Noel Zheng: Untitled (“Bare”)

The specifications of this project was based around the idea of “sex sells” and “Erotica”. In response to this, I developed, more or less, a social project on what it means to be sexy and attractive in the 21st century.

The idea behind this project is to explore the interaction between the model and a white button up shirt, and how this article of clothing is used to accentuate or mask the body; this takes the model to the brink of what they are confident with. In any of the cases along the spectrum, the model will thus be confident and comfortable with how much or little they are showing. Therefore, this resonates the idea that skin or no skin can be equally sexy and attractive. At the project’s core, skin is just skin.

I interviewed each model during each photography session both to reap the safest and body positive environment, and to understand their confidence in their own skin. Some of the answers are as follows (responses provided by differing models):

What makes a man/ woman beautiful/ attractive to you?

Confidence, 100%. If someone is confident in themselves and shows this when they are around others, I think it makes them more attractive and more beautiful than any surface appearance.

Follow up question: do you feel beautiful/ attractive?

I think I’m beautiful. I don’t often think of myself as attractive.

When do you feel the proudest of who you are?

When I’m creating-in the kitchen, behind the camera, on a canvas, on paper and then when I’m looking at my finished creation. Also, when I see that I’ve made an impact on someone else, that’s definitely a very proud moment!

What three things do you value the most about your body?

I most value my body for what it is capable of. In terms of aesthetics, I value my abs, my lips and my butt, of course.

What three things do you value the most?

Money, food, and friends. In that order.

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About The Author: Noel Zheng is a Sophomore majoring in Architecture, University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2020. To access additional articles by Noel Zheng, click here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/noel-zheng-untitled-jolie-laide/