by Deanna Neil
Contributing Writer

As the student disrobes to reveal his naked body to a roomful of random people, what exactly is going through his mind?

"Usually I am hard at work on anti-erection thought which varies between anything from the holocaust to my test the next day," confessed Junior Lin-Manuel Miranda. "Its amazing what you think of when you have to stand still," he continued, "Anything from a long math problem to working out what I’m doing the next day." 

Miranda is one of a select number of Wesleyan students who have sold their bodies in a more socially and artistically acceptable manner than the term usually connotes by posing as nude models for Drawing I.

For many of the models, the initial fright of bearing your birthday suite decreases with experience. 

"The moment the robe comes off you feel really self conscious, but after a while you just feel really curious. The best part of it is looking around at people’s drawings afterwards" Miranda said. "...To see what they see. It’s fascinating. It’s the best part besides the pay."

"The first time is the important time," said T.A. and model coordinator Walter Zesk. "You get quickly conditioned. You quickly realize that you are drawing objectively. It is a strenuous intellectual endeavor to draw well."

For the artists, after the initial shock eases, soon enough, viewing the body soon becomes as routine as a work of art.

"In the beginning when you see them you really know that they’re naked but by the end they’re just like still-lifes," said Rachel Schiff ’03, a graduate of Drawing I.

Schiff explained that the process begins with a series of speedy gesture drawings.

"Sometimes it comes out like a messy stick figure but it still has this weird human quality if you do it well." 

The time given to sketch the figures lengthens as the semester continues. 

However, only so many body types can be found in an active college population. Although they are more costly, in order to explore a variety of body types, professors call in
professional models from Middletown a couple of times a semester. Currently the rates for student models start at ten dollars an hour and move to fifteen per hour with repeated sessions.

"It’s really good money. It’s really easy. It can be done on a one instance basis. Most people have fun with it," Zesk said. 

While there are advertisements soliciting involvement throughout the campus, some people just get involved as a favor or through friends. 

"I wanted to do something that I would never normally do. I wanted to do something crazy that made me feel like I really had to risk something," said three-time model Kylie Sullivan. 

"The first time the T.A. just needed someone," Miranda said. "It was always something I admired that people had the balls to do. I figured there is no time like the present."

According to Zesk, the T.A.s generally contact their friends and build up a list of prospective models from there, which carries over from year to year. 

Outside of the initial unveiling, Zesk said the most awkward situations are when the model is late or doesn’t show up at all. Though there is a back-up list, some students in the class
have actually volunteered and gotten paid when a model does not show.

Zesk said he was actually surprised at the fluidity of the entire process, especially in the case of group modeling. 

"There are group modeling sessions and that’s when I would expect awkwardness to arrive, but people are pretty open minded," he said. 

One group which has established a tradition modeling for the class is the Wesleyan Spirits, Wesleyan’s all male a cappella group. 

"We had one scene–a boxing scene–where we had two guys fighting, a referee, and two spectators. We were frozen in the position and singing," said Spirit member Jared Noble ’03. "It
was a unique experience because we sang the whole time." 

Another Spirit said he was bemused with the entire scene. 

"I thought about how I was in a really amusing situation–a bunch of nude guys singing–What?" said Ari Wolfe ’03.

Nevertheless, the group aspect was what kept it fun for Wolfe. 

"I definitely wouldn’t do it alone I would only do it if I were with other people," he said. "It felt like a good opportunity to bond and give back to the school," said Noble. 

No matter how many are modeling at once, the artists tend to be non-confrontational when interacting with the models, especially if the model did not have a relationship with them
before the session. 

"I don’t know whether to be insulted or fine with [students’ silent responses]," Miranda said. "Although I did know one of the girls from the class and that was a little weird. I was like
‘hey you saw me naked.’" 

Other models said it was often easier if they were already friends with the students.

"I had two friends in the class. They said that they really enjoyed the singing. They said it was something that was different and fun. They didn’t really want to expand on the subject of
nudity," Noble said. 

"I had a pretty good friend in the class. That was interesting, weirder for the models, especially if you don’t do it on a normal basis," Wolfe said. 

On the contrary, Sullivan stated that the artists got the most uncomfortable, especially when eye contact was made during the session. 

"It seemed to freak them out more than me." 

Predictably, parents have mixed sentiments when it comes to their children posing in the buff. 

"My mom was actually the one who encouraged me to model the second time. I don’t think my dad knew," said Miranda. "They wouldn’t really care though. But they would feel
differently about nude photographs."

"I think my mom did it when she was in college so she wouldn’t have a problem with it," Noble said. "My dad would ask me why he’s paying $32,000 for me to run around naked." 

"I told them, and they didn’t really say much. I think they felt glad that I was happy about it, and I felt comfortable with it," Sullivan said. 

"[Mine] laughed at me," Wolfe said.

For many of the models, however, the time spent served therapeutic purposes, as well. 

"You can just space out and meditate. I would think of a lot of things that were going on in my life," Miranda said. "When I modeled with a friend we had time to talk about friends and stuff. We were able to catch up. It was like we were having a conversation and no one else was there."

"After a while you sort of stop thinking about it. It’s not the naked part that’s hard it’s the standing still for 40 minutes." 

Despite the slight discomfort, participating as an artist definitely has its perks, not the least of which is the potential for appreciation among the audience members.

"A lot of them have really nice bodies," Schiff said.