Jess y Model a Tudalen 3

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-I stripped for the first time

-for ZOO magazine...

-..when I was 19 years old.

-I'd done some modelling when

-I entered Miss Wales when I was 16.

-Stripping for the first time

-was hard...

-..because I was worried

-what people would say.

-But I've always felt safe and

-comfortable in front of the camera.

-I don't care

-what people say any more.

-Jess Davies from Aberystwyth is one

-of Britain's leading glamour models.

-Since her first topless shoot

-three years ago...

-..she's also studied Sociology

-at the University of Glamorgan.

-She hopes to graduate this year.

-Jess wrote her dissertation on The

-Sexualization Of Women In The Media.

-In the meantime, she's travelled

-the world earning good money...

-..for appearing in magazines

-and on Page 3.

-Following criticism

-from several directions...

-..does the work empower her

-or is it damaging to women?

-With the influence

-of the internet...

-..and calls from feminists

-to ban Page 3 and lads' mags...

-..does the glamour industry

-have a future?

-I went to Ysgol Penglais,

-Aberystwyth...

-..then I went to study in Cardiff.

-That's when I started modelling.

-Since my first shoot,

-when I was 19...

-..I've been in Nuts, ZOO, Front,

-Page 3, The Daily Star...

-..FHM, Loaded, Picture Magazine.

-Loads.

-My favourite shoot

-was for Hot Shots.

-It was so much fun.

-I went to America to do it...

-..and that was my first visit

-to America.

-The Hot Shots calendar features

-the very best glamour models.

-Someone who's extremely proud of

-this work is Angela, Jess's mother.

-I think that's the one

-with the pink swimsuit.

-That was my favourite.

-That's where it all started.

-This one was shot in Majorca.

-It's nice and sunny.

-I'm going back out there

-in a couple of weeks.

-You didn't tell me that.

-My parents are proud of me

-and Mam is really supportive.

-She keeps

-all the magazines I'm in...

-..and sometimes, we go through them

-and remember the shoots I've done.

-Since I started doing it,

-I've made lots of new friends...

-..and they're really supportive too.

-When I'm home, in Aberystwyth...

-..my old school friends

-are so proud of me.

-I'm proud of what I do

-and I see myself as a feminist...

-..because I'm independent

-and I decide what I do with my body.

-Jess is criticized

-for her line of work...

-..mainly by feminist movements

-like No More Page 3...

-..who campaign

-to get rid of Page 3...

-..and women's groups who accuse Jess

-of degrading women...

-..and giving men an excuse

-to make women sexual objects.

-Others say banning Page 3 would be

-a blow to freedom of expression...

-..and would disempower women.

-In January 2015, it was reported

-that The Sun had banned Page 3...

-..after 45 years of printing

-daily photos of topless women.

-The story wasn't true, but it

-opened up this debate again.

-People who criticize me

-see themselves as feminists.

-But what is feminism?

-I'm a feminist.

-I'm independent

-and I decide what work I do.

-I'm proud of what I do and

-that's what feminism is all about.

-The Page 3 argument and the question

-of feminism divides opinion.

-There are two basic feminist

-arguments about topless modelling.

-Traditionally, feminists

-say glamour models degrade women...

-..and promote their status

-as sexual objects.

-More recently,

-feminists have realized...

-..that women are used as sexual

-objects on a daily basis anyway.

-That being the case, women may

-as well profit from the situation...

-..and do work

-such as glamour modelling...

-..and celebrate the female body.

-I'm sure a lot of glamour models

-like Jess enjoy the work...

-..and feel that it empowers them.

-It's certainly empowering

-from a financial point of view...

-..but that power is restricted.

-They're free to model topless but

-they can't breastfeed in Claridges.

-They're not free to walk around

-Roath Park topless, like the men.

-That power is certainly limited.

-I don't think it helps the cause...

-..if we see lots of naked women.

-It certainly doesn't help the cause.

-I think what would help...

-..is if we saw

-some different images.

-If we see lots of naked women,

-that's pretty damaging.

-I think magazines should show

-more positive female images too.

-I think we need a better balance.

-For example, all that stuff

-with Page 3 in The Sun.

-I think people misunderstood

-the problem there.

-There was a call to get rid

-of topless women on Page 3...

-..because the balance wasn't right.

-The male images

-were of sportsmen and politicians...

-..but the only female images

-were of topless women.

-I don't think that's right.

-It's ridiculous to question

-a woman's right to pose topless.

-Of course women have a right

-to do it.

-I choose to wear clothes to work...

-..but if I had a body like Jess...

-..I might wear a bikini

-or even less to work.

-For me,

-possibly thanks to my mother...

-..the word 'feminist' has nothing to

-do with clothes or being topless...

-..or wearing a gold lame bikini.

-It's about choice.

-What I choose to do.

