Probably the biggest lesson I learned is that I don’t need to wear lingerie or be nude or be a size 4 to feel sexy, it’s something I just am, especially when I feel confident. I surprised myself when I was feeling conservative about showing skin. I opted for hints of lingerie rather than the full monty. As the days progressed however, I became more comfortable in my own skin. In no time, I donned those nipple pasties but it felt fun rather than trendy. Even more fun was gifting (yet another of the 10 Principles of Burning Man) pasties to new friends that I met, both women and men. I came to realize that what I thought was being conservative, was really being insecure about showing my perfectly imperfect size 10 body. But looking around I realized this was a place where your size or shape didn’t determine your level of undress or attractiveness. Because there was no judgement from others, my own often harsh judgment of myself seemed to dissipate.
After all the time I spent needlessly stressing about having just the right look or fitting in, my take away from Burning Man is that how I express myself is mostly about being accepting myself and being authentic. This experience was a great reminder that I actually have style, my very own and that my best accessory is always my smile; the testament of an authenticity expressing I am comfortable in my own skin.