Johannesburg, May 16 (ANI): After a handful of Christians protested outside Cape Town''s Sexpo, Miss Nude South Africa has rejected claims that the event exploited women.

Bella Anderson, who is conducting lap dancing workshops at Sexpo, hoped that visitors to the event would leave more comfortable with who they were, instead of worrying about what other people said.

"We are all here by our own choice: no one''s been forced to be here," 24.com quoted a topless Anderson as saying at her stall in the expo.

"I mean, I love sitting here... I enjoy this. It''s not like I''m a prostitute or anything.

"I''m just enjoying the fact that I''m a woman first of all, and second of all I''m using my womanly side and my femininity... to have fun with people.

"It''s not like I''m sleeping with anyone or doing bad things," she added.

Outside the Cape Town Convention Centre, where Sexpo is being held, about 15 Christian conservatives held a placard protest and handed out pamphlets.

Spokesperson for the Christian Action Network Taryn Hodgson said that Christians believed that sex was a gift from God and should be expressed only within the confines of marriage.

"We shouldn''t take something that''s private and personal and make it public," Hodgson said.

She also said it was outrageous that an industry that promoted the "objectification and exploitation" of women should be given space at a premier tourist destination in the heart of the city.

The protesters handed out a statement expressing concern that Sexpo would lure members of the public into experimenting with porn and attending strip clubs, which were hubs for criminal activity including prostitution.