Baring all for charity is popular among celebrities in the Western world. Stars such as Victoria Beckham, Paris Hilton, Kate Moss, Rache Hunter, Geri Halliwell and Miss UK 2006 Danielle Lloyd have all appeared naked to raise money for charities.
However, stripping off - for the sake of art or charity - is still an unfamiliar concept in Asian societies like Vietnam and Thuy’s album has raised questions about whether the motive for the photos really is raising money for charity or a publicity stunt.
But the former beauty queen, her manager and the photographer have all defended Thuy’s photo album, which will go on sale in coming months.
“I have been very careful in making the album for Mai Phuong Thuy,” said photographer Tran Huy Hoan. “The reason I agreed to shoot her photos is for charity. My nude photos are a form of art as I want to praise the beauty of women.”
Hoan said he thought Thuy’s actions were brave, as well as kind-hearted.
The photographer-and-model team began working on the project last September.
“We wanted to create a work of art that capture the essence of traditional Vietnamese beauty and does something for the underprivileged,” Hoan said.
Thuy, who came up with the idea, said the nude photos were artistic and not too revealing.
“From my point of view, a nude photo merely means an artistically sexy photo where the woman’s features are revealed,” Thuy said.
The former Miss Vietnam said many of the photographs portrayed traditional daily activities or were shot in settings that characterized Vietnam’s pastoral scenery. Some of the photographs depict Thuy as a traditional woman lying in a hammock wearing a brassiere, pulling up her dress to wash her feet, in a transparent dress and topless holding a bunch of lotus blooms.
“Nothing so-called pornographic will be shown in my photos,” Thuy said. “What you could see in this work is the pure beauty of Vietnamese women accompanied by the picturesque country life.”
Famous local fashion designer Viet Hung, Thuy’s manager, said the project was about art and charity.
“I believe in what we are doing,” Hung said. “We have worked with the photographer on both the technique as well as artistry. We controlled how much nudity was involved.”
According to experienced photographer Nguyen Huu Bao, an artistic nude photo should stir emotion in – and even arouse – the viewer. However, the emotions must come from the true value of the beauty of the work.
“The boundary between art and porn is vague so great care should be taken to appeal to the artistic nature of the audience,” Bao said.
Reported by Da Ly – Quang Thy |
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