Olympia Nelson Biography

Olympia Nelson (born 1997, female) is the daughter of female fine arts photographer Polixeni Papapetrou and male art critic Robert Nelson who writes for the Australian magazine The Age; she attracted the media attention twice: once for her nude modeling for fine art photography as a six years old child on the cover of the fine arts journal Art Monthly Australia in a fine arts photograph taken by her mother which was criticized by the then Prime Minister of Australia and once for the publication of her article criticizing teenage girls who seek social networking popularity by posting sexualized selfies.

Olympia as a six-year old fine arts nude model and response by the Australian state

Olympia was six years old when she was photographed nude by her mother for fine art photography purposes, and the resulting photographic work of art was published on the cover of the fine arts journal Art Monthly Australia as a form of protest against the police confiscation of fine arts photographs by male fine art photographer Bill Henson showing nude children who modelled in his studio with their mothers' consent.

The photograph showing five-year old Olympia nude caused responses by the Australian state, with male Federal Opposition leader Brendan Nelson calling for a police investigation because the arts journal's cover photograph could be used by paedophiles and male Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stating that he "cannot stand the image", while female Federal Family Minister Jenny Macklin said that "children were being sexualized in ways that robs them of a childhood" and male Federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett criticized the journal's cover saying it was "needlessly provocative" and announced that the Australian Government would call the Australian Council to set up a set of rules over the use of children in works of art and publications that receive government funding.

Olympia and her father, Robert, while speaking to journalists outside their home defended the journal's decision to put nude Olympia on its cover, with Olympia saying that the photo "is one of my favourites, if not my favourite photo, my mum has ever taken of me and she has taken so many photos of me. I think that the picture my mum took of me had nothing to do with being abused and I think nudity can be a part of art. I'm really, really offended by what Kevin Rudd had to say about this picture."

In response to Olympia's defense of the photo in which she appears nude as a five-year old model, Australian Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson stated that "The use and sexualization of children in this way is indefensible, whether in the name of art, parental consent or political protest and that the child concerned defends the photographs in my view merely compounds what has happened."

Olympia as an essayist and television interviewee

Olympia, with the support of her mother Polixeni, published an essay she wrote when she was eleven years old, criticizing teenage girls who use social networking services like Facebook to attract social attention and become popular by posting sexualized selfies, and at the end of her essay she wrote as a biography "Olympia Nelson is a year 11 schoolgirl." The essay was re-published many times by several media outlets, adding to its popularity.

Olympia was later an interviewee on television in 2013 to discuss her essay and her concerns over teenage girls who use sexualized selfie photographs as a means to become popular.

See also

• Bill Henson, an unrelated photographer who was likewise the center of media attention when he used nude children in his fine art photography and this incidence prompted the Art Monthly magazine to publish on its cover the photograph showing five-year old Olympia nude. In another incident, Bill was again the center of media attention when he was criticized for visiting schools to choose children to be used as models for fine art photography.
• Nudity
• The female name Olympia is of Greek origin and is also the name of an ancient city.
• Moral panic