This seems to be a very popular topic of discussion because it is an area that is less than easy to understand in many ways. First, let's cover the most popular lies and things models are told to get them to pose nude -- things that are often untrue and usually misleading:

1. "No one will ever know"

This is what I was told when I was 15. Over and over, the photographer told me, "No one will know" or "Don't worry. Your parents/boyfriend/husband won't ever find out."

Well, a photograph is like a tattoo -- it is there forever and you may not think anyone will find it, but I have yet to meet a girl that at one point or another has not had a photo surfaced somewhere or somehow. In fact, it's usually the very people the girl didn't want to find it who end up finding it. The discovery of such photographs can often break up an otherwise strong relationship shattering, not so much because the girl shot nude images or did adult work, but because the other person will likely feel that he was lied to by not having been told that the girl did nude and/or adult work. Granted, any relationship can be rebuilt, but the reality is that it is pretty tough for people to deal with the revelation if they feel they were not told the truth up front. I have known girls who lost lovers or husbands and who were disowned by their familles because they posed nude or did adult work.

Now, I don't agree with people leaving someone or ending a relationship simply because someone got naked in front of a camera, but we live in a world where people are not always so open-minded. So, before you take a picture -- any picture -- think of everyone who knows you, including your parents, pastor, husband, children, and then think of how they will react if they see the photo. It's not about living for someone else. Rather, it is more about the reality -- the truth. If, after you give this some serious thought, you still feel comfortable shooting nude or doing adult work, then it may be all right for you. But, if you feel it isn't so good or you're not comfortable, then chances are you should not be doing it or, if you are doing it, you may be doing it for the wrong reasons.

Speaking from my own personal experiences, I did work that I was proud of and I didn't care if people saw me naked. I was comfortable with my body and my sexuality. Everyone to this day sees the pictures and some people are very harsh with their judgments. Those judgments are not always easy to hear, but if you do nude or adult work, you have to be ready to hear people judge you or look down on you. Some will and some won't, but the reality is that people are often made uncomfortable with open sexuality and open nudity. If people are being judgmental, it is often because they are not comfortable with it and they are not open to being free or open with their own body or their own sexuality. That is their decision; just as it may be your decision to be more open. Being aware of the reality isn't about scaring you or telling you not to do it. Rather, I am suggesting merely that you really think about it before you pose nude or do adult work because people will see it. Nothing is hidden and it will ultimately be seen by people you thought (or hoped) would never see it.

So remember -- if anyone tells you that "no one will see it," they are either unaware or they are lying to you.

2. "It's art."

This was another line I was given when I was 15. I remember being with a photographer who convinced me to get naked because "it was art." And then he showed me all the paintings by people like Mattisse and others and he said, "Look, it is art." Needless to say, after he showed me those paintings and told me that "everyone does it and it is normal and if i wasn't game, I would never make it," I, being young and uneducated, ended up naked in front of his camera. But, while he tried to convince me that it was art, I had a funny feeling in my stomach. Then, he would say, "Here, have a drink it will make you at ease...everyone does it." So then I would drink vodka to make the funny feeling go away. Now the reality was that I was 15 and in this situation, it was not art. His photography was nothing more than him capturing my youth and I have a funny feeling that the work never made it into a gallery. Years later, I found out that he was arrested for dealing in child pornography.

Now, let's discuss art. There are many people who are not artists who use the word "art" to lure people out of their clothing. If someone told me that they wanted to make soft core child pornography, I would have run and called the police, but because they convinced me that "it was art," and I was not educated enough to understand the difference, I fell into the trap. Now, as I grew older, I continued shooting nudes because to me they were art and I had been educated by all of these photographers that it was okay and it was art. Well, now I understand that often people will "educate" you so you do what THEY want you to do.

