The Naked Truth.(Padma Lakshmi, Sharon Leal, Eliza Dushku, Lynn Collins and Chelsea Handler)

Byline: Danielle Pergament PHOTOGRAPHED BY CARTER SMITH

Five celebrities shed their clothes and reveal not just their bodies, but also their confidence and spirit.

When Princess Pauline Borghese, Napoleon's sister, posed for a sculpture of Venus wearing nothing but a sheet around her waist, citizens of nineteenth-century Europe were scandalized. Two hundred years later, photographer Spencer Tunick convinced more than 18,000 people to disrobe simultaneously in Mexico City. Tunick's objective, to challenge the stigma of nudity, proves little has changed. Nude bodies, whether we're revering them, censoring them, or slapping an NC-17 rating on them, still have the power to shock.

With intentions of artistry (and maybe just a bit of shock), allure asked a few celebrities to bare their bodies for the camera. Their reactions to the request revealed more about them than a few tattoos. "Just being female means we know how to hide our flawsbut this is a nowhere-to-hide kind of thing," said actress Sharon Leal of Limelight. "It's about embracing your body and feeling good." Accordingly, not one of these women claimed she had any significant body insecurities. "It's important to do this to show young girls that beauty doesn't have to be perfect," said Padma Lakshmi, host of Top Chef. And by the end of the day, each one talked about how liberating it was to lose the protection of her clothing. "The only bad part," said Lakshmi, "was the catering."

PADMA LAKSHMI

Celebrities tend to stretch our credulity by talking about that imperceptible but character-building mole. Lakshmi, 38, has a different kind of story. "This is my favorite part of my body," she says, yanking up her sleeve to reveal a seven-inch scar on her right arm, the vestige of a car accident she was in when she was 14. "I love it because it makes me a person who has an interesting past, and it reminds me that I can survive any pain."

To prepare for this shoot, Lakshmi "exercised an extra bit," she says. But not too much: "I think I look better when I have a little bit of weight onmy breasts are fuller, and I'm curvier than when I'm at my thinnest." She had one concern. "I was nervous about being cold, but they had space heaters," she says. "And I didn't feel any more naked without my robe. I don't have any stigma attached to my body. When I'm in my own private space, I have very little on."