Giving yourself permission

The experience of photographing a professional model is quite a bit different than photographing a typical boudoir client.

Models are generally very comfortable in their own skin. They aren’t shy about wearing little (or nothing), and they know how to pose and position themselves in the most flattering way possible, right down to their facial expressions.

But when I work with the extraordinary everyday women who comprise the majority of my clientele, they understandably don’t have the confidence of an experienced model. They’re often just learning to feel comfortable in their own skin. For lots of reasons—work, kids, spouses, family, running a busy household—a lot of my clients simply haven’t given themselves permission to feel sexy.

It’s hard to understate how big a deal that is. The word “empowering” is overused, but I really do believe that a boudoir photo shoot is an empowering experience for a lot of women. Women today face a lot of body shaming and slut shaming just for embracing their natural beauty and being proudly sexy. Giving yourself permission to feel sexy isn’t just a middle finger to all the petty shaming out there; it’s also about getting in touch with a deep and powerful part of your humanity. Why shouldn’t women of all body types feel proudly sexy? Who is a better person to celebrate your beauty than you?

There is no “right” body type for boudoir. There are no prerequisites, no minimum pant sizes or ideal proportions. Boudoir is about loving yourself and celebrating the fact that you deserve to feel beautiful, strong, and sexy af.