Reese Barcelon
- A female who had just graduated was harshly judged after her own relative realized that she had posed for such photoshoot.
- She told them that nude photography emphasized the aesthetic value of the human body
For a conservative country like the Philippines, it is understandable that not all citizens can engage in nude photography intended for artistic purposes.
While others can easily shrug such sights, some of them cannot even stand seeing other people showing off too much skin – what more look at an artistic subject who is completely nude.
A woman named Nhix Cawaling shared how she was criticized for being fascinated with human body, and felt the need to explain why she had willingly done the participation.
“I posed nude for a photography class and unfortunately one of my relatives saw the photo. Approached my mom saying, “Nakita ko yung nude pics ng anak mo, kausapin mo yan!” with disgust and hate tone.
My mom was shocked, she never knew that I posed nude in art classes or what, and syempre ako din gulat ako! HAHAHAHA Bigla akong najudge ng Kapamilya ko!”
Cawaling kept it a secret from her family that she was participating in art classes, and was taken aback upon realizing that her relative knows her secret already – who was also the one who told her mom about it.
“I am a fan of nude artists, nude painters and nude photographers. And I have friends who do nude shoots and paint nudes. I go to their exhibits and support them in the way I can. My sister is an artist, she paints and draws nude image and we go to art museums once in a while.
For me, Nude Photography emphasized the aesthetic value of the human body. The image of nude reminds us that we are our bodies and that the beauty of our animality cannot be separated from the beauty of our spirituality. We can’t deny that we may be affected subliminally in our aesthetic judgement by the potential erotic content of a given photographic work.”
Cawaling didn’t felt down as she clearly knew to herself why she did it in the first place – it was because of her enthrallment with human figure, identical to the Almighty One’s image.
“I asked a catholic priest, “Father, what do you think of nudes? Hubad na katawan ng isang babae o lalaki?” he just smiles and look at me saying “Isa sa mga naghihiwalay sa tao ay ang ating pananamit” lumapit sa akin si father saying “Bukod sa isang form ito ng art, ang hubad na katawan ay sumisimbolo ng kalayaan at pagkakapantay pantay ng tao!” he gasps, “Baket kamo pagkakapantay-pantay? Dahil kung pare-pareho tayong hubad walang magyayabang na “Oy! Pulis ako!” “Oy, nurse ako!” “Oy! Pari ako, isa akong banal!” walang ganon! Lahat tayo pantay-pantay at may kalayaang mas mahalin ang mga panget sa ating katawan.”
I know, I have this great conversation with a priest! Akala ko mangungumpisal lang ako dahil sa mata ng iba kasalanan ang magpose ng hubad sa camera.
My reason and goal why I support nude is to stop objectification and sexualizing the female human body. Let us see it as a form of art, a form of fine art. Let us celebrate the human figure, God’s greatest creation in non-sexual way. Tutal puro religious facts yung sinasabi nila sakin, I researched scriptures about the subject during church and found out:
- Adam and Eve were naked and innocent.
- Satan pointed out that they were naked and told them they should feel ashamed.
- Isaiah walked naked and barefoot for three years
- The Apostle Peter was naked on fishing boat right before he saw the resurrected Jesus.
- Our body is our temple, CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD.
- The act of clothing nakedness is a spiritually symbolic act.”
She also emphasized that humans are naked back on the creation of Earth; humans are naked when brought to this world. In fact, humans get naked each day – but it is not considered as something immoral.
“I dont know, ano naman ngayon if I posed nude for art?! Is it a sin equal to abortion? Is it a sin equal to adultery? May pinatay ba ko nung nagnude ako? May nanakaw ba ko nung nagpose ako ng nude? Well, meron man o wala I don’t need to explain myself for anyone else kadugo man or hindi, it is my body and I can do whatever I want with it, I can show whatever part I like to show. HAHAHAHAH *time!* tara oh nude shoot nalang!!!!”
It seems like Cawaling knows that whatever she says, it cannot erase the fact that she was, and is still being judged by others for having the courage to fully appreciate God’s creation.
Nude pictures may appear offensive or improper to some, but for other people, it is simply an art depicting the beauty of a human body.
At the end of the day, nude pictures are just a matter of perception by the person looking at it.