-The question is does Jess choose

-to do the work she does...

-..or is someone else

-forcing her to do it?

-It's Jess's choice

-and she's intelligent enough...

-..to do anything she wants.

-She chooses to be a glamour model

-and she enjoys it.

-She makes no apology

-about her choices...

-..and that's what feminism is to me.

-Banning Page 3 would have a negative

-impact on women in the industry.

-Models, photographers, editors,

-stylists and make-up artists.

-Feminists who criticize Page 3...

-..don't realize how many women

-would lose their jobs.

-Jobs which they enjoy

-and which they choose to do.

-I can understand that,

-for a woman like Jess...

-..being a glamour model

-can be quite thrilling.

-But it doesn't necessarily improve

-women's situation in general.

-There's a lot of pressure

-to get rid of Page 3 and lads' mags.

-Feminists say that glamour photos

-have a negative impact on girls.

-I'm a curvy girl.

-I think fashion magazines featuring

-size 0 models are much worse.

-I've never understood why people

-feel to strongly about Page 3.

-I don't see what's bad about it...

-..and I don't see

-what's fantastic about it.

-For as long as people turn the

-newspaper's pages, it has a future.

-The one thing I can say

-in favour of it...

-..is they've always put the emphasis

-on real women.

-There's no silicone, no liposuction

-and no ribs shown in these photos.

-I think it's up to the person who

-chooses to pick up the newspaper.

-Don't read The Sun...

-..if you don't want to see

-a woman exposing her breasts.

-Or just turn straight to page four.

-It's your choice.

-Jess's work isn't limited to Page 3

-and magazines.

-The internet is now an important

-element in a model's career.

-But on the internet, the comments

-can be far more cutting.

-It can be difficult.

-I have 100,000 followers

-on Instagram and on Twitter.

-I do get some nasty comments.

-I get called a whore or a slag,

-too thin or too fat.

-It isn't easy,

-but you have to ignore it.

-You need to be thick skinned

-in this digital age...

-..and Jess relies on the support

-of her close friends.

-What sort of shoot was it?

-What sort of shoot was it?

-

-Lingerie and fashion.

-I was with men in some of them,

-which was nice.

-Have you done a shoot

-with men before?

-No, never.

-That was my first time.

-Something new then.

-It's fun.

-I love hearing about the shoots

-and the people she's met.

-I buy the magazines to see her work.

-She shows the calendars to me.

-I also see the dark side of it.

-Sometimes, Jess receives some really

-nasty messages on the internet...

-..and it saddens her.

-It's not nice for me

-to see Jess feeling like that.

-It's not fantastic all the time.

-We're subjected to this on Twitter,

-aren't we?

-A lot of people are bullied.

-You can't do anything

-without someone commenting on it.

-It's terrible

-that Jess gets a lot of abuse.

-I suppose if you do something like

-that, you leave yourself open to it.

-You'll have a lot of fans but

-you'll also have a lot of haters.

-I think you'd have to be pretty

-thick skinned to put up with it.

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-People who criticize

-glamour models...

-..think we just

-get our tops off and that's it.

-They don't know

-about all the charity work we do.

-For example, the Hot Shots calendar

-raised 40,000 for Help For Heroes.

-Also, the Rummers calendar

-has raised 20,000 for Macmillan.

-People should look

-for the positives...

-..and stop

-focusing on the negatives.

-When Jess comes home from college to

-Aberystwyth, she works in a pub...

-..and her co-workers join Jess

-in stripping off.

-Every year, Rummers staff

-get naked and make a calendar...

-..to raise money

-for Macmillan Cancer Support.

-We have a few drinks and it's fun.

-I think it's great that Jess

-raises lots of money for charity.

-If you're in the position

-where you're famous...

-..and you have a lot of followers

-on Twitter and so on...

-..I think it's your duty

-to do what she's doing.

-She does and she raises money,

-so good on her.

-I think the principles behind Page 3

-models raising money for charity...

-..are a bit messy.

-Would they raise money for women

-who are the victims of rape?

-The dividing line...

-..between glamour modelling

-and fashion modelling is blurred.

-Connagh Howard from Cardiff also

-combines college work and modelling.

-You come from Cardiff, don't you?

-Yes. And you?

-Yes. And you?

-

-Aberystwyth.

-Are you a student too?

-Are you a student too?

-

-Yes, in my final year.

-I'm in my first year.

-Do you have any exams?

-Yes, in Biology, Chemistry

-and Maths.

-I can't stand maths! It's so hard.

-I've only got my coursework to do.

-How's it going?

-It's tough.

-Nearly finished?

-Nearly finished?

-

-No!

-It's hypocritical

-that people can buy a magazine...

-..with Connagh on the cover

-in nothing but his pants...

-..but a magazine with a similar shot

-of me will be on the top shelf...

