Henrietta Allais

Naked Truth

The woman in front of the highest priced nude photo ever

©2006 Nancy Black, All Rights Reserved.

Her image, naked and defiant, appears on the cover of Helmut Newton's big book, “Sumo”. She has been exposed on billboards, two stories high, in major cities around the world, promoting the book, billed as "the world’s largest and most expensive book ever" (a single copy costs $5000). Recently, one print of the same photo sold for a Helmut Newton world record of $311,000 at auction by Christy’s in London. But the woman who took her clothes off got only $75 for the shoot, from Paris Vogue. She posed for Newton more than any other model. Her image is used prolifically for advertising, yet her model release didn't include advertising rights.

We found Henrietta Allais, Playboy’s Miss March 1980, in Ojai, California. How did she feel that her image would sell for so much? How has her life been since then? What was it like to work with Newton?

A single mother of three children, she works now as a physical massage therapist. It would take her six years to earn the money paid for that single print. The opportunities promised to her, back in 1980, never appeared, and fortunes have been made from those images; but she’s not bitter. Rather, she's concerned for a future generation of young women. She offers a backstage view of Helmut Newton, the man, as well as a very profound and frank look at an industry that glamorizes youth and beauty but doesn’t always want to pay for it.

Now a karate expert and yoga student, her strength and courage still radiate. At age 51, the spunk and verve that give life to the original photograph are still apparent, and have matured to a fine blend of self-confidence and the ability to laugh at herself. She has found her calling in massage therapy, and enjoys a happy life with dear friends, family, and her beautiful children. Despite the intrigue of the subject (celebrity, big money, lust, betrayal), she stands for all women to be appreciated, respected and celebrated.

Contact us for licensing of full story and photos.
Telephone: +1 (805) 569 1559

"Tengo alguna carne suelta, pero ¿a quién le importa? Es lo que he ganado por criar tres hijos; por darles el pecho... Es perfecto".

"There’s a sag here, or there, but who cares? This is what I earned to raise three children; to breastfeed them… it’s perfect.”

-- Henrietta Allais, Playboy Miss March 1980, healer, mother.