What It Feels Like to Pose Nude for Spencer Tunick

When Jennifer White heard Spencer Tunick was holding a casting call for 100 women to shed their clothes for a Republican National Convention protest in support of women’s rights, the Lakewood native and model for ReDress, a body-positive women’s boutique, jumped at the opportunity. As a program assistant for the West Side Community House, the 32-year-old  heads the Summer of Sisterhood, an arts and literacy program for more than 40 girls ages 9 to 18 years old.

“I work with little girls from the Cudell neighborhood. I tell them every day, ‘You’re going to be in the spotlight. When you’re in the spotlight, you get to say things. What you do with that spotlight is extremely important. Don’t waste it. Say what you’ve got to say, and say it with feeling.’ They need to know that, because no one else tells them.

There is a very loud noise coming from the RNC that is highly negative and geared and directly pointed at women. Having that in my city bothers me a lot. I understand that they’re here to gather themselves and prepare themselves [for the election]. But you can do that in a positive manner and it’s not necessary to target and be violent and negative toward women.

I’m a huge fan of [Spencer Tunick’s] work. I’ve followed it for more than 10 years. Being nude in public is a freeing kind of experience. We want to be able to show our bodies and be able to express to people who are telling us what to do with our bodies that they have absolutely, positively no right to tell me or any of those other women there what to do with our bodies.

We give no f---s. We don’t care who you are or what you’re going to tell us. We’re going to defy every obstacle in front of us. That’s what Clevelanders do.

All of the women were super nice. They were offering their mirrors to other women, saying, ‘It’s your turn. Go up there and be beautiful. Be fabulous.’ You hear a lot about how women don’t encourage each other, but it was a very exciting and encouraging environment. We wanted to give a clear reflection of femininity and our womanhood onto the city.” — as told to James Bigley II