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Consequences of Nude Modeling.
Hey guys, this is to me a weighty matter, so... I am comfortable with artistic nudity completely, myself (And by that I mean non explicit, delicate and that shows beauty of the womanly figure- not porn or pinup). But could it cost problems for me in my future? in my career choices? Is there a way to do it without leaving a permanent stain on my repertoire? Thanks. S- Dec 04 14 04:00 pm Link There are no guarantees, on how the rest of the world will treat you. There are still many people who cannot handle nudity, mostly because of religious beliefs, and who will judge you for it. The primary objectors will be the parents of kids..........so don't plan to become a teacher. Dec 04 14 04:07 pm Link Never using your own name would give you some deniability. Dec 04 14 04:17 pm Link Art Nudes wrote: Thank you. Do you mean I should never use my real name if I do any form of nudes? Dec 04 14 04:29 pm Link Art Nudes wrote: I would go with this one. You should feel free to do as you please, but some individuals might have a different idea, so, just use a different name. Of course, some nosy individuals might do a little extra digging, and come up with your real identity. There's nothing you can do about it, except "sit on your hands" and do as they would have you do. It is a risk you would have to decide for yourself, to take or not. Dec 04 14 04:29 pm Link That may help, but don't expect it to keep people from recognizing who you really are. You simply have to decide if it matters to you, what other people think, or if it doesn't. Shir Tal wrote: Dec 04 14 04:36 pm Link It depends which direction you are going with your life. If you want to be involved in politics, law, big business or something like that then probably it would affect your career. If you want to follow a more creative path, such as in fashion, performance or other arts, then maybe it won't affect you at all. Dec 04 14 04:43 pm Link This thread provides lots of insight regarding nude modeling and its consequences. Using an alias is never a guarantee. I keep my nude modeling work separate from the rest of my work, yet I still find nude images credited to my real name. Hell, I had a major publication eff up and credit my real legal name right beside my nude centerfold recently. Never pose for anything you don't want the world to see; the internet is forever. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions. Dec 04 14 04:45 pm Link Modeling - even clothed - is NOT something you should do if you ever plan to have a career where you will be heavily judged by people in the mainstream. That includes jobs like working as a teacher, a cop, judge, or if you want to pursue politics. A lot of people are going to cry "whore," regardless of whether you're buck nekkid, shooting swimwear, or even fully-dressed fashion editorials -- so, yes, that's something to consider. Our society (and world) does not hold models, and free-thinking creatives in general, in particularly high esteem. However, if you are not planning on pursuing one of those public career paths, and have something more generic in mind for later down the road, how it effects you will mostly depend on how you LET if effect you, or choose for it to effect you. For the most part, unless you're seeking public office, it's the social consequences you have to understand and accept. That means understanding the need to be selective with who you tell. If you're over 18, and live independently, believe it or not, sharing your modeling with your family is a choice. As an adult, you are not obligated to tell your family about it -- or really anything else in your life you might not want to share. I've worked as a nude model for what will be a decade next spring. No one in my family knows; I'm an adult. It's none of their business. I chose not to tell anyone, because the consequences would be obsessive and negative responses that would ruin an experience I wanted to enjoy and profit from, without having to deal with the negativity. There are people who will not want to be your friends if you model - again, this doesn't matter whether you're shooting nude work or clothed - so you have to have a lot of personal strength in order to accept that you might lose some friends, but you will also gain cool, new model friends who love and understand you. There are people who will assume you're either lying or crazy if you tell them you're a model. This especially happens a lot when you reach the traveling nude model level, and most of your interactions with "average" people are with random strangers on airplanes and public transportation. As a result, in order to avoid negativity (which is really the worst of the consequences for people not seeking public office), you have to be selective