The Naked and the Nude

Victor Basa

In appreciating the beauty of Asian Men, sometimes, I can not stop myself from being analytic and too academic. For some time, I tend to interchange the terms naked and nude when referring to an unclothed god (or hunk) until i stumbled upon this author Louis Giannetti of the book Understanding Hollywood.

Giannetti (2008) gives an interesting differentiation of the naked and the nude:

For Giannetti (2008), the term nude or seminude is for a picture meant to be looked at, meant to be admired....We're drawn to the sensual beauty of the sculpted bodies, and we want to touch, perhaps possess. Wherein, naked is usually embarrassed to be seen publicly without clothes on (Ibid.).

Moreover, Francisco(2000) in the foreword of the Brief Encounters (2000) defines the following terms:

Fashion - showing the garment (in this case, product) being worn (or use as a cover) by the model who exudes style and mood
Advertising - promoting visible products
Abstract nude - depersonalizes the model by eliminating the face
Beefcake - brings out the texture and tone of the model;s body while his eyes are suggesting frankness and intimacy
Erotic - having an air of mystery, soft focus, and low-lighting that creates shadowy effects

The following photos illustrate the use of high contrast lighting that emphasizes the texture and angles of the body.

Click here for the pics

Yamapi

Fashion

Aum Atichart Chumnanont

Alfred Vargas

Brent Javier

Fashion or Advertising

Victor Basa

Lawrence Liang

References:

Giannetti, L. D. (2008). Understanding movies. Pearson Education, Inc.: Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Francisco, B. (2000). Brief encounters. Metropolis Publishing: Manila, Philippines.