The Body as Art

Have you ever seen your body as not just a body, but as a piece of artwork? Consider an artist, sketching your form. They are likely drawing the fine lines and details that make up your body. Not scrutinising every lump or stretch mark, but observing the beauty that is your figure and trying their best to translate that on to a canvas.

Earlier this week I lounged around in the nude while a room full of people studied my body and created pieces of art inspired by what they saw. Life modelling.

I’ve been on a mission for a while now to explore all the different ways that one can cultivate a deep sense of love for one’s self. I’ve gathered a toolkit of sorts, with different practices that I can utilise to encourage self-acceptance. This ‘toolkit’ contains things like self-massage, affirmations, yoni eggs, diet, meditation, yoga, dancing and so much more.

One thing I’d wanted to try for a while was life modelling. I spent last year playing with modelling in different capacities, some fashion, some lingerie and some nude. I really enjoyed this work and found it to be both empowering and humbling. But life modelling seemed vastly different. It felt far more intimate, raw, real.

As someone who communicates through movement, the idea of being still for extended periods of time was daunting. When I have done photographic shoots many of the best shots are ones that have been captured during movement or dance. So, to be completely still for up to 30 minutes at a time? Completely new territory for me, but it was a challenge I was interested to take.

As soon as I took off the robe, I had this almost intstant sense of calm. Despite the fact that there was literally an entire room of eyes fixed on me, it somehow felt like I was there with just myself. It’s an interesting sensation knowing that people are looking at your form, your body — but they’re not seeing you. That is to say, they aren’t seeing who you are. They’re simply seeing your physical image. And, most importantly, they are seeing it through the eyes of an artist who is there to create, not to judge. It was a really beautiful feeling.

If that’s not your thing but you would love to feel more comfortable in your body — try just being naked in your own space more often. Clean the house naked, watch TV naked, read a book naked. And when you pass a mirror, look. Look, and admire. Look at your body through the eyes of an artist. What parts would they enjoy drawing? Which parts provide intrigue, texture, character?

Thank you to the artist who created this piece, if this was you please email me hello@eleanorhadley.com so I can credit and thank you x

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