Written by Patricia Faulkner
Today we have Jackie Thomas, a 20 year old independent model, that meets with me at the popular Cafe Coco to talk about her personal journey as a confident female model working in and around Nashville, TN. This is our dialogue as two women conversing about real life topics within the modeling world.
Patricia: So what is is about the idea of modeling that inspired you from the very beginning?
Jackie: Honestly, I’ve wanted to work for myself since I can remember, and because I got accepted to an art school in Nashville I knew I would be there a lot and I wouldn’t have the time to have a full job on the side. And I’ve always been fascinated by modeling, really photography-After seeing some of my friends do a few photo shoots and meeting some photographers I have just figured I’d give it a shot, and now I have been happily doing it for about a year and a half and I have been able to pay for school and pretty much make my own hours, so..
Patricia: That is great to hear, especially coming from an independent model.
Jackie: I have had the chance to sign with agencies-I have been presented that opportunity, but I enjoy working for myself so much more, and I don’t-I’d rather not do commercial shoots anyways, I’d rather do something artistic and go explore outdoors.
Patricia: What do you not like about commercial modeling?-Because there is a lot of money in that.
Jackie: Well, because I am short for a model-I’m 5’6”-and so, because of that, I feel like the talent agencies that I’ve talked to wanted to either put me on TV commercials or they wanted me to do things like…toothbrush advertisement or something too simple…whereas I really value the artistic side of everything. I don’t really want to be put in, you know, a hundred dollar pair of jeans and be like “Buy these!”, you know? I’d rather just promote cool photography.
Patricia: Well that should tell you a little bit about yourself-the fact that people are willing to put you in toothpaste commercials because you look clean and presentable, as you should.
Jackie: (laughs) Yeah, and I mean, I still have that opportunity and I constantly tell them, you know, “If you need me for something really incredible, I’ll be there.”
But as far as signing with somebody, I’ll keep doing me for a while.
Q: That is a smart move, especially since models get thrown under the bus in so many ways in this day and age. What are some of the things you tell yourself to stay focused and not give in to the commercial, consumerist side of modeling?
Jackie: I treat myself as a brand, almost. I like to do my own promotions. I like to travel a little if I can, and I feel like I’ll be tied down if I join an agency, and so that gives me motivation to keep working at it and doing what I’m doing. It has worked this far, so who knows what is possible. And like I said, I enjoy working for myself! (laughs) As an artist there is a lot more creative freedom to say “Hey, I don’t really want to shoot with you because you don’t shoot well,” or “I really want to shoot with you because you shoot these awesome, creative concepts.” You know? And honestly, because I am a twenty year old female, I like to do lingerie and I like to do a little more risqué stuff, and with an agency probably would not allow me to do that type of modeling if I was signed with them, even if I wanted to on the side. I talked to one agency, and I came out right and said, “I have done a few shoots where I was topless, etc, and I just wanted you guys to know that,” and immediately the lady was like, “Well I am going to need you to stop doing those.” I would rather keep doing what I am doing because I enjoy it.
Patricia: Very lovely to hear. What is it about the actions of modeling that you like?
Jackie: I did dance growing up for about 10 years. I did ballet for 8 years in addition to a little jazz and tap, and I feel that modeling in a way is almost like dancing. When you’re in front of the camera you’re kinda of just…moving around, trying to look graceful. But sometimes you have to be really flexible or stay in a certain pose that might not be comfortable for a while but its almost like therapy because its almost like dancing. It makes sense in my mind when I’m up there and I don’t really think about anything but movement.
Patricia: So where are you based out of?
Jackie: I was born and raised in Nashville. I lived here until about 6th grade and then my Mom basically moved me to Murfreesboro. I still live in Murfreesboro in a house with a bunch of roommates and I drive up here for school. I’m kind of in between the two, and when my lease ends in June I’ll be moving down here.
Patricia: So you still go to art school up here! What is your major?
Jackie: Graphic design, more illustration and advertising. It’s just that you can do so much with it, so I’m really passionate about it.
Patricia: Especially being your own brand, huh?
