PSA || Body Modesty is a Social Disease Call to Action; Resistance via Self-Love

Warning: This piece includes extremely sexy photos . However, please do not view the following photos without reading the especially brief but important statements of the artists before hand. This, in a way, contributes to the consent process of sexualizing the model in a way that makes her feel empowered rather than disempowered by sexualizing, which would be unavoidable as she is sexualizing herself. Continue with full respect and enjoy!

The duo: Megan, photographer, porn researcher and feminist sexual activist. Amalya, model and feminist sexual activist.

Project: create a project which challenges socialized mentalities around sexuality, especially in conversation with the porn industry. Challenge people’s notions of sexuality and what it means to be a sexual being.

From the mind of Meghan:

Let me start off by saying that I don't think the idea of porn is bad. But! Our options with mainstream porn are totally limited. Sexy movies are great. Sexy movies where people are totally digging themselves are great, and I want to see more of them. I have only started to discover porn where a woman was consciously and authentically in her zone, digging herself for the sake of it, and I've been watching porn for ten years. I want to see more of those scenarios, so I made one. Amalya is the embodiment of female sexual empowerment, and she was perfect for this shoot. Willing from the start, we had a fun time picking out outfits and driving to a spot that was in nature and had good lighting. Nothing was really planned which gave us the freedom to decide at whim what to do with the "set"; a park. Luckily, it's legal to be topless in Boulder for all genders. Even though it's legal, though, there's still some edginess and some awkwardness. Lots of people stared, so the photo shoot turned into a social experiment, too. Not only were we taking these pictures for my writing and research class, but also living the project. To be in public and sexual by choice is definitely pushing some engrained social standards. I hoped the vibe I captured was not one of outright sex appeal, but many shades of sexy. Nipples aren't sexy, but a playful woman who digs her nipples is sexy. The male-gaze and objectification is a tricky barrier to tackle and destroy. Can empowerment, sexuality and feminism go together, especially with the medium of photography? And then publishing those photos to the public? Is a woman's body still her own when others can do as they may with her picture? I say yes. With all of the intent I put into the shoot, there will always be the chance for objectification, same as when I'm walking down the street. The difference though is that Amalya picked her poses and has picked the photos she wants to show. There was full communication between us, and I wanted to make sure she felt comfortable along every step. Consent, check. Looking to the future, I am interested in working with queer gender identities, as well as women.

From the mind of Amalya:

My sexuality is my fucking business, but that doesnt mean I should hide it from the world. I love to express myself and I can be a very sexy person; we all can be. It’s just a matter of being comfortable and in contact with it. Lately that has been a priority for me since becoming exposed to feminist studies on a more personal level and seeing the way that we are oppressed as women to not be able to express ourselves sexually except for the purpose of someone else’s pleasure or gain. We are sexual to procreate. We are taught to be sexual for the process of enticing and entrapping a man’s interest and thus reproducing. Sexuality in this way is expected of us, yet the natural expression of sexiness is not encouraged. Think about it; if you are sexy and a mother, people often shame you. You’ve fulfilled your role of producing offspring for consumers interest and thus your sexuality is not needed anymore. If you are too young to reproduce at least by social standards now a days, your expression of sexuality is shamed because the world is not ready for it yet. In a lot of ways, becoming in contact with my sexuality and the expression of it for my own pleasure and enjoyment is an act of resistance. It is an act of resisting oppression and what is expected of me by society. It is an act of liberation and it's fucking fun. I feel the best when I am sexy because I feel sexy, not because someone else tells me that I am - though that can be nice too if it’s in an appropriate way. This is why when Megan brought up her research topic I jumped on the opportunity to collaborate. This project was a chance for me to be fully in my body and explore this sexual part of myself that has been personally and socially oppressed my entire life. It was really scary, being half naked in lingerie in a neighborhood full of college students. It was scary to review the photos with Megan and openly express my excitement at how sexy I actually looked. It was the scariest to bring those photos into my college class and show them to my writing teacher and peers, as Megan’s project presentation. I risked being judged in numerous ways and I risked being seen in one the my most vulnerable states. And now I am risking that again, with the entire internet aka planet earth having the capability to view my almost naked, sexual, pleasured self. But the fear is adrenaline and I am also excited for this opportunity. Because honestly, it’s a fucking blast being naked and being sexy and we should all do it more. I loved being so playful and challenging the social norms of nudity despite the fact that it's legal for a woman to be topless anywhere that a man can be in Boulder. Even more so, though, this project was a chance for me to love myself, something we as women and as human beings as a whole are not permitted to do enough. We are especially not allowed to love ourselves as we are; we are constantly manipulated by the media that we are supposed to change everything. Shave the hair, lose the weight, change the nose, make the boobs and butt bigger, rounder. I have personally struggled to love my body hair my entire life. But I haven’t owned a razor in more than five years and only wax when the amount of hair on my legs is physically uncomfortable for me, because I like to wear tights and leggings too often. My armpits and yoni remain hairy year round and I love my bushes. I also love how much other people appreciate my body hair and can see that I do to, which to many is more attractive than if I shaved and was unhappy about it. It’s all about choice and doing what you want with your body, resisting the urge to follow what others perpetuate that you should do. In this way, my body hair feels like another act of resistance to our culture and a way for me to influence the mindset of resistance and freedom in others. My body is my body, and I feel the sexiest when i am letting it behave in the ways that it naturally wants to. It’s also a great method for weeding out the assholes; if they don’t appreciate you appreciating yourself (ie. tell you to shave) they aren’t worth your time. I hope that what Megan said comes through; “Nipples aren't sexy, but a playful woman who digs her nipples is sexy.” Sexualization and objectification from an outsiders perspective without the consent of the sexualized is not sexy. But when she openly and willingly consents to this process and is an active member of the sexualization, it is. So with that note, I hope you enjoy. But I could really give less than two fucks if you don’t.

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