Naked Together at Sistaland: The Story Behind the Group Nude Shoot

[this post contains full nudity]

Hello babes,

Sometimes the most liberating thing you do ends up being naked at a festival with a bunch of other humans.

It all started with me filling in a form to be a Speaker at Sistaland, and a super speedy email back from Nikita Dare, the festival's founder. An informal videocall to get to know each other and discuss options for my attendance, then a few ideas from Nikita: "I'd love you to speak on a panel called 'Who Told You to Shrink" and maybe do a workshop or some empowering portraits?"

The panel was an easy, big, fat yes, but "I was thinking about something a bit bolder than a workshop or single portraits...".

Nikita's eyes lit up: "Go on".

"How about a group nude shoot? At the festival?"

"I LOVE IT, YES."

And that's why, on the 11th of July, I was a hot, sweaty mess, running around at the festival in the Chew Valley, pitching my shoot left and centre, trying to get more people involved.

That morning, I had seven people signed up and four confirmed. FOUR.

I will be honest with you, babes (as always): I had a little wobble.

Is four people a "group"? It's not a couple... or a trouple... But is it enough to call it a group? Obviously, regardless of how many people showed up, I was going to give them the time of their lives, but as a creative, I also had a vision in mind, and I was in luteal, and my brain wasn't braining, and the festival was so overwhelmingly amazing. There was a lot going on!

I was talking to everyone about "Naked Together", loudly and proudly, answering questions, validating rejections, addressing doubts, with the idea in the back of my mind that I was going to make it great, regardless of numbers, of hormones, of the heat.

I hope I managed to not show the nerves, but I was also honest with people about needing more participants. Honesty should always be at the centre of this kind of work. People trust me to lead and hold space for them, so I must be honest in return.

It was time. At 6:30 PM I was at the meeting point, and people started to arrive. It wasn't four. It was more. Filling in the model releases, encouraging other people to join.

Some of them I'd spoken to the day before when they were firm NOs: "no thank you, not for me, I'll tell my friend though", but they were there. They changed their minds. Someone said they flipped a coin and the coin said "yes". Someone said they spoke to a lot people who were gutted they missed out because they couldn't make the time. Someone said "I can't wait to do this!".

By the time we headed to the secret shoot location, we had fifteen people.

FIFTEEN.

Not four. Fifteen humans who decided to get naked together, to show up exactly as they are, to create a piece of art and a middle finger to everyone who's ever told them to shrink.

And, for the first time, I had the chance to create my art while being naked too. So, to be factual, SIXTEEN people got naked together.

If you wonder why I did it too, why not?

If I ask people to get naked for my camera, I should be comfortable being naked too. I asked the group if they wanted me to get naked too, and I got a choir of "whoop whoop" and "DO IT!" back.

It was a powerful experience to be creating in my birth suit surrounded by other naked humans.

The view was spectacular, everyone held hands together and up high in the sky, facing Chew Valley Lake, lit by the golden late sun.

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Naked, free from judgement and labels, and together, as humans exercising their body freedom. We did a photo from the back and one from the front, giving the power to people to choose what they were most comfortable with, as it should always be.

After the shoot, we shared our thoughts and feelings before going back to the "real world", where people wear clothes and behaves more.

That evening and the following day, people found me.

They shared how liberating it was, how free and powerful they felt. "Now that I've done it once, I know I'll do it again".

"I felt at peace with my body, I don't remember the last time I felt that way".

"I thought it was going to be scary, but when we were all naked together it felt the same as having clothes on. It felt normal, I felt so comfortable with everyone".

"I feel very present in my body".

"I can't stop thinking about, we haven't stopped talking about it since yesterday".

This is what I tell to everyone who works with me: it's never really about the photos. The photos are just proof it happened, but the real shift comes from doing it. In realising that your body is not the problem: if you can stand naked with a bunch of other people and feel powerful, free, limitless, you are doing that in that same body you might be giving a hard time to.

If you've ever thought about taking part in something like this but it feels terrifying, I see you.

I was that person once too: I hid in oversized clothes, I was convinced that my body needed fixing before I deserved love, but it never did.

Sistaland, thank you for having me. Nikita, thank you for finding me the huge family I know I needed.

To the four who said yes before that day and the eleven who decided to join by 6:30 PM, thank you for trusting me.

Our bodies, our choice, always. Can't wait to do it again at Sistaland 2027!

Stay You,

Lu x

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