Ask Abbie: How Do I Make Sure a Nude Shoot is Comfortable?

Me at work

That time a gay man asked a straight man to take naked photos of him...


Straight Shooter Asks:


Hi Abigail,

I have a guy who asked me to shoot him naked and I’ve never shot a nude before (apart from my ex girlfriend who was comfortable with me talking her pics) do you have any suggestions on how to make him comfortable ?

He’s actually gay so I don’t want it to create any problem with me shooting him, I’m totally fine with gay people and I wouldn’t mind if he was attracted to me. But how do I not create a tense environment?

Ps: I really like your work, I found it very personal and intriguing, you can capture a really profound side of people

My Views on Body Positivity

In response to a media request, I was contacted earlier this year for my thoughts on body positivity for an article in Women's Health magazine, "This Is How Women Today REALLY Feel About Getting Naked".

My direct quotes weren't used in the final article in the September 2017 issue, so I'm sharing them with you here---

The body positivity movement is all about telling women to love your body, love yourself, that any body is a bikini body, but women’s mentality hasn’t synced up to the trend. (Almost 80 percent of women say they’re not confident in a bikini—same as four years ago.) Why do you think that is?

It takes a long time to reverse thinking. The male gaze has determined what's normal and desirable for so long that it will take a long time to discredit. That can be seen in the backlash to the feminist movement - those in power are not quick to relinquish it. Also many women support the beauty ideals because of internalized sexism and misogyny. Though a woman may be body positive, unless she's surrounded by a supportive network, and not attacked by trolls and others who aren't happy with themselves it can be lonely and tough to maintain the positivity.

Read the rest here: My Views on Body Positivity

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To Paula, From Bare Men

I welcome the direct notes and emails about Bare Men that I receive. To my relief, they are positive and supportive. Some people share their appreciation of the art, others are advocates of nudity, I hear from men who want to participate in the series, while others who contact me are explicit in their arousal upon viewing the photos.

A couple of the recent notes I've received recently:

"I was absolutely blown away by your Bare Men project and wanted to offer my sincere compliments. I found you on the website "Naked Men, Happy Women". It is a site I check out occasionally, and certainly your work just jumped right of the page! I do love your non-judgmental philosophy, not insisting on ideal or perfect body types. Your talent in this field is most evident!"

This one - Subject: Ekue's wisdom - I received from a man in the Midwest who was passionate about nudity the misconceptions surrounding it:

Abigail, I am a young man from Minnesota. Society deserves no apology for your support of nudity!!!

The human body is not indecent!!! It is a gift which provides opportunities for its occupants to pursue good lives. We all pretty much have the same bodies. We are born nude, we dress nude, we shower nude.....and under our clothes we are nude. Pornography also is absent when particular persons issue zero portrayal of sexual material (for arousal). 

Bare Men featured on Refinery29

Those who are not new to my blog or my work know I've been working on a male nude series, Bare Men, and that it's been a bit of a challenge getting my work exhibited. Who knew penis was so scary?

However...

I'm very excited that a major US-based media outlet has covered my series!  Please check out the latest piece on my male nude series, Bare Men, on Refinery29 -- 

12 Honest, Vulnerable (NSFW) Photos Of Naked Men

"In general, men don't need any more visibility in mainstream culture than they already have. But Bare Men strikes a different chord. Rather than exult the naked male form, Ekue normalizes and neutralizes it. These images don't attack or threaten us; rather, they put us in the position of voyeur, even intruder... After all, how often do we catch men in such a state? What changes when we see a man without his guard up, flaccid and imperfect? Stripped of everything from their clothes to their class, these subjects appear simply as men in their bodies."

The writer, Sara Coughlin did a wonderful job on the introduction, capturing the essence of the series and sharing her take on the images. As an artist, I also appreciate not being misquoted!

Bare Men Preview (VIDEO)

Work continues on my male nude series, Bare Men. The book layout is at 90%. The images that will be featured in the solo exhibition are selected for the most part. But what was going to be the preview exhibit for my series has been cancelled. The images that were selected for the juried exhibition were pulled from the exhibit. The reason I was given was that the other artists did not want to share screens with me because my work would have to be seen along with theirs and they didn't want any of their guests to be offended. 

What Naked Yoga Did For Me

Guest Post by Mukunda

Naked yoga probably sounds weird and crazy to many but if you take the time to understand it (and maybe even try it!) I bet you will see how it has the ability to be very beneficial. It was (and is) to me. The first time I tried it I had only done yoga on one or two occasions because I had to for high school gym class. Being naked in front of total strangers was not something I would ever consider doing. But when I found out naked yoga existed I thought this might just be that outside-the-box remedy I was looking for to help me overcome all the insecurities I felt about my body.



As a boy growing up playing many different sports I always felt like I was too small and too weak which sent me down a self destructive path full of drug use, depression and suppression of the negative feelings I had about myself and my physical appearance. It wasn't until I discovered naked yoga that I felt comfortable enough to embrace my body and feel good about the way I looked.