Body photographs needed!
September 28, 2017 1:34 PM Subscribe
My 5th grader's upcoming human reproduction unit has me thinking about how woeful my own public-school sex education was. I'm looking for resources to round out what's presented at school and realized one thing I really, really would have wanted at that age was a book with a bunch of non-sexual, non-medical, nude photographs that I could study serreptitiously and in great detail -(ideally with lots of different body types and people who look comfortable and happy). I managed to fill out a bunch of worksheets labeling vas deferens and ovaries without ever having a clear sense of what actual grown-up genitalia might look like, and I would have really benefited from the ability to just spend some private time demystifying bodies. I'm finding this difficult to google! Any recommendations? Has to be a book, since I'm not going to steer my kid toward looking at nudes on the internet, tasteful or no.
Oh, I guess you can look inside. Appears to be conventionally attractive people, but at least you can see external genitalia.
posted by AFABulous at 2:03 PM on September 28, 2017
posted by AFABulous at 2:03 PM on September 28, 2017
Best answer: Check out some of Greg Friedler's (NSFW for the word naked and links to pictures of naked people, though no naked images on the landing page) books. He was a popular enough artist that you might be able to find some of the print books in your regional libraries.
posted by Candleman at 2:07 PM on September 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Candleman at 2:07 PM on September 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
The modern version of "puberty books" has this too -- if you check Amazon/local library along the lines of "what is happening to my body" there are many. I highly recommend you choosing one (or more) for your kid, and then just putting them in kid's room and letting them explore on their own.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:28 PM on September 28, 2017
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:28 PM on September 28, 2017
Not sure what newer versions have or whether your kiddo is female, but Our Bodies Ourselves was a great resource for me at that age! I definitely remember it having a lot of photos like what you're describing (maybe I just remember it as a lot!).
posted by LKWorking at 2:41 PM on September 28, 2017
posted by LKWorking at 2:41 PM on September 28, 2017
I grew up reading a medical dictionary, one of the comprehensive ones. There were pictures and diagrams and some had overlays so you could look underneath. I had so much info in my head and was such a know-it-all that all my schoolmates thought I was a slut. Shrug.
posted by MovableBookLady at 3:44 PM on September 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by MovableBookLady at 3:44 PM on September 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
From an Internet stranger (other than myself):
What do people look like without clothes on? I wanted to show my curious child, (11 years old), respectful, fully nude, non-photoshopped, actual sized bodies (ie. not super-skinny, or women with outrageous sized breasts, etc.), non-sexually suggestive, multi-aged, multi-racial, photos. Instead of getting all his information from internet/YouTube sensationalism. The best thing I came up with was this series of books: “Art Models 4; Life Nude Photos for the Visual Arts” by Maureen and Douglas Johnson. If you know of something better please tell me. Of course all the models are adults, for better or worse, I don’t expect I could find any books with kids at different ages, except those hand drawn, and that’s understandable – to protect the kids. includes a disk with 100’s of poses of the models. Watch out some of these ‘books’ are now for sale only on disk! This volume 4 includes; 2 white female pregnant models, 2 male and 2 female black models, a female model of unknown origin – mix of white/black? hispanic?, a white skinned red-haired female model, 3 white male models aged ~70years, 40 years, 30 years, and about 3 other white skinned/female models in 20’s, there are interacting male/female posses (eating dinner, leaning on each other, etc. – for the most part more artistic than sexual). There is some sculptured pubic hair and tan lines – otherwise, all natural! And lots of different body angles – rear shots, side shots, bending over shots, etc.
posted by Bella Donna at 4:13 PM on September 28, 2017
What do people look like without clothes on? I wanted to show my curious child, (11 years old), respectful, fully nude, non-photoshopped, actual sized bodies (ie. not super-skinny, or women with outrageous sized breasts, etc.), non-sexually suggestive, multi-aged, multi-racial, photos. Instead of getting all his information from internet/YouTube sensationalism. The best thing I came up with was this series of books: “Art Models 4; Life Nude Photos for the Visual Arts” by Maureen and Douglas Johnson. If you know of something better please tell me. Of course all the models are adults, for better or worse, I don’t expect I could find any books with kids at different ages, except those hand drawn, and that’s understandable – to protect the kids. includes a disk with 100’s of poses of the models. Watch out some of these ‘books’ are now for sale only on disk! This volume 4 includes; 2 white female pregnant models, 2 male and 2 female black models, a female model of unknown origin – mix of white/black? hispanic?, a white skinned red-haired female model, 3 white male models aged ~70years, 40 years, 30 years, and about 3 other white skinned/female models in 20’s, there are interacting male/female posses (eating dinner, leaning on each other, etc. – for the most part more artistic than sexual). There is some sculptured pubic hair and tan lines – otherwise, all natural! And lots of different body angles – rear shots, side shots, bending over shots, etc.
posted by Bella Donna at 4:13 PM on September 28, 2017
My parents gave me one of the Visible Woman models when a I was a kid, they have a Visible Man too. You can get them on Amazon, and they are pretty great for this kind os stuff.
posted by chocolatetiara at 5:42 PM on September 28, 2017
posted by chocolatetiara at 5:42 PM on September 28, 2017
related book (SLAZ). verify that it's appropriate to your kid's reading level and development.
posted by j_curiouser at 6:26 PM on September 28, 2017
posted by j_curiouser at 6:26 PM on September 28, 2017
You may enjoy The Architecture and Design of Man and Woman: The Marvel of the Human Body, Revealed and From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:02 PM on September 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:02 PM on September 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Shape of a Mother has post-partum photos of many mothers (nude torsos, showing bellies and breasts after pregnancy and breast-feeding)
007b has a "normal breasts gallery", with many nonsexual photos of breasts, and short captions written by the subjects about their relationships with their breasts
The Willy Gallery has nonsexual photos of flaccid and erect penises, and also includes a Vulva Gallery
And here's a Labia Library
posted by pseudostrabismus at 8:30 PM on September 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
007b has a "normal breasts gallery", with many nonsexual photos of breasts, and short captions written by the subjects about their relationships with their breasts
The Willy Gallery has nonsexual photos of flaccid and erect penises, and also includes a Vulva Gallery
And here's a Labia Library
posted by pseudostrabismus at 8:30 PM on September 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you so much for all of these suggestions. I didn't know 'artist's reference' books existed, so that's helpful. Ultimately I thing Greg Friedler's books are almost exactly what I had in mind - I like that there is a fairly diverse set of portraits in there, and the pairing of clothed/nude portraits kind of draws the link to 'yep, that's what real, normal, everyday people look like under their clothes'.
posted by Ausamor at 7:06 AM on September 29, 2017
posted by Ausamor at 7:06 AM on September 29, 2017
Best sex education book that gives a positive and normal view is called" guide to getting it on". Its honest and talks about sex education as an adult.
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Getting-Universes-Coolest-Informative/dp/1885535104
posted by radsqd at 12:23 PM on September 29, 2017
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Getting-Universes-Coolest-Informative/dp/1885535104
posted by radsqd at 12:23 PM on September 29, 2017
Article is in French, but you can run it through Google translate. It's about an image bank to do exactly what you said you needed. Site is here (NSFW obviously).
posted by zadcat at 4:05 AM on October 2, 2017
posted by zadcat at 4:05 AM on October 2, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by AFABulous at 2:01 PM on September 28, 2017 [1 favorite]