Warning: The side-effects of Boudoir Photography
For so many, the mention of boudoir photography is enough to let them break out in a sweat and bring up all the excuses to not do a session - I have to lose 15 lbs, I am too old, I don’t feel comfortable in my skin, I have a postpartum body, I don’t know how to post sexy… the list goes on.
Everyone has this pre-conceived idea that boudoir means getting into uncomfortable lingerie, prancing around in high heels and pearls and just being out of your comfort zone - oh and you have to look sexy (whatever that means).
If you’ve browsed through my work, you may have noticed that that is not my style. I aim for timeless, artistic, and intimate portraits, that showcase personalities and focus on emotions more than overly sexualized poses.
This is all about celebrating your body just as it is right now. This is not about being sexy. It is about your natural beauty shining through from within without all the fluff we are conditioned to think we need.
Who are you when you are all alone? Do you dance? Do you meditate? Do you dream? I want to know who that person is. There is no perfection or thinking about how you look or may look in that private moment.
Think back to when you were a kid. Do kids worry what they look like when they are, say 3,4,5 years old (before the world starts to feed them impossible beauty standard bullshit?) No, instead they stand tall, make themselves bigger, and act boldly for a camera or just in general. They don’t care what others think.
Now, this is the mentality I want from you. My boudoir sessions may cause this to happen. Here are more ‘side-effects’ of a boudoir session with me:
It will cause child-like confidence
It will make you forget about not having the perfect body
It will stop your constant worries about your weight
It will make you smile
It may make you cry
It may make you think deeper and reconnect deeply with your soul and desires.
It will reconnect you with your inner child
It will make you forget all about that mom-guilt
It will cause you to forget about perfection, fillers, and all the fuss to cover up the ‘flaws’ the consumer world blasts our way every single day.
This confidence in yourself will translate to other areas of your life
It will cause you to accept, appreciate, and honor this ONE body you have that carries you through life
It will be a huge step in your self-love journey (notice - I don’t say it is the cure for all your worries, it is just a step and part of that journey you alone have to take)
It will cause self-appreciation
It will make you relax and stop sweating the small stuff - like your crazy belly button or stretch mark from your babies.
It will encourage you to explore creative ideas
It will open your mind to artistic imagery of yourself and see yourself in a way you’ve never seen before.
If you are a mom, please take note - you set an example for your kids when it comes to your body image. Every time you scrunch up your face, moan about something on your body, moan about your weight, hide when a photo is taken, or hide behind the kids in family photos, they see that.
I remember my mom constantly being on a diet and trying to lose weight. Of course, that influenced me and I’ve always been conscious about my own weight (also, growing up in the 90’s with the super skinny supermodels/celebrity era didn’t help).
But over the years, I’ve learned to love my body (even my crazy belly button and stretch marks) and now I’m in a phase where the scale doesn’t matter, I just want to be stronger as I approach 50. As a mama of two boys, I want to set the example of eating and being healthy and strong for my future self.
Are you ready to celebrate yourself, right now, in this moment and to exist in photos for your future self? Join my BODY PROJECT and see what difference it makes in your life.
