Child Labor

Technically it's not illegal in the U.S.A., just highly controversial. Children modeling nude can be seen in the works of Jock Sturges, David Hamilton, and Sally Mann just to name three photographers. The photo books of these photographers can be purchased through out the country.

The controversy over children modeling nude stems from a dispute over what constitutes pornography. To some people any form of nudity or even a suggestive pose while fully clothed is pornographic. To others anything short of intercourse is considered erotic art and not pornography.

A general rule of thumb is if the subject of the art is not involved in any form of sexual act either with another person of on their own. Is not in a pose that causes the eye to be drawn directly to the buttocks, genitals or breasts, then it can pass as art and not pornography.

However each area of the country and some times each individual judge will have their own take on what is pornographic and what isn't. Thus if a child wishes to model nude, then it is best that it be done with a trusted artist, with parental consent and supervision and with clear set boundaries as to the type of poses allowed.

If a child wants to model nude is it illegal?

Beauty has no age. The female nude has always been considered the utmost beauty. An artist uses canvas, stone or wood whereas the model uses her nude to form beautiful figure. This is pure art and should not be related to sex or porno. I like to watch art nude work on Met Art, met models and Errotica.

I have a 13 years old girl. I noticed her interest in art and modeling. I want to be prepared in case she asks me to allow her to pose for nude art modeling. I am inclined not to object provided:

1. work is only related to art
2. no sex
3. No explicit shots of genital area. This area to be obscure by shade, by her hands, a pillow or by posing her body to hide that area.

I would suggest that you practice some photagraphy with your child together to start. That way she can get used to it in a safe and secure environment without strangers. Begin with simple clothed photo shoots and see where it goes from there. If she desires to model nude, she will likely bring it up on her own if you are open to it, so there is no need to put any pressure on her in that regard.

O.k. nobody should exert pressure on a preteen whether she should or should not pose nude. But my question is that is there some legal and reputable pay sites that show art nude preteen models? I agree that I should start with Mary. She would feel safer with her dad. But I want to see more professional sites dealing with preteens. I believe that creating the suitable pose for the girl can hide her genital area and keeping it obscure. This is the most important issue. Adult girls can pose with very explicit details of their genital area. In some sites I saw them opening their lips and showing the details of the inside. This is very objectionable with a child. Such explicit images does not relate to beauty. Furthermore; the suitable pose is the essence of nude art photography.

Child labor can refer to either of two things:

A: Generally "child labor" refers to the phenomenon of children being forced to work. It can refer to any work which is done by a child. The word "labor" means the same thing as "work" or "effort", so technically, "child labor" can mean any laborious thing which a child does because he or she must do it, regardless of whether or not he or she wants to do it. However, the term "child labor" is not generally used in this context to describe a child being forced to do chores, schoolwork or some other normal childhood occupation, but rather, to refer to a child being compelled, either by threats of violence or by economic necessity, to work at a professional job which is normally only done by adults. For instance: digging for diamonds in South-Africa. In many instances of child labor, children are obliged to work in harsh conditions which endanger their health and safety, and they are quite often unable to achieve a good level of education, due to being obliged to spend too much time working at their job. Children who participate in child labor sometimes do so of their own free will, because their families, for whatever reason, are unable or unwilling to support them, and so they are obliged to work in order to have enough money to feed themselves. Other times, they are children whose families are severely impoverished, and have sold them into slavery, because they can not afford to keep them. "Child labor" in this context is a tragic but unfortunately sometimes necessary phenomenon in the world.

B: Also, although this is less common, "child labor" can refer to a pregnant female child going into labor, AKA "giving birth". This often involves much physical danger both to the pregnant child and to her baby, because the body of a mid-pubescent child is much smaller than that of an adult woman, and it is therefore not as capable of enduring the rigors of childbirth. Child pregnancies often result from sexual promiscuity on the part of the child, and/or from incest or statutory rape by a family members. In general, the younger the pregnant child is, the more likely the pregnancy is to be the result of incest or statutory rape, and the older the child is, the more likely the pregnancy is to be the result of the child's own sexual indiscretion. "Child labor" in this context requires extra medical attention, to ensure the safety of the child in labor, and may often trigger a criminal investigation if there is reason to suspect that the child's pregnancy was/is the result of incest or of statutory rape.

Child advocate and former exploited child star Paul Petersen has written another open letter to TLC, where he calls them out on hiring lobbyist and labor and employment attorney Scott Bishop of S. R. Wojdak & Associates to actively try to stop PA state Representative Tom Murt's new child labor bill HB 2515. Bishop is a member of both the Pennsylvania and the California bars. Bishop's firm has represented other giant corporations such as Bank of America and Microsoft. They proudly list "Discovery Communications" as one of their clients on their web site.

See related links for the full text of an open letter to TLC from the president of A Minor Consideration, Paul Peterson.

One Wiki.Answerers opinion:

What's wrong, TLC? Don't you want all minors protected? What's wrong with limited hours, making sure children are paid for their work, and having an advocate on set? What are you trying to hide?

Petersen still has a lot of unanswered questions for TLC, including: "Where is the independent Advocate for the Gosselin Eight? Who negotiated the terms of the contract with these children? What Court approved this contract? What person - with a license to lose - is going to oversee the day-to-day production of "Kate Plus 8?" Who will guard the "health, safety and morals" of the minors?" Paul closes his letter with this: "As for the adults you employ? They can fend for themselves. They are not my concern. But when you take advantage of a child in the entertainment business you're going to hear from us - now or later."

On one good note, at least TLC knows the kids are beautiful just as they are. We hate that the kids are being filmed again, but we think their promo photo is a heck of a lot more natural than People magazine's.