He Li, a female photographer with Cattleya Studio, shoots a nude photograph.Photo: Courtesy of Lu Miaoting/Cattleya Studio

 Sometimes being fashionable requires a massive wardrobe of clothes, but one recent trend has turned that on its head and requires none at all. A surprising number of young Chinese women have been arranging to have nude photographs taken of them.

One studio that caters to this market is called Cattleya, in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. It's already booked out until December.

"We have served over 5,000 customers from across the country. Some even fly here from Beijing and Hong Kong," Lu Miaoting, a co-founder of the studio, told the Global Times.

Cattleya, established in March 2010 with only four employees, one photographer, one planner, one dresser and one post-editor, has now grown into a studio with 38 staff - all female.

To meet the increasing demand, the studio now works six days a week and receives around 10 customers each day, according to Lu.

In Chongqing there are several other workshops specializing or engaged in human body photography, meaning it is likely there are hundreds, perhaps even thousands nationwide. Customers tend to be women born after the 1980s and 1990s, who wish to keep photos of themselves that capture their youth or pregnancy.

Chen Chang, founder and photographer of the CC Art Studio in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, said he has done photo shoots with about 300 women aged between 18 and 45. College students, young white-collar workers and housewives, they come from nearly all walks of life, according to Chen.

"Customer numbers are increasing. As their education levels rise, they tend to have broader horizons and more open minds. They become less judgmental and the numbers of people who see human body art as a shameful thing are decreasing," Chen told the Global Times.

Lu has similar feelings. "More and more young women pose for nude photos. They are daring to challenge stereotypes and try something new," Lu said.

Most sociologists and art critics see the trend as a form of social progress and liberation. Unlike the classical nude in the Western tradition, nudes in the Chinese artistic tradition were traditionally limited to chiefly erotic works. But now concepts are changing.

A nude photo shows a woman with a parasol. Photo: Chen Chang/CC Art Studio

Capturing youth



Luo Nana, 21, a saleswoman for a company that sells wedding dresses in Guangzhou, took a series of body art photos in September last year. She said the album will help her remember her body in its youthful state.

"I like the photos very much and they are valuable souvenir. And it's best to do it right now when I'm young. Otherwise, I'll regret it when I am 70 or 80," Luo told the Global Times.

Her mother did not approve of the album, but Luo said that did not bother her. "I like it, that's enough. I think we should live for ourselves, not for others' comments," she said.

Caihong, 26, a financial analyst from Quanzhou, Fujian Province, has decided to take some photos of her body. "I want to keep my youth and beauty via images. Meanwhile, the photos are also a regular reminder that I should always keep a good figure," she said.

Because her boyfriend and parents might veto the decision, she plans to act first and tell them afterwards.

Another woman from Guangzhou, who prefers to be named Wing, said she went to take body art photos at two different stages of being pregnant.

"It was important for me. My husband supported my decision. I'm going to take another set of photos of my body after birth," she said.

But there are sometimes other motives.

A real estate agent surnamed Qiao said the photos will be powerful proof for her children and husband when she becomes older and fat. She said she will be able to say she used to be beautiful and thin.

Another woman, Xu Duoduo, said she tried to recover her ex-boyfriend's heart by having him see the pictures of her, but her efforts failed. "He didn't feel any regret," Xu said.

Though these motives vary, sociologists say they share something in common.

"The women have become more honest and calm when it comes to acknowledging their bodies, appreciating their physical beauty and cherishing their youth," Fang Gang, a sexologist at the Beijing Forestry University, told the Global Times.

But others are still unable to appreciate their own bodies, Fang lamented.

While most respondents said they only share the pictures with family members, some dare to share them with friends or strangers on the Internet.

"It's not a thing to feel shame about, but is actually quite meaningful," said Lu Miaoting, now a mother of an 18-month-old son, who had nude pictures taken during her pregnancy. She offered several pictures taken by her studio to the Global Times, including one set of herself.

"Many foreign models and stars have taken nude photos. In their eyes, physical beauty is the highest form of natural beauty and an aesthetic object. The lines of their figure show the beauty of health and vitality," she noted.

When asking for approval on whether the customers agree to have their images used for press purposes, Chen Chang said several readily nodded.

Artistic or vulgar?