Therefore, you have to be aware of why they are telling you these things. I look at art nudes a bit more critical now. Real art looks like art. I was recently at a conference where I gave a speech about modeling and nudes and it clicked -- there is a very easy way to tell art from non-art nudes. When a photographer contacts you and says he wants to shoot art nudes, simply ask for references, but also ask to see his work as an example. Real art nudes look like paintings. They look like art. They are often beautiful and surreal or high contrast or blurry. If you look at a website like Michelle7 or go to the bookstore and look for books like Mapplethorpe and other fine art nude books, you will see what art is. If it looks like someone just took a snap shot of a naked girl and it looks like they didn't care about anything except the naked girl, chances are that it isn't about art.

Here's what it all boils down to -- art is about art. A photographer who cares about art will create beautiful images and not only can you tell that it is art, but you can feel it. I tell models that their gut feeling should be their best guide. Look at their work, listen to them, and then see how it makes you feel. If it makes you feel weird or unsure or funny or uncomfortable, don't ignore the feelings. Listen to them. Models should really, really, really look at the photographer's work. Their work is a reflection of their soul. Fine art is a wonderful world if you have no problem with nudity or your body and you want to make beautiful images. But it is also a lure that many photographers will use to try to get you to do nudes or soft-core.

Remember -- beware that not all nudes are artistic.

3. "If you don't do nudes, you will never get anywhere."

I heard this one -- "Everyone does nudes and if you don't do nudes, you won't get anywhere" -- over and over. I was unusual; my body was unusual. It made me a star in the nude world because I had a fashion face and a body that was unique. I also had been a ballet dancer and loved to move. Doing fashion was hardly paying my bills when I started, so I started doing nudes to make extra money. But then, when I started making $500 to $800 per day to do work which I enjoyed most of the time, I ended up doing more nude and art/fetish work than fashion. I did this for about a year because I could make money every day and make art, or I could go on a bunch of castings and be ignored because I was short. At 18 years of age, it seemed like the logical thing to do.

Everyone told me it would help me get ahead. Now, in some ways it opened many doors for me. I became very connected and accepted by the art world, by the underground, by the alternative media. It also landed me some fashion jobs. It was my nude modeling and my art modeling that built my music studio. Now, while it opened many doors for me and it can open them for you too if you do it right, but it will also close many doors. I am aware that there are those who will not work with me because they are afraid I will hurt their "All-American family reputation" which I find odd considering the fact that in America we make more money off of pornography than we do from film, music, and books combined. I would say, however, that it is only a small percentage of people who will black list me because I did nude work. Granted, they are so afraid to take any risk and do anything that might cause controversy, but that is why the mainstream is so predictable.

Another example is Dita von Teese, who is a top Nude/Pin-Up/Fetish model. She had been considered for a campaign with Altoids, but then they found out she had worked with Andrew Blake, so they basically pulled the campaign from her. Well, less than a year later, she was on the cover of Playboy and is doing ad campaigns now for major designers.

So the truth is that doing nudes can open doors for you, but it can close doors for you as well. However, you can get just as far with your clothing on as you can if you take your clothing off. Both paths are hard and require lots of work. For me, I saw that in the industry, they always want you to compromise something. By doing art nudes, I could stay in control of my music. I chose to do nudes rather than the other options. It bought me some freedom, but it also had a price tag. Everything we do has consequences, and we have to be aware of them.

But it is not true that you "have to do nudes." The truth is that you do not have to do nudes.

4. "If you do nudes, you will never do anything else or get commercial work."

I walked into a room and a young model came up to me and said, "Jillian, someone told me if I do nudes, I will never do anything else and I already did them." She looked heartbroken and like someone had just smashed her dreams.

"That's not true at all," I said. The truth is that a large amount of famous people at one point or another did nudes. A very large amount of young models, musicians, actresses, actors and so on did and do nudes. The reality is that if you are just starting out, you can wait tables, bartend, do another night job, live with a sugar daddy or mommy, starve, do nudes, strip, or, if you're lucky, be from a rich family or be a trust fund baby (and if you are, you are really lucky). But trying to break into the industry can often be a full time job and sometimes it takes years to make it. Also, New York, Los Angeles and the other capitals of the business world tend not to be cheap, so many people do it because of the time and money factor. You can wait tables five nights a week or do one or two art shoots. I would do the art shoots, but that was my decision. Others do b-movies, skin flicks, adult work, bondage -- you name it. Now, will it stop you from getting work in the mainstream? No. But it can make it more difficult to get such work. At the same time, it can make it easier to get such work too. It all depends. In other words, sometimes it helps and sometimes it hurts. It really must be examined on a case by case basis.

