Art vs Porn by Michelle Bryant Griffin

0

Being a “boudoir” photographer I have come under much scrutiny and even been ridiculed by family and friends. I have heard various phrases like “those types are photos are nothing more than porn” or “a woman that is scantily clad lacks self respect and dignity.” As a woman, a photographer and an artist this saddens mi greatly. My first response is, “Really? Are people truly that small minded?” and then in my disappointment I want to not defend myself but to preserve and protect my art.
I personally am a chunky chick and yet I love and respect my body. It has been through three pregnancies, several surgeries, yo-yo dieting and much more and although it is scarred, floppy and freckled it still functions endlessly allowing mi to live a life of blessing and value. Truly, I don’t know many people that endure what we put our bodies through that continue with grace and beauty day after day. Therefore, not only do I respect, like and appreciate my body but I respect all women. I would never go into a business that degrades people, women in particular.
So first let’s define both art and pornography. Pornography is materials that are explicitly intended to cause sexual arousal. Art is defined as the creation of beautiful, thought provoking works, (for example in painting, photography, music or writing). Therefore, perhaps we should realize that not all nudity is sexual and not all sexual images are porn/erotica). Something can be porn without even being nude, and visa versa. In fact, if you labeled all nude images as porn then what would the Renaissance Era and some of the great master artists of all time be considered?
We talk about the painting of the Birth of Venus as the most definitely innocuous and infallible art or any other representation of the female body, painting or sculpting hand. Art historians who specialize in the Italian Renaissance have found the most enduring way to understand the painting is represented by Botticelli that the idea of divine love is displayed in the form of a nude Venus. The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo clearly shows a visible uncircumcised penis and yet has become iconic of humanity and has been reproduced in countless imitations and parodies. So what really separates the adoration of the nude figure from the adoration of the woman’s body in porn? The more I think about this the one I realize that the art world itself is not sacred, but subject to the same values and commercial pressures prevalent everywhere. Women have boudoir type images made for different reasons. Perhaps they are celebrating the hard work and dedication to getting fit, maybe they need extra motivation that the hard work is paying off and want a visual image that they are looking attractive.
Perhaps they have just lost some weight, need to rekindle a spark in a “comfortable” relationship. Or maybe they just want to have some images to remind themselves that they are still as beautiful, sexy and radiant at 50 as they were at 20.
Again I say, not all nude photography is porn. Boudoir is not porn. It is not degrading, unpleasant or diminishing of self-respect. Often my clients wear more than I see women wearing on the public beaches. In fact, a boudoir photography session can be empowering, uplifting and encouraging. It can be done within any modesty level from classic and dreamy to hot and steamy. If you’ve been considering, wondering or putting off a boudoir session, today is the perfect day to do something just for you, to bring out your beauty, to get pampered, to invest in your confidence. And as far as those who feel that “those types are photos are nothing more than porn” or “a woman that is scantily clad lacks self respect and dignity, please be informed upfront that I will continue empowering women through my art. And should you choose to be offended or disturbed I would suggest you either don’t look or you investigate any personal sexual or body image issues that may be lurking as well examine the level of creativity in your life.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *