How often are you naked? And by naked we mean well and truly stripped of your clothes and shoes, à la Rachel from Friends dancing naked around her empty apartment.

Most of us probably don’t spend copious amounts of time in our most natural state, but being naked can be both freeing and an important form of self-expression – as Amy Redmond, creative director of club night Sink The Pink, knows all too well.

“When we’re naked we are literally stripped bare to the elements, and our true selves,” she tells stylist.co.uk.

Redmond has had plenty of experience with nudity, having grown up visiting nudist beaches with her family.

“There is comfort and nostalgia in remembering my grandma’s comfortable, soft boobs, and now I’ve had a baby and breastfed I have the same boobs!” she says. “Being naked gives me comfort and makes me feel entirely at ease.”

As well as making her feel relaxed, Redmond believes there are some psychological benefits to being naked. “There is something ultimately freeing and grounding about being yourself in your truest form of nature,” she adds. 

Science has dug up numerous other benefits to nudity, too - couples who sleep naked together are said to have happier relationships, while sleeping nude in general is thought to send us into a deeper slumber.

Redmond certainly has no qualms about about shedding her clothes. “I don’t prescribe to society’s version of the perfect body. I am very content in my happy, healthy skin,” she says.

And while she believes that everyone is free to do whatever feels right for them, she does advocate “giving it a go”.

“We have so many rules in society, and this is the one state we can all be in where we are reminded of the simplicity of existence,” she says.

“We are all the same. To quote Ru Paul: ‘we are born naked, and the rest is drag!’”

The best nudist beaches in Europe

“Nudist beaches are my favourite place in the world,” says Redmond. However, she prefers ones where “literally no one even notices that each other are naked.”

Fancy making a trip of it? Read on for Redmond’s top five nudist beaches in Europe…

Treen beach in Cornwall 

“On a sunny day, this is my favourite nudist beach in the world.”

Gran Canaria

“Most of the island is nude friendly and, other than the bits which are full of Brits, it’s an amazing island.”

Mar Bella beach, Barcelona

“My friend Jono lives out there and introduced me to it.”

Botany Bay, Broadstairs

“This is my local!”

Lion beach, Lacanau

“We spent some dreamy time here before we had our son. I’d love to go back with him one day.”

Looking for more nudist beaches? We have a roundup of UK-based spots here.

For one day only on Thursday 20 September, Gemma Cairney has taken over stylist.co.uk and transformed it into her very own Express Yourself platform – a digital initiative which aims to inspire us, challenge us and encourage us to explore our creative sides.

For similarly inspiring content, check out Stylist’s September Shake Up initiative here.

Main image: Courtesy of Amy Redmond

Other images: Unsplash