Jackie: Mmhmm! Yeah, and it has almost held me as an artist to be modeling and as a brand because I have this business knowledge and professionalism that I know I need to have when I bring it to clients doing artwork and stuff. It has helped me. And some people don’t know that I’m an artist but they know I model and they make that connection and are now saying, “Oh, I also need you in order to do this!” or “I want you to design a logo,” so it ties well together. It’s pretty nice balance to have.
Patricia: What college in town did you say you went to?
Jackie: Watkins College of Art. I love it. I don’t know if I would go to college if I couldn’t go there. I mean, you can definitely do it on your own. I like Watkins because they push you. A lot of the professors-They have made it on their own, but they will completely push you to your limits I suppose, and I like that. It used to a movie theater so they have a full size theater in there and they have these really cool sound sets and resources.
Patricia: What is your experience in shoots with multiple models?
Jackie: Friendly stuff. A photographer I know-we did a Christmas shoot where he just invited a bunch of models over to his place and we shot Christmas-themed stuff-basically us putting up his decorations, so that kind of stuff.
I also did a little promotional modeling for Swisher, and so I got to be with that-
Patricia: Like Swisher Sweets?!-
Jackie: Uh huh! So I got to be with that group. We did a boat show in Chattanooga so they like paid for a hotel for us. It was me and 4 other girls in this hotel room. It was pretty fun, but since I’m not 21, I obviously couldn’t go out and do anything, and a lot of them are much older than me, so it was..You know. But It was fun meeting other models!
Patricia: They have agents?
Jackie: Uhm, not even! I mean, some of them, yeah. Some of them do. Really I only know of like two, and I haven’t done a shoot with them or anything but they seem pretty nice and professional. But a few of the models I know that don’t have agents and shoot around and stuff..After having conversations with them and hearing, “I won’t shoot with this guy because of This,” or “I won’t do this, and I have to be paid This Amount,” makes me think, “You’re never going to get anywhere acting like that,” You know? Acting so..conceited in a way. I don’t know.
I love other models. If I see a tall, lanky girl I’ll come up to her and tell her, “You need to model.”
Patricia: What do you think it is about the tall, lanky thing they’re looking for? Are the model supposed to look like mannequins? Are they going for more fabrics to advertise?
Jackie: Honestly, I don’t even know. I think what they want is for everybody in the agency to be the same size, that way everyone can wear the same thing, and everybody can look the same. It same like that’s what agencies go for. This one look for everyone to have. If I ran an agency I would want a variety because beauty comes in a shapes. I can even imagine being skinnier. I’m already pretty skinny. Some of these girls..it’s almost scary to look at to thing that an agency would probably want me to get in the gym and lose weight like that, and I am just not about it. I’d rather just keep my figure and if anything, bulk up! (laughs) I honestly, once I get older and probably stop modeling, would love to open an agency for models and invite girls of different sizes and shapes to be comfortable in their own skin and experience modeling, because it is a confidence boost, it’s nice to have professional photos of yourself, and girls that have body issues would get to chance to see themselves in magazines and think, “Hey, I look good.” There needs to be a larger variety of models in the world, and I think we are slowly getting there with fitness and health in the news-everyone’s trying to get involved. And plus size models are doing their thing. People need to become more accepting of one another.
Patricia: Plus size models are comfortable in their skin, and that is good, but do you think it is entirely healthy?
Jackie: There are different kinds of plus size. I think that the girls that are obviously making unhealthy choices-you can tell in a person’s face if they are unhealthy-when they are trying to look slutty or wear ill-fitting clothing..THAT doesn’t work.
But if you have a nice girl that just happens to be bigger boned-maybe just full chested even, she and many really beautiful bigger women out there with beautiful skin that could model if they wanted to! There is a line to draw. My boyfriend works hard in the gym to keep his body in shape, and for him, it is a choice. If you choose to let yourself go, that is your choice.
If your parents are big people and you’re big boned, it can be attractive. If it is proportional and you wear clothes complimentary to your body type.
I have seen it too many times, where someone has let themselves go, and they’re still wearing the clothes that, you know..
Patricia: Still living in the past…or still trying to conform to something that doesn’t even fit them. because maybe that is what they find inspiring because maybe it is heavily advertised….
