To me, “nudism” means being able to function socially without the need for clothing. Healthy social functioning includes mutual respect for fellow human beings: ie not equating being nude with “asking for it” when sexual harassment becomes a problem. I am not a purist nudist, however. Because I have made a career off of profiting from modeling nude, and purist nudists frown upon capitalising on photography of the nude body.
I do respect nudism as a lifestyle, and often hang out nude by myself at home and with my boyfriend (especially when it’s hot out!). I have met with legitimate nudists who are respectful, but unfortunately I have also had a handful of interactions with perverts who pretend to be “nudists” in order to stare at unclothed women at nude beaches, blatantly masturbate, or even approach aggressively with a boner. These types of people give nudism a bad reputation, and those behaviors are not allowed at nudist resorts.
How I Got Started Into Nude Modeling
I was raised in a strict household in an Assemblies of God Christian Cult. From a young age, I was trained that my nature was sinful and my body was a tool for the devil to use to capture my soul and hinder my entrance into heaven after I die. Our school and church brow beat all the kids with the concept of spiritual warfare, the secular world was demonic, and our natural feelings of “lust” were direct temptations influenced by Satan.
Starting at the age of 13, I began to doubt my sheltered little world. I knew I was beautiful, and I was willing to risk torture in a lake of fire for eternity just so that I could have a chance to express my true self… even if that was “vain”…
My first photoshoot was in 2006 when I was 18 with a photographer who found me on Myspace. I had been taking hot photos of myself in my room in my cute jammies for a while. He DM’d me asking, “Do you want to do a real photoshoot with a real photographer?“. Despite my insecurities of only being 5’2 and having stretch marks, I agreed to meet him for a lingerie photoshoot. Unfortunately, that first photographer was very sexually coercive, offering me drugs and alcohol and telling me I wasn’t pretty enough, ordering me over and over to go brush my hair again, and describing to me that despite my appearance his camera gear and lighting “made me look good”. He told me I was wasting his time if I wouldn’t pose nude for him. I was afraid of him and distraught with his demanding demeanor… so I obliged. He then tried to coerce me into making porn with him and I freaked out. He basically ran me off his property after forcing me to sign an NDA and get a photo of my ID “to prove he wasn’t making child p*rn”.
Even though that first experience was really terrible, I was not completely against the idea of giving nude modeling a second chance. A short time after that first experience, another photographer who found me on Craigslist set up a fashion shoot in the park with me. He was kind, patient, enthusiastic and respectful. He offered for me to model nude for him at his studio for $125/hour, and showed me some tasteful glamour images in his portfolio. Initially I declined, but after a few months of thinking about it, I emailed him and said I was ready to pose nude for him.
That second experience was very healing, the photographer treated me like an equal human being and allowed me plenty of time between sets to hang out in my robe and look at the photos on the back of his camera. I decided that moving forward, I would continue to pose nude for photographers I vetted and felt comfortable with. Over years of modeling, I honed a 6th sense for detecting nefarious intentions and I learned how to effectively check references to avoid negative experiences with perverts in the future.
The first few years of my modeling I was heavily influenced by my peers and by TV and magazines. I was convinced that I had to be on the runway and seeking agency representation in order to model. Over the course of time with trial and error, dealing with multiple scam agencies and rejections due to my 5’2 height, I decided that freelance modeling was the pathway for me. I have always booked my own shoots and managed my own schedule, rates, travel itinerary, reference checking etc etc.
What I love About Being A Nude Model/Creator
The initial decade of my nude modeling was mostly fueled by my desire to express my sensuality and creativity in a safe space, so that I could regain my confidence in myself and separate my true identity from my strict religious upbringing. It has been 18 years since my first photoshoot now, and I still prefer nude modeling over clothed modeling. I love the texture of skin in an image, I love the shadows and highlights the body forms and how it contrasts from whatever environment it’s placed in.
Being nude feels more natural, and making an income off nude modeling feels like the ultimate punk rock lifestyle. I don’t need to represent clothing brands or products, I can create in my own human body to make people think and feel something when they see an image of me.
Challenges Being In Front Of The Camera
Being in front of the camera is the easiest part of what I do, it’s everything else that is hard. If the photographer is a kind and/or creative person, being in front of the camera allows time to stop, and my mind is allowed to go into a state of flow: I analyze what the lighting and environment are providing me, imagine how I can insert myself into this setting, what to emote, how to twist, where the negative space will be, how my lines will enhance with or juxtapose the setting etc.
Beyond the sexual harassment and assaults I had to deal with mostly in the in the first decade of my modeling, another challenge I was faced with was convincing my family that my lifestyle was a legitimate career. I have two younger sisters and we are all close in age. Even though my parents are divorced, I still maintain relationships with both of them. In 2013, I started filming a documentary about freelance modeling (it’s released, find it at BringSomethingSexy.com ). It took several years to complete the film, and during the process of creating it, I came to the realization that my parents would want to watch it… and nudity was definitely involved in the movie. Suddenly it became painfully obvious to me that I should film my confessions with my parents that I was a nude model. I won’t spoil the movie for you (go watch it!) but I can say that it took a few years for my dad to stop trying to convince me to work at the post office instead of modeling.
