Audrina Patridge and Posing Nude: Think Twice Before the Clothes Come Off

MTV's hit show, "The Hills," has been causing a lot of commotion in the tabloid industry over the last year. First was the feud between Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag, then reports of Conrad's sex tape, and now online pictures have surfaced showing Audrina Patridge, both topless and fully nude. Patridge says the photos were taken right after high school when she was aspiring to be a Playboy Bunny model and she "deeply regrets" them now.

More and more young girls are turning to nudity as a form of getting exposure. Vanessa Hudgens, the star of High School Musical, was recently caught up in a similar scandal as well. Teens idolize these girls and when they see them turning to nudity, they think it might be a solution for them as well. If you are a teen and thinking about baring all for the camera, think twice:

1. Think about your future: Patridge thought that nudity was the only way to fame because she wasn't getting much attention based off of a more subtle approach of bikini shoots. At that time she didn't know that she would become a huge and well known star on "The Hills." One of the best things to do before letting someone snap provocative shots of you is to think about how you would feel looking back 5, 10, even 20 years later. You might want to think about the fact that if you do make it big or for some reason end up in the middle of a political arena or a controversy, these photos can work against you and make people think less of you as a person.

2. Think about your family: It is easy to think that just because it is your body, you can do whatever you want with it, but make sure to think about all the people these pictures will affect. With the speed and distance the Internet covers, you can not be sure that these pictures will stay contained. How do you think your dad or brothers will feel about seeing naked pictures of you? Do you think your grandparents will be proud? And mostly, imagine in 25 years when you have children of your own and they ask about these photos or your own daughter wants to pose nude and you don't think it is appropriate. Teens tend not to listen to their parents in the first place, let alone when the parent is being hypocritical.

3. Try to find another way to be successful in the industry: Patridge tried bikini modeling as her entrance before posing nude. Try exploring as many different facets of the business before getting naked. Go see clothing designers that are up and coming and need models, perform go-sees for already well known designers, star in a community play, send your photo to magazines like Teen Vogue, YM, and Seventeen.

4. Focus more on developing skill rather than time on image: Patridge's overall goal was to become an actress and she thought her looks would take her there. She was so focused on that being her in that she put all her energy into modeling. Perhaps if she would have spent more time on acting classes and researching the business, she would have been noticed without nudity.

5. If you do decide on nude photos, make sure they are classy and timeless: If none of these tips seem to be of consequence to you and you think the right way to go is by taking nude photos, make sure they are ones that you will be proud of. Timeless classic looks like Marilyn Monroe's last photo shoot or even subtle nudity like Janet Jackson's album cover can go a long way. Research different photographers and find one that takes pictures in the style that you like rather than them posing you the way that they want to shoot you. Yes, they put their name on the photo, but it's your face and body the world sees in the end.