Jackie: I feel the same exact way about girls that get these butt and boob implants and then use these waist trainers. I feel like their bodies look so weird to me, because you are manipulating your body in unnatural ways. Lord knows what will happen to the health of these girls’ stomachs with time..It’s scary to think about. People have asked me if I was going to get my boobs done, or get this done, or get that done…and I tell them, “No, I don’t want to!” (laughs) I feel like natural beauty is the best kind of beauty. I think that needs to be put out there more.
Patricia: I feel that being healthy is promoting a positive sense of self among young women, but the healthy lifestyle seems simultaneously so unattainable with how it is displayed as a luxury. Even Vogue has down-to-earth articles about beauty equality and female entrepreneurs making their way up and how every woman should feel beautiful, but once you look at that cover, you feel a barrier between you and the person being shown.
Jackie: Photoshop has a lot to do with that. Even supermodels-they don’t look like that on their days off. They don’t! Nobody looks like that with perfect, glistening skin all the time. That doesn’t happen. Make up and photoshop takes care of all that but it also gives everyone involved a fake sense of these perfect beings that don’t exist and aren’t these models. It’s not who they are. So, I don’t know. I think it is the fashion industry trying to sell their stuff because people who buy their stuff want to look like that, which is not going to happen.
Patricia: “Buy this swimsuit and you’ll have this body.”
Do you think people of modern times are victim to believing this, even subconsciously?
Jackie: I am a big anti-media person, and that is why I am pursuing graphic design. I want to have control in what goes into the electronic world of media and be able to have a say or have a show..Even with my artwork! If I created billboards across the United States saying something about body image, e,g, “More Natural is Beautiful”, maybe it’ll hit home for someone, and help them think that for themselves. There is just too much out there that says you have to be this skinny, tiny girl with big boobs and a big butt, and you have to be tall and look like a Barbie. (laughs) I just think it’s silly. (laughs)
I think people are more conscious that the media is trying to portray women a certain way and that’s not realistic. I think 70 percent of beauty is health. Why would you want a woman to fit your own idea? If that was a woman you’d actually take out places, I feel like, if you were an average guy, that it would intimidate you! To be walking around with this glamorous looking Barbie doll and-
Patricia: And you’re just a normal guy, in jeans and a shirt..Is that how guys want to be seen as in contrast with a gorgeous girl? I mean-
Jackie: I don’t know!!
Patricia: They’re just asking to be embarrassed in mere conversation!
Jackie: It’s just weird how perfect they make these girls look. Even photographers I’ve shot with have tried to photoshop me in ways, and I have come back at them and said, “No, I want the RAW image of that.” Because I am not going to post this fake version of myself.
Patricia: That would mean for you that you would be supporting the ideas we “should” have like “I am not good enough” or “These people helped me become good enough.”
Jackie: Yeah. I do understand that if you’re someone that suffers from,let’s say, eczema or something. Photoshopping and airbrushing on your professional looking photo would be a confidence boost. That I respect. It would make you feel better. But in terms of actual body shaping and the proportions of things, it needs to be natural. If you can tell that something has been creepily edited or that that girl probably can’t walk if she looks like that….it is not realistic.
Patricia: Do you think that perfection that photo-retouchers and photo editors and even photographers and models aim for is somehow related to recreating some form of divine beauty? Or do you think that maybe they’re trying to lash out at the people around them? What is up with that?
Jackie: A few photographers I’ve worked with have said in front of me, “Well, I won’t shoot that girl because she has dreads.” or “I won’t shoot her because she has cellulite on her thigh,” and I think, “Hold on, I had dreads when I was thirteen and I’m pretty sure I’ll have cellulite at some point in my life. That’s not realistic!!”
I think people don’t need to be so self-respectful of this perfect image that is not realistic.
Natural beauty is it.
Patricia:If you could think of another little saying for other models to remember before they choose a photographer, what to look or go for, to avoid even!
Jackie: I would tell a model to have confidence. Believe in yourself.
If you go to a shoot and that guy is looking you up and down or the photographer is saying you’re not the right fit, **** him, you know? Just forget about him. That doesn’t matter.
