed with time or from other things? How do you do it?

[OCSockOrphanage]

I do and don't love the skin I'm in. Now 61, and I know that the beautiful years are history, but heck, I'm in pretty good nick. I have no serious health issues, my skin is good, my body does everything I want it to without groaning too hard. I can see (with glasses), hear, walk my dog and enjoy clothes and skin care (lots of skin care!) I am fortunate to have enough to eat well, have a decent, warm dry home, and to still like the old boy enough to laugh at his old jokes. I yearn for the days when there was the possibility of climbing mountains, but understand that I would be dangerous to others if I started now.

[OCSockOrphanage]

I'm still interested in the world. My mind remains open, and I like change. That might be the key to ageing. I'm keen to see what happens next.

[OCSockOrphanage]

For my age, I think I look reasonable naked. Sorry to take three posts to answer, but I don't think I would horrify young children if they saw me in the shower.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Christ, no. I'm saggy and blobby and pale and wobbly and lumpy and bumpy. And now I sound like Bagpuss.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I like my brain though, and that matters much more to me than some lumps and bumps.

[OCSockOrphanage]

I think my brain works fine still, but Remus has made me question the point. Today's Wednesday, yes?

[AnaViaSalamanca]

Yes, I love it now. As melodramatic as it sounds, it took a bad sports injury to make me appreciate my body and the days that it worked without pain, without me even feeling it was even there. The pain was so bad I fainted a few times. I was never exactly happy with how I looked and that is why I put my body through too much stress and exercise. I don't want to preach OP but it was an eye opening experience for me.

[rightknockered]

I'm not sure if I'm completely happy with the way my body looks, but I'm learning to focus only on the things I like about it. It was strong enough and worked well enough to carry my children, and breast feed 3 of them for 2 years each. I manage to move and walk about, work out, all without pain. My eyesight is still good in my 40s, and my joints are all fine. I may be slightly saggy in some parts but I am fine if I don't focus on those parts. When younger, I would pick myself apart, focus on my faults, took some maturity to realise no-one notices but me.
I have a couple of friends with physical disabilities, three of my children are autistic, and most of my friends are carers, I've lost one of my dearest friends to cancer - certainly clarifies things

[Growingboys]

I'm mostly happy with mine but if I could get my tits back to how they were pre-breast feeding, minus the op and expense, I so would. They're the only bit that make me a bit unhappy with my body.

[Eilasor]

I'm the opposite, I love my body naked but struggle a lot with clothes. Mainly because I don't really have a style at the moment and therefore rarely love an outfit I'm wearing or how it looks on my body.

I'm far more confident naked than even in underwear. Wish it was the other way around as I'm naked such a small amount of the time!!

I'm mid 20s but had 3 DC within a year (5-6 years ago) so my body is not what it used to be. I spent a lot of time learning to love my nude body (it took years!), just noticing and accepting what I saw at first and then eventually starting to like it.

[FinnegansCake]

Some days I feel I look ok for my age (nearly 60), as although I’m overweight I still have reasonably firm breasts and no stretch marks apart from some silvery ones on my thighs. Other days I look at my back view and hate my droopy bum and spare tyre.
Generally I don’t hate the way I look naked; in fact I think my top half looks slimmer undressed as I look far less busty than when I wear a jumper. Mostly I’m pleased that I don’t look worse, in view of the fact that I don’t exercise and I eat too many biscuits!

[LoadsaBlusher]

Yes
I’ve had 3 DC and proud of my body
No stretch marks so very lucky
I’ve always been roughly the same dress size since my teens too (8/10)
Now mid 30’s and no body hang ups at all

I just don’t get down about my body
It all works , looks fine in clothes and out of clothes .
I don’t ever dwell on body image

Happy in a bikini on holiday too
I am not toned and definitely have a bit of a tummy but it really does not bother me in the slightest .

[ZaZathecat]

I feel the same as OCSock and in the same age bracket. Apart from wanting to climb mountains!

[mistermagpie]

I look pretty good in clothes, I'm not stylish by any means but I'm tall and slim so can wear most things and look ok. Not bragging, that's just a fact.

Out of clothes I look terrible. I've got horrible skin, blotchy and marked with millions of moles. I've had two kids and my stomach is all wrinkly and floppy. I would never wear a bikini.

[ilovecherries]

I do and I don't. I'm 60 in a few weeks, and I lost 60 lbs in 2017. Add in a couple of CSections, an old-fashioned appendectomy, and a shit load of orthopaedic surgery after a bad accident, and you don't get away lightly. However, I don't hate it. It's been through a lot and is still standing. I tend not to dwell on it. It work pretty well, all things considered. It can still do everything I want it to do (must work on my core, though!). It's the place where I live, it is what it is.