Naked body painting was one of the most liberating experiences I’ve ever had

It was a brisk and nipply morning and I left my house not knowing what to expect. All I knew was that I was going to take my clothes off in a high profile location while an artist painted my naked body.

Getting body painted isn’t something I had ever planned on doing, but when the opportunity arose, I took it. What could be more interesting than actually becoming one of my favorite architectural works in the entire world? And it turned out to be one of the most liberating experiences I’ve ever had.

I went back and forth on the decision to go through with it for a while

While my heart really wanted this, I was worried about what people on the streets would do or say, and more importantly what my family would think about me being naked in the streets of Florence. After little deliberation, I finally decided this was something I needed to do for myself. I’d been feeling like I was stuck in a rut with work and money for a while and needed to do something crazy.

Painting time started at 8 am on the bank of the Arno River, and boy was it cold. People were already roaming the streets and naturally, nerves hit me. Trina, the artist, put on some of The Beatles because that’s what soothes my soul, and off came my shirt. Almost immediately, two older Italians ran over telling us that I needed to get dressed very quickly. But when our coordinator assured them we had received explicit permission to be there, that’s when the real fun started.

The paint was cold, and so was the morning, but I was rushing with adrenaline. I’m not sure what it is about getting naked around new people for the first time makes your heart race. I immediately started sweating, and due to the body paint, I wasn’t allowed to wear deodorant so quickly became less self-conscious of being exposed, and more worried about poor Trina having to deal with my smell. I mentioned it to her, and she assured me I smelled like roses — things loosened up after that.

Very quickly a crowd gathered to see what was going on

Some people stayed for the entire hour and a half, mesmerized. Others realized what was going on and asked questions. At one point a co-worker walked by, who didn’t know I would be getting painted, and yelled down at me. We had a brisk conversation that made our work function later that evening all the more hilarious.

All jokes aside, getting naked body painted was one of the most exhilarating and eye-opening experiences I’ve ever had. Trina talked about how her goal wasn’t to make people invisible, as that is what sometimes people assume when they see her work, but the goal is to make someone one with their surroundings. To truly be one with the place that you are in, and for me, Florence is my favorite city in the whole world, somewhere I hope will always be a home to me and the impact Trina’s work has really hit me.

She paints people of all shapes and sizes. She does couples, she does mothers and their children. Race, gender, orientation. It doesn’t matter. And when she’s done, she has created an astronomical masterpiece that really resonates with the location she is in.

At the time of the painting, I wasn’t my most fit or the skinniest I’ve ever been. After all, I’d been living on a diet of pizza and wine for six months, but the whole process was so simple and easy. It was so natural, and apart from the initial reaction of the Italians, everyone who passed was super supportive of it. Maybe because I was in one of the most important places for art in the world, or perhaps because people just realize the importance of the project. 

People shouldn’t be afraid to be naked

It’s our natural state. We see naked people every day. On TV, when we hop in the shower, or when we look at classic art. For literally thousands of years people have been fascinated with the human body. The proof is in the pudding.

I’m not saying that we should all run around naked, I like fashion a little too much for that. But if a giant sculpture of a naked man doesn’t shock us, then why should a normal naked 22-year-old woman for the same purpose — art — shock us so much?