Laurie Toby Edison and I will very likely comment on this entry on Body Impolitic in the next day or two, although not in as much detail as we would if we could see the photographs. If anyone knows where the originals were shown, or another web source to see them, we would much appreciate it.

So many breast implants. They stick out like a sore thumb.

I noticed that too. Quite disappointing considering the “naturalness” (is that a word?) of the photos. It felt like an interruption of the brevity.

http://www.rp-online.de/public/bildershow_main/magazin/kultur/news/7566?picture_id=0

It is interesting that in these photos happens exactly what Feministe noticed: while the women are all of different age and shape their body types still seem to be within a certain frame. They almost become indistinguishable as individuals what perhaps shall communicate the message that we are all pretty much alike in our differences, it is the nuances you have to look out for. What is remarkable is how much posing and pouting (and photoshopping!) makes a difference to nudity. A naked body is just a naked body in the sense as Miss Lori said. Just a little leaning to the side, up or down or giving a certain look would change the whole setting. It is interesting to standardize nude bodies to be able to compare or enjoy physical parts without sexual connotations. Although you could also say taking away the range of personal expression limits beauty.

Personally the archiver and collector in me finds the systematic approach to female nudity interesting but I miss the context and credit – what was it intended for and by whom (exhibit, show, book), why is it now seen on a Flickr account of a 19 year old guy and how would the women like that? The platform of female nudity is still important…

(1) so much social messaging is in the clothes. Obvious, but still striking when presented so forcefully.
(2) There isn’t all that much variation at all here. It’s a display of the variation in women’s bodies within a select age and weight range, excluding outliers. They exclude the very skinny, the fat, the old, the young (though, that for obvious reasons) and the disabled. I also would like to have seen a power athlete in the bunch.
(3) So many breast implants. They stick out like a sore thumb.

There’s certainly something which makes people faddish when it comes to body shape, but I’m not sure that we’ve identified it correctly yet…

To say that men do not care about their appearances is misleading. Some men preen more than women. It’s not constrained to sexual preferences too.

and not because these women were naked and average.

simply because nude people are nude people. i spent two years studying massage therapy and was around bodies all day every day. the people that you see as stereotypically “beautiful”, the girls on the covers of magazines and the women you see in all forms of media are not good ideals for the human body, for me, it’s not about trying to attain some out there standard of beauty either.

it’s simply because the “ideal” body is a raging pain in the ass to massage, it’s no fun. none. there’s no muscle mass there, you’re constantly running into bones and feeling like you could break them. some of the most beautiful people i have seen and had the chance to massage have not fit into the body ideal.

i guess the point is once you see people naked all day, you stop caring about beauty standards and start caring about how their bodies fit together.