WITH winter well and truly here, we’re all trying to layer up in a bid to keep warm.
But for Lucy Muse, who lives a ‘clothing optional’ lifestyle, these extra clothes are just a barrier to properly expressing yourself.
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The artist from Cardiff, Wales, began to live as a ‘naked person’ while at university.
Now the content creator and model, in her late 20s, wears as little clothing as possible, as often as she can.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, Lucy shared what it means to live a ‘clothing optional’ lifestyle.
“I spend as much time naked as possible.
“I don’t feel vulnerable when I’m naked, because it’s a choice that I’ve made, and it’s how I choose to express myself. It’s actually very liberating.
“Not everybody shared my lifestyle, it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, and I’m respectful of that.
“I choose to live my life in a certain way, and that’s my choice.”
You’ll have heard the terms nudist and naturist, but Lucy made clear that she prefers the term ‘naked person.’
“There are a lot of terms that relate to other types of naked lifestyle – naturists, nudists, that sort of thing.
“They’re very much their own thing, and they’re very positive things for the people who associate with those terms.
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“My term is ‘naked person’ and that suits me.”
There are times when Lucy has to wear clothing, like when she visits the supermarket.
“It is legal to be naked in public in the UK, but I use common sense.
“I don’t go to the shops naked, for example. I don’t put myself in situations where I might surround myself with people who aren’t going to be positive about the way that I live my lifestyle.”
It all started when Lucy was training as an artist at a university in Cardiff.
She said: “I’m an artist – a visual artist – and when you’re an artist, the human form is a big part of art anyway, so it’s something you tend to look at and immerse yourself in.
“When I trained to be an artist, I largely used to be behind the camera, so I’d be taking portrait photos or drawing at live modeling sessions.
“I wanted to be the life model at some point, but I spent a long time working on my confidence in order to get there.”
I don’t feel vulnerable when I’m naked because it’s a choice that I’ve made, and it’s how I choose to express myself.
Lucy Muse
But does living a ‘clothing optional’ lifestyle save the artist from spending money on clothes?
“I’m actually a big lover of vintage clothing. I love colourful clothes, and because it’s not always appropriate not to be clothed, I do enjoy my style.
“It could save you money if you’re just naked all of the time, but realistically it’s not always possible.
“That’s why I call myself a naked person because it’s my choice when I’m naked.
“So I make the choice when it feels good to me.”
Lucy now makes visual art using her naked body, and often performs with friends who share her lifestyle.
She’s also made a podcast for Spotify, Lucy Musings, and various music albums about her lifestyle – with one song titled, ‘Naked and Proud.’
“I know do live performances, where I use my body as the canvas. I literally paint on my body.
“I used to paint on a canvas, [but] it’s a bit restrictive, trying to paint on a canvas that has edges and an end to it, and it made sense to use my body.
“They’ve been open to clothing-optional audiences who have been allowed to experience the performance naked too.
“I perform with an amazingly talented musician and sometimes my naked friends.
“Being naked isn’t a big step. Being naked isn’t a big thing for me.
“When I’m performing, I’m more focused on singing in a way that I wanted to or [fitting] the artwork to the music.”
I don’t think that anybody should have to feel comfortable with the body that they’re in at all – some people don’t.
Lucy Muse
She had also taken part in naked protests, such as the World Naked Bike Ride London – a public protest against ‘car culture.’
Lucy, who is open about her lifestyle on social media, now has more than 7,000 followers on TikTok and hopes she can encourage people to feel comfortable in their skin – but only if they want to.
“[The reaction’s] been really positive, and I’ve found a lot of other people who share my lifestyle.
“Obviously there’s some trolling on there, but that doesn’t really bother me. It’s something to be expected if you’re doing something different or living alternatively.
“I just tend to block the worst ones, and that’s what I’d advise anyone else to do.”
She continued: “There’s a lot of pressure in the media. There’s also a lot of peer pressure these days.
“I don’t think that anybody should have to feel comfortable with the body that they’re in at all – some people don’t.
“And that’s a really relevant thing for them, that they either feel that they need to work on or they don’t.
“I think that choice is really important because there’s a lot of pressure to love the body you’re in and sometimes you don’t. Everybody has good and bad days.
“The useful thing for me was to live a clothing-optional lifestyle, and spend a lot of time naked, and so I do see a lot of myself, all the good bits and all the hang-ups.
“[But] being body positive, I think, comes about through learning to express yourself.”
