Don't you just hate it when you tell someone you model and they say, "you get paid to just stand still naked. Wow, that's easy money."What do you say to people who think modeling take no skill and you just sit there?I always challenge them to try it and of course they backdown, using the excuse that they don't want to take their clothes off in public. Well, that's part of the job, so it's not easy!!Anyone else have a good response?

Arguments against such naive comments:

* Would it be easy for you to be nude in front of a group of people (complete strangers the first time) who will be staring intently at every square inch of your nude body, including "those parts", for two or three hours?

* Would it be easy for you to do that in front of a class of college students, to whom anyone over 30 is an antique?

* Would it be easy for you to create a series of poses that would interest a group of artists, many of whom have been drawing nudes for years?

* Would it be easy to hold a pose without moving for anywhere from 30 seconds to an hour or more (with 20-minute breaks), sometimes for the full session, and occasionally over more than one session for painting or sculpture?

* Would it be easy for you to find something to do for that time when you are posing motionless?

* Would it be easy for you to show the artists that you care about them, that you want to give them a productive session, and that you merit their respect and friendship?

The most effective argument is by example. Sit the person in a chair in a comfortable natural pose and say, "Okay, I'll time you. Hold that pose for twenty minutes. You can blink and move your eyes, but your body must remain motionless." It's almost a certainty that within 5 minutes the person will get antsy and will not make the 20 minutes.

Then say, "Now strip and we'll do it again with you nude."

The facts of life: anything looks easy when an expert does it; it's another matter when the critic is called to do it.

If it is so easy, why do so few people actually do it?

Great responses to that awful statement. I'm going to use them all the next time someone suggests that modeling is easy. Thanks.

You have the blessings and encouragement of everyone who does it or would like to do it. Best of luck!

The downside is getting started. Unless one lives in an area where the art community is very active, finding work as a model for anyone but a hot-bodied 20-something female is a daunting task. Outside of those urban/suburban areas, where there might be one or two life drawing sesssions per week within 50 miles, there is no market for a variety of models.

IMO, it's an example of feedback in action. If there are a couple of weekly classes or open studios within a reasonable distance, their need for models is small and they usually have a few regulars on tap to meet their needs. It is a safe assumption that pro or advanced amateur models don't live there. They are where the action is.

So what happens if the existing sessions want or need a different type of body than their usual roster of models can provide, or some group decides to start their own weekly sessions based on a full range of body types? What do they do? All those "interesting" bodies are elsewhere precisely because there is no call for them there, so they are left without access to them.

The feedback effect is as follows:

1. Limited modeling openings mean that there are no opportunities for models with real-world bodies.
2. Models with real-world bodies therefore go where there is a demand for them, taking them out of the modeling pool.
3. When there is a need for models with real-world bodies, they can't be found.
4. Ergo the modeling jobs remain restricted to the existing roster.
5. GOTO 1.

Colleges tend to get their models from the students, although they are more likely to have an occasional need for variety than are private groups and open studios. One drawing instructor at a nearby college wrote this in response to an email.

Our studio assistant posts ads for models as needed- and I understand that the great majority of replies come from women. But we're talking about very small numbers- no statistically significant info here, I'm afraid.

One thing to consider is that if there are just a few possible groups or classes in areas away from the population centers, they may not advertize for male models because from experience they don't expect to find any. They post generic requests for models and wait for the responses from the females.

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Why don't more men apply? One cause could be that while men are more likely than women to enjoy being nude, they are less likely than women to offer their nude bodies to artists and art students.

As nudists, we are well aware of the preponderance of males (e.g., at TN), to the extent that many resorts have quotas for single men in a misguided attempt to create an artificial balance of men and women. However, the same men who drop trou immediately at the nudist venues would balk at standing nude in front of artists while they stare at his body and try to capture it on paper. One possible reason for that is the difference between being one of many nudes with no one paying attention vs being the only nude and the focus of attention.

There are three other factors that can put significant roadblocks in the path of male models:

1. There is a mindset in many men that it is "gay" for a man to allow himself to be studied and drawn naked.

2. There is a foolish assumption by male artists/students that drawing nude men (particularly if the drawing includes the genitalia) is evidence that they are "gay".

3. A good many male "artists" and "art students" are there for the sole purpose of looking at naked women, not in doing art, and they will avoid or walk out of sessions where the model is a male.Sadly, the classes or group organizers cater to the immature twits and schedule only females, denying the real artists access to half of humanity.

There is little chance that the situation will change until a certain segment of the human race grows up.

The only advice I can offer is to find the classes or groups within a reasonable distance, and contact or visit them to find out if they are interested in working with the male form.

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Also be ready to self-promote. Practice in front of a mirror and work up a number of poses that would be interesting to draw and that can be held for different times, as long as 30 minutes between breaks if the person with the timer misses the 20-minute break schedule.

Once you have a retinue of poses at your command, contact the folks in charge and offer your services. I would suggest having someone take a few shots of you in poses and use them as "advertizing". However, I have no personal experience with that, and I defer to the views of the active models as to whether a basic portfolio would be useful for a first-timer.

If you live where there are opportunities, go for the gusto!