Yesterday I was informed by a friend that an aquaintance of hers thought that I should be ashamed of myself because I model nude.
I would say that I was suprised, but this sentiment is not something new. I expect there to be a certain number of people who do not agree with my means of artistic expression, especially among certain demographics, however, this particular person also shared the feeling that I was also a "bad mother" for posing nude.
Really?!?!
While I feel no need to defend my decisions and my art, I do find it a bit ridiculous to be judged on my ability to mother effectively solely on what i wear, or don't wear, during a photoshoot. It is not as if they attend shoots with me, join us in the editing process, or have my images hanging on the walls of their bedrooms.
My children are still very young, but I am intent upon teaching them the beauty of the human form, in all shapes and sizes, and to not feel ashamed of who they are, how they look, or how they wish to express themselves creatively. There is no shame in the nude human form, whether young or old, overweight or lithe, light or dark, tall or short, male or female...
I believe I would be doing my children far more damage were I to accept the societal norms of our country and our times as definitively right and something to conform to...these unreal versions of what is beautiful, what is acceptable, what is worthy...to push upon them the need to be ridiculously thin, moronically self absorbed, or engineered to be impossibly endowed in order to be loved, accepted, and...works of art in their own right.
I model. I model nude. Through modeling I have learned to accept and love myself as well as to see the beauty in all that moves around me, and the importance of sharing this with others, especially my children. I believe that the work I do is a celebration of the human form, and I strive to remain true to this purpose...to push myself out into the world, just as I am, without fear, and certainly, without shame.

We are all perfect works of art.