Whether it is "hot pink," "bunny girl" or simply "jazz," the Cattleya studio offers a variety of themes for customers to choose from.

Aside from taking photographs at his photography studio, he also takes pictures at certain locations such as factories, beaches, or scenic spots in overseas locations such as Thailand or the Maldives.

"I think images of the human body are quite natural and don't need any modification. They can exude their own beauty," Zhang Xi, a well-known photographer who has done photo shoots with many leading stars in China, told the Chongqing Economic News.

During photo shoots, Chen said he plays music the woman likes and keeps praising and encouraging her to ensure she remains relaxed.

Lu, however, said the customers at her studio more easily become relaxed as all the staff are women.

"Being of the same sex, we can understand their attitudes and mood more easily, which will help us get pictures of their emotions more precisely," Lu said. "Besides, female photographers can also help dispel the concerns of the customers, as well as their boyfriends or husbands."

But certain entrenched attitudes still prevail in the industry, and male photographers are more common. "When it comes to shooting the female human body, male photographers may have unique angles and better inspiration," said Chen Weilu, founder and chief editor of the cphoto.net, a private exchange platform built in 1999 for nationwide photographers,

He said human body art photography began on a large scale in China in the 1990s, when many organizations, both commercial and non-commercial, began undertaking this art at a time when foreign artworks were flowing into the country.

"It declined in the last 10 years, and now it's only conducted in studios for private customers or commercial services," the veteran told the Global Times.

Li Yinhe, a sociologist renowned for her sex studies, also recalled an exhibition of human body oil paintings held in the National Art Museum of China in Beijing in the late 1980s. "The visitors came in an endless stream, nearly knocking down the walls of the museum," Li recalled.

Nevertheless, the voices against nude portraits were strong.

One early event that's often mentioned in art circles involved Chen Suhua, a 19-year-old village girl. In 1986, Chen developed a mental disorder amid criticisms by her family members and neighbors after her job as a nude model for an art institute in Nanjing was uncovered, according to Magazine People.

"In customs and traditions, sex was for nothing but fertility and women always wrapped themselves up," Li Yinhe said, adding that many people's first reactions to nude pictures were vulgar or even cruel.

But many young women today have the courage to challenge these attitudes. In November last year, feminists from the Beijing Foreign Studies University posted photos of themselves holding white boards "quoting" their vaginas, with comments such as "My vagina says: I get to say who to let in" and "My vagina says: I can be sexy but you can't harass!"

The activity was also met with waves of criticism. A letter written by a parent of a male student from the university was circulated on the Internet, criticizing the girls as "shameless" and accusing them of being an "education failure."

The parent said in the letter that her sister and parents all told her that she should not allow her son to marry a graduate from that university.

However, Li Yinhe praised the activity. "Just like the body art photography, it represents advancement for women and their choices regarding sex, beauty and happiness," Li said.

Photos of Lu Miaoting show her at 4 weeks pregnant, 27 weeks and 38 weeks. Photo: Courtesy of Lu Miaoting/Cattleya Studio

Sharks in the pool



While most body art photography businesses strive to maintain a professional image, unsavory incidents can wreak havoc upon the industry.

In May last year, a photographer for a studio in Daxing district, Beijing, was arrested for allegedly raping a female customer while shooting nude photos of her, the Beijing Times reported.

Chen Lin, an amateur photographer in Beijing, said many amateurs flocked to organized nude modeling shoots for sexual rather than artistic purposes.

"Some attempt to seek quick fame via nude modeling. Some even operate sex trades disguised as human body art photography," he revealed to the Global Times.

In February last year, the country closed 62 websites over involvement in prostitution and pornography, while using the term "human body art."

Wang Yanyun, an art student from the Renmin University of China who was widely known as Su Zizi for her nude modeling in early 2011, told the Changjiang Times that she suffered several instances of sexual harassment during nude modeling.

Chen Chang said the low entry qualifications to be a nude photographer also contributed to the chaos. "But if the photographer doesn't care about his reputation, he will hardly seek long-term development in the circle," he noted.

When asked how he controls himself when shooting nude photos, he responded by saying, "When devoted to shooting with the heart and soul, the camera has already been integrated with myself, and the shutter button has conquered any other distracting thoughts."


Newspaper headline: Posing nude