Internet forums are full of mums asking at what point should we stop being naked in front of our kids.
But according to a newly published report, parents should embrace nudity at home throughout childhood as a way of reducing unhealthy and oversexualised attitudes to naked bodies.
According to the report by British Naturism, our prudishness towards not wearing clothes means the only type of body children are subjected to are those ‘perfect’ images portrayed in magazines.
The charity organisation is calling on politicians, parents, teachers and the BBC to represent nudity as normal rather than sexualised and exceptional, criticising Hollywood’s sexualised portrayal of nudity as highly damaging to children.
“Children should know about how their bodies work […]. This should be done by bringing up children in an environment where body honesty is key, but also through good, explicit, factually correct and non-judgmental sex and relationships education,” said the report.
Andrew Welch, a spokesman for the organisation, said the UK needed “more non-sexual nudity, not less”.
Speaking to The Independent, he said: “The protection of our children has to be paramount, but the line is being drawn in the wrong place.”
“By suppressing something and keeping it hidden it means that nobody learns the truth. Teenagers grow up thinking that a normal body is the one in the adverts or young men see pornography and take it from that.
“No one knows what’s normal anymore.”
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Source: bn.org.uk