Torso
This project originated from the same conceptual framework that underpinned “The Human Project,” albeit with a unique twist: incorporating full frontal nudity while concealing the participants’ faces, coupled with the inclusion of textual elements. The project initially emerged as a personal response to the prevailing culture and guidelines of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, where individuals often present curated facades and contrived narratives. These platforms encourage the projection of idealized and sometimes fabricated selves, concealing the personal truths that one might be willing to share online. My objective was to provide participants with an opportunity for genuine authenticity, enabling them to share not only their physical forms but also their unfiltered narratives—something often considered taboo within the realm of social media, or at the very least, met with disapproval.
Honesty lies in this evidence,
honesty is etched in this body’s truths and I do not fear the truth of who I am.
The mutilation of time is etched in my torso. Gutted like a fish, gallbladders, hysterectomy, two cesareans, cancer all visible remnants of my journey.
The stalk, this torso, holds me up, the softer elements marked by pain and time do not define my strength. Honesty lies in this evidence, honesty is etched in this body’s truths and I do not fear the truth of who I am.
I wasn’t brought up to be open about
nudity or sexuality
Being born and raised Calgarian (Conservative) but also the daughter of a Jehovah’s Witness, I wasn’t brought up to be open about nudity or sexuality.
I didn’t really come into my own until I was in my mid-20s. Living alone and meeting new, less sheltered individuals, opened my eyes to many different and new opportunities. Modeling and photography have become a huge part of my life in a positive way!
I found being nude empowering, especially in front of a camera. Also exhilarating! This is why I joined/volunteered in the TORSO series to be part of a movement. Everyone is unique and beautiful and that’s what I thought this series projected. Working with Kevin is always a pleasure and his work speaks for itself… breathtaking!
Our culture seems to only associate sexuality
The ending of abusive relationships has led me on a journey to reconnect/accept myself and gain confidence. I’m 54, divorced with three grown children. Life hasn’t been easy but I’m finally going to feel comfortable in my skin and live my life on my terms. A lifetime of people pleasing and it’s about time I don’t give a fuck about what other people think.
I am more comfortable in my own skin as I grow older. I had always been self-conscious about my body and always hiding my figure. My mother had always instilled a need for modesty. I believe I’m in pretty good shape considering my age and three grown children.
I had been very uncomfortable with nudity until I started to attend figure drawing classes. The classes really change your point of view. I have a new respect for the naked body and for those that pose. The models are comfortable with the vulnerability and it is inspiring. I have posed twice now for drawing and twice for photography and was comfortable each time. I came away feeling empowered.
Our culture seems to only associate sexuality with the naked body. I believe I probably held the same view until attending figure drawing classes. I’m now more accepting and see the beauty in the human form and all body types.
I feel like we are a lot more accepting of violence than we are of nudity.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve given less fucks about what other people think about my appearance. I am probably the most comfortable in my skin at this point in my life. Itʼs something I wish my younger self could have experienced.
A big part was addressing my mental health. Once I balanced out and found the right treatments, I became more self-aware and comfortable with the person I am. I was definitely less comfortable with myself when I was in toxic relationships. I would still pose but I wasn’t fully comfortable with myself so emotional walls were still there.
I feel like we are a lot more accepting of violence than we are of nudity. I know there are pockets in society where this is not the case but as a whole, we should be more welcoming of nudity and those brave enough to bare it all.
I’ve done a lot of nude work over the years but what has really helped me embrace myself is addressing the emotional barriers. I think that tackling stage fright has helped in this way, for a while I was more comfortable being nude in front of dozens of artists but completely terrified of being the central focus on stage. I think this is just an example of having to address vulnerability in all aspects of life not just the physical action of being naked.
Dream baring witness
Ruby tender heart beats
Pressed softly upon course time
–
Dream baring witness
I think we’ve repressed a lot of the human body through religion and romanticism
There are days when I’m proud of what I can accomplish and days when I know I haven’t treated my body as I feel I should. I try to fight the old desire for the idyllic female form, by reminding myself there is no idyllic form. When I first started my commitment to retake gymnastics classes and work out more consistently, I realized how much my body could actually do and more respect grew for my physical capabilities, and in turn, I started to worry less about appearance.