What you see in yourself is what matters. At the end of the day, in your elder years while you’re lying on your deathbed, who cares about what that photographer thinks about you.
It really matters how you think about yourself at the end of the day. As long as you feel comfortable in your own skin, you’re beautiful. Confidence is beauty in a way and I think that if you just believe in your own beauty, you’re beautiful. Who cares if you have perfect teeth or perfect hair or perfect whatever, like, none of that matters! You can get that synthetically; Who cares! But to have this inner beauty that almost casts out in photos sometimes.. You can see the confidence in a model, and I think that is really something to capture versus someone dead in the mind and full of fakeness getting up there and getting photographed.
It’s better at the end of the day to tell yourself, “I am real. I am natural.
I am beautiful. Who cares what anybody else thinks?”
I try to tell girls this all the time. I have a close friend that has a lot of anxiety. She is very depressed a lot of the time and deals with mental problems I suppose, and she is constantly looking down on herself and she is very skinny. I mean-she’s beautiful! I lover her to death and think she is gorgeous, but she doesn’t think so. I am constantly telling her, “You’re gorgeous!”, you know?!
Patricia: Maybe photography could actually help her in a therapeutic way to give herself more of the idea that she is a real person in a real world, and that those photos are real and she can keep doing things like that.
Jackie: Mmhmm! When I was a young girl, everyone was suffering from body images like that saying, “Does this look funny?” or
“Is this weird?”
“Am I normal?”
“Am I beautiful?”
or whatever, but I think modeling and being able to see yourself and compare them to let’s say, something in Vogue, if I were comparing my own pictures, I would find mine much more appealing because I know they weren’t edited to meet this unrealistic standard.
I am a hippie kid anyway. I was raised by hippies. (laughs) So I’ve got this image in my mind of what beautiful is, and it’s not fake. It’s real. It’s real beauty.
Patricia: So you’ve seen beautiful models that just weren’t there at times?
Jackie: Yes, and I’ve also seen gorgeous, gorgeous girls that have been so manipulated by the industry to where they think they’re ugly, and they’re just gorgeous! Don’t let these people tell you things, and don’t listen if they do! People will always be ignorant.
People will always talk crap; that’s how people are. If they don’t have what you have or if they want 1,000 likes on Instagram and you don’t “have the boobs for it”. (laughs) They’re gonna tell you whatever the heck they want to tell you, but don’t listen to them. There’s no sense in it. Like, own yourself. It’s 2016. We got this. (laughs) We should grow out of that.
Patricia: Even if the shoot is not for a product, do you ever feel..like a product while you are being photographed?
Jackie: Yeah, sometimes, um-
Patricia: What do you kind of tell yourself during that process?
Jackie:I guess I take a more artistic stance on it, which is just me. I like all parts of it and I have a lot of confidence because I’ve been doing this for a moment and because I was raised in the environment I was raised in, I was always brought up to me myself, you know? And to not give a crap what anyone says, so that’s what I’ve done, and I feel like being in front of a camera even if I kind of am being told what to do and how to look a certain way, or basically treated like an object,
I tell myself, “I could literally walk away from this right now, and this guy will not get paid for this” or “This won’t look good”, etc. I have options right now to leave or to stay and do the shoot. So I think that control really kinda helps. In any circumstance that you get yourself into where you feel uncomfortable, go! There is no reason;you don’t have to prove it to anybody, you don’t have to prove it to yourself, just..no. If you’re feeling weird about a situation, don’t be in it. You know, just go!!
Patricia: Do you have any weird situations you want to share?
Jackie: Mmhm, actually the third shoot I ever did. When I first started modeling I just kind of put myself out there. I gave my email and stated online, if you are a photographer around Nashville, tell me some ideas you have, and we’ll come up with something. So of course I got a lot of photographers to contact me that way in the very beginning and I was still..obviously I didn’t have a manager or anything so I had to weed through what’s legitimate and what’s not, and by who is actually being professional and who’s not and all that. It’s a skeptical process. Sometimes they will come off 100% professional and then you get there and the person you planned to work with is a sleaze ball, and if that’s the case, you go! There is no point in staying there. Because this guys is not going to try to make you look like this beautiful person you want to be portrayed as in these pictures. He’s going to portray you as basically a sex toy or something.
