Body of evidence

A few chatty emails later and we set a date a few weeks hence. Plenty of time to psyche myself up, or freak myself out. After all, I was basing my desire to do this, upon seeing nude images of an 18-year-old. There was always the danger that this might end up feeling a bit like, you know - seeing a dress on the store dummy and then trying it on under the fluorescent light of the dressing rooms and finding that it looks ridiculous on me.

When I realised how conflicted I felt about the reality of doing it, I knew I had to write about it.

So, before a picture was taken, and knowing that my “flaws” would not be digitally erased, I was committed to trying to find a public forum to display the images. If “beauty is truth” then I had to bite the bullet to allow the truth the chance to be perceived as beauty.

Slightly anxious that my wayward ego was leading me astray yet again, but determined that the fates had decided it was the right thing to do, I set about cementing my resolve. First, I told my friends what I was planning (it’s certainly harder to back out when you have witnesses).

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Some thought it sounded like fun … but most insisted they would never do it. Jason told me he had shot several women my age and older, in various stages of undress, but always under the condition that no one else in the world was to see the pictures. The air around me suddenly filled with the intoxicating scent of rebellion.

I guess I should put this “sacrifice” into proper perspective. Right off the bat I’m willing to concede that I’ve always been reasonably comfortable with my body.

Rose Cooper

As a young adult in the 1980’s, I seldom wore a bikini top at the beach. My first husband took a lot of nude photographs of me back then.

During my periods of singledom before and between husbands, I had numerous lovers and I was never one of those “walk-around-the-house-wrapped-in-a-sheet-like-they-do-in-the-movies” kinds of women. I figured that if we just had sex then walking around naked was no big deal.

Then there’s motherhood, which involves a lot of exposure, prodding, poking and feelings of vulnerability which I also took in my stride. I’m the proud mother of three strapping lads aged 22, 20 and 12. I unselfconsciously breastfed all three of my babies in public (and was thankfully never asked to refrain, or I certainly would have created a scene).

But, all of the above nudity was always in some sort of context.

As an actor, I seek to represent truth (which is kind of ironic when you consider how scalpel-happy they are in Hollywood) and I’ve also always had a pet hate for “gratuitous” nudity, but in the same breath I also despise “gratuitous covering up” (like that ridiculous aforementioned “sheet” thing).