I am currently 36 years old, and I am more successful than ever in my freelance modeling career. I have grown a reputation for dependability and ethical practices. I have developed friendly relationships with many photographers across the country who enjoy hiring me for their creative projects. I do still experience impostor syndrome and self doubt, and I do go through waves of starting new side projects and building new skills “in case my modeling is affected by my age”, but modeling remains my biggest passion and my main form of income, so I will continue to do what I love as long as it’s working out for me.
I suppose the short answer to your question is…. I have not had issues being nude in front of the camera, but I have had challenges in the social landscape dealing with judgmental folks and people with nefarious intentions.
Preparation I Do Before My Nude Shoots
In order to find shoots, I must market myself by engaging with my audiences on my various social media pages. Photographers find me mostly on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Model Mayhem, and through recommendations from other models and photographers in the community. Once a photographer has contacted me, communication in writing in advance is key when setting any photoshoot up.
Firstly, I will find their photography work online and look at their images. I am mainly looking at the microexpressions in the models faces, what are they telling me? If multiple models look scared or annoyed in their photos, I likely will not continue communication.
Next, I will contact at least 2-3 models in this photographer’s portfolio and ask what their experience was like. Did they feel safe? Were they treated professionally? This is especially helpful if the photographer has hired other full time traveling freelance models who I am already connected with online – it’s a pretty small community so this is a common situation. Over email, we will discuss date, time, location, conditions, compensation, level of nudity/ aroticism expected, whether or not a break is needed, transportation etc. Some photographers have a certain pubic hair style they prefer – this is sometimes a deal breaker for photographers who only want to shoot full bush or fully shaved if the model doesn’t want to cater to those preferences.
After we have planned out the details, I plan to arrive makeup and hair ready ten minutes before our agreed shoot start time, so that we have time to say hello and be shooting on set on time. Sometimes the photographer hires a makeup/ hair person, but I usually do my own. I also travel with a bag of sheer fabrics, vintage gowns, lingerie, jewelry, heels etc to add more looks to the shoot if desired. Most other preparation is basically my lifestyle. The look I present in my portfolio is petite/ slim/ athletic, as I am very active in my lifestyle. I stretch and exercise every day and I am very flexible. This is often helpful at shoots where the photographer wants me to contort into strange positions, climb trees or rocks, hang from one arm from something, and other situations requiring some level of strength or agility. I have been sober for over 11 years, which contributes to my health and reliability (I was a severe alcoholic before).
It’s really important to be nourished before a shoot starts. I always start my day with a smoothie with some fruit and granola for breakfast, and I travel with snacks like carrots, nuts, protein bars etc. If the photographer wants to book a full day shoot, I always plan in advance how we are going to have lunch, or I will bring my own food.
Another lifestyle tactic I have to be mindful of each day as a professional nude model is that I strive to have an even skin tone across my whole body, ie: no farmer’s tan or bikini tan lines! I wear sunscreen on my face, neck and arms (if exposed) EVERY DAY. The last thing a photographer wants to do is spend extra unnecessary hours in photoshop trying to even out tan lines! For this reason, I rarely go to the beach to hang out in a bikini. If I am in a situation where I must be in the sun, I bring a long sleeve high neck shirt or a big scarf with a sun hat and sunblock to reapply while being exposed to the sun.
Advice For Aspiring Nude Entrepreneurs
My first piece of advice for nude or erotic content creators or models is that you should come up with a realistic alias that sounds like a real person’s name. This can protect you and your family from possible stalkers or crazy people who come across your content online. There are incels and religious zealots out there who love to hate on us “evil” nude creators. However, even with an alias, it’s almost 100% likely that your friends and family and co-workers will find your NSFW content online. It’s usually just a matter of time. So be sure this is a world you are truly passionate about and are willing to risk everyone in your life finding your photos. Facial recognition software is more prevalent now and you will be found out.
Next, I will say that you aren’t necessarily going to become rich or famous from modeling nude or starting an Onlyfans etc… you get out of it what you put into it. The more genuine you are, the more people will be drawn to your vibe. So be yourself and don’t be fooled into crossing your own personal boundaries just for financial gain, it will usually bite you in the ass down the road.
Lastly I will mention that consistency is key. Post regularly, be genuine, be on time, say what you mean to say, do the things you are committed to do, and you will be successful.
Hello, my name is Kristy Jessica and I am a full time traveling nude model. I have been modeling since the age of 18, despite my strict religious upbringing. I see my body as a celebration of lines and curves, as well as a poetic visual communication device to positively affect the outside world.
Follow the beautiful Kristy Jessica on
Website: www.KristyJessica.com
Tours to promote: South Utah! https://kristyjessica.com/kristy-jessica-south-utah-southwest-adventure-photoshoot/
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