The Miss Belgium candidate accused by a major Belgian newspaper of selling nude pictures of herself in order to win votes in the annual beauty pageant has accused the media of "spread[ing] lies" about her, and defended the legitimacy of "completely artistic" nude modelling.
In a message posted on her Instagram and Facebook accounts, Flore Pensaert, 25, hinted that she plans to file complaints about the story, which was published by Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN) on Tuesday. She added that the article "is harming my image of a professional artistic model".
"I never gave my artistic nude artwork to anyone for votes," she wrote. "This is such disgusting journalism & I'm not okay with it... I clearly told the journalist that I'd never use my artistic artwork to gain votes since my modelling work has nothing to do with Miss Belgium."
"Thanks press, for harming my reputation simply because I happen to be a model."
'Too many taboos'
The article published by HLN states that Pensaert's Patreon account allows subscribers to gain access to "sensual pictures" for €10 a month while for €25 they can also view "nude pictures".
But the model vigorously defended her account, insisting that "it's nothing like OnlyFans. My channel prohibits porn or sex tapes. Artistic nudity is allowed." She defended nude modelling in general, arguing that there are currently "too many taboos" about nudity.
"I've been a model since I was sixteen and a nude model since I was eighteen," she said. "This is really just my job... nudity is a part of the modelling world. And I do what I love to do. A body is just a body to me. But a body is also a beautiful and powerful thing and does not always have to be a sexual object. So I'm especially happy that I can use mine to make art."
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Pensaert stated that she had been bullied at school, and said that she is now "especially proud that my body gives me so many opportunities to show my aesthetic qualities".
The organiser of the Miss Belgium competition, Darline Devos, will discuss Pensaert's case with her colleagues to establish whether the young model has contravened the competition's regulations, Le Soir reports.
More than 200 women are contesting the Miss Belgium crown, which will be held in January 2024.