If you have done nude work or adult work, don't let that stop you from trying to do fashion or commercial work, mainstream acting or theater. When I was younger, I did some work that I was told would prevent me from doing "anything else with my life." Well, they where wrong. Now did the work I did make life more complicated? Yes, it did. I was with a fashion agency in New York and I had only been with them for a few weeks when someone sent them a picture from some of the work I did when I was 18. I was called in for a meeting where they confronted me and I told them the truth. Then, they said they would keep me and try to work me anyway although they said if they got bought out, I might get dropped over the politics. I basically told them that I understood and not to worry. Needless to say, they booked me more than most and I was one of their top models even though I had a "past." So, doing nudes won't stop you, but tell the truth and don't lie about it. It is better to be honest because people don't like lies.

5. Parents, Lovers and Boyfriends.

Let's start with parents. It is rare that I find parents supportive of their children doing nude work or erotica. More often than not, they are either fearful for their son's or daughter's safety, or they feel like it is a violation against their child. Now, let's put ourselves in mom's and dad's shoes. The reality is that it isn't easy to see your child grow up or turn into an adult. I think many parents have a negative reaction. Not because they are trying to control you, but, rather, because they are afraid of you being hurt. They are often also aware of how other people are going to judge them, so your decision to do nude or adult work can make them look bad to their peers and friends, which also may make them lash out at you and tell you how "bad it is" and so on.

Fear makes people do strange things and often parents are afraid. They also tend not to understand because no one educated them either. So, from my own experience, it is better for you to tell them and educate them and try to explain and be honest than to hide it because the reality is that they will find out eventually and then it gets worse. Then, they think you lied and that is usually when people start freaking out and shutting each other out. The easier thing to do (even though it is often the more difficult thing to do) is just be honest and direct from the start. Tell your parents what is up and they may not agree with your decision, but at least then you can speak of it honestly and openly and not live in fear that they will find out (which is far more painful than just telling them and maybe receiving an initial negative reaction). They may freak out, but they may not. Either way, it is over with and in the open and you won't have to live in dread of them finding out later. The best way is to tell them how, why and what you are doing.

I told my family and it wasn't easy, but they loved me anyway and it kept me from feeling like I was living a lie. They will find out. Mommy and daddy will find out someday. And it is better if it comes from you and not the town gossip because it is the lies and the mistrust and lack of communication that kill love, not the truth. My parents didn't agree and were not supportive of me doing anything nude or sexual, but I was open regardless and we have a better relationship because of it.

Remember, if you do nude or adult work, there will be people who don't only judge you, but will also judge your parents. By being open and honest with them from the start, you can defuse a lot of this negative energy. If your parents can tell people when they are confronted by judgmental people that you made the decision, that you are open about it and that you are still in communication with them, it kills the negative energy associated with it. The truth always sets people free because nothing can destroy or touch it.

Lovers, boyfriends and husbands or wives are just as important as parents. And, just like your parents, your love, boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse will eventually find out if you did nudes. I have had people who have sent my boyfriends pictures or links. I was in a bar one night with someone I was dating and a woman who was very catty waited till I went to the bathroom and went over to my lover at the time and said, "Do you know what she used to do?"

Needless to say, I figured out fast that people will find out. If you think you can do it and get away with it, think again. It will be found out and it will become known. Someday, somehow the very people you are hiding from are going to find it. For me, it was often painful to tell someone and it would always be one of the first or second dates. It was scary because I was always wondering if they would reject me and never give it time to get to know me and just judge me based on something I did when I was younger and more open. I would always fight the knots in my stomach when I would have to say, "I have something I have to tell you." Then, I would usually say I what I was involved in and I would tell them what I had done. Not in graphic detail, but enough so they understood. I would then usually be ready to hear them either accept it or freak out, but I figured why waste time? If someone was going to leave me because I did something four years ago, then I would rather know sooner than later. I also do not believe it is fair to hide it from those who you are involved with. The amount of pain it can cause them if they didn't know and then found out because someone was making fun of them or showing them is significant and they will feel betrayed which is far worse than any amount of pain from the truth. It is not easy because we live in a culture where you can kill someone, steal, lie or do various other things and it is socially acceptable. However, if you share your body or your sexuality with a camera, it is considered "evil."

