Black and White or Colour?

I have chosen to work with black and white for the majority of this body of work, without really owning up to the reasons why... After much deliberation and reflection (and shooting a few colour films) I realised that black and white images are softer on the body, omitting the harsh reality of the body image. I read a couple of days ago that when shooting nudes, black and white images tend to focus more on the shape of the body, contours, lines... whereas colour images are more real, showing the viewer what the body really looks like, there is no escaping a colour image... Does this mean its less beautiful? Both the images use the same body parts, from the same model. The black and white image, although softer, is showing the isolated body, with no other distractions in the frame. The colour image on the other hand includes props, a backdrop... these items bring with them connotations, and allow the viewer to be distracted, asking them questions and allowing them to put the body in a place and time... Do I want more control?