My first professional photo shoot at the age of 15 years old!

I was thrilled once I found these images in my archives and felt I haven t changed much.

What surprised me was how grown up I looked and how hard it is to believe, even for me, that I was only 15 years old when I got photographed by a famous professional in the area whom, true to tradition, kissed me like I was a grown up woman and proposed me to make with him.

Yeah, by looking back I can clearly see that the sexual harassement thing started early on.

I do remember how shocked I was when that famous photographer approached me that way and how confused the whole episode left me. I wondered "how can I protect myself from "this"?"

Should I stop being myself? Should I turn myself into something so ugly that no man will want to bother me with his sexual approaches? Should I turn myself into a man and then be in peace between them?

Curiously enough, Oriental Dance and all its associated sensuality chose me for life, and I am - no doubt! - associated with this kind of image who portrays women as sexual predators or victims. It is the old sexual object talk and how much it is connected with my profession, even if I don t see myself that way.

The nice thing is that, since forever, I see myself and my own sensuality as something absolutely natural and wild. No induced shame, harassment or aggression can ever change that. This is a blessing!

These images remind me that this is a natural, ever present, battle I have to deal with.

I used to fight it. Now I am flowing with it because this is not a battle worth fighting for.

Living and learning.