In China, nude male model doesn’t mind all the attention
In conservative parts of the mainland, like Shanxi province, taking off your clothes to earn money – even if for the sake of art – is frowned upon. But Li Zhe finds the job rewarding
Li Zhe stands in the middle of a classroom completely nude. He is unfazed by the multitude of eyes staring at him, studying his body.
Li, a nude art model in Shanxi province, is equally unbothered by how others regard his occupation. Nude art modelling is still looked down upon on the mainland, especially in more conservative, interior provinces like Shanxi, and male models are especially rare.
But that hasn’t deterred Li from pursuing modelling for 14 years.
“Some people think what I’m doing is strange or stupid, but I like this job,” he was quoted by the China News Service as saying.
Li was born prematurely and suffered from gastric bleeding. He has cognitive disabilities stemming from the amount of medicine he needed to take when he was a child, and only completed his secondary education in a special school. He had trouble finding work after losing his factory job in 1997, but soon turned to modelling – fully dressed.
His father then died, he experienced divorce and his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. After learning that nude models could earn more, he made the switch.