Patricia: Which often is noted by objective or invasive viewpoints and poor lighting.
Jackie: Yeah! Sometimes you just know the professionalism of someone and sometimes you don’t. In my third shoot going in, I met this guy actually at a studio downtown here, and he is pretty well known though I will not name him, so I’ve seen his work. I thought it was good, and so I reply and show up to work with him. We get to shooting and everything’s fine and he said, “So, do you want a glass of whiskey or something?” and I declined with, “No, technically I’m working. I don’t want a drink. I’m fine, and I’m underage. I don’t want that.” (laughs) Those kinds of things, you know, and as the shoot progresses, you could feel the awkwardness and tension in the room. You always have a choice in where you want to be and you can leave at any moment. Just remember that. You’re in control of that situation. If they want you, they hired you, so if you tell them how it is, and be straight and say, “No, you are not going to touch me. You’re going to stand back there and take these pictures of me and make them look good because you want me here. If none of that works, then I’m gone.” End of story.
Patricia: That’s what women need to hear. They always have a choice and they always have control.
I don’t know how it happens, but their voices have gotten swept away under the rug time and time again, lost in the dust.
Jackie: Women were treated like psychotics in the past. Until the early nineteen hundreds, we couldn’t so many things. We get mistreated for even our emotions. We are smart, caring beings, okay? And we can definitely handle ourselves 100% any day of the week. It doesn’t matter if it’s that time of the month; we are even more vicious. Like, don’t mess with us!
People need that confidence, especially models. They need to know that for themselves.
They need to know that if they’re put in a situation where even though they might be getting a thousand dollars for this shoot with this photographer that has such a name for himself and they clearly feel uncomfortable with the situation, don’t do it. It’s not worth it.
If you do a shoot you have to think about what that has for you in the future. Technically, if a photographer shoots you, and you sign a contract with them, they have the rights to those photos, and they can do pretty much what they want with them unless you make them sign something and get it all legally straight. They have control of those photos so they need to be photos that you are completely comfortable with…Every single time, because if not, who knows (laugh) what’s going to happen, you know?
Patricia: Is there anything in particular that you’d be down to work on in the future?
Jackie: I have always had a fascination with the dark and gory, and if someone set up something really nice, like a tasteful nude in the woods with a dark, grungy kind of beauty to the shot, I would be interested. I would be down for that, but there does need to be professionalism about it. As long as I knew the photographer was professional about his work, it would work out. There is definitely a thin line to professionalism..I wish I had a private investigator to do background checks on everyone before I meet them..You never know what is going to happen in a situation. You never know! You could end up making a great friend and getting back these awesome images.
I am all for nudes and for artistic nudes, but when a guy is like, “Hey, I have a digital camera, and you look good naked,” that’s when I say, “Nooooo.” (laughs) “Bye! I don’t want to meet you. Or talk to you.”
Patricia: So where do YOU draw the line with risque photography?
Jackie: I am 100% comfortable with my body in any situation. I’ve just always been that person. But if I feel uncomfortable in any sort of situation, I won’t go for it; I’ll immediately shut it down. I’m very comfortable with my body, so topless stuff-it’s fine for me. Boobs to me-I think they’re wonderful! But if a photographer is telling me to bend over-anything strongly incenuating sexual acts or any shoot with a bed-I am going to be clothed, because I think that if my dad or mom saw these pictures-like I said they are hippies that can get into the artful side of nudes-and the pictures looked dirty or too sexual, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with it. You definitely must know where to draw the line as well as keep your mind open. When I am shooting nude, I make sure I know that photographer in and out. You have to be completely comfortable with them at that point, because you don’t want there to be a weird tension while they are staring at your..whatever..If he is looking through a lens, there is no telling what he is zooming in on. You just have to be comfortable with the situation. If not, it shows through the photos taken.
I love to shoot nudes with females. A female photographer can shoot me nude all day every day.
I’m down for that.
