We're back on the topic of Miscats - deviations submitted into the improper gallery/category. And, some further considerations for how to select the best category for your deviation depicting a clothed or partially clothed model.

Of course, being a GM for Artistic Nudes, I'm discussing mainly how to decide if Artistic Nudes is or isn't the best place to submit your deviation.

The issues covered here will look at why Glamour Portraits, Fetish Portraits, Fashion Portraits, and Photography->Commercial->Fashion may be a better place than Artistic Nudes to submit many photos featuring partial or even nearly complete nudity.

My goodness, who would guess that nudity is such a confusing topic?

I'm going to start with one basic premise, and then examine cases from there.

Wearing Clothing Does Not Equal Nudity.

Some clothing? Some kinds of clothing? See-through clothing? Clothing in the process of being removed?

And for that matter, what's clothing and what's not clothing??

Sure, let's start there.

I'm going to define clothing as: "items designed as underwear, outerwear, swimwear, or sleepwear." This includes pants, skirts, shorts, dresses, shirts, underpants, bras, lingerie, swimsuits, pajamas, robes, cloaks, jackets, coats, fetish clothing such as corsetry or latex garments, and probably a few other things you could think of to name separately or otherwise include in this list.

I'm going to consider the following as "accessories" and not clothing: hats, neckties, scarves, socks, stockings, shoes.

I'm going to consider the following as "props" and not clothing: unsewn fabrics, pillows, masks, jewelry. Many other items are also props. These are simply some typical items related to clothing that are not clothing items.

So. We know what clothing is. And we have a photograph of a model wearing some of it. Where oh where should we submit it?

First, just because people do it, so I have to say it: A photograph of a fully clothed model should not be submitted to Artistic Nudes! Neither should a photo of children (who had better be clothed) on a playground or in a class picture, head shots that show nothing of the clothed or nude body at all, and all kinds of other snapshots of people doing all kinds of things while fully dressed. They're not nudes, and they will be moved out of AN.

So, we get to the "confusing" areas: Partially clothed people! Here's a nice generality to start with. MOST of the time, a photo of model wearing some clothing is a better fit in a gallery other than Artistic Nudes. Most of the time means exactly that, as sometimes these images have to be looked at case by case. But there are some broad considerations that apply to a great many images of partially clothed people, and they are described next.

Here's why a "half naked" model is so frequently a better fit in one of several galleries other than Artistic Nudes. Please read the following Gallery Descriptions for Glamour Portraits and Fetish Portraits:

Glamour Portraits: "Photographs of models, clothed or partially clothed, depicting either physical good looks or sensual impact."

Fetish Portraits: "Artistic portraiture centered around a theme of sexual desire and sexuality as well as alternative lifestyles."

A partially clothed model is, dare I say almost always in a pose or expression designed to draw attention to some physical attribute in an implicitly or explicitly sensual or sexual manner.

~~Example: A topless models wearing jeans, with one hand down inside the waistband.
~~Example: A model wearing a long shirt that is pulled aside to reveal the genitalia.
~~Example: A model wearing a full-length bathrobe, left untied so as to reveal one or both breasts and the pubic region.
~~Example: A model wearing only panties, down on all fours, with buttocks up in the air.

These images can be cliche, and they can sometimes be of terrible quality, snapped with a webcam or a camera phone - a whole different issue. But they can also be very well executed, clean, technically excellent photographs demonstrating the sensual appeal and sexuality of a beautiful woman. Or of a man***. They're just not a good fit in Artistic Nudes.

***Which brings up another point. The bare male torso is not considered to be nudity. Artistic portraits of men who are bare-chested but clad below the waist are simply not nudes! These images are most often Glamour Portraits, again focusing on sensual or sexual appeal. Some may also be Fashion Portraits, which I'll get to shortly.

Now, as with women, underwear on a man can be styled and worn such as to be much more or much less revealing. If the male genitals are clearly outlined through the underwear, the image still requires the Mature Content tag. If a man's erection is visible through his underwear, it's still a Pornography Violation! And yet still within an image that is not even a nude!

As the above examples and situations show, many images that DO require the Mature Content tag for nudity still DO NOT fit well in the Artistic Nude gallery.

Even where we're not just talking about the cases where a model is "topless" or "bottomless," or "half nude," a great deal of clothing, even when actually being fully worn, still exposes, or can be rearranged such as to expose, much of the body. Photographs where a model is wearing a full outfit of clothing, and yet exposing breasts, nipples, buttocks, or genitals, are usually not Artistic Nudes either. Again, these images are almost always either focusing on a sensual or sexual impact or appeal, or are fashion photographs, again more to come regarding fashion.

