Parents Embrace Openness for Body Positivity

Quick Smiles:

• Many parents are fostering body confidence by normalizing everyday nudity at home.
• Experts recommend adapting openness as children grow and express their comfort levels.
• Healthy conversations and positive attitudes towards bodies can support kids’ self-acceptance.

The “naked mom” trend isn’t as sensational as it sounds—it’s about ditching shame and making bodies ordinary around the home, especially during everyday routines.

Supporters believe this openness can help children develop a healthier relationship with their own bodies, while some critics express concerns about boundaries and respect for privacy.

Bonnie Engle, a mom of four and health coach from Tampa, Florida, feels it’s just part of family life, with privacy often in short supply.

“It’s really just about normalizing bodies and not making it weird,” Engle told TODAY.com.

She credits her own upbringing for her comfort and wants her kids to feel the same, noting that friends who didn’t grow up with such openness sometimes feel uneasy about their bodies.

Recently, Engle asked her Instagram followers for their thoughts on when to start covering up in front of children, sparking thousands of responses that ranged from enthusiastic agreement to more cautious perspectives.

“I am a naked mom and had a naked mom. I think that society over sexualizes the naked body when it comes to children. When I stopped bathing and seeing my oldest naked he stopped seeing me naked, it’s really that simple. A mother’s body shouldn’t be shameful in the eyes of her children…”

“I didn’t not have one and am one. I pray it helps my kids know what bodies look like. My sons are 10 and 8 now and I keep the nakedness to my room, but if they barge in (almost daily) there is no anger/surprise/concern. But they do barge in a little less now.”

“Always been a naked mum, I’m raising 5 boys and they don’t bat an eyelid. They do come out with funny questions sometimes, but love that they are just comfortable asking and don’t feel any awkwardness around something as natural as the human body.”

“Naked mom when the kids were younger. When they started wanting more privacy for changing/bathing, that was my cue to be more discreet around them, too.”

“Coming in from different perspective as a child of a naked mom. Dealing with lots of issues later in life because of this. I’m 38 and still struggling. You do what’s right for your family, but just from my perspective there are healthy and unhealthy ways to go about this. I think a lot of comments saying when privacy starts being an issue to back is on point. My mother did not, she continued to change in front of me when I hit a point I wasn’t comfortable with it.”

Experts like Megan Michelson and Mary Flo Ridley, creators of the parenting platform Birds & Bees, encourage tailoring openness to each family’s needs, emphasizing regular check-ins with everyone’s comfort.

“We always say: respect the most modest person in the home,” Michelson shared with TODAY.

Ridley adds that adjusting boundaries as children grow is a sign of healthy development, not failure, as privacy needs naturally change with age.

Engle notes that none of her children have shown unease so far, saying they find the idea of discomfort a bit confusing, but she always reminds them that privacy is their choice.

Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, a clinical psychologist in Boston, points out the importance of healthy family discussions, especially with children exposed to images online, saying parental attitudes help shape kids’ self-image early on.

“Regardless of whether a parent is more open or modest, talking positively about our own bodies is what really sets the tone,” Sinclair-McBride told TODAY. “Even offhand comments — especially negative ones, don’t go unnoticed. Children are always listening, and they internalize how parents speak about their bodies.”

Celebrating openness and positive self-talk can provide a foundation for kids to grow up confident and respectful of themselves and others. For more uplifting family stories, keep following us!

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