I don’t mind posing nude as long as I am comfortable with who I am working with. For art, the acceptance of
nudity is a necessity, as nudity isn’t inherently sexual. I found it very easy, mostly due to having worked with
Kevin now two or three times, but I also wanted to step further outside my comfort zone. Our culture needs to change its beliefs surrounding nudity. I think we’ve repressed a lot of the human body through religion
and romanticism. The body is a vessel for which we experience the world. It should be respected, and
cherished, clothed or unclothed.
Nudity is a complicated issue that goes so far back in our history. We admire women’s bodies in lingerie windows but shame other bodies that are feeding life. We can’t just view it through art, though that is most likely the first step. I’ve had some challenging relationships that have forced me to stand up for myself and my time more.
I didn’t value myself nearly as much as I do now. For those relationships, I can only say thank you for the strength to grow, even if they were unkind and manipulative. I love projects like this and there should be more of them for all kinds of people, it brings us closer to each other. It creates more understanding and empathy which is something I think we desperately need.
all bodies are beautiful and you should have the right to alter
I decided to participate in the TORSO series because I fully supported and bought into Kevinʼs vision and stance regarding the human body and how commercialized sexuality has become. Kevin wanted to portray real people with real bodies without trying to “sell” people something.
I believe that all bodies are beautiful and you should have the right to alter or not alter your body as you chose. I grew up playing team sports and with that came locker rooms. So, I was never uncomfortable being naked in front of people but it was hard to “pose” nude.
My biggest challenge posing nude was my ability to relax. I think this might have been due to the fact that I wasn’t just nude because I was changing my clothes or about to hop in the shower, which is the case during my locker room experiences. But after a few minutes and with some great direction I was able to relax.
Overall the photo shoot was a very positive experience for me! It is definitely something I can cross off my bucket list
I believe in the concept of empowering people
I was happy to participate in the Torso series.
I believe in the concept of empowering people and body positivity. I also believe in Kevin Stenhouse’s vision and artistic capabilities. He creates a positive and thoughtful atmosphere around & through his work.
I came to feel proud to take up space
My perception and experience of having a body changed dramatically during a period of time when I was exposed to lots of non-sexualized nudity.
Sitting naked on hot summer days with friends helped heal my wounded ideas about the physical form.
I had grown up thinking that the physical was something to distance oneself from and overcome. Caring for friends and healing as a community thru feelings of dysphoria and dismantling the negative self-view passed down to us thru society, I came to feel proud to take up space. It’s been a long journey, but finally, I am grounded in this body.
scars are merely badges for what we have survived
The reason why I decided to participate in the Torso Series for Kevin was I found it was a profound undertaking allowing men and women to recognize the value of themselves. To let go of the stereotypical beliefs that hold us all down. There is so much empowerment in loving oneself, social media breaks down that power by creating a belief that we’re just not good enough the way we are. It has been a struggle for me my entire life.
I grew up in an affluent home, everybody believed we had the perfect family. Sadly the physical, mental, and sexual abuse took such a toll on my family and is apparent even today. I struggled my whole childhood and into my twenties, with shame and hate for my body.
4 years ago, I found myself in a very controlling and mentally abusive marriage. Sadness and Desperation were taking so much out of me. I became full of anxiety, feeling like my time was running out, and I needed to make a change. I met a beautiful young woman who was modeling for local photographers and doing quite well at it. This was something I’ve always wanted to do, so I started following her posts and her photographers, contacting them directly. I started modeling it was so amazing!
During one of my earlier photo session photographer asked if I’d ever done implied nudes. I had never, as he turned his back to adjust his camera, I dropped my clothing! He was quite shocked and so was I! That moment changed so much for me… My confidence grew by Leaps and Bounds! So much so that I was able to leave my marriage and start again, but this time on my own terms!
