First time (nude) modelling

Words by Arie Smith (he/him) 

In all honesty I chose to nude model because why the f*ck not?!  

This year one of my main goals is to put myself out there and say yes to things I wouldn’t usually see myself doing – nude modelling being one of those. I have never done any form of professional modelling before, so I think it’s funny that my first modelling experience was nude. Fully throwing myself from the frying pan into the fire with this one, but I couldn’t be any more happy or proud honestly. 

Leading up to this experience I had a spectrum of different emotions. While I was excited, and feeling hyped to do this, I was also met with cold feet and feelings of angst. Thoughts like “What if my body doesn’t look good enough” or “What makes me the best person to do this?” went through my head.  

However, at the end of the day, all limitations are self-imposed. I mean, I might not have a six pack of abs (yet), but do I care? Absolutely not. What’s stopping me from doing something like this? What’s stopping myself from showing off my body which I'm proud of? 

Quite frankly I could have been my own greatest enemy, and self-sabotaged, but I chose to put myself out of my own comfort zone. There was no way to know how this gig would turn out if I didn’t do it. Often, we decline opportunities for various reasons. Sometimes it could be due to conflicting priorities or a lack of interest. On the other hand, it could be rooted in feelings of being overwhelmed or anxious, perhaps a fear of the unknown. 

Nude modeling was an opportunity for me to be vulnerable with myself and connect with my body and soul on a deeper level. This experience was incredibly empowering to me and made me feel like an absolute baddie after. We should all be proud of our bodies, and if whoever is reading this ever gets the chance to nude model, absolutely take it.