Nude sunburned teen tubbler2/18/2023 ![]() In every direction, the water is deep sapphire. I stop in the middle of the trail, where there are no bushes or rocks to shield me, and take a spin to admire the view. It’s surprising how quickly I feel normal. Tentatively, I plod down the dusty trail and force my attention to rest on anything else: the waves crashing on two different beaches, the sea birds taking a break from plunging for fish, the cactuses I have to shimmy past with utmost care. What if I slip while scrambling down to the beach on the back side of the island and need help? I imagine how it would go: “Are you O-Oh my God! Why are you naked?!” What if I get sunburned? I wonder, as I hike away from the bush I’ve designated as my safe harbor. I take slow, deep breaths of salty air as I leave my clothes in a pile. ![]() I scout the trail’s sightlines once, then twice. There isn’t much cover if someone appears over the bluffs. I can see almost all the edges of this island, which is one lonely palm tree short of the classic desert isle, give or take a few skinny cactuses. The goal is to stop questioning whether my body looks good enough and to focus on whether it feels strong, healthy, and poised. In an attempt to learn to love the body that carries me over summits, I’ve adopted a brute-force method for exposure: I set challenges for myself-such as this writing assignment-that would be more embarrassing to quit than to pursue. ![]() I know better than to be pushed around by beauty marketing, but I can’t seem to stop reacting to it. I started poking could-be cellulite before I could drive. I still recoil when I think of an infomercial I saw when I was elementary-school age about the scourge of spider veins. While bodies come in a wonderful diversity of size, shape, and color, beauty standards do not. I would not call myself a nudist, nor would I say that I particularly like being naked. I take a tentative stride down the trail on a mostly empty island in Baja, Mexico’s Loreto Bay National Park. Well, OK-if we’re being totally honest, I’m also wearing sunglasses, a watch, half a dozen bracelets, and a Buff. Get full access to Outside Learn, our online education hub featuring in-depth fitness, nutrition, and adventure courses and more than 2,000 instructional videos when you sign up for Outside+
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