about who you talk to, guarded about sharing too much information --- or just not give a sideways shit. I highly recommend not giving a sideways shit, but that's easier said than done, and it's taken me YEARS to reach that point. I've often heard the complaint, "But will I feel comfortable if my kids find it 20 years from now?" Well, that should depend on how you raise your kids. Maybe part of being an honest parent is raising your kids with the understanding that everyone is naked under their clothing, the human body is beautiful, and nudity is not innately sexual. Maybe that means taking your kids to the nude beach at some point, where everyone, old and young, are hanging out without their knickers on, and no one gives a crap. That could also mean providing your children an open, and unbiased sex education, making sure they understand that almost everyone has a sexuality - including mom and dad - and it's nothing to be ashamed of, or embarrassed by. People are sexual creature, and that's okay. But, that's a daring way to raise kids, takes a lot of being willing to say, "fuck you, society!" and it's not easy. Are there consequences? Sure, but in all honesty, dealing with the consequences, or acknowledging them and standing up for what you want and believe in as a creative person -- will make you a better more well-rounded artist and individual. So, yeah, there's all that... Dec 04 14 05:11 pm Link I am not sure who first said it... but well behaved women rarely make history.... I think what "Koryn" says is true... people will judge and if that is part of your career path.... then don't model period. Dec 04 14 05:15 pm Link You can be afraid of what nameless, faceless "somebodies" out there might someday think, or you can live your own life. Personally, I think if you start letting other people and what they approve of define your life, you might as well be dead. And you know, the more folks who stand up and call bullshit on the bluenoses and prudes, the fewer of them there will be left to disapprove. Every time someone hides or acts ashamed of their adult choices, it just makes that shame seem more deserved and legitimate. Dec 04 14 07:00 pm Link Koryn wrote: Well stated, very well! Dec 04 14 07:33 pm Link Goosebumps!!:-))) Dec 04 14 08:00 pm Link Shir Tal wrote: Yes, there's a risk. I don't know how big the risk is in your country, but in the USA, teachers have been fired for the modeling they did in college. See e.g. this news item. I would like to think that not everyplace is as puritanical as the USA, though. Dec 04 14 08:19 pm Link All great advice. I agree, never use your real name in any manner with regard to modelling. My family has always known except I never told my father who would not have liked it. My friends all know I'm a nude art model as well and have been supportive. No matter how much effort you put into not making it public, sooner or later someone will recognize you. This has happened to me a number of times, usually while out shopping in a store. Everyone who has said anything to me in that situation has always been very positive, and they saw my photos, or drawings and paintings of me nude in a gallery setting. Dec 04 14 09:58 pm Link Shir Tal wrote: I'll just echo what I said in another thread, and what others have already stated.... Dec 04 14 11:29 pm Link Shir Tal wrote: Can happen. Shir Tal wrote: For some job is more likely than for other. Shir Tal wrote: Put aside don't show your face on the shoot (for pose or crop), and don't show something unique (if present, as tatto or other things), I don't think exist a 100 % security, but using an art name add a little more privacy. Dec 05 14 12:54 am Link I agree with all the other replies: it's very difficult to maintain anonymity in the Internet and for some jobs doing nude modeling can be a problem. It's your personal choice, only you can decide if it's worth or not for your future activities. Koryn wrote: I don’t know if in America people consider nude and clothed modeling as the same thing. Dec 05 14 02:18 am Link You will probably be OK unless you want to get into K-12 education. Dec 05 14 02:40 am Link Art Nudes wrote: Unless you've got that "I look like dozens of other girls" kind of face and nothing unique about your body, I can't see how. Dec 05 14 02:53 am Link I would suggest that you not do any explicit shots ... do only very tasteful nudes or implied nudes. Personally, I do not add explicit nudes to my portfolio; however, I will include implied nudes ... it leaves something to the viewer's imagination and can be very sexy! Dec 05 14 03:19 am Link Shir Tal wrote: Some options used: Dec 05 14 03:32 am Link You haven't told us what career pursuits you are interested in, so it is difficult to force what kind of impact it would have. Also, you are getting responses from Americans and