[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Boobs’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ROMA GONZALES
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
YOU ARE only reading this because of the title, aren’t you? It’s an understandable human reaction and a simple but effective demonstration of how the nude photography session in Leon just the other week became quite controversial.
In case you have been living under a rock or just don’t care about inconsequential things, several media outlets publicized a photography shoot that featured a fully naked female in Bucari, a famous local destination.
In fairness to the local media, they have done tremendous contributions to the development of the society. The investigation on the corruption surrounding the Iloilo Terminal Market and the inquiry into the Iloilo-Guimaras Port were some of the good consequences of the courage and vigilance of these eyes and ears of the people, and those two, I have personally witnessed unfold. I have seen how respected journalists in their own covert and wise ways outsmarted people with ill motives to protect the people’s interest.
However, it is regretful to say that the way this has been handled is nothing short of sensationalism. Why? Because it was made bigger than it really was. It was oversold fully taking advantage of the same drive that made you look at this article because of the title. Don’t you hate it? Being manipulated?
Perhaps only few of the general public would have known of that photography shoot if not for this turn of events. Though the photographer published them in social media, the outlets with several thousands of followers made the noise. If the people thought those were of poor taste, they should have simply ignored it. But it’s hard not to ignore something the media invited you to feast on.
Slut shaming haunted the model. The photographers, no doubt, earned expressions of disgust of support. The municipality’s officials were angered and scandalized. Some netizens thought it was art. Some called it the work of the devil. And we thought Bikini Open contests in barangay fiestas were generally accepted.
The first time I saw the photos, I was shocked to some degree but I had to remember that this is no biggie in Boracay or in other countries. I did not associate it with Bucari being a bad place. I just instinctively understood that the place was but a backdrop, a mere setting, and not a hangout of nudists. We empathize with the local officials of Leon just the same, especially the mayor, for feeling that their gem of a place had been violated. Their protectiveness understandably comes from the desire to ensure that Bucari’s appeal to various people — families especially — is not lost.
But it’s not hard to think that this outrage only boiled to the surface because of the immense pressure attributed to the fact that the incident became notorious. Sadly, Bucari is now and will be associated (hopefully, just for some time) with this nude photoshoot, not because the photography crew chose the wrong place, but because the media made it a bigger deal than it really was. Please note that it comes with regret and a great deal of courage for nothing but a common citizen whose exposure to journalism is mainly campus-bound (too idealistic maybe?) to say that.
The crew apologized to the mayor, so I have read. They should not have apologized for attempting to create art, but for the wrong call of not seeking a permit. While this is a democratic country and they have the right to artistic expression, the place was public and there might be tourists who also have the right not to be shocked with something they did not expect from a place advertised for wholesome leisure.
Art remains subjective. Even if it takes the masters like Rodin (The Kiss) or Michaelangelo (The Last Judgment) or Picasso or Da Vinci (see The Vitruvian Man) to insist that naked bodies are art, the person who claims otherwise is entitled to his opinion.
“Sex sells” is the simple way to put this. Substantial reporting gets shoved to make way for the more attractive ones. The number of hits the website gets. The likes, the shares and the comments. However, it should be remembered that while the media is shaped by the demands of the public, the reverse is just as true. It’s as if people are conditioned to consume and react outrageously (good or bad) to hyped news of violence and sex. Campus journalism, at least, was value-laden./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
