Which one of these pictures are pornographic? All of them? None of them? One of them?
I think it's safe to say that you know by now from reading this blog that I like to be naked. Typically when I'm at home the only thing I'm wearing are my sandals. It's also evident from looking through the pages of this blog that I like to post naked selfies online, and that I enjoy taking nude photos of myself in the mirror. However, in regards to nude photography I've struggled with trying to understand where the line is between simply being openly naked in a non-sexual way as compared to the types of photos that are actually just pornographic?
How would you personally answer this question? I think the answer really depends on the individual and their comfort zone in regards to nudity. As such, the truth of the matter is that such an answer is relative. Everyone has their own ideas about what should be classified as porn and what is accepted as nude art or simply being openly naked. As it stands now, the basic rule in society is that any kind of nudity is pornographic, which is very over reaching and incorrect. In fact, society is so prudish that occasionally even classic nude artwork gets censored with the addition of a fig leaf.
Some people may find it hard to agree with me, however in my view none of the photos that I've posted above are pornographic. I consider all of them to be artistic or erotic nude photography. Certainly they're not as professional or fancy as most artistic photography, I don't have studio lighting and a nice backdrop, etc., however in my mind the casual, home-made nature of these photos is precisely what makes them artistic... it's my artistic expression of my body and my sexuality.
The fact that I did not take these picture in a studio setting, or that I don't sell my photos or work as a professional photographer, is all moot when talking about creating art. In addition, I'm simply showing what my naked body looks like and I'm not doing anything sexual, with the exception of one of the photos...
Smile for the camera Mikey! LOL
Shown above is the photo that I struggled with the most to understand how I felt about it. In my mind this is a very cute and silly photo, though obviously a very sexual one due to the pose. I'm pulling off my clothes while holding my penis in my hand (touching myself) and comically sticking out my tongue. It's a very sexually playful photo, I'm definitely not trying to be serious! LOL
Typically, I don't post sexual photos like this one, or any in which I'm touching myself, as this type of sexual behaviour at a clothing optional space, such as a beach or campground, would certainly be inappropriate. However, in a still photograph I think it comes across as being artistic because it captures a playful moment. I really like this pose and the shape of my body, including my cute round tummy. The way I'm sticking out my tongue is funny too, so this photo definitely has a lot of character which adds to the joy of looking at it. As such I feel like this is erotic nude photography rather than being porn. It definitely goes right up to the line but it doesn't cross it. Erotic nude photography is completely different from porn.
In my mind pornographic images are those that are taken for the sole purpose of showing an obvious sex act such as masturbating or ejaculating, or that focuses on explicitly sexual poses (such as spreading one's butt cheeks apart to show the anus, or a woman doing the same with her vagina, or posing as though one is humping something, or showing sexual penetration of any kind, etc.). To be clear, I don't think that sex or pornography is inherently bad or that it deserves to be shamed, or treated like it's sinful and immoral. There's certainly a place for it in a civil society.
Human beings need sex, it's part of the joy of life, so shaming it as though it's bad or wrong to like sex or being sexual is rather immature and silly. Yet, I do agree that there is a certain decorum in society that should be maintained in regards to pornography. It would not be very pleasant to always see explicit sexual images all over the place in public. There's a time and place for everything.
I don't consider the above two photographs to be pornographic either because I'm not doing anything explicitly sexual, so I consider them to be nude photography. Taking photos of myself while taking off my clothes is particularly interesting to me, because I like how these images reveal the beauty of the naked body. For me, I consider these photos as being erotic art. Certainly, this is not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy making these type of images so to each their own. I post them online for whoever wants to enjoy them, it makes me happy to do so.
The simple reality about sharing my nude photos online is that I can't control what other people will think about them. As such, regardless of how I view them or why I shared them, most of the people (not all but most) who look at my nude photos will likely be thinking sexually about them. They will not be seeing them as being artistic non-sexual nude photos or artistic erotic art. For most people these photos are porn rather than art simply because I'm naked with my penis exposed.
In addition, people who think of these images as porn will not be seeing me as a real person, or care that I'm sharing what I feel is the real version of myself, they will likely only be seeing and judging me as a sex object. They won't be thinking about wanting to know me better as an individual, and are likely just looking online for some nude photos to get off too. Aside from not posting the photos in the first place, there's absolutely nothing that I can do about that. Frankly, this doesn't bother me. It's actually a rather kind compliment if someone thinks that you are attractive and sexy enough to be aroused by you. So rather than get offended about it I take that as a compliment. People don't have to read my articles if they don't want to.
Realistically speaking, nude photos of adults generally have an inherent aspect of erotica to them anyway, so even if I'm standing in a neutral, non-sexual way in my photo it's only human nature to think somewhat sexually about it on some level. In my view, the notion that naturism or non-sexual nudity is entirely non-sexual is actually false because it's impossible for human beings to completely and fully shut off their sexual nature.
We may not always act on our sexual feelings and what we are thinking, but we will still think it. We can also learn to control ourselves and behave in a non-sexual way while being openly naked in naturism spaces or while viewing artistic nude photography, and be respectful of others around us, yet human beings are inherently sexual by nature so the sexual aspect of our humanity can never be completely removed from the equation. We don't have an on-off switch.
To be clear however, our sexual feelings are only one small part of the equation of being a human being, which is why it's wrong to ban nudity outright or label artistic nude photography as porn. Despite any written or unwritten laws or social norms, we are allowed to enjoy the naked beauty of our own species without shaming each other for it, as well as allowing others to enjoy our own naked beauty if we are brave enough to share it openly.
On Quora people have left me many kind compliments about my naked body. Some of the comments are sweet and sincere, while some of them are quite sexual in nature, and then some are a little bit of both. All of them are appreciated...
- "Your dick is very beautiful Mikey"
- "I love the Speedo [tan] lines, you have a great cock BTW"
- "You're a great looking guy Mikey!"
- "You're hot!"
- "What a cutie!"
- "Goodness, your penis looks so delicious."
- "You are very sexy"
- "I love all your photos Mikey!"
- "So sexy, thank you for sharing"
- "Dude, you look hot in your thong!"
- "You look so delicious nude. I can't stop staring at your cock."
Such comments are sincerely flattering, it's very kind for people to say such things about me. Tens of thousands of people all over the world have now seen me completely naked and know exactly what my body and my penis looks like. It feels good to know that people find me sexy and it means a lot to me that they want to tell me as much, but that's not why I posted my nude photos online. I'm certainly not fishing for compliments! Such compliments are simply one of the positive outcomes of sharing myself openly. People make negative comments too, but I just delete those.
The reason I do this is to enjoy the feeling of freedom, happiness and relaxation that being openly naked allows. As there isn't a clothing optional space in my city, being openly naked online is the next best option. To be honest, posting my naked pics also makes me feel more confident too, because I no longer have to worry about being seen while I am naked. That worry is completely off of my back! I can just assume that people have already seen me naked and carry on with my day.
So what do you think now? Are these photos pornography or harmless nude photography? Personally, I feel they are quite harmless. They're my way of celebrating being me and being a human being. We should all have the freedom to enjoy life while being openly naked without having our humanity classified as porn!
-Mikey :)
