goddammit tim walker!

a general theory of love.

underneath my clothes

“You’re a lot braver than me. I wish I could be so bold at times. 

Truth be told, I don’t think I have ever taken any picture of myself not fully clothed 

so I wouldn’t even know how to start.”

This was a message I received this morning on flickr.

I actually receive frequent messages (from men & women)

commending me on my “bravery” & questions

about how I manage to “work up the courage” to shed my clothes in front of the camera.

I don’t think anything makes a person particularly predisposed to shedding her clothes.

For me, self-portraiture is already an exceedingly intimate concoction.

“Naked” self-portraiture is even more so. It’s not meant to titillate.

It’s vulnerability. It’s me giving myself in the rawest form to the world.

The clothes we put on are our chosen social identities.

We are our occupations, our name brands, our social categories, etc.

But underneath it all, is just skin. We’re just human.

And when I think about it that way, it’s not about having the balls to “get naked.”

It’s about having the need to be yourself.

I understand the hesitation in showing the world what you might consider your “imperfections.”

My body’s not perfect. But it’s me.

Cue Shakira’s “Underneath Your Clothes.”