When I began doing nude work, I still had a glimmer of hope that one day I would find love or love would find me. So, when the wonderful world of LA would try to push me harder, to go further, which it did very well, I would always draw my line in the sand. The truth is that if you are a female and you end up with a man who loves you, his seeing you with someone else is very difficult. It is less difficult with a woman than another man. Even though it may have been years ago, it may have been a mistake, it may have been a different phase, it is easy to understand and harder for them to accept. It causes pain because they love you and it is hard and harder if they know you didn't really want to be there.

I remember telling my boyfriend once that if I had the ability to see him with his past lovers, I wouldn't watch. I wouldn't want to watch. We live in a world where few to none of us wait till we are ready to be with someone for life before we have sex, so the reality is that most of us have a past in one shape, way, form or another. For some, it is hidden and for others it is not, but most of us have one. So, it isn't fair to judge someone for doing it where it could be seen than unseen. We all do things we may or may not regret for reasons that, at the time, seemed like the logical way, but those places change. You may have wanted to be a porn star when you were 18 because it was better than being abused by your father or boyfriend because at least then you were getting something for your abuse, which, in many ways, is often one of the deeper reasons girls end up in the adult industry. If they come from an abusive home or boyfriend or life and then are offered large amounts of money to do what is being done on their own terms, they often take it because at least they walk away with something for their energy. Many girls who fall into nude or adult work are pressured by someone, are under pressure to survive, or come from a world where honestly it can often be worse than the adult /glamour/nude industry. Many girls and boys are brought into it young at 18-20, which, to me, is still too young because there is usually little to no life experience outside of a family situation. So, often people will do their nude/glamour/adult work and either they see it isn't for them and they get out and move on with their lives or at least try to (which is difficult because there are so many who are very hard on people if they did adult work and they like to use it against them to tear them down).

There are many people who end up killing themselves because they feel they cannot get out or they feel the rest of the world will reject them. So when the nude/glamour/adult world is finished with them, which can be anywhere from 2-5 years as a norm but sometimes longer, they end up often in a worse place -- back in abusive situations, as strippers, escorts, prostitutes. Not always, but often. And the lives of escorts, prostitutes and strippers are often cut short from various things like drugs, alcohol, abuse, sexually transmitted diseases and so on.

I see more and know more who get sucked in and don't get out in one piece. The ugly side of the business is that it is short term often and it uses people and then, once they have shot with everyone and done everything, they are left out with no more work and going from making $500 to $1000 a day to making nothing. It is often very difficult, more so because most think it will last forever and it is often a very short, hard quick ride from the bottom to the top (no pun intended).

I am trying to be real here, not harsh. Also, the reality is that if you have sex with lots of people who have sex with lots of people, you are often exposed to STD's. Now the rate of women who do girl/girl work is far less than the rate of people who do boy/boy or girl/boy, so if you want to be in a relationship in the future, you have to consider that it s not fair to pass something to someone you love, especially something that can kill them. Your chances of getting something if you do boy/girl or boy/boy work are very high whereas girl/girl work is by far the cleanest and the safest because the ability to transfer disease is far less.

I am not saying you should do this. Rather, I am just stating the facts. So, before you let those $1,000 dollar hours make you think you found the easy way, think long term, please because they won't tell you these things. I know several girls who used the adult/glamour/nude/fetish world to put them through school, to buy houses, to create music or art careers. I know many women who went in and used it and did not let it use them, which is the only way to do it if you are going to do it. The only way you can use it and not let it use you is to be aware of what it is you are doing, and the long term consequences of doing it.

