FN Blog - Seven heads are better than one!

I sketched a nude woman for my painting and drafting class in fourth year high school. Some of my classmates were understandably shocked with the whole vision and experience, but I found it oddly comfortable. I admired the model for her confidence and womanly body, and the artists surrounding us for their skillful strokes. During breaks, the girl would walk around in a sarong and look at how our sketches looked. She was so at ease and completely un-self conscious. I have the utmost respect not just for the artists, but also for the nude models that serve as their subjects.

Years later, I was asked by a then up and coming artist if I was willing to have him sketch me nude. The idea thrilled me, but my boyfriend was super against it. He didn’t like the idea of another guy seeing me naked, and studying my body bit by bit. But I think the real reason was the artist was kinda hot. Years later, the artist becomes famous and I blame my boyfriend for having missed the chance to have my body immortalized by a famous, now expensive, artist.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I played around with the thought of having myself photographed in the nude ala Demi Moore. Work kept me from fulfilling that dream. So when I got pregnant with my second baby, I was a woman with a mission: Have myself photographed in all my bomba buntis glory.

I first toyed with the idea with my good friend and fab photog, Xander Angeles. He was very supportive and found a hole in his sched for lil’o buntis me. The day came, and with the help of my makeup artist friend Barbi Chan, my dark kilikili and round belly were made to look like beautiful, wondrous things, and there I stood, with a beige thong and gold heels, with the wind blowing through my hair. It felt weird to be on the other side of the camera, and to be buntis and bomba. But it was strangely liberating.

The universe apparently heard my wish and granted me yet another bomba picture session with my good friend Cheche Mambong. These were supposed to be for a coffee table book about pregnant women around the world. At that time, she was looking for a pregnant prisoner, pregnant twins, and a ready-to-pop preggy. The last one being moi.

Since this was to be for a coffee table book, Cheche wanted several layouts. Me in a pool of water with just my tummy showing, me covered in faux mud, etc. I was shivering in the cold water but kept my chattering teeth shut. I lay there, stood there and wobbled my way around to make Cheche happy. I gave birth the next day with still a faint smell of the mud pack we used the day before.

Being buntis was the perfect time for me to go nekkid. I didn’t have to worry about flabs or abs. There’s a real power to letting yourself be vulnerable and exposed. I was at my most beautiful and my most divine. I had life inside me, and I was celebrating life at the same time.