you are not. So, there will be culture differences. Other cultures may not be so harsh. Some will issue a death penalty. Your profile indicates you are an artist of nudes and landscapes. You are interested in theater and acting and you would like to emulate Brook Shields in Blue Lagoon. Your favorite artists include Gustave Courbet who has created a work that wasn't publicly displayed for a century or so. The other respondents have indicated the negative sides of posing. There is also a positive side. Porn actresses have gone onto to be very successful actresses and models. The publicity surrounding the nude work has catapulted some careers. Nude photos cost one Miss America her crown but she is probably the most seen former Miss America on TV. Numerous playboy models have gone onto careers in TV and many have married the rich and famous, another opportunity created by the publication. You have to weigh it all. I agree with others that say, do not use your real name anywhere on the internet, but if you become famous, any nude photographs of you (including those taken by boyfriends or lovers) are going to find their way to the surface. Good luck. Dec 05 14 05:22 am Link Art Nudes wrote: This might help for a casual search, but with face recognition software improving all the time you could still be found. If you establish and alternate identity for nude work you need to keep it and your legal name separate, completely. I know at least one model who mixes them and then has people credit her with the wrong name. Dec 05 14 05:57 am Link 
Photographer Posts: 106 Sarajevo, Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina do not show your face on the photo. insist that the face is always cover with anything than is not see-through. use your artistic name that has nothing to do with your real name or anything that can link you to (car model, pet name, favourite color etc.) all the best.... Dec 05 14 05:58 am Link These are questions that you need to ask yourself BEFORE you pursue nude modeling. Dec 05 14 07:47 am Link denis071 wrote: If she is unwilling to show her face, it will make it very difficult for her to book any consistent amount of work. Few photographers will have the patience to work with someone, even shoot TF, with a model who doesn't want her face visible. Dec 05 14 07:50 am Link Koryn wrote: Yes! The model's face and eyes are important. Dec 05 14 08:17 am Link Just expanding a bit on using a pseudonym: My recommendation when I mentor is that the model create a completely different persona, one that in no way connects with the model. --Choose a name that's believable but that has nothing what ever to do with you or any one you know--Not your mother's maiden name, Not the puppy you had when you were six years old, Not the street you were born on, NOTHING --Choose a home base that's within striking distance of your actual home base but one that's far enough away from your home base that there's no logical connection--at least 20 to 30 miles. If you can find such a location in another state, that's even better. --If you're going to use social media, create new accounts using this new persona and do not cross relate them. Don't friend yourself, comment in you actual persona on your pseudonym's page, etc. That includes your MM or similar nude account(s). --Don't get tattoos, especially not unique ones in a highly visible area. --Do find a body-painter or tattoo artist that will do a removable tattoo in a visible part of your body, such as a sleeve, etc. get a couple of pictures taken with it for your nude portfolio. If anyone finds your portfolio you can always say "Gee, she looks just like me, but, see, she has a tattoo right here and I don't" --Recognize that if you do nude work in which your pubic area is visible, (at least in the U.S.) the photographer will almost certainly require that you provide recognizable photo ID proving that you are you and that you are at least 18 years old. This is in order to satisfy the requirements of 18 USC 2257. If you are unwilling to do this, you must resolve the issue before accepting the shoot. --Be careful in your social relationships. Most of the "leaks" of non-celebrity nude pictures are done by jealous ex-boyfriends. --Recognize that you probably can't do all these things, and even if you can, they are not an absolute guarantee that you won't be found out. Your most vulnerable time will be when you are looking for a new job or being considered for a promotion. Most employers engage very skilled detectives to ferret out any negative information on anyone applying for or being considered for promotion to positions of significant responsibility or visibility. If you are found out, though, it's not certain that it will matter to the employer. I know a former dominatrix, a Muslim, who is now employed by a major