Men Asleep

The original idea for the Men Asleep zine grew from learning about the Gisele Pelicot case and the unimaginable horror she went through. 

Something I began to think about was one time many years ago when I was working with a nude male model, he was laying down posing for a picture and he fell asleep. I was sitting on the floor at the side of the bed, I had no idea what to do. I held my breath. Should I leave the room? Should I cough loudly? 

Should I take a picture? 

My art brain yelled at me to. He looks so beautiful, do it!! I felt like it would be a violation of sorts, but after a minute I did. I took one picture of his sleeping face, the shutter’s click sounded like an explosion, and I felt ashamed.

I wonder what would it be like to fall asleep like that. To not be worried about the possibility of being molested or exploited. There have been so many times in my life when I have not felt safe to sleep, the majority of which being in male company.  

What would a male photographer do if a nude female model fell asleep during a shoot? I told one of the female models I work with about the male model falling asleep and she flipped out, ranting about how insanely dangerous that would be for a woman, how she could never. 

Something else that came to mind is the photograph that ended Al Franken’s political career, even in body armor, a woman is not safe. 

It occurred to me that not only do men not actively worry about being violated while they’re unconscious, it’s a bit of a breather for women when men are asleep.