"Nude Models Are Not Real People"
A Harsh Critique of Idealized Beauty at Model Society
Dear Fellow Art-Lover
Someone recently sent some well-intentioned but harsh criticism, suggesting that we should limit the types of models we feature and celebrate.
These models are not real people! By showcasing “flawless” bodies, you’re reinforcing toxic, unattainable beauty standards that have plagued society for decades. Why do you keep promoting these unrealistic standards? Much of this so-called “art” caters to a narrow, privileged group of people who already fit the mold.
The implication was clear: athletic or aesthetically idealized models are somehow not “real” people.
At first glance, this passionate critique champions inclusivity and fairness, stemming from a genuine desire to challenge commercial beauty standards. It highlights the unfortunate truth that beauty has been weaponized by advertising. Manipulative marketing intentionally damages self-esteem for one simple reason – to sell products.
Despite the feedback’s positive intention, when you dig deeper, there’s irony and cruelty in the critique. Referring to art models as “not real people” puts them in a separate category, detached from the vulnerabilities, challenges, and insecurities we all face as an inevitable part of life.
Even the most aesthetic models do not feel “flawless.”
Marginalizing certain models as “not real” erases their humanity. This judgment, intended to advocate representation, instead imposes its own exclusions. It suggests that to be considered “real,” a person must conform to a particular vision of relatability.
Inclusivity means embracing idealism.
Athleticism, symmetry, or physical grace do not negate someone’s reality; they are simply different facets of diversity. True inclusivity means recognizing the humanity in everyone, whether they fit traditional ideals or defy them. Real people come in all shapes and sizes, including those whose physicality inspires admiration or even awe. Denying their reality reinforces division rather than celebrating diversity.
At Model Society, images that celebrate the transient blessings of athleticism, symmetry, and youth sit alongside images that explore the vulnerable reality of being imperfectly perfect humans. Together, they tell a fuller, richer, and more nuanced story of what it means to be human.
Beauty is only as expansive as our individual capacity to see it. Whether in a vulnerable portrayal of raw emotion or an idealized depiction of physical grace, figurative fine art explores the range of our multifaceted nature.
We understand that people are often triggered by first impressions, and it can be painful not to see ourselves reflected in cultural expressions of beauty. But a deeper look at Model Society will reveal that anyone can be a stunning work of art when seen through the eyes of a great artist.
We welcome feedback like this. It challenges us to clarify our commitment to elevating all of humanity as a work of art.
Leave a comment and tell us what you think. Is it damaging to share images of idealized models (alongside the full spectrum of human beauty)?
Scroll down to enjoy some of the exquisite beauty that is flowing into Model Society daily!
Enjoy. ❤️
David Bollt
Founder, ModelSociety.com
P.S. – Having worked closely with art models for over 20 years, I’ve been consistently inspired by their creativity, vulnerability, and courage. Even the most aesthetic and athletic models face pressures and insecurities. Nude art modeling is an act of bravery – a willingness to face judgment and share oneself with the world. Many models openly acknowledge the inevitable passage of time. They view physical traits that may be considered ideal as temporary. The models I know personally don’t see themselves as “beautiful” – they see themselves as human.
I once witnessed an art model respond to a harsh critic with a very knowing reflection... "Your judgment of me and your assumption of my character and lack of morality due to my wilingness to present myself naked and vulnerable to inspire the noble work of artists and photographers is in the least, unfair, as you know nothing about me, my life, my ethics, my relationship with the world around me, my family, my spirituality or essentially who I am as a person. You simply project a limited constricted version of your own inner struggle with whatever guilt or shame may have been imposed on you by your upbringing. You compare my outside with your inside and judge me for not conforming to your narrow, dark view of what is prudent. Your judgement says more about you than it does me. I invite you to visit the great museums and churches. Notice the beauty of the human form depicted in art throughout history and ask yourself if those masterworks would exist without the generous courage and vulnerability of the models and muses, just like myself, that were the very human references for great art that unites and raises the spirit of society." I will never forget her!!!
It is very important that we meet as nudes. There is a special type of communication that occurs. I have asked this before of my nudist friends and others who understand my query: I gaze at a nude photo and am confronted with an entirely new feeling. It is part sexual, for sure, but there is a level on communion that is intimate beyond my wildest dreams, a connection in the ethereal realm. This is NOT my response to pornography. Does anyone know what the fuck I am talking about?