Commuters in central Perth were taken aback on Tuesday afternoon when a group of 30 stark naked women gathered near a busy intersection.
The group converged in heart of the city on St Georges Terrace during peak hour, sending social media users into a frenzy and prompting many theories online.
However, it was soon revealed the women were participating in an art project to promote body positivity and female empowerment by photographer Lauren Crooke.
Ms Crooke told Nadia Mitsopoulos on ABC Radio Perth the nude run was an attempt to "create beautiful artwork" but also make a political statement.
"We do group nude shoots around Western Australia," she said.
Group 'declined repeatedly' by local organisations
Ms Crooke said the inner-city shoot took the idea to a "different level".
She said they had made requests of several private organisations to host the women and do the shoot on their premises.
"It's really frustrating."
So they took the project to the streets.
"We decided to take a stand because a lot of these women, I'm talking 95 per cent, have experienced sexual violence at some point, catcalling, groping, grooming, and they never got asked permission around a lot of things in their life," she said.
"So it was kind of a stand, in that way we were like, 'let's just do it'.
"And it was really beautiful and magical; they had the best time."
She said the project was aimed at shifting the perspectives around the sexualisation of women.
"Are you looking at it through the male gaze, which is the dominant way, which we use when we look at ourselves in the mirror?" she said.
"Or are you looking through the female gaze, because that's what we're trying to promote?
Nude community feel 'liberated' by shoots
Ms Crooke said participation in her photo shoots was becoming more popular, with about 40 to 50 women signing up to each event.
"It is such a liberating feeling.
"They love doing it, they keep coming back but then we usually have half, maybe a quarter to a half, each time of brand new people, and they're terrified, naturally.
"And then by the end, it's like they're a new person.
"I cannot explain how therapeutic it is and it's hard for people to understand sometimes until you are there witnessing it."