A while later I fulfilled another longtime dream of becoming a figure-drawing model!!
I finally realized the reason for my urgency to get so much done in such a short period of time…I was diagnosed with cancer. This was another lesson that I needed to go through for my healing. I realized that scars are merely badges for what we have survived. So I am proud of all of mine. I am back at life drawing modeling again, with more bookings than before.
People ask me how can I do this at my age, and why I do it, and I tell them because I want to, because, simply put…. it makes me feel good.
If I am to die tomorrow, why would I care if I should or should not be naked in front of the camera today?
Naked has never been the main subject to me, but it is a representation of a few things – sexuality, freedom from my conventional upbringing, the man ego, my naivety, or in the hope to have a legacy. In a passive way of seeing things – if I am to die tomorrow, why would I care if I should or should not be naked in front of the camera today?
The act of being fully vulnerable and letting others see you completely …flaws and all create acceptance of one’s self
I chose to participate in the torso series because I personally find being nude in front of a camera with no pretense an empowering experience.
The act of being fully vulnerable and letting others see you completely …flaws and all create acceptance of one’s self in a world where we are too often encouraged to fight or hide anything undesirable… This relates to all things in life. I also participated because I feel nudity is fetishized and I believe much of the world has a fairly immature and unhealthy view about it. I think by challenging these views and exposing people to a different perspective when it comes to the human form we can start to develop a healthier collective consciousness.
As I age, I recognize my body as a beautiful and unique vessel, holding and expressing my collective experiences.
In the past, I saw my body mostly as a machine used for completing physical tasks – playing, running, and daily functions such as picking up a glass of water or walking to school or work. As I age, I recognize my body as a beautiful and unique vessel, holding and expressing my collective experiences, and my everchanging sexuality and self-expression. My body represents my evolving vulnerabilities and confidences – it is the giver of life, and love. My body is also the receiver of the love – a gift that often unveils a matrix of beauty, fear, and vulnerabilities. I am proud of my beautiful body, and sometimes, afraid and ashamed.
There have been several events that have changed the relationship I have with my body. Negative speak about sexuality from family members during my childhood, losing my virginity to rape, an unhealthy sexual relationship throughout my lengthy marriage, birthing three beautiful children, and recently, the first healthy, fully welcomed sexual experiences I’ve had – at age 45.
The daily interactions I have with other people and how I believe they respond to my physical self-expression continually impact the relationship I have with my body. The experiences I have with my sister, my children, and friends, and my new partner – it’s all gathered, processed, and impactful. My self-view is influenced by the strangers I pass on the streets each and every day, and of course, by the media. In the best moments, my self-perception is driven by internal factors, not external ones. Those moments are rare, though.
I’m glad to see boundaries around nudity and the human body being challenged and pushed. Publishers of social media and the continuous efforts of artists like Kevin and his peers are making a positive difference. I hope our culture will eventually accept nudity and sex-positive behavior as a healthy and necessary part of our individual and community well-being. There is nothing but opportunity ahead and progress to be made.
My sexuality and how I express it are ever-changing, and as I mature, it is just as important as my physical and mental health. I am committed to continuously and consciously developing a healthy self-image and relationship with my sexuality.
I’m so glad I challenged myself and participated in this photographic series. As with many moments in life, the experience was easier and much more fun than what my mind constructed in advance. The outcome – photographically and personally – is beautiful. It was a wonderful experience. Thank you, Kevin, for including me.
40 happened and I am barely middle-aged, I don’t feel “over” yet.
I’ve had this body for 40 years now, we have been through a lot together. I started modeling at 20, I was
uncertain of my future and thought taking my clothing off for art students would be easy and low commitment. It was and it was a bit empowering too. To see how other people see your body and interpret it through their own eyes and talent.
From there after being married and divorced and having a child I felt my relationship to my body change. I had gained a lot of weight in my 20s, had scars and stretch marks, and didn’t feel beautiful or youthful at all. I looked nothing like the people I saw in magazines or on tv. I wanted to reconnect with myself on the inside by redeveloping a love for what’s on the outside.
