英语原文

Taking your clothes off for money need not be exploitative. Yvonne Eller explains what drives her, and many women like her, to embrace figure modelling

If you are willing to invoke confusion, bewilderment and a sudden urge in others to change the subject, you could consider an extra source of income in these crunchy times: life modelling. When I tell my friends that this is what I do with my spare time, the reaction is usually one of disbelief. "You take off your clothes for money?", they splutter.

I do. Three times a week, I model for Robbie Wraith, an internationally renowned artist who studied in Florence under Pietro Annigoni. I stumbled across his advert accidentally after finishing university, and have not looked back since. I have no (lingering) body hang-ups, and delight in the idea that, when I'm eighty, I'll look back at what I did at twenty-two, smug in the knowledge that I once looked like a twenty-two-year-old.

As well as being the subject of some great art, I have also learned a lot during these afternoons: about myself, the creative process, and the world in general (not to mention the horrors of south-east England's fading and intermittent daylight).

And I have only dipped a toe in the waters of life modelling. Entire networking websites exist to match up artists (of all media and expertise) with willing models, who often work full-time and are predominantly female.

One Oxford-based model, Ivory Flame, said: "I got into modelling when I used to work for a beauty store. When I was doing the makeup for a local fashion show, I was approached to model for a magazine article. Then I was introduced to some of the online networking sites by a photographer I met, added some pictures and built it from there. I did it part-time alongside my degree, and now I have been full-time for over a year." Flame works three to five days a week, with each photoshoot varying from a few hours to a full day.

Life or figure modelling (or 'art nude' modelling, the term often used by those in the business), is a sub-genre of modelling that models often stumble across. Madame Bink, who describes herself as a full-time 'art model', explains, "Art nude was the only aspect of the shoots I really enjoyed. I felt more comfortable in my own skin than dressed up, so I started to just do art nude work." There is certainly a lot to be said for turning up to a job to which you literally need only bring yourself.

But what kind of person becomes a figure model? Must there be some underlying exhibitionism in desperate need of expression? Ian Leake is a fine art photographer, who uses an increasingly rare process of platinum printing to create simple nude compositions that "celebrate beauty". He believes there are three main reasons to become a figure model: "For some models it's a rite of passage into adulthood and control of their lives; others do it for the money; and a few do it because they love creating art."

Often, and certainly in my case, it is all three. Working with passionate, creative artists can be very exciting. Flame agrees: "There is one photographer I know who is so ardent about every line, cove and crevice in the body. The way he compares them to things is hilarious … he will get so enthusiastic about the light hitting my big toe. He's really fun. And an artist I worked with recently was so inspired by the light and textures captured on my skin. It is so energizing to be part of that vision that is created. It's such a joy working with people like that."

There is also a sense of community between life models. Often, jobs are found by mutual recommendation alone. But don't imagine that there is not the same amount of schmoozing as in any other career field. Full-time models must be on top of their game if they are to succeed, especially when it comes to self-promotion, speedy (often international) travel, and, of course, the dreaded tax returns that come with self-employment; discipline. Or, as one model puts it, "It's like a giant complicated jigsaw puzzle you have to put together all the time." Bink only found herself back home in Lincolnshire five times in 2008.

So is figure modelling worth the hassle? "If anything it has made me less vain", says Flame. "I'm naturally a quiet person, and can get quite shy around new people, so to have the balls to go into a group shoot, drop my robe and work nude in front of a room of people with cameras - it's a real challenge and I have had to learn to literally wrench the confidence out of me.

"Sometimes I still get nervous and get those surreal moments when I think 'How did I get into this?', but I take a deep breath and it passes by. I've always been fascinated by the human body, so to be in a profession inspired by it is really interesting. But the more I do it the more I realise that it's really nothing to do with having a nice body. There are gorgeous bodies all over the place. You really have to bring something extra - emotion, expression."

Of course, there are friends and relatives who will get entirely the wrong end of the stick when they hear about what you do. The stigma differs depending on whether you model for a painter or a photographer (or a sculptor, or a digital-art photographer, or a body painter …) Some people are still keen to impose a hierarchy of respectability onto the art world. As Bink says: "On the London Underground right now there is an advert featuring a very classical nude painting. I can't see them putting up a nude photograph any time soon."

So what do artists look for in a life model? The ability to hold a pose, clearly. Flexibility, perhaps. But there is far, far more to the role. Photographer Allan Jenkins says: "It's not about size zero, that's for sure. It's about shapes, angles, light, shadows, style and movement. It's the model's ability to create a rapport with the photographer - to be able to take direction well, the ability to feel comfortable in front of the lens, act like a muse ... be inspired and inspire."

