Nudes are old. By that I mean long before the camera phone or even the Polaroid, there were people having portraits sketched in the nude form, Greco-Roman art popularized sculptures of naked people (men mostly, but i’m not complaining) and I’m pretty sure every dad had a stash of playboys that their kids pervved on.

The point is we like to see things that are appealing and naked bodies can be very appealing, arousing even. But like most things in life, there’s a time and place for them. Nudes are an art, there’s a certain level of finesse involved that everyone doesn’t possess but it’s a skill to be learned. I know i’m making this whole thing sound very yoda-ish but it can feel that way.

Yo Gotti said it best snapchat me that p*ssy mood, or facetime me that p*ssy if it’s cool. The fact that the song is a bop isn’t the point. The point is nudes, especially in the digital age, act as a precursor to sex. It’s practically foreplay and considering stats show 33% of adults share nudes, i’d say it’s pretty damn effective. What doesn’t say I’m down for whatever like tits and dicks?

So you’re chillin’ at home, might be listening to some music, drinking a little wine, Netflix might be up. There’s someone you’ve been talking to for a bit, cute and a little interesting. The flirting at first is harmless, has no real purpose. It’s just Hey beautiful texts and heart eye emojis until that night where it goes from mildly suggestive to down to right dirty. Your cell buzzes and you get hit with some variation of this…

You now have some choices. The text can go unanswered, they can be reprimanded for their brazenness or you can contemplate which angles will give the best pics. In my personal life, I almost always go with the last option.

I was introduced to the nude exchange via friends who had no qualms about showing me their boyfriends dicks, even when I didn’t want to see it. I was… later to the game. Being insecure is a staple of adolescence so the idea of someone having evidence of my body accessible freaked me out, until I got into an LDR.

Charlie was a southern boy with a big heart and an extensive gun collection. I met him online and we clicked pretty early, part of the appeal was his distance. (I’m self aware enough to say being able to control when I spoke to him and interacted was desirable considering I don’t like applying a lot of my time to my personal relationships, its a flaw, I know.) Anyway we’d been together for close to a month before he politely asked me to send him a picture of my tits, I was like whaaa? But the idea thrilled me, so after a long prep talk (he thought I was ignoring him but he always did. He was the clingy type.) I decided to send a pic.

The first ones admittedly sucked. The angles were bad, lighting was poor and I didn’t have any sexy quip to send with it but I kept sending them and it got better. One thing I didn’t realize about nudes was how empowering they made me feel, everyone has moments that molds and reassures us sexually and that was a moment for me. After the first time, I fell into a frenzy. I was sending nudes left and right- so much so that after Charlie and I split, I got into FWB situations mostly so I had a nude recipient.

Now I think everyone should do whatever the hell they want. As long as the parties involved are consenting adults, knock yourself out. There are nude pic faux pas, however, that should be avoided. For instance, if the recipient tells you there’s a certain time not to send them. DON’T SEND THEM! It’ll only backfire, trust me. Two of my professors have seen jerk off vids by accident because a guy didn’t follow directions. Also, be mindful of body hair, a little fuzz don’t hurt nobody but the pubes to genital ratio should be proportionate. The last thing I want to do is zoom in and try to find the package under the forest.

I said all of that just to deduce, nudes make things fun. They are a means of connection and an outlet for expressing wants and sensuality. A visual reminder of the desire we have for one another when we’re not in each other’s presence. It’s a tool making it capable to feel linked to a partner far away or right across from you.

The last nude I sent was not too long ago. It was a sloppy job, apart of my daily tasks (i’ll tackle that later). I don’t experience the same rush as I used to, maybe because it doesn’t feel new anymore or that I’ve become good at it. Either way, it’s an art and a tool and another way we get our rocks off.

Are you a fan of nudes? Ever sent pictures to the wrong person? Let me know!

Yours Truly,