Jewish college. America is truly an unpredictable country. My most useful piece of advice would probably be to be prepared to live your own life the way you want to live it, accept the consequences if any, and when you get to be my age look through your scrapbook and say "Damn! I was hot shit!" That's what I do and believe me it feels great! All IMHO as always, of course. Dec 05 14 08:39 am Link Former nude model here. If you want to go into teaching or politics, don't do it. There are jobs where it will cause enormous issues, and some money in youth isn't worth an entire career when you're older. That said, I used an alias and can't say that I've had any repercussions in pretty much a decade. I have a decent job and I'm open about the fact that I used to model. Some colleagues know that it was nude but it's not something I tell the entire office. If images were discovered, my bosses just wouldn't care. I'm not in a career where it's an issue, and I was careful to avoid porn which would have caused different problems since it's more stigmatised. Just make sure that you keep everything separate - names, email addresses, even phone numbers. It's really easy to pick up stalkers and weirdos as a nude model so don't make it easy for them to access your real life. Dec 05 14 11:44 am Link ValHig wrote: Thank you guys. Dec 05 14 03:18 pm Link this is a world where anything you do can possibly be used against you in the court of public opinion (and maybe other courts, too, if you get into a divorce or custody battle). i side with those who say "don't do racy pics unless you are comfortable with anyone and everyone possibly being able to see them" i think the ones who are ok with that have decided that they will just live their life the way they want and ignore the haters. teaching is one area where you do read about women losing their jobs over this stuff. maybe if you stick with things you can see on the rack in US fashion/beauty magazines (like Allure). and i have seen posts from some models who've managed to keep it under wraps (or at least not piss anyone off so much they go digging for dirt). Dec 07 14 10:12 am Link My recommendation to you, based on your own comments, is to take this approach: Only do "anonymous nudes". Those that conceal your identity, either through mask, turned head away from camera, objects in foreground that block the face, etc. This is a legitimate and viable way to try artistic nudes, especially, without having your identity exposed. (I actually use that as a separate category of modeling.) Then you can experience that aspect of work, while preserving your anonymity. Shir Tal wrote: Dec 07 14 01:23 pm Link Got it, thank you!! Dec 08 14 01:55 am Link neve wrote: In general, in the US, anything to do with modeling is suspect -- and any content whatsoever that depicts a model in a sexy way, even if she's washing a car in a swimsuit, is likely to be considered too racy, or pornographic. Dec 08 14 06:02 pm Link One thing that hasn't been said (although maybe I missed it, since I just spotted this thread and haven't read every post): it can be very liberating to pose nude. You seem to be considering it, so maybe you should find a great photographer and do it. But all the warnings are true. If you even THINK it might matter later, just make sure it stays off the internet.  Dec 08 14 06:27 pm Link Shir Tal wrote: Yes, I agree that there is pornography, and there is art. However, there is also pornography that is arguably art, and art that is arguably pornography. Robert Mapplethorpe walked that line, IMO, and Gustav Courbet's Origine du Mondeclearly crosses it in one direction or the other. Dec 08 14 06:37 pm Link You can always stick with posing for artists. I have worked with many sketch models that forbid any photographs. It is "work" for which they aren't being paid, but it also prevents misuse. Paintings and drawings usually permit you plausible deniability. It doesn't pay as well per hour, but there is usually more hours. It is also good for an artist to understand the pain a model experiences. You said something about using the arguments presented here. I am not sure of your context. If you think you will be able to change someone's mind, after the shots become public. Don't count on it. Many times, these things become witch hunts and the crowd will not care what your reasons are. They want only your head. Dec 09 14 05:50 am Link Ken Warren Photography wrote: 1. I'm sure I will be in your area in the near future. Dec 10 14 03:42 am Link
Photographer Posts: 106 Sarajevo, Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina Koryn wrote: to me personally is more interesting to show body lines and shape, not that much of the face. but again, i think you are right that most photographers would like to shot face as well. Dec 11 14 01:46 pm Link |