Certain styles of clothing, such as leather, latex, corsets, and other items commonly accepted as "fetish" clothing items often fall under much the same scenario. Crotchless panties and underbust corsets are two examples of clothing items designed specifically to expose particular areas of the body that require the Mature Content tag.

Clothing can also be sheer (transparent) and thus very revealing. If breasts, nipples, buttocks, or genitals are visible through sheer clothing, the Mature Content tag is still required. But again these photos are not nudes.

Now let's consider photographs of models in the process of dressing or undressing:

~~Example: The ubiquitous "leg bent up to buttock with heel of shoe through band of panties" shot.
~~Example: A model pulling down his or her underwear, or with his or her underwear or even pants and underwear, halfway down the legs.
~~Example: A model pulling her shirt up over her head, exposing her bare breasts. (If she has a bra on under the shirt, there's no nudity...)

In these images, the model might not be fully wearing the clothing, but is not nude either. And again, these images almost always again have a sensual or sexual focus. Thus, they are rarely a good fit in Artistic Nudes. Once again, very often these images are a clear fit in Glamour Portraits.

Here's a good one. Garter Belts. I specifically left these out of the list of both clothing items and accessories above, to make this point. I would consider a garter belt to be an accessory, not a full clothing item. However. I can't think of an image where I've seen a model wearing just a garter belt, that isn't focused on the sensual or sexual. It's almost inherent in the wearing of this item when it isn't covered by other clothing as originally intended. So even where the model is nude but for only this accessory, if the image is presenting a specifically sensual or sexual context, it is not a good fit for Artistic Nudes, and probably best submitted as a Glamour or Fetish Portrait.

I'm going to extend this to some of the other "accessory" and "prop" items mentioned near the beginning of this article, too. Some of them simply have more inherent sensual appeal no matter how the model is posing with them. A model "wearing" only a necktie, i.e. essentially using it as a prop, might be presented in a sensual manner, or in a figurative manner. Same with a model wearing only a hat. Masks: ditto. Jewelry: ditto. Model partially draped in unsewn fabric (not a piece of clothing): ditto. You get the idea.

While stockings and shoes are also basically "accessories," many styles of stockings and footwear are also very commonly regarded as fetish items. So in many cases, a model wearing only thigh-high stockings, or only high-heeled shoes, is often being presented in a fetish context rather than in a glamour or figure nude context. Again, case by case basis, but something to consider.

Now finally, in regard to models who are not nude, who are most definitely wearing clothing, yet still exposing parts of their bodies that warrant the use of the MC tag: The last area I want to mention, as promised, is Fashion. Here are the descriptions for dA's Photography->eople & Portraits->Fashion Portraits, and Photography->Commercial->Fashion galleries:

Fashion Portraits: Photographs where the focus of the image is on the clothing style rather than on the model.

Commercial->Fashion: Commercial fashion photographs of clothes and accessories for use in advertising and promotion in the fashion industry.

In dealing with fashion-based images, there are two distinct places to submit an image, depending upon whether its purpose is for commercial use or artistic invention. In both of them, we are discussing another area where a model might be fully or partially clothed, but the primary focus of the image is to draw attention to the style of the clothing.

In either case, fashion design, especially avant-garde fashion, often incorporates sheer fabrics, bare-breasted designs, or other styles that can expose various parts of the body. We've already mentioned fetish clothing that can be specifically designed in the same manner, and might also be presented in a fashion photography context.

And then we move into the realm of fashion photography that very much crosses over into glamour, when we start dealing with muscular men in underwear briefs (remember, not a nude!), or topless models in designer jeans. While here the decision might be less clear between the Glamour, Fetish, Fashion Portraits, and Commercial Fashion categories, it should at least now be clear that submitting to Artistic Nudes is nowhere in the running.

In summation:
While nudity is not as clear-cut as it might seem, what should now be clear is that:

a) The Artistic Nude gallery is not the place to submit a photograph of a fully clothed model.
b) The Artistic Nude gallery is usually not the best place to submit a photo of a partially clothed model.

In final review, if the model depicted in your photograph is clothed, please do not submit to the AN gallery.

If the model is partially nude but is presented with a focus on sensuality, sexuality, fetishism, or fashion styling, please carefully consider, and submit as best fits your image, to the Glamour Portraits, Fetish Portraits, Fashion Portraits or Commercial Fashion Photography galleries.