I met with a photographer, Dale, and he helped me take some amazing photos of my body both clothed and otherwise. With his minimal direction and my uninhibited nature, I found a fun new hobby.
Over the years I have modeled for many local photographers for fun and absolutely no profit. I stopped after one unscrupulous man assaulted me and began to take my own photos after that. I documented my body’s changes over the years as lovingly as I could. I wanted a record of my life and my choices. I wanted to feel beautiful and connected in a way that only media makes relevant in our modern world. Sometimes it feels like if no one sees you you might not exist.
As I hit my mid-thirties I stopped most of it without realizing it, life got too busy, I forgot about looking at myself and just existed. I gained a lot of weight and began to feel run down and past my prime. My body felt like a prison of expectations and I began to feel a collective of aches and pains that comes from a lifetime of single motherhood and being poor.
40 happened and I am barely middle-aged, I don’t feel “over” yet. I wanted to let go of fear, the fear that youth is the only beauty. Could I find myself again in a hobby that doesn’t always look kindly to time and wear?
Working with Kevin has been a delightful chance to rediscover myself inside and out. It makes me proud to participate in a project that really looks at people as more than just their parts and their weight and their youth. It’s an excellent reflection of what we see of ourselves and what society tells us we are or ought to be over the course of our lifetime.
Ultimately it is always up to us to love ourselves, exactly as we are.
I am passionate about the beauty of the human body in its most natural form, nude. I personally view nudity as self-empowering, especially for those who have had their innocence, trustworthiness, and comfort abused, mistreated, or taken advantage of, the wandering souls inside of bodies, like mine. I believe it is a way to reinforce ourselves, and society, that our nudity does not inherently come with permission to our self-display of love, as in, my nudity is not my permission to be touched, harassed, or misused. While those around my nudity can look, they must not ever touch without my permission. That gives me, and many like me, so much power back, the power that was ripped away from us before I knew the power of nudity, the power of our own free choice.
Nudity to me is a powerful form of Freedom. I find posing nude freeing, peaceful, a place of self and love captured between lens and frames. A Memory of what once was, and will never be again. A body of youth, perfection, no stretch marks or laugh lines. This image for me is my Prime, not of my body, no, those stories haven’t been written yet. But of my mind, growing, grasping onto society’s expectations of me, and ultimately, my breaking those expectations in my truest form, nude. Glowing with pride wearing everything that I was born with, and everything I will die with. Nothing more, nothing less. For me, this path of self-love, body acceptance, and passion for nudity and human form started long before I can consciously remember acknowledging it.
At the age of 5, I was sexually abused by someone I loved and trusted, My Father. For 5 years he took advantage of my love and trust for my guardians, abusing my innocence and nudity for his own self pleasures. For over 12 years this majorly distorted my self-confidence, self-views, and how I viewed my body.
For years I was nothing but an object to be used for the pleasure of others, never myself.
It took years to heal from my abuse, but I now know, without a doubt, that if I can pose nude for hundreds of photographers, Male & Female, without being abused, it was NOT my sexuality or nudity that caused abuse and that no one has the right to body, without my permission, besides me. Each nude photo reminds me of this power and right that I, and everyone is entitled to.
I believe that we as a society have a long way to go on our views and thoughts of human form and nudity. However, I am thankful we are slowly but surely embracing the beauty and innocence of nudity and human bodies in their natural forms. While I still feel there is far too much sexual connection made within our society to nudity, I believe we are progressing as a society. Each Country I believe has different levels of this progression, while some embrace the changes we are seeing over the years, we can certainly also see others aggressively pushing to keep beliefs stationary.
I also feel a large part of this movement is the societal realization that each relationship we have ultimately affects us in unfathomable ways. I have had relationships that made me feel extremely self-conscious, and I have also had relationships that built my body image up beyond belief. Ultimately it is always up to us to love ourselves, exactly as we are. If I could give one lesson for readers to take from my experience, is that Everybody, and Everybody, is unique. That individuality is our superpower, so I highly encourage everyone to use theirs for the best.
