Jackson Free Press

On a typical February night, 24-year-old Mea Ashley finally did it: She took the picture. After days of considering taking a selfie with no makeup or styled hair to hide behind, she posted it on her social-media page. Ashley had no idea what that one picture would blossom into. The combination of a single photo plus a well-thought-out caption and the hashtag, #nakedissexy, sparked an inner-beauty-empowerment movement that would transform into something much bigger than a simple Instagram post.

When people first hear the name of Ashley's movement, "Naked Is Sexy," the result may be shock and an unexpected reaction. But it's not what you think.

"The 'Naked is Sexy' campaign encourages self-esteem, confidence, and showing and expressing natural beauty," Ashley says.

Ashley, who was Miss Jackson State University 2011-2012, created the movement after watching a Dove commercial, which challenged young high-school girls and their mothers to redefine what beauty is in today's society. After pondering the idea of the challenge and the commercial, she made the decision to post the picture a couple of nights later. "I thought, 'I'm not that bad. I can post a selfie with no make-up on,'" Ashley says.

In her initial Instagram post, Ashley challenged girls and women to post a selfie on their social-media pages with no makeup, coiffed hair and no filters or edits to "improve" their real images. Ashley went to bed that night, satisfied with her courageous decision to post the picture.

The response she received the next day and in the following week from supporters—both men and women—changed the course of the entire movement, and Ashley expanded it to something bigger.

"I was initially inspired by everyone else participating. The feeling of it being bigger came from everyone else," Ashley says. The original photo received 335 likes and 130 comments, and the hashtag #nakedissexy saw countless posts of other "naked" women.

Ashley, who is also the program specialist for Alumni Relations at JSU, as well as a journalist and motivational speaker, took ideas from various participants and molded it into a video documentary to explain the roots of the movement, sharing different stories and points of view, the progression of the movement and encouraging others to muster up the courage to post their 
naked selfies as well.

The 17-minute YouTube video features the original Dove commercial, which inspired Ashley's movement, followed by the #nakedissexy campaign, which highlights local men and women. The participants in the video range in ages and vary in occupations, but share the common idea that naked is sexy.

Among the people featured in the film are Brie Kemp, a then-Murrah High School senior; Lynnita Balu, a mother of three small girls; and Will Sterling, a celebrity photographer.

The three participants led a panel discussion about natural beauty at the documentary's premiere screening May 8 at the Jackson Medical Mall. In the last two months, the YouTube video has amassed more than 2,302 views. Ashley hopes the movement will go statewide and then national. with continued screenings, and promoting and pushing the video in different places. Her dream is to appear on The Steve Harvey Show to promote #nakedissexy.

Although Ashley has no plans for a sequel to the documentary, she encourages everyone to view the video, and if inspired, continue the movement by sharing and taking their own naked selfie.

Ashley hopes to communicate that natural beauty is the true definition of beauty, and she encourages her supporters to be vulnerable.

"If I ever doubted that what I was doing wasn't worth sharing, I was proven wrong by the support of others—ranging from young girls to old women and even men," Ashley says.