Modelling is a collaborative process. It's not about being a blank canvas for an artist to manipulate into art; it's not passive. It's about bringing something to the table. The Figure Model's Guild declares modelling to be "an art form in itself".

I tease Wraith by occasionally asking, "Does it look like me yet?" a few minutes into a new sketch or painting. It inevitably does - to an astonishing degree and in a matter of seconds - but Wraith wouldn't say so. He once told me that he wasn't really painting me at all. He was painting his reaction to me - a mixture of himself and myself.

I am sometimes asked rather probing questions by giggly friends. "What about sexual tension? Isn't it a bit weird?

Well, I say (a little red-faced at this point), an artist has to find some appeal in his or her subject - otherwise what would be the point? But it doesn't have to be sexual. In fact, sexual tension would often be more trouble than it's worth. Leake says: "I suppose that if you're making erotic or glamour photos then sexual tension is probably a good idea, but it's not in the slightest bit necessary for the kind of work I do - in fact, I believe it would be a big hindrance. What I need is creative collaboration. In my experience that's fostered by trust, honesty and integrity, not by sexual tension."

Leake's is not an art that objectifies women: "People are fabulous - they do unexpected things, they have opinions, and they bring their own feelings, emotions and life experiences to the work. I love it when one of the pictures we've made shows the model a new perspective of herself ... Sometimes it's the first time they've realised just how beautiful they are. I've seen models completely stunned when they see pictures we've made.'

But it's certainly true that there is a gender imbalance in the figure-modelling world, which largely features female models and male artists. Leake believes that is socially more acceptability to show nude women than nude men. "I know an American photographer who received a death threat after posting a picture of a rather well-endowed man on a photography web site - I've never heard of a similar reaction to female nudes."

It would be disingenuous to accept this as the main reason for the gender divide. As Leake admits: "It's also because female bodies are simply more beautiful than male bodies."

参考翻译

为钱而脱掉衣服不一定是迫于无奈的。Yvonne Eller向我们解释是什么驱使她以及像她一样的女性投身于人体模特职业。

如果你打算在交谈的话题中引起困惑、不解和高度的关注，你可以在这个关键时刻考虑一种额外的收益：人体模特。当我告诉朋友们我业余时间做这一行时，他们的反应通常是难以置信。“你为了钱脱衣服吗？”，他们激动地说。

确实如此，我每周为研究Pietro Annigoni统治下的佛罗伦萨的国际知名艺术家Robbie Wraith做三次人体模特。在大学毕业后的一次偶然的机会，我意外看到了他的广告，从此就没有再回头。在一丝不挂时我沉浸在一种美好的憧憬中：当我80 岁的时候回头看我22岁时的样子，那时会多么满足，看曾经我多么年轻，只有22岁。

由于都是扮演伟大艺术作品里的角色，在那些做模特的午后我学到了很多相关的知识：关于我自己、创作的过程、世界总体（更不用说东南英格兰的衰落和间歇性日光的恐怖）。

其实，我不过是在人体模特行业试试水而已。连接艺术家（所有的媒体和专业人士）和自愿模特的网络站点广泛存在，这些模特通常是全职的，其中女性占主导地位。

牛津模特Ivory Flame说：“我进入模特行业因为我曾经在一家美容店工作，在我给当地时装秀的模特化妆时，近距离接触了杂志上的模特。然后我碰到的一个摄影师给我介绍了一些在线的网络站点，我放了些照片上去，事业就从那里开始了。在上学期间我只是兼职做做，现在已经做了一年全职的了。”Flame每周工作三到五天，每次拍摄所需时间从几小时到一整天不等。

人体模特（或叫裸体模特，这个术语通常被业内人士用到）是模特行业的一种次类型，模特们通常是偶然发现的。Bink女士，称自己是全职的艺术模特，她解释道，“艺术裸体是我在拍摄中唯一享受的一部分，我非常享受自己的每一寸肌肤，所以就开始了做人体模特的工作。”接手一份工作当然有很多值得说的理由，但你实际上只需要实现自己。

那么哪种人会成为人体模特呢？是不是必须有些潜在的需求需要表达呢？Ian Leake 是个不错的艺术摄影师，他使用越来越罕见的铂印刷过程来创作简朴的裸体作品，名曰“歌颂美”。他认为做人体模特有三个主要原因：“对一些模特来说是成人期的通过仪式，通过这个控制自己的生活；有些做这行是为了钱；还有少数是因为热爱艺术。”

