Kind of sorry the last 2 posts are leading this thread into massive-throbbing-land, but yes, I posed nude for a year.
I'd always wondered if I'd have the guts and wanted to do it at least once. I went freelance and suddenly realized that now I had a good excuse for trying it out - $$$!
It's really very easy to get hired. One art school booked me on the spot. The other wanted some references - I guess to make sure I wasn't wacky. Neither wanted to see me. They just want fresh bodies for the students to practice with.
It's actually pretty much the same as if you belong to a gym where you have to get naked in front of people - i.e. if you have to enter or exit the shower without a little space to change in. The idea freaks you but once you do it you're fine. The art class is like you're changing but everyone else happens to be dressed, and oh yeah - happens to include members of the opposite sex.
I think they lecture students about appropriate behavior beforehand. They're NEVER supposed to touch the model. They're not supposed to engage in personal conversations or ask your name.
Generally the classes were about 3 hours. You pose for about 45 min at a time with 10 or 15 min breaks in between. If you can sit it's not too bad, but usually you're standing. You quickly learn that if you have more weight on one foot than the other, or if your hand is anywhere other than at your side, or if your head or frame is even slightly turned - you will be in agony. The discomfort starts after about 10 min and builds to full burn by the 30 min mark. The less time you have to pose, the easier it is to do something more dynamic and interesting for the students.
I ended up working almost every day - if I had 3 jobs in a day I'd be spending more time naked than clothed.
I'd never think being naked in front of a bunch of strangers would be crashingly boring but it is. If I was sitting or lying down I'd find myself nodding off which totally wrecks the pose. And because you're posing, you can't pinch yourself or tap your leg or move around a little to wake yourself up. Misery.
Schools apparently prefer female models. Supposedly both male and female students are more comfortable staring at a woman. And the 2 previous posters gave us another reason - no chance of that big (or little) embarrassing scene.
I encountered 2 weirdos. I was posing on a low platform for one class (making sure I didn't give anyone a vaj shot while I'm posing or moving - not easy) when I noticed one student sniffing/inhaling deeply whenever I was near. What do you say? "Quit smelling me!" "Do you have a coke problem?"
The other was in a sculpting class. Students were allowed to stand near me if they needed to guesstimate my proportions. One elderly man would repeatedly stand close and then lean in. I leaned back to keep a couple of inches distance. The instructors are supposed to keep stuff like that from happening but this guy wasn't doing his job. I finally told him the old geezer had come too close too many times and he had to stop.
Yeah, the money's OK for doing literally nothing but the boredom was truly exhausting. And I never got to keep any of the pictures. If I was amassing a gallery of flattering nudes I'd still be at it.
Try it - you might like it!
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aqib4
16 years ago
It is funny how quickly it gets boring. The first couple of times you are either nervous or feeling a rush. By time 3 its just work. I did it for about a year and a half while in grad school. In the past 7 years I have done it probably twice. Once was as a favor to a friend once just for old times sake. It was fun and after being in front of a group of 20 people naked you don't have as much of an issue giving a speech, etc.
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