Especially if you are shooting nude, remember that you can keep your legs crossed and angle your body in a way that is more graceful and implied. There is a line between artistic and porn. I have seen great pornographic-type photo shoots out there, and the models turn around and the next shoot they do is super creative. If it’s done right and the confidence is there, it works.
Patricia: So did you bring anyone with you on these shoots?
Jackie: For the first 6 months or so, I had a friend I would bring with me to every shoot. Then, I started shooting with the same photographers again, and so I wouldn’t bring my friend the second time. I do make sure to get references if I don’t bring somebody with me, and a lot of the time, I will anticipate their reply to me bringing someone along. If it is a guy photographer and I can’t really see the professionalism coming through, I’ll say, “Well can I bring someone with me to the shoot?” and immediately, if they say no, then don’t go because that is creepy!! They could also make excuses so that you don’t bring someone like, “Well, we don’t have enough space,” or whatever. Don’t buy it. No professional photographer is going to tell you, “No, you can’t have somebody else with you.” Even if it were to interfere with the artwork. They can always sit in the next room, within earshot.
But if they say, “Yeah, bring your mom, bring your brother, bring your roommate..” then I’m like, “Okay, you’re obviously comfortable in your profession and you plan on delivering strictly that. So that’s one way to kinda figure out what one’s objective is.
A lot of photographers that I’ve bring people to shoots with actually like that, and even at times ask those people to help them with holding lights, reflectors, equipment, etc. I feel like photographers should definitely be okay with an extra hand to help.
Patricia: So this summer you’ll be doing several outdoor shoots, huh?
Jackie: When I’m not in school I like to take every opportunity I can to travel. I have a friend that’s going to Arizona, and I know another photographer that’s going to Cali for a little, so..the opportunity to maybe go out somewhere different like a desert or a beach-I would be so into that. I want to do stuff people haven’t done.
You start to see the same shots over and over again, and I like to break that.
If I know that you’re one to shoot this certain pose in your backyard against a certain tree, like, I wanna be IN that tree, or behind it or something just to switch it up a little.
Patricia:If you were approached with the opportunity to be in a music video, what would you NOT what to do?
Jackie: Honestly,as long as I’m not looking like a hooligan in this video, you know I love the idea of music videos. I think they can get really creative, and I have actually helped out in a few here recently, one that I basically had to light candles for and help set up and watch the filming process. I’d be down to do whatever, for example, I like to dance. I wouldn’t mind dancing around, or if I had to wear a bikini or something-that’s okay with me. But if I’m having to twerk on the street next to a low rider or something…I’d probably back out of that one. You can get your other girl to do that. (laughs) But um, as long as it’s tasteful, I suppose I’m available for it. And there’s been some really almost sexual but beautiful music videos that I’ve seen that I’ve thought about like, “Would I want to be portrayed in that way?” If there is a creative concept or artistic…reason..and there is something you are trying to capture something within that video, then I don’t know if I have much limits concerning that. For example if I had to kiss somebody, I would be okay with that. Strictly for the music video, of course! My boyfriend and I have this giant respect between the two of us. Basically, any modeling thing that I do he is comfortable with as long as I’m comfortable with it. Its the same for me with his weightlifting.If he has to go to a meet somewhere, I’m completely fine with that. I’m just like, “Do it!” I feel like that support is important.
Patricia: Do you feel like many models these days don’t have support like that?
Jackie: Most of the models I know-they either haven’t been in a relationship in a long time or it never works out for them: they find a guy and the guy gets jealous, or he will troy to come with her everywhere or whatever. Actually, my ex, when I first started modeling, I was dating a different dude, and he was getting too controlling so I had to break up with him. This is something I am very passionate about, and he wasn’t going to stop me. If a person really cares about you, they will not try to stop you. They should want you to be happy and project yourself in the way that you want to.
If I know that I am doing a risque-type shoot, then I would tell my boyfriend.Like, “Hey, I’m going to do this today,” and sometimes I show him pictures and share my work. It’s nice to have that versus someone saying, “Oh, I can’t believe you were doing that!” or “I can’t believe you were naked in front of this random photographer,” and a lot of people don’t get the creative side to that. They think that the fact that you are naked…that you’re automatically being used, but that’s not the case. Or they think you slept with that person when you in fact didn’t. It’s really not like that. If you really have a creative mind, nudity is beautiful. It’s not always sexual; It’s something beautiful and natural.
