Woman turns to erotic photography to boost her self-esteem after struggling with a lack of confidence due to scarring on her legs (Details, pics)

A young woman who grew up hating being the centre of attention because of how shy she felt has stepped into the world of erotic photography as a model as a way to increase her confidence.

Naomi Werrett, 26, has virtually no photos of herself as a teen – not only because of how self-conscious she felt in front of a camera but also because of a skin condition on her legs that left her with severe scarring.

Speaking to FEMAIL, the Saudi-Arabian born Ms Werrett shared how difficult she'd found her younger years, especially as her family were constantly moving and she was always faced with being 'the new girl'.'

We moved three countries in five years, which is hard on a shy kid,' she said'

If you're not outgoing at school people assume you're "weird", so the name calling starts.'

10 years ago, a 17-year-old Ms Werrett landed in Wellington, New Zealand – a move that she said allowed her to find her footing as an individual after years of living in the French countryside.

She said because the city and her parents were 'very creative and very accepting' she started to feel more able to express 'her inside'. While still besieged with shyness, something 'snapped' when she turned 20, and inspired by women she admired on Instagram who were 'confident in their skin', she took the brave step to book a photographer for her first nude shoot.

'I guess you could say I did life backwards. I spent my early teens reading books, cooking, knitting and being with my family and my later teens and early 20s drinking and being semi-rebellious.''

The only way to face your fears, is to do what scares you. I was scared of cameras, and I was scared of attention. Ms Werrett explained that this was something she 'just did for herself'.

The process of combing through 100 unedited photos was incredibly difficult but she said she slowly started to 'appreciate herself' through seeing how she looked through another's eyes.'

But I wanted to be able to look in the mirror and say "I'm actually OK".'

The process of combing through 100 unedited photos was incredibly difficult but she said she slowly started to 'appreciate herself' through seeing how she looked through another's eyes.

As her confidence grew, Ms Werrett booked more shoots which led to her starting an Instagram account under the adopted pseudonym, Sylvia Gold.'I made myself vulnerable to be empowered.

'The more photos she shared, the more followers she got, and soon her account reached the 50,000 follower mark.

Things quickly spiraled, and while there were many messages of support there were inevitably comments from men and women that were hard to handle, she said.

'I found it hard to get across a message of body positivity because being naked is not sexual – my body is sexual when I choose it to be.

'People assume that because I am naked I'm a slut. Living in a small city didn't help either because she would often be recognised by people who had seen her online.

'I struggled that people knew me as Sylvia but that's not my real name. They knew I was the naked girl but that's not my story,' she said.

Ms Werrett deleted the account after the pressure started to feel like it was becoming too much.

Although she stepped back from social media, Ms Werrett continued to model and had begun working with Wellington erotic photographer Carlos De Treend.

The artist explained the idea behind his work is to make erotica from a woman's perspective, as a way to celebrate rather than demean the female form.'

'Only a few years ago, it was kind of expected that you would associate erotica with women being submissive. Or women displaying themselves in a way just to satisfy men's desires,' Mr De Treend told The Wireless.

'It was a switch in both my attitude and the way I shot. It felt natural - I want women to take ownership of their sexuality.'

Mr Werrett credits Mr De Treend's artistic sensibility and progressive attitude for making her the model, 'or even the person I am today', she told Daily Mail Australia.