When you dream about being naked in public, there is some situation in your waking life making you feel vulnerable and exposed. People who are entering an unfamiliar situation, such as a new job or relationship where they feel that they lack confidence in their abilities, often experience this dream.
The clothes you wear represent the image that you feel comfortable showing to the world. They form a protective barrier that helps you to conceal your true self when dealing with other people. Although you are happy to completely open up in private, it can make you feel very uncomfortable if you can’t cover up the more personal areas of your life in public.
Even though you try and hide your discomfort by whatever means you can, no one else seems to notice because you still appear secure and confident to them, rather than the exposed and vulnerable person that you feel. Your concern about showing your vulnerability may make you appear cold towards other people in your daily life, and hiding your true feelings may make them feel uncomfortable.
If you are missing a vital piece of clothing, it suggests that you are usually confident but feel that you have a chink in your armour. The more you cover yourself up, however, the more difficult it is to display your unique gifts. There are often situations in your life where the only way to truly express your talent is just to open up and be your authentic self.
This dream is helping you to uncover your need to express your talents. It can seem easier to hide your abilities away so that they won't be exposed to the judgements and criticisms of other people.
Although this can seem the safest thing to do, it can lead you to feelings of frustration and disappointment. By choosing to keep your gifts under wraps, you constantly have to show up as other people expect you to appear, rather than showing up in a way that really suits you. The more you reveal your talents to other people, the more you find out about your uniqueness.
Our skins form the visible boundaries between our inner and outer lives, and we can sometimes feel vulnerable when that boundary seems unguarded. We often use the terms ‘thick skinned’ or ‘thin skinned’ to describe how someone copes when they are exposed to criticism or abuse.
Exposing flesh in public is far more accepted now in many cultures than it used to be and we are surrounded by images of scantily clad people in the media. Even those people who choose to bare their skin in public, however, often use a tattoo as an assertion of identity and a barrier against vulnerability.