Nude Models
The beauty of nature

By Ma Ka Wa

 

Being a form of fine art, body art uses unclothed human bodies as a medium to express feel-ings. At 42, Simon (not his real name) is a professional photographer and an advertising designer. He has been a part-time nude model for about 20 years.

He has liked posing naked in front of mirrors since he was just 6 or 7 years old.

“My mother often scolded me for taking off my clothes without any reason, though she thought it was normal for a little boy.”

Simon hates studying and was expelled from school in Form 3.

Then he worked as a trainee at a photographic studio.

Since the early 1970s, Simon has been going to different nude model drawing exhibitions, introducing himself as a nude model.

“I know I am capable of being a nude model.

“My body is beautiful.

“Although I am just 5 feet 1 inch tall, I am muscular,” said Simon confidently.

Though Simon has been a nude model for 20 years, his parents did not discover it until a television program covered his story in 1997.

He said, “I was really afraid of letting them know.

“Surprisingly, they did not object to my choice.

“And I mentioned this part-time job to my wife on our first date. Luckily, she accepted and supported me.”

Simon recalled the first time he worked as a nude model.

He was nervous for two weeks before attending the figure drawing class.

Said he: “I kept practicing in front of the mirror.

“Unexpectedly, the students were more embarrassed than me.”

In the past, a nude model was paid $120 per hour.

Now the hourly wage has increased to anywhere from $190 to $300 per hour, depending on the location of the work.

However, Simon insisted that being a nude model is not a profitable job.

On 28 June 2001, he set up the Body Arts Association.

It is the only registered organization in Hong Kong that provides nude models for art centers, universities and college art courses.

Body Arts Association consists of 220 members, and 40 of them are part-time nude models. They come from different backgrounds, from businessmen to housewives.

Simon said, “Only 9 percent of them are females. They are from 18 to 45 years old.”

As a middleman, Simon takes $1 per hour from them to contribute to the “compensation fund”.

The fund is to compensate nude models for wasted time and travel costs when the painters forget to notify them about cancellations.

Besides communication problems with the painters, Simon added, “Models are sometimes frustrated with the poor working attitude of the painters.

“For example, college students often talk on mobile phones and have snacks during classes.

“We deserve their respect. They just don’t understand that posing in the same position for 3 hours is a very exhausting task.”

Nevertheless, being a nude model is a satisfactory job.

“It is encouraging to see ourselves involved in a beautiful drawing. I get my greatest satisfaction when people appreciate my efforts,” said Simon.

Over the years, Simon has concluded that there are three criteria for being a professional nude model. They are, in order of importance: credibility, dedication and favorable body size.

Said he: “Nobody will trust and employ you if you lack credibility, even if you have a perfect body.”

In addition, he explained that dedication is important in the sense that you should try to give the best posture every time.

“No scars or tattoos are allowed on our bodies.

“They affect visual beauty,” said he.

Talking about the general attitudes towards body art in Hong Kong, he said, “Though people are becoming more open-minded, nude modeling is still a taboo.

“As far as I know, only two secondary schools in Hong Kong have opened nude drawing courses.”

To Simon, the distinction between obscenity and art is vague.

“When we display the magazine Playboy in the Louvre Museum, people rush to take a glance at it.

“However, if it is sold at the newspaper stores, people will judge that it is pornography.”

“This is ironic,” said Simon.