Why You May Want To Consider A Boudoir Photoshoot
There really is something behind the notion of "power panties" of confidence-boosting lingerie. When you're wearing something sexy or slinky, it can really make you feel on top of the world, even if you're the only one that knows you're wearing them. But have you ever thought about wearing lingerie for a boudoir photoshoot? Even though it seems very daunting to flounce around in lingerie in front of a camera, there are a lot of great reasons to do a boudoir shoot.
Again, putting on a sheer teddy for a partner or just prancing around in front of your mirror in silky underwear can give you a confident and sexy feeling that helps you see how hot you are. Especially if you have bouts of depression or self-doubt, or maybe you were never made to feel special or pretty, boosting your confidence with lingerie is definitely a thing. We all need a pick-me-up every now and then. Whether you've just had children, are going through a major life change, or just want to feel sexy and beautiful, a boudoir shoot can help you achieve all of that and more.
A boudoir shoot is all about honoring you
As stated above, the most important person in a boudoir shoot is the person being photographed. Regardless of why you're doing the photoshoot — whether for you or for an occasion — it's all about celebrating you. Not only is it an environment that helps you feel beautiful and hot, but it's also a time to focus on honoring you and your body.
It's incredibly common to feel frustrated with your body or even downright hateful of it. Thanks to society's beauty standards, anyone who doesn't fit the "perfect" mold can find it hard not to compare themselves to airbrushed models. If something doesn't fit right, it can derail a whole afternoon of negative body thoughts. But doing a boudoir photoshoot can help remind you of how hot you are. "Looking back at the moments when you felt sexy and beautiful will remind you that it's the dress that's not so great, not you," Bailey Harada Stone, a creative director and content producer, told Brides.
Insider reported that boudoir photoshoots skyrocketed after the pandemic started and people were able to come out of lockdown. The reason being: People wanted a reason to love themselves as is. "The pandemic and quarantine have been hard," Ashley Benham, owner of Memphis-based Ashley Benham Photography, told Insider. "But for me, there has been a silver lining; people want to celebrate themselves and treat themselves like never before. People are using this as self-care. You need to celebrate yourself."
It can be part of a healing process
There are a lot of expectations on women and women-presenting people in society today. Having the "right" body, hair, or makeup is held in such high regard, along with being made to hate yourself for not fitting those standards. Life growing up as a girl can wreak havoc on someone's confidence, diminishing it until you have none left. And with all of that trauma regarding our bodies, it can be hard to love it or see it for what it actually looks like.
Writer Shana Schwarz wrote for Women's Health about how she struggled with two different eating disorders as an adolescent and then had three children. She's gone through therapy on how to overcome to praise and high she felt when starving herself and then looking so different as a married woman. But even though she was at a good spot in her mental health, she still saw her body in a not-so-great light all of the time. A boudoir shoot was a way for her to not only feel beautiful but to see herself as beautiful too. These types of shoots, where you're posing sensually in lingerie, can be healing or part of a long healing process in overcoming or coming to terms with past trauma and disordered eating. Schwarz told herself to push through, thinking about how these photos "Never have to see the light of day"; they can just be for you.
If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).
A lovely gift for you and someone special
Again, the most important thing about doing a boudoir photoshoot is doing it for yourself and you alone. But, there is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling sexy and wanting to show that off to your partner. In fact, it can be really hot. You can make the photos into a book or frame your favorite shot for your special someone and see their eyes pop out of their head when they see how good you look in your confidence-boosting photoshoot. This can be for an anniversary, a birthday, a wedding, or a "just because" gift.
But don't forget that the person this can be the greatest gift for is yourself. Your lover is just a cherry on top. "When I started the business, I advertised it as a great gift for your partner," Tamara Murphy, who owns the company All Things Boudoir, told Insider. "Now it's almost always about a woman coming in to build her confidence, to see herself in a different way, with her hair and makeup all done up. It's nice to have the album to look back on when you're not feeling your best. It makes such a difference in so many women's lives."
It can help you break out of your shell
If you're a shy person or someone who doesn't really do this type of thing, it can be incredibly daunting to even conceptualize doing a boudoir photoshoot. But that just means you should do it even more. Maybe you never thought you were sexy or feel like you don't know how to be. Or perhaps you find it hard to believe that another person can find you attractive or hot, even if you have a devoted partner telling you that you are all of the time. Not that you think they're lying, but if you have lower self-confidence or just don't see yourself as hot, it can be really hard to see beauty or sexiness in yourself.
"A boudoir session is an intimate experience between a client and her photographer, requiring a lot of guidance and trust," Kylie Maree, founder of Just for Love Photography, told Brides. She photographs a lot of weddings and wedding boudoir shoots, and she says that brides are able to be more confident and comfortable with her over the course of the shoot and on their wedding day. It can bring out better photographs, which is just a testament to how well boudoir shoots can bring you out of your shell. If you can see how gorgeous you are in front of the camera, you'll see how gorgeous you are in real life, too.
You can learn to love your new body through boudoir photoshoots
As we age and go through life, our bodies also change. That's absolutely not a bad thing, but in our eyes, it can sometimes be hard to come to terms with how our bodies now look. Whether it's weight gain due to the pandemic or just life, or you've had a child or two, having a thicker or heavier body can be hard to accept for some people. Or if you've just overcome a serious illness and it might be hard to feel good in your new, thinner body that lost a lot of weight due to treatments and medicine. But all bodies are worth celebrating, and boudoir shoots can be a great way to see your beauty through the eyes of a camera.
"I had one client who gained quarantine weight," Ashley Benham, owner of Ashley Benham Photography, told Insider. "She gave herself a pep talk and told herself she needs to celebrate her body, because this is the only one we get. I love getting to make women feel powerful, sexy, and confident ..."
Boudoir shoots can help you learn love your body as it is
Maybe you've always been your size, or you have been for a while. Especially when you're plus-sized for your entire life, it can be easy to fall into a way of thinking that isn't exactly loving to yourself. As Shauna Schwarz wrote for Women's Health, boudoir shoots "[helped her] fall in love with [her] body." There was a moment when her photographer reassured her when it came to some "unflattering" angles she saw of herself. But she also encouraged Schwarz to trust the process and allow her to get her "bad sides," in a chance to show that she doesn't actually have bad sides. And it worked. She looked great in all angles and saw that her body is beautiful, as is.
Boudoir shoots allow you to view yourself in a loving light and see how others see you. How good you look when you're comfortable and lean into your sexiness or confidence. Schwarz wrote that the experience "changed [her] life" and the way she carried herself in the world. Boudoir photoshoots can stop the constant comparisons to other women in our heads and helps shut out what society tells us we have to look like. These types of photoshoots are confidence boosters and love poems to yourself.