Nude, not Naked.

Statement of the Issue
The issue that we wish to address is the objectification of women in art, and how artists and female models, especially those on the university level, transcend those stereotypical images. Nudity in art is not a new concept. It has been an essential human art form even in the earliest discovered forms of human art. However, in recent times, nudity in art has had a hard time distinguishing itself. It is constantly pushed into one category or the other of the rather ambiguous dichotomy of Pornography vs. Nude Art. This is especially true if the subject matter is the female anatomy. Pictures of nude women tend to be viewed as pornography more readily than pictures of nude men. This is a feminist issue because again we see the “double standard” arising. It is our goal to correctly portray women involved in nude modeling.

Purpose of The Research
The purpose of our research is to interview three women who are involved in nude art at the university level in order to better understand the art form and the differences between it and the pornography industry. Our goal is to interview these women to demonstrate and also concur with our research that the female body can be displayed and observed without being objectified. We will be interviewing these women in order to understand what they feel their role is in a society obsessed with sex and the perfect body. Interviewing these women and having them answer these questions thoughtfully and honestly will enable us to share their experiences in a responsible manner to fully educate ourselves and our peers about the struggles that these women face. We would also like to highlight the accomplishments that these women have achieved within their profession, including but not limited to, portraying the images of real women in a society that is obsessed with only the fake ones. Ultimately we want to prove that posing nude can be empowering not abasing, and that there is a clear difference between pornography and nude art.

Pamela Song
Pamela Song has participated in two nude modeling sessions for University of Georgia art classes. The first she posed with her boyfriend, and the second she posed by herself. Pamela seemed incredibly comfortable in her own skin but has said that the modeling sessions have made her more comfortable with her body. She describes nude modeling as an incredibly liberating experience, but admits that she was nervous at first. When asked what she thinks is the difference between pornography and nude art, she replied that it is the artist’s intent and the poses that the models take that make the difference. She commented about how comfortable she felt with the artists that she posed with, and how “in control” she was of the whole situation. She says that she gets to accept or decline offers. She gets to pick her poses, and say when she wants breaks. This is crucial in the model/artist relationship. The model is vulnerable; therefore, they must have control over the body position. If the control is in the hands of the artist, the model becomes a puppet set for a task, rather than a body that is being observed. Art is the portrayal of the natural self.

Leslie Burns
Leslie Burns is an art professor, artist, and nude model. For her interview, we focused on the difference between art and pornography and the stigma that can be attached to it. She was very technical in describing the differences, highlighting the lighting, audience, and pose. She said that art has always had a heavy amount of nudity; however, with the invention of the camera, the stigma has increased. She said that with a photograph comes the reality of the situation. It is real, a fact, and it actually happened. When asked about the extra stigma that women face, Leslie says that she feels that it is due to the fact that men dominated the art scene early on. So, when women were portrayed, it was very sexual instead of the natural poses that men assumed. She said that a woman’s body is also seen as dangerous. Just as Eve caused the fall of mankind, a woman’s nude body can cause the fall of a man’s morality. We asked Leslie if she has faced any stigma amongst the academic community and were very surprised when she replied that she did not because she feels that the Lamar-Dodd art department is fairly separate from the university and is very liberal as a whole. However, Leslie did point out that there are almost never women of color in nude art. Black women are usually only represented in pornography. This was an issue that we did not include in our proposal, but found very interesting.

Tiffany K
Tiffany started posing nude after one of her friends suggested she do it. She agreed to pose at first because she needed the money, but also because she “appreciated the art of it all.” When asked if she ever feels embarrassed or ashamed when posing, she answered that “No. I’m very comfortable with being naked. Occasionally, I would consider a fat roll or something, but then I realized that these are artists and they shouldn’t think about a model being fat or skinny.” She says that confidence, however, is prerequisite, and that you must be comfortable with your body first and foremost. Control has a lot to do with making the situation comfortable. Tiffany always feels comfortable because she has complete control over the situation. She is able to decide what poses she does and is given plenty of breaks when the pose is demanding or difficult to hold.” Overall she feels that posing nude for art is beautiful and completely different from pornography. “Pornography is for lustful reasons and is used to encourage sexual desire. In art, the body is beautiful and isn’t viewed for sexual desire. There isn’t a ‘perfect body’ and stick figures aren’t necessarily favored.”

Conclusion
After concluding the interviews, we definitely feel that women could learn a lot from the confidence of these three ladies. Nude models come in different shape and sizes, but unfortunately not in different colors. In all of our research we did not find one single picture or depiction of a black nude model. We aim to prove that women can be nude without being objectified, disrespected, or lusted after. Regardless of the modern stigma, we believe that there is a definite difference between nude art and pornography. From what we gather the difference stems in the intent of the artist, the targeted audience, and the technical settings that range anywhere from props to lighting to poses.

Group Reflection
During our three interviews, our different group members were surprised by some of the answers. Going in with our own biases or preconceived notions, we assumed that the models would feel embarrassed or ashamed about being naked in front of a group of strangers, but the two we interviewed were completely comfortable with their bodies and displaying them for artists. Professor Leslie Burns also surprised us with her more technical definition of the differences between pornography and nude art. The five of us never considered the different lighting or set designs associated with nude art versus pornography. At the beginning of this project, all five of us would never have even considered posing nude. However, now that we are more informed with the art itself and have openly discussed the issues with two models, three of us would now be willing to pose nude for an art class. Our change in opinion is directly related to the fact that we now understand just how tastefully done the poses are as well as the respect the students have for the model. It was very interesting to interview these women and to investigate nude art and the models that choose to participate in this artistic outlet. Overall we found that there are several key differences between nude art and pornography and we feel like our presentation fully explains these differences.