Warning:
The following images include nudity
The most beautiful thing about art to me is that while all art is up for interpretation by the viewer, it’s also important to consider the context of how the piece was made and what the artist was intended to portray with their work. This is the reason I love a good editorial piece when it comes to modeling. What are editorials? Editorial modeling is more about artistry and visual storytelling, giving each 2D piece a background that is vital to making the photograph more interesting than one would originally expect.
But does nudity have to be involved? The short answer is absolutely not. There are plenty of editorials out there that don’t include nudity. I personally don’t believe that bodies are these overtly sexual things that people make them out to be. Bodies will be bodies from now until the end of time and there is nothing different about mine that hasn’t been present in human nature for hundreds of thousands of years. Once you’re able to look past what society deems a symbol of sex, you’re able to see the body for what it actually is.
Still don’t get it? That’s ok! Take a look at my work and let me explain it to you.
If I Were a Boy
The year was 1995 and young breakout star Tom Ford is presenting his very first fashion show for Gucci that takes the male codes of seduction in “power dressing” in the 70s and gives it a playful gender swap. This swap in the style of dressing for women was the beginning of the physical embodiment of control and power.
This image started out with a tad bit of cleavage that I edited out to fit that 1995 Tom Ford energy. I decided to go with cornrows for hair and very minimal makeup and all these things combined help to portray the androgyny/masculinity of the look. I love that you’re not able to see the shape of my body because of the jacket which gives the eye nothing else to focus on but the jacket.
The lighting is probably my favorite part about this photo. The light coming from my right causes shadowing on the left side of my face which helps to bring out the squareness of my jaw and sharp angles of my cheekbones. The stare down to camera suggest that in a staring contest you’d be the first to blink and THAT my friends is the epitome of control and power.
Source: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8Uf99f4/
En Déshabillé
One point of view I could offer about this image would be that of a girl getting ready for a night out. There’s a certain intimacy between the girl (yes I’m referring to myself in third person) and the dress. Even though the dress isn’t on, it almost begs to be worn through the sea foam that wants to be the star of the show, the way it drapes on the body, and all the way down to where the dress stops at the perfect place. The fact that the dress is laid over the body instead of actually being worn could suggest a sort of hesitation to wear it. While this wouldn’t be an incorrect interpretation, I don’t know any woman that puts on their accessories before their outfit, so let me offer a different perspective.
A secondary point of view would suggest that this moment is after the previously mentioned night out. The intimacy between the girl and the dress is ever present just as before. However, with this new point of view the intimacy lies in the memory of the dress being worn. Memories are so important because they provide us with meaning, comfort, and joy while helping to shape our identity. She knows what this dress offered her once upon a time and while she revels in the memory of that time, she knows she’ll be unable to replicate it or experience it in full again. This might explain why the dress is being draped over the neck instead of fully worn.
“En Déshabillé” means undress in French