-..in a modesty bag.

-I enjoy looking at photos of naked

-men, especially Alexander Skarsgard.

-I also enjoy looking at photos

-of horses galloping across fields.

-I don't objectify them.

-I just enjoy looking at them.

-I also enjoy looking at photographs

-of naked women.

-I've worked on several magazines...

-..including Cosmo, Elle,

-Loaded and FHM.

-I enjoyed working on shoots

-featuring topless women...

-..in the same way as I enjoyed

-working with fully-clothed models.

-The photo

-of Connagh and Jess together...

-..definitely says something

-different from Jess on her own.

-There's a story there.

-I think it looks quite artistic.

-There's a big difference

-between that...

-..and top shelf mags.

-What annoys me is nobody

-calls Connagh's photos sexual.

-Nobody says it puts pressure

-on young boys to look like Connagh.

-Nobody criticizes him

-for being just in his pants.

-Maybe the women who criticize me

-buy magazines featuring Connagh.

-Unlike Connagh's image...

-..magazines featuring topless women

-are often placed in modesty bags.

-That in itself has contributed to

-the decline of the industry.

-I think we've moved on a little bit

-from that period.

-When ZOO and Nuts first appeared,

-they were very popular...

-..but I think

-that's a bit dated now.

-I think the situation with The Sun's

-Page 3 is a reflection of that.

-Has Page 3 changed because

-there were so many petitions...

-..or because people don't want to

-look at those things any more.

-Maybe we live in a world where it's

-not cool to look at such things.

-The golden age

-was the middle of the 1990s.

-Loaded was launched

-and it was a great success.

-For Him Magazine

-changed its name to FHM...

-..and Maxim was launched.

-There were other magazines too.

-FHM did an astonishing job.

-They sold 250,000 then 500,000

-then 750,000.

-They broke the million barrier

-but they kept that fact a secret.

-The next month, if they sold less,

-people would think they missed out.

-You're talking about magazines

-with massive circulations.

-Everyone joined in the battle.

-They slashed prices and they

-put more things on the covers.

-They cut costs all the time

-and sales were dropping.

-Readers thought,

-"This isn't worth my investment."

-"We're not interested any more."

-The industry itself

-created a situation...

-..where everyone thought,

-"It's over. We've lost interest."

-In less than 15 years,

-a massive industry was created...

-..around the success

-of men's magazines...

-..then they

-killed the industry themselves.

-It was suicide.

-The interesting thing...

-..about models earning less money

-than ten or maybe five years ago...

-..is we didn't pay them a penny

-in my time.

-That's true of every magazine

-I've ever worked for.

-We never paid the people

-on the covers of magazines.

-I worked on NME, GQ,

-Men's Health and Maxim.

-I've worked for all sorts

-of magazines and we never paid.

-Sharon Stone, Liz Hurley, whoever.

-What happened with the culture

-of Nuts and ZOO...

-..was they started to pay the models

-who appeared on their covers.

-That's because

-it was so competitive.

-I've heard tales of models

-being paid up to 20,000...

-..because they thought

-they'd sell more copies for them.

-Paying models to be on the cover

-doesn't stack up economically.

-The internet has changed the way

-we read magazines...

-..and it's affected

-magazines' circulation.

-That's perhaps especially true

-of lads' mags and glamour magazines.

-You can click on anything you like.

-If you want to look

-at photos of naked women...

-..or naked men...

-..or photos of horses

-or dogs or whatever...

-..enter it in a search engine

-and you'll find loads of photos.

-The glamour industry has been hit.

-Why pay for something

-if you can get it free of charge?

-There's a future for lads' mags...

-..for as long as sexualization

-exists within society in general.

-There was a situation recently where

-a female professional physio...

-..went onto the pitch at Chelsea...

-..and the crowd chanted,

-"Get your tits out for the boys."

-If we accept that in society...

-..there's definitely

-a place for lads' mags.

-There will always be women on the

-top shelf, on the middle shelf...

-..and on every shelf, to be honest.

-Good, because that's how

-I earn a living.

-That's how Jess earns a living.

-Long may it continue.

-The golden age of the lads' mags

-is definitely over...

-..but despite the feminist movements

-and the impact of the internet...

-..Page 3 is still going strong

-after 45 years.

-Titles like ZOO, FHM and GQ

-have survived too.

-During tough times

-for the industry...

-..Jess has managed

-to reach the top.

-Magazine work keeps coming in...

-..and she'll appear in

-several 2016 calendars.

-On top of that,

-she must finish her dissertation.

-Jess must also consider

-what modelling jobs she'll do...

-..and adapt as necessary.

-I'm looking to do

-more commercial work.

-I'll go to LA when I've graduated

-to look at my options over there.

-I'm busy and I've been selected

-to be in the Hot Shots calendar.

-I look forward to the future.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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