If you do nude work, you may be called not so nice names by some for a long time. and whoever you end up marrying or being with will have to somehow tell his mom so her hairdresser doesn't tell her. Being honest is the only way. If you hide it, someday it will come back and destroy you, so just tell them up front. It is so much easier than hiding it and living in fear.

6. It will last forever

So many girls fall in to the nude/glamour/adult/fetish industry for the money. After all, making $500 to $1000 a day is a very comfortable living. The problem is that it is limited. It only lasts so long and now the adult/nude world is as competitive as the fashion and mainstream world because more and more people from other countries are coming here for work. I was in the adult world during the golden days of the Internet -- before there were millions of girls willing to do art nudes and/or be tied up to make that kind of money. During the golden years, I knew I could make between $6,000 and $10,000 a month and work part time. Now, I stayed on the soft side of the industry and the art/fetish side of the Internet. I avoided the hard-core world because I knew I wanted out of it eventually. I didn't want to get sucked in too deep. Plus, I, personally, am really sensitive and it would have been very hard for me to handle the hard-core world emotionally and spiritually because I always saw sex as something sacred and the industry had a slightly different perspective on it. I also had goals. I wanted to build a music studio and move to New York and it was going to cost a lot to accomplish those goals. I was doing fashion but it was slow and I was not making what I needed to earn as fast as I wanted to earn it, so I looked at my options. At 18 years of age, I realized that if I did nudes and fetish work for a year, I could fund my music studio, move to New York and produce an album. I would be able to pay for it all myself. To me, this seemed like a much better way to go than to be someone's project or pet.

I did my homework and I knew the consequences. I knew I would be judged. I knew someone would say I was bad. I knew that it would make my career controversial and I knew that some people would black list me. But, to me, what mattered was music and not my image and not me being "little miss perfect" to the world. What mattered to me was to reach my goals on my own and to build it on my own sweat and tears, so no one could take it away. I chose to do nudes because it gave me time to develop as an artist. I was mentored by many of the top artists, photographers and minds of this generation and I had lots of time to create, read, learn, and develop. But I went in with a purpose. I went in to do the best I could to take things to another level. I wanted to push myself and the industry. I went in with a set of goals and when I reached them, I moved on. I saved the money and used it. I had a plan. I had a reason. I had rules. I had limits. I didn't go in blindly, which is why I went on and moved on and continue to do so.

It will trap you if you go in and get lost, or have no other direction. You need to have other things you want to do or study. Many artists end up doing nudes and erotica and always have because to them, it is better than being a slave to the system or working so much that they have no time to create. They would rather sacrifice their so-called image to create. And I understand that and I don't see anything wrong with that. It is not what you do; it is why you do it. If you get into the nude/adult/glamour industry to find your value, your worth, your love, your identity, you will often end up a causality of the industry. The way not to end up as a casualty is to look at it for what it is and nothing less. It is a job -- a short term job -- and it has its dark and its light sides. It has its ups and down. There are things you can gain, but there are also consequences and you need to consider these things before you get involved. The money will stop and if you know that and use it wisely, it can move you into another place. If you don't know that, and think it will last forever, when it stops, you could end up in a dark or hard place.

So my advice for you who are considering nude or adult work is to make a plan and think about it, know it, understand it, weigh out the pros and cons, make rules and limits for yourself, and stick to your plan so you don't end up in the wrong place or doing things you will regret forever.

Being aware of the truth can turn something destructive into something that is a tool. Doing nude work is not a negative or positive thing in and of itself. Much of it is how it is done and why. The effects need to be understood and you need to be aware of them. If you think about things before you do them, and weigh the positive and negative effects, it will be much easier for you to make your decision. If you look at the big picture and think ahead, it can often save you from a large amount of regrets. By being aware of the above, it can help you make that decision. I know many who did nude work and who it helped, but I know others who it destroyed. Much of it depends on you as an individual as well as the place that you are in your life. Making the decision to do nudes is a big choice and should not be treated lightly. Take your time. Think about it and then make an educated, conscious decision. Also, speak to other models -- people you trust.

But, most of all, follow your heart.