Patricia: Why do you think women in specific are shamed for acts such as modeling nude?
Jackie: That is one thing that I’m very against: slut shaming. A girl can do whatever the heck she wants, and if a guy can do it, why can’t she? Why do guys get praised for going and losing their virginities at sixteen but a girl that loses her virginity at sixteen she’s automatically a whore? that’s not okay. It’s things like that-mostly the media, I guess how our parents and grandparents are raised, and also how nasty girls are portrayed these days, especially on IG. Some of these big pages full of just butt pics..I get that sex is…a big deal to guys-they’re like, “Yeah, that’s hot!”-you know-But….I just think it’s so close-minded.You have to understand that in my eyes, just being an artistic person, if I see a named guy or a naked girl, I think about them as the same. They are naked. It’s beautiful! It’s nudity! It’s natural! Whatever! I feel like the other guy would say, “Well it’s gay if I look at him, and if I look at her I’ll just get turned on-“that’s silly. I don’t know..
Patricia: Do you think people fear their own true opinions about nudity?
Jackie: I think they do. I think that people are scared of the unknown, and if they’re not used to being in a situation of seeing somebody naked, or they’ve been brought up in a home where their parents have told them, “Close the door when you change,” or when you’re with your parents, you’ve never seen a part of their body. Just growing up in an environment where you’re not allowed to run around in your diaper…THAT is the kind of environment that’s not healthy. And I think people raised this way…those are the people that grow up saying, “Nudity is sexual, only sexual,” and “Those are my naughty parts,” and “We should be ashamed of this,” but it is not shameful.It’s really not! And our generation especially-we are coming into this mindset of, “Hey this is natural. We are animals, and we have chosen to hide ourselves because this is what we feel comfortable doing because this is what we’ve done for years, but it’s not natural.” If you’re a religious person, it really doesn’t make sense to feel ashamed of your body, because technically the story in bible is that before there was sin, people were naked. It was awesome. So technically, I don’t have that mindset of nudity being something to be ashamed of in any way, but maybe I’m just weird-
Patricia: It sounds like your parents were really cool and very accepting of your existence and the fact that you will grown beyond their control, so they’ve already kind of accepted that and gave you a place to grow-
Jackie: Yeas! Which is very nice. When I did start modeling, I had to make that decision: Am I going to allow myself to show these body parts and be comfortable enough with other strangers potentially seeing them? And I have grown into the mindset of “I love my body” and I want to portray it the way I want, and if I look beautiful in a shot, I want to share it with other people, like, “You can look beautiful too. You can feel beautiful in your own skin and you don’t have to wear this fancy dress or put on this fake-ness.” You shouldn’t have to do that. I’m all for nudity. (laughs)
Over-sexualizing anything shows a lot about someone’s character.
If they look at a lovely tasteful nude picture, and they close to think of it as the woman being pictured in this objective way, the viewer is projecting out their own character, not the image they see.
If you have low confidence, the worse thing you could do is to
keep hiding yourself and putting yourself down!
Why not raise up and do something unexpected?
I feel like that would break the bounds.
I feel like the people that are comfortable with nudity should be able to express that without being talked down to. I hate the idea of a girl that does a shoot that she feels gorgeous in but doesn’t do it again because someone calls her a slut. It’s real out here, and girls and guys shouldn’t have to feel less than they are. That’s awful to think about. I want to be strong for these people and set a good example. Be who you want to be. Flash somebody! Who cares?!
We all live; we all die. Why be miserable in between?
You can reach Jackie for further inquiries or booking via the following:
www.modelmayhem.com/JackieLeeThomas (#3510919)
Instagram- @JackieLeeThomas
www.facebook.com/Model.Artist.Dancer
How did you begin your fashion design career? I've always wanted to be a designer since I was a kid. I've been drawing and sketching clothes and outfits since I can remember. I went to college for fashion design in NYC at Parsons School of Design. My senior year, I designed a collection that became wildly successful and upon graduation, I had a brand. 