“My body is my home. It’s okay if you don’t understand.”
Is it noble to be nude? Is it shameful to be naked?
The act of being fully vulnerable and letting others see you completely …flaws and all create acceptance of one’s self
My relationship with my body has evolved considerably over the course of my own evolution as a woman, wife, and mother. Up until the age of twenty-eight focus was on fitting myself into the normative constraints set by society. My early relationships were coloured by a presumption on my part that every man necessarily desired and expected a shape reflective of what I saw in fashion magazines. It felt like an impossible fight, and it was. Then I discovered weight lifting, and my body became a tool of strength and metamorphosis. I learned the joy of challenging myself, but I also learned the critical lesson that nurturing and recuperation are essential to the task of getting stronger. This was transformative not only to my physique, but also to my mind, heart, and soul.
I began working with Kevin in my mid-thirties to capture images of my body as I had never seen it before. I had chosen Kevin because I was drawn to the degree to which his work was expressive but neither cliche. nor constrained by societal norms or presumptions of what images of female nudity‘shouldʼ look like. The process of posing nude was anxiety-provoking, but also very empowering and uplifting. I discovered a beauty in the images that Kevin produced that allowed me to see and appreciate my naked form in a very new, positive way. I decided to return to Kevin every five years or so to create a tangible personal record of aspects of my evolution as I navigate middle age. As such, it felt like a very natural decision for me to participate in Kevinʼs Torso Project and support his work and messaging.
In my later thirties, I became both a wife and a mother in short order. These experiences shaped my relationship with my body in critical ways. Having given
birth to two babies, I was left with a new level of awe of women’s bodies and what they are designed to accomplish. The process of conceiving, growing, birthing, feeding, and nurturing life struck me as miraculous. I began to appreciate the functionality of my female anatomy in a way that had never previously occurred to me. For the first time, however, I also began to feel a bit other-worldly about a body that was not really my own, but rather on loan to the needs of my children.
When my youngest child was three, I made the difficult decision to leave my marriage. It wasn’t until I had extricated myself from the painful patterns of emotional abuse that I realized to what degree I had internalized so much negative messaging about my figure from a man who should have been intent on adoring it. In the three years since the process of recovery from the negative effects of my marriage on my self-concept has become symbolic of a larger process of restoration and rediscovery. As I approach fifty, I am resolved to putting myself back together as a stronger, more resilient, and equally as beautiful version of my
former self.
I now see my body through the lens of resilience and empowerment. The years that I spent resenting aspects of my form, though regrettable, have served to highlight to me how far I have come. My body has created and nurtured life, has carried me through the extraordinary experiences that have shaped me, and is a platform through which I am rediscovering my voice and reclaiming my womanhood as I enter what I know will be the best years of my life.
I have always thought there is beauty in the nude human form
When I saw Kevin posting torsos of women on social media I felt I really needed to be a part of it. The project was very inclusive and I have always thought there is beauty in the nude human form.
I used to model and loved the process. Everything from concept planning, and makeup to bonding with the photographer. It’s the connection to the photographer that’s the most addictive. I missed that. I stepped away from modeling to focus on my career and building a life with my partner that started out wonderful. Slowly the loving man turned into a monster. Calling me a “fat bitch and a cunt” amongst other things daily eroded my confidence. Ultimately leaving me for his mistress 3 weeks after I miscarried our IVF miracle baby. I felt old fat and disgusting. This project was a cry to reclaim my self and still find my beauty amongst my scars.
“Here you will dwell, bound to your grief, under the fading trees, until all the world has changed and the long years of your life are utterly spent.”
Tolkien
Nudity is not inherently sexual, scandalous or sinful.
“Nudity is not inherently sexual, scandalous or sinful. The human form is natural, expressive and… well… Human. I wish more people could see that. I feel like the more you see nudity, the less it jumps out at you as “oh my goodness that person is naked”. They just exist. And that is beautiful.”