““I want to make all bodies beautiful and pictorial, reflecting their beauty, complexity, and fragility. I try to show that what we see as imperfections are not, to make the body poetic in my way.””

— Pascale Arnaud

Interview by Qimei Fu

You create a unique and poetic atmosphere in your photos with naked bodies. What's the idea behind it?

I started photographing naked bodies by treating body dysmorphia: it is the term used when we don't like a part of our own body and tenfold it through our eyes. It was one of the themes I approached in my series Emerging Adulthood.

After that, I started my Figures series, in which I photograph all types of female bodies.

The way I photograph them is an ode to women made by a young woman. I want to make all bodies beautiful and pictorial, reflecting their beauty, complexity, and fragility.

I try to show that what we see as imperfections are not, to make the body poetic in my way.

I started this series a few years ago. Since then, I photograph every type of body with this perspective, of all genders and not just women, whether for personal projects or fashion photography.

Showing that all bodies are beautiful and moving away from this society's beauty stereotypes seems essential.

Can you talk about some engaging experiences when you create a body of work?

One of the main themes of my work is the deconstruction of genders. To move towards an equal future for everyone, we must break down the barriers between genders.

So whatever theme I tackle in my fashion series for magazines, since that's what I do the most, I approach these subjects with the idea of deconstructing genders.

I like to reverse the codes. Often in my pictures, men are wearing women's collections, not crazy or original. It just fit them too. And I love to photograph people whose gender is ambiguous because beauty doesn't need labels!

What kind of difficulty have you faced in your career? Do you have any advice for young photographers?

I am still a young photographer. But I think my best advice would be: instead of just finding an aesthetic style, discover the themes that are dear to you, what you want to show, what is personal to you and which makes you recognize your singularity.