Herb Ritts Goes Commando

Tatjana in Swimsuit, Hollywood, 1989

Pardon the time jump here, but I'm back with a blast to the recent past.

One would think we got tired of hiding boobs in the modern age, but au contraire - we are even more obsessed with what part of a women's chest we see - and what part we don't see.

I was in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts recently, where they had a collection of Herb Ritts photography. Because much of this photography appeared in fashion magazines like Vogue and Vanity Fair, they were prone to post-war American censorship. So they needed to be sexy without being "indecent," whatever that means. 

Okay, I guess Post-War Indecency means:

• NO NIPPLES unless they are "accidentally" seen through fabric. 
• OR, you can have full nudity as long as the NIPS are covered.

Now, Tatjana is a naughty one - she got a little wet! The titillating print above is all the more alluring because Tati's ta-tas look oddly shaped in her thin tank, with dark aureole stretched out a bit. Her natural idiosyncrasy makes her irresistible. And her head is draped back not unlike the classic S-curve of ancient sculpture.

Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood, 1989

Now we have boobs covered up in another way. Your friendly neighborhood supermodels are completely nude, yet they use each other for cover. Each one is bewitching in their own way:

Christy - at the top - embraces everyone as earth mother, creating a triangle not unlike Christ at the last supper; Naomi is a peaceful flower, holding hands innocently with Tatjana, who looks freshly fucked; and Cindy bravely protects Stephanie, who cowers as a frightened child. The sum of it all is a multi-faceted portrait of womanhood exposed, yet also protected by each other.

Wrapped Torso, Los Angeles, 1989

Again, darling Herbie creates a timeless image that could be part of an academic exhibit on Egyptian costume, or the cover of a fashion mag. The breasts are among my favorite - gentle, natural, at ease, like petals. The garment accentuates the flatness and symmetric balance of the female form. A simplicity, even plainness, that is really all one needs.