Everybody is doing it. Well, some people are. If you have ever wanted to bare your top half on the beach but couldn’t muster up the courage, here are 5 great tips to help you get the oomph you need to ‘take it off’.

It took me quite a while to cross ‘going topless’ off my bucket list. Even though no one would ever describe me as shy, I couldn’t help but feel dirty at the thought of taking my top off in a public setting. At the same time I couldn’t help but feel jealous of girls who had no problem chucking away their tops the moment their feet hit the sand.

After years of visiting European beaches and weekend trips to Miami, it dawned on me that these seemingly wild and carefree ladies were not only throwing away their swimsuits, but also the over-burdensome feeling of self-consciousness.

So after finally doing it (or undoing it, I should say), I found that going topless is one of the most sexy ways to learn to feel comfortable with your own body while adopting a little of the local attitude. Here are a few tips to break out of your shell and into your birthday suit.

1. When it comes to looking sexy topless on the beach, you probably are the 1%

The majority of people who decide that clothes are not an option aren’t exactly physically intimidating. Nude and topless beaches are full of people you wish would put their clothes back on. Not to scare you (or turn you on, if that’s what you’re into, no judgement), but ‘a day at the nude beach’ is probably on the planned list of activities at the retirement community down the street. So don’t worry about what you look like, because the vast majority of nude beach-goers are in their golden years. And trust me, they don’t give a s*&% and neither should you.

 

 

2. Go to a gay beach 

My first topless experience happened to be at a gay nude beach in Florida (I kind of wound up there. Long story.) You can be assured that most people, the majority being gay males, aren’t looking at you, at least not sexually.  So if you are worried about hordes of gawking teenage boys or having your photo land on one of those websites, gay beaches are the way to go. But if you can get over the fact that gay beaches tend to attract some very hot, but unattainable guys, taking your top off will be cake walk.

 Photo Courtesy of Laura A. Hardesty  and www.freeimages-photos.com
 
 

3. Have a drink..or two

We all know that alcohol can lower your inhibitions and consequently your clothes, too. I recommend tequila. It has a reputation for making people do things they swore they wouldn’t. And if you have enough of it, you won’t remember it all anyway.

 

 

4. Bring that friend

Ever wonder what to do with the obnoxious, never-fails-will-dance-on-the-bar friend who you just can’t take anywhere for fear of having to bail her out of jail for public indecency? Here is an idea; bring her to the beach. If you suggest that you all should go topless, she will more than likely already have her top unsnapped before you finish your sentence. It will take the pressure off of you and give you that extra boost of confidence you need to ‘let it all hang out’.

 

 

5. Going topless can boost your confidence

 

The act of going nude or topless can be a great way to get an even tan and feel sexy. But more than that, many women who only pack the bottom half of their swimsuit agree that going bare can be liberating from all the social constructs of ‘normality’ and a major confidence booster- if you are doing it for the right reasons. Sometimes, in order to learn to be completely comfortable with yourself and body,  you have to give the ‘status-quo’ a firm, but polite ‘eff-you’.