Updating the portfolio with a more "North American" approach
Shooting in Toronto is definitely different than anywhere in Asia. The most skin I ever showed in any country in Asia was the equivalent of wearing a modest bathing suit. There was also a lot more smiling in photos – especially in Bangkok. Fashion shoots here tend to venture into a more scantily clad area as you'll see in the photos below.
People ask me if it is weird to find topless photos of myself on
Facebookbut really, with the amount I'm covering myself, I’m showing less cleavage than the average girl’s profile picture. But while one is deemed socially acceptable, the other is met with skepticism. I admit that I’ve withheld from uploading certain pictures on to my Facebook page. Not because I’m ashamed of my body but because of
the social stigma that would come with them. Maybe there is a time and place for certain images, and maybe Facebook isn’t always it.
In my last post I mentioned that the questions of wearing fur or having tattoos are common ones for models. There are two more that appear commonly in contracts and on casting sheets: Will you pose nude, or in lingerie? It is always up to the model to do what she is comfortable with. When people talk about modeling taking away the innocence of young girls, I can’t say they are incorrect, but I would lay the blame more on the social life of a model rather than jobs. A model can always say no. I have been lucky that I have not been put in any uncomfortable situations, but I’ve always had bookers that assured me that I could call them if I was ever unsure about something on set. I won’t deny there aren’t sketchy situations in the industry, I’ve heard the stories, but I have always managed to stay out of them - in a professional capacity at least. Maybe I can credit that to working mostly in Asia where, like I said, there is much more modesty.
But to those questions, I usually answer no to the first and yes to the latter. Not because I am against nudity, but because I am cautious about how I do it. I don’t mind posing ‘nude’ if I am still covered where it matters. The pictures in this post are from a simple test shoot where I didn’t mind at all shedding my top at the reassurance that I could cover myself. I felt comfortable in the situation and with the photographer, who I have since worked with again.
