Jacqueline Livingston: male nudity against the system

In 1978, Jacqueline Livingston produced a series of nude photographs, her main subjects being her then husband, father in law, and six year old son. Due to the avalanche of controversy that followed, Livingston was fired from Cornell University [...] "Of all her images, though, it was this series of her then six year old son masturbating which caused her the most trouble. Like many photographers, Livingston was in the habit of photographing her child since birth. Thus, by the time he reached six, he was completely comfortable with the camera. [...]" [...]

It has been suggested that Livingston became one of the first victims of the newly created child pornography legislation introduced in the States in the late 1970s. The whole incident affected her private as well as professional life. Apart from losing her job at the University, she was stigmatized by Kodak who reacted by confiscating some of her films, labelling them simply 'pornography'. Several art magazines refused to run ads for Livingston's posters of male nudes. She was also accused of child abuse and became the subject of a thorough investigation by the FBI; in spite of this, it could be argued that she was indeed only trying to capture the uncensored beauty of male body at different ages. However, Livingston did not give up without a fight. She sued the University for firing her, alleging sex-biased employment discrimination.

source: Article 'Jacqueline Livingston: Male Nudity Against the System'; Posted by 'ArtLark'; artlark.org/2020/06/21/jacqueline-livingston-male-nudity-against-the-system/; ARTLARK; 21 June 2020