通常，就像我这样，三个原因都有。和有激情、富有创造力的艺术家一起工作是非常让人兴奋的。Flame同意这一点：“我所知道的一个摄影师他对人体上的每一个线条、曲折、凹凸都非常有激情，他比喻它们的方式非常有趣……当灯光打到我大脚趾上时他会变得很兴奋。他真的很有趣。我现在正在合作的一个艺术家对从我皮肤上捕捉的光泽和质地很有灵感。成为这种创作的一部分让人感觉很有力量。和这些人一起工作真的是一种享受。”

人体模特中也有一种行业性，通常，工作是相互推荐找到的。不要以为其他职业领域里的找关系、拍马屁这里就没有。全职模特如果想成功必须处于行业的顶端，尤其是在自我提升、国际旅行、当然还有处理自由职业收入的税单时。就像一个模特说的，“这个行业就像一个复杂的七巧板，你必须随时都把它们拼在一起。”Bink发现自己在2008年回了林肯郡的家五次。

那么人体模特值得这么冒险吗？“如果有什么让我少点徒劳，”Flame说，“我本身是个安静的人，在陌生人前我能变得很平静，所以走上圆台，被摄影机包围，脱掉睡袍，在一屋子拿着照相机的人面前赤身体，对于我来说确实是个挑战，我不得不拿出足够的勇气和信心。”

“有时我仍感到紧张，当我想到‘我怎么就做起了这个”时会觉得有些不现实，但是做个深呼吸，什么就都过去了。人体常常让我着迷，进入这个行业是非常有趣的。但是做的越多，我就越觉得这跟美妙的人体实在没什么关系。漂亮的人体到处都是，你真正要做的是融入情感、表情。

当然，有的亲戚朋友听说你做的事情可能会有完全错误的认识。别人对你看法的不同跟你是做画家还是摄影师（雕塑家，或数字艺术摄影、身体画家）的模特有关，一些人仍然热衷于用体面的等级来看待艺术世界。正如Bink 所说，“这无疑跟尺度无关，而是关于形体、角度、光线、阴影、风格和动作，积极配合摄影师是模特的能力所在——能够很好地掌握方向，在镜头前从容自如，表现就像缪斯一样，自己获得启迪，也能给人以灵感。

模特工作是一个合作的进程，这不是空白画布由艺术家操纵变成艺术的过程，它不是被动的，而是把什么带上画纸。人体模特协会宣称“模特本身就是一种艺术形式”。

对于几秒钟就速成的素描或绘画，偶尔我会戏弄Wraith说：“这看上去还像我吗？”——这是必然的，以惊人的程度，在几秒钟之内——但Wraith不会这样说。他曾经跟我说从来都不是在真正画我，他画的是对我的反应——我的形体和他的思维混合的产物。

有时朋友笑着问我比较尖锐的问题，“会不会有两性之间的吸引？是不是会感到有些奇怪？”

嗯，我觉得（在这一点上有些不好意思），一个艺术家要在他（她）的素材上发现有感染力的一面，除了这个还有什么呢？但这跟两性无关。事实上，两性间的吸引力比看上去的要麻烦的多。Leake 说：“如果要是拍摄情色的或有诱惑性的照片，两性的吸引可能是个好主意，但这跟我做的工作一点关系也没有，实际上，我认为这是一个很大的障碍。我需要的是创造性的合作，在我的经验里是由信任、正直和诚恳构成的，跟两性吸引力无关。”

Leake 不是专做具体化女性的艺术：“人都是很了不起的，他们做着不可思议的事情，有自己的看法主张，并把自己的感觉、情感、生活经历带到工作里。当我们的一副照片展现了模特新的一面时我非常开心……有时是她们第一次发现自己居然这么美。曾经有模特在看到我们拍出的照片后完全惊呆了。

但是在人体模特界的确存在着性别的不平衡，最显著的特征就是女模特和男艺术家。Leake认为社会上更容易接受女性裸体而不是男性。“我知道美国的一个摄影师在把一个相貌较好的男性的人体照片放上摄影网站后受到了生命威胁，但从没听说过在女性人体上有过这种事情。”

如果认为最主要的原因是性别差异将会是虚伪的，就像Leake承认的那样：“还因为女性的身体确实比男性的身体更漂亮。”