Art or Abuse. Fury Over Picture of 6 year old Naked Girl

[Ciara]

The picture itself is not included in this article but I thought it might make for good debate
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...use-fury-over-image-of-naked-girl-862068.html

 

[bamabeauty]

It is sad to say but in the world today where there are so many sick pervs it is irresponsible to put a naked picture of a child in a magazine . I am sure this is an innocent picture taken by the mother but I can not believe someone would allow a naked picture of their child to be published knowing how many sickos will be looking at it doing God only knows what.

 

[justche]

But just where that line should be drawn is as unclear as ever. Liberals argue that it all hinges on context and intent – if an artist has no intention of titillating, a work is not pornographic. And there is a difference between posting nude pictures of children online and displaying them in a gallery.
But for Ms Johnston and like-minded people, all nude images of children are sexual and should be banned.

I wish there was a happy medium, the fact is children should not be looked at in a sexual matter, but since they are - we owe it to them to protect them from evil.

On the other hand, I have some adorable shots of my daughter as a toddler naked as a jaybird that I shouldn't have to feel guilty emailing to aunties - the pictures are as innocent as she is - and I'm already counting on them for blackmail a few years up the road, but they were taken for personal blackmail purposes, not for stranger's enjoyment (innocent or otherwise).

On the other hand (we all know moms have six hands anyway) My daughter is four, and certainly old enough to not be posing naked in public (even isolated public) at least in my opinion. I try to teach not being ashamed of her body along with modesty in front of other people...it's a fine line some times. Making money off the photo is when it seems to go to the exploitive side.

 

[SewingDeb]

In the comments after the article, Tazia's post is pretty shocking concerning Henson's photography. I can't see those kind of photos being put on display in America without an arrest. Heck, even if they weren't on display, but simply part of someone's collection there would be an arrest. I wonder if that is true.

Not sure about the six year old's nude photo. It sounds pretty benign other than it being a nude photo and on the cover of an art magazine. She is eleven now and says it is her favorite of all the photos her mother has taken of her.

 

[Taximom]

The magazine cover of Art Monthly w/the child's pic can be seen here if you want:
http://www.artmonthly.org.au/

I didn't even think it was that good, frankly. As in artistic. I don't think I would want my 6 yr posed like this in a magazine, especially on the cover. Just my personal opinion.

 

[Taximom]

This Months cover :

Polixeni Papapetrou, Olympia as Lewis Carroll’s Beatrice Hatch before White Cliffs (detail), 2003, type C print. Courtesy the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney. This photograph is part of the artist’s Dreamchild series, 2003, which has been exhibited in Bendigo, New York, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne. Papapetrou was recently represented in the exhibition Presumed Innocence: Photographic Perspectives of Children, De Cordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, Massachusetts, USA, 2 February to 27 April 2008. (from the mag site)

Interesting that he was portraying a Lewis Carroll character.

 

[Ciara]

The magazine cover of Art Monthly w/the child's pic can be seen here if you want:
http://www.artmonthly.org.au/

I didn't even think it was that good, frankly. As in artistic. I don't think I would want my 6 yr posed like this in a magazine, especially on the cover. Just my personal opinion.

Thankyou Taximom. I didnt know if it was ok or not to link the picture here.
I dont find it artistic either and I would not want my child pictured like that in public. Its not even "arty".

 

[bamabeauty]

Oh gross I just googled Bill Henson . Yucky . What a perv.

 

[Ciara]

Oh gross I just googled Bill Henson . Yucky . What a perv.

He is banned over here. I think he definately is a perve who deliberately chose to do what he does just so he can get away with perving

 

[bamabeauty]

I just saw the pic in question and I agree with Ciara . I do not find the picture artsy at all and think it was inappropriate for the mother to even take it. It is not like a cutsey naked toddler photo. It is a six year old.

 

[w1df10wr]

The picture itself is not included in this article but I thought it might make for good debate
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...use-fury-over-image-of-naked-girl-862068.html

The article also mentions there were 2 more photos of this girl without clothing inside the magazine.

The magazine made a poor decision, imo.

 

[txsvicki]

I think the pic is creepy looking and the head and hair looks out of proportion to the body. I don't see why the mom didn't take it in a swimsuit or something. It would look better balanced art wise IMO.

 

[Kiki]

It caused a huge outcry in Australia. Children should not be photographed naked for public display. Almost every parent has nude pics of their children but they don't publish them. I'm sure this 'art' has already been downloaded to many paedophile websites. Remember the case of the little boy named Junny who was raped and murdered? A pedophile became obsessed with him after seeing his (fully clothed) photo in a newspaper after a kite flying competition. Imagine who is obsessing about this photo. And Cate Blanchett spoke up in defense of this photo's display. I lost a lot of respect for her then.

 

[Ciara]

I agree Kiki and many of these paedos surf the net looking for pics of kids even with clothes on to put on their blogs and websites. I remember that Dutch guy although not his name, that had that paedo site and they had pics of not only dead children up but also The Presidential election's candidates kids. They were discussing which kids were the "cutest" for The White House.
Ugh they sicken me.
Like you said, we all have the nudey pics of our kids splashing in the bath etc but they are our family snaps, not for every pervert and his mates to see.

 

[dingo]

It caused a huge outcry in Australia. Children should not be photographed naked for public display. Almost every parent has nude pics of their children but they don't publish them. I'm sure this 'art' has already been downloaded to many paedophile websites. Remember the case of the little boy named Junny who was raped and murdered? A pedophile became obsessed with him after seeing his (fully clothed) photo in a newspaper after a kite flying competition. Imagine who is obsessing about this photo. And Cate Blanchett spoke up in defense of this photo's display. I lost a lot of respect for her then.

Did you see the girl being interviewed on the news last night Kiki..she is a little miss alright and has an old head on her youing shoulders..makes you think the words have been put into her mouth.

 

[dingo]

I agree Kiki and many of these paedos surf the net looking for pics of kids even with clothes on to put on their blogs and websites. I remember that Dutch guy although not his name, that had that paedo site and they had pics of not only dead children up but also The Presidential election's candidates kids. They were discussing which kids were the "cutest" for The White House.
Ugh they sicken me.
Like you said, we all have the nudey pics of our kids splashing in the bath etc but they are our family snaps, not for every pervert and his mates to see.

I have heaps of my daughter but that in those days the pics stayed in the family photo album and wernt plastered all over the internet..

 

[Ciara]

I have heaps of my daughter but that in those days the pics stayed in the family photo album and wernt plastered all over the internet..

Exactly Dingo!!

 

[Shazza]

I have heaps of my daughter but that in those days the pics stayed in the family photo album and wernt plastered all over the internet..

I too have piccy's of my girls when they were young babies, having baths etc, they are safely tucked away in family photo albums as a collection of memories of them growing up, I would never take a posed photo of my daughters in the nude at any age and would definitely not plaster them over the internet or have them published in the media.

 

[Kiki]

Did you see the girl being interviewed on the news last night Kiki..she is a little miss alright and has an old head on her youing shoulders..makes you think the words have been put into her mouth.

No I rarely watch the news. I hope they weren't arguing posing nude was the child's idea.

 

[dingo]

The child was saying that Kevin Rudd should stay out of it and that there was nothing wrong with the photos