5 Ways a Boudoir Shoot can Boost Your Body Image and Self-Esteem
The best part of being a boudoir photographer is connecting with women from all walks of life and watching them walk away from our shoots with a renewed sense of self-confidence and an extra little swagger in their step.
While it’s amazing to have beautiful photos of yourself that you love, those photos are really just the icing on the cake. A boudoir photoshoot is about you learning to love yourself, boosting your body confidence, growing your self-esteem and feeling empowered in your beauty & femininity.
Why is increasing body image and self esteem so important? For starters, when you feel confident, you are less likely to second guess yourself, more likely to take risks and more open to going after what you really want. You will feel more self-assured as you take on whatever life throws at you, and find resilience when presented with life’s challenges.
Best of all, you can use your confidence to help lift up others, particularly young women. I personally try to always be an example of self-confidence for my daughters as well as my clients so they understand that they don’t need instagram filters or decorations on their bodies to be beautiful.
True beauty radiates from within, and I firmly believe that when you FEEL good, you will surely also look your best.
From start to finish, the Brooklyn Boudoir photoshoot experience is designed to help you reclaim your confidence, feel empowered, know yourself, and love yourself, on top of loving the photos that were taken of you.
But HOW does that actually happen, you ask?
Here are just a few ways that a boudoir session can help you embrace your body image and build your self-esteem:
1 - You will see yourself in a completely new light
Spending a day getting pampered and strutting your stuff is more than just a good time—it can completely change your self-image and help you to see yourself from a different perspective.
Through my lens, you will see just how beautiful you are, inclusive of any insecurities or so-called flaws. I always focus on what my clients love about themselves but also try to capture at least a few images of what they are insecure about. (Record Scratch!)
I can hear the collective gasp out there.
Why would I do this, you ask? Because imagine how liberating it would feel to see a little dimple on the thigh or stretch marks on the tummy AND ALSO love that photo of yourself.
We all have insecurities, but when you let yourself pause to notice your own beauty and the strength in your body, you just may begin to appreciate yourself a little bit more.
Plus, you’ll have those stunning images to look back at on days when you’re just not feeling your best self as a little reminder of how beautiful and badass you really are.
2 - You will show yourself a little love
I think we could all admit that we’re a little better at loving others than loving ourselves - women in particular! Mothers especially!!
Every single one of us deserves love, and you definitely deserve to love yourself. A boudoir session can help you feel more confident about the way you look and more comfortable in the skin you’re in. That’s a big deal!
As women, we are inundated with images and ideas of what we should and shouldn’t look like. Boudoir photos can help you push away all that talk and learn to better love yourself, exactly as you are.
I want my clients to treat themselves as they would treat a friend, rooting her on and telling her how amazing she is. It’s what I will do for you our entire shoot and it’s what I want you to do for yourself after you walk out of my studio.
My dream for all women is that we all stop wishing away our years, wishing to change our looks, wishing to be someone else and have the desire to be ourselves.
3 - You can step outside your comfort zone
Think of the rush you get when you take the plunge on something you’ve always wanted to do… or something that you never thought you could do and then did.
Like if you’ve ever gone skydiving, or as a kid, that first time you jumped off the highest diving board. A boudoir session takes you out of your normal, day-to-day life and shows you the boldness you may not get to see in your day to day grind.
You will be amazed by what you just did. A recent client told me that she left her shoot wanting to tell everyone she walked by about her shoot, but then revelled in the secret to herself.
When you do something that you never thought you could do, when you accomplish something that seemed impossible, when you prove to yourself that YES, you CAN… well, what is more powerful than that?
4 - You’ll feel a sense of empowerment
It’s not about the male gaze, ladies.
I intentionally photograph the women in front of my lens from a female perspective. It need not be sexual at all. Or if it IS sexual for you, it’s because you feel great expressing your sexuality.
It’s a powerful thing to own that from a body image and self esteem standpoint. It’s modern, and let’s face it, it’s fun!
You don’t need to gift these photos to a loved one. You can do it for YOURSELF, just because. Because you deserve it, because you own your sensuality, because no matter your age or where you are in your life you deserve to be seen, to love and celebrate yourself.
At risk of sounding like a Loreal commercial, you are worth it.
5 - You get to Celebrate yourself and have fun!
When was the last time you did something just for you? Took an afternoon alone, had a glass of wine, felt beautiful, didn’t rush yourself to school pickup or a zoom meeting or worry about tackling your never-ending to do list?
It’s not often I take a breather for myself but when I do… ahhh. Just a few minutes of self-care where I can focus on myself goes a long way in centering myself, and lets me be a better mother, partner and photographer.
Of course, a boudoir shoot will not solve all of your body image and self esteem issues. Only a lot of personal work and therapy can do that. But I will say that some self-love and self-appreciation can go a long way in helping you build the confidence you need to make today better than yesterday. And so I will continue preaching - Do it and Do it for YOU. Your boudoir photoshoot will be something that is uniquely yours - a risk that you were brave enough to take.
Even if you feel unsure leading up to the shoot when you are in the moment, you will be amazed by the self esteem, confidence, and power that emanates from you, and when the photoshoot ends, and you see the results. I suspect you will wonder why you ever doubted yourself in the first place.
xoxo, Stephanie