In the U.S., what little nudity is permitted is usually shown in a sexual context. This contributes to a perception that we’re supposed to evaluate every naked body we see as a potential sex partner or rival. Seeing nudes in a museum is one of the only exceptions to this. I don’t think that most of us react to a naked portrait in a museum by thinking “wow, I’d never have sex with that person, why is it on display?” or accuse Rubens of glorification of obesity. Therefore, I have framed my model as a sculpture and a work of art, in the hope that the viewer will suspend any judgments about whether they find the model sexually attractive or not, or whether her body is socially ‘acceptable’. Hopefully this will give the viewer an opportunity to observe the work as they might a classic painting, and discover some aesthetic interest, or even pleasure, in the unique shapes and textures of the model’s’ body.