Photography and Text by Rongrong Liu, Copyright 2018
.
LOOKING FOR SEXINESS
.
The literal definition of erotica is the literature or art intended to arouse sexual desire. The moment I received this assignment, the first thing popped up into my mind, just as the erotic imagery in mainstream media outletS, are women’s S-shaped body curve, lingerie and heels. Other than that, to me, the particular body parts that have the connotation of sexiness are women’s collarbone, lips and legs, so I determined to make those areas of the body as main components of my photos.
When I typed “erotica photography” into Google image, the results revealed that most of the erotica photos were done in black and white. The monotone makes the photos more sensual and lets our eyes focus more on the beauty of body parts and curves. However, I think in my project, the combination of background and lip color, together with sheer fabrics can create a strong visual impact and express more of the sensual feelings that I prefer, so I chose to produce the photos in color.
Moreover, to make the photos more playful, I used symbols such as an apple, which has the indication of the story of Adam and Eve, and a rose which is a widely recognized as a symbol of romance. The coins on the collarbone is inspired from the collarbone challenge on the Chinese social media Weibo, which girls put chalk, coins or even goldfish on their collarbone to see how skinny and alluring they are. I intentionally enhance the color contrast to build the moody atmosphere. Finally, the inclusion of the male form is another decision I made, because I think men’s muscles can be just as arousing as a woman’s curve, particularly when sweating or showering.
This project started off pretty hard because of the unusual subject matter I was attempting to take on. However, I love the process of the arrangement and photoshoot, because it lets me think more about the beauty of the human body, which I didn’t observe thoroughly before.
.
About The Author: Rongrong Liu is a Junior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2019. To access additional articles by Rongrong Liu, click here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/rongrong-liu-white/