Empowering boudoir sessions are some of my absolute favorite sessions. We have all been wounded at some point in our life. Some wounds are caused by their words, intentions, or actions toward us. Many times, we turn these wounds against ourselves, and we begin to believe the lies attached to those wounds. Those lies can feel impossible to overcome! Sadly- none of us are exempt from these lies or wounds and many times we carry the burdens of them throughout our entire lives. They affect the way we dress, act and even the people we choose to be in relationships with.
I want to introduce you to my client without a face and name…because her story is what is most important. While still an adolescent, my client was told she was fat, obese and unworthy. These words were spoken to her by her own mother. As a sense of control and power, she was forced to undergo bariatric surgery before she was ten years old. Her mother said she refused to have an obese daughter and that she needed this surgery to ensure she would be thin and beautiful. The surgery left scars and a permanent reminder of who her mother thought she was.
Throughout her life she struggled with body image. She had a hard time loving herself. It wasn’t just hard because of how she looked- most of it was because of how raw the wounds still felt. These things led to an eating disorder. Over her lifetime she has worked incredibly hard to process the thoughts, emotions and lies that she has hidden deep since childhood.
She decided to do this boudoir session as a gift to her husband for their 25th wedding anniversary. She knew that she would be self-conscious of certain areas of her body and so we took the time to pick outfits and poses to accentuate the things she loved and to draw attention away from the areas she still isn’t fond of. I spent a lot of time just talking and building a relationship with this client. Because I knew that would be what would make the difference in her session. I wanted her to know she was safe. Safe to show her body, safe to say when she was uncomfortable and safe to just be her genuine self.
My client and her husband have built a successful business together. He stood beside her and reassured her for their entire marriage that she is worthy of love and success and that she deserves to achieve her dreams. So, she wanted to honor him, their marriage and the work that she has put into herself with this session.
During her session, I got to experience her walls slowly come down and she allowed herself to feel how beautiful she was. Boudoir photography is so much more than sexy images or nudity. It is an art. It is honoring the beauty of your body and appreciating it for the journeu in which you have personally been through. At different times throughout her session, I showed her images of herself right after I took the picture. She was stunned. She said things like “That doesn’t even look like me!”, “I have never seen my body look so beautiful.”, “All I ever see are my scars and imperfections.” Seeing the surprise and delight in her eyes as she saw herself for the first time as the beautiful and magical human she truly is.
This session helped her to open her eyes and appreciate her body. She could see its beauty and understand the power that is held within. When she left that afternoon, she said having this experience had meant the world to her and now she could see herself in a different light. She was excited to gift these images to her husband as well. The only thing she said she wished she could’ve changed was waiting so long to do this.
If we all have wounds and lies, then a healing boudoir session can help us all. Wouldn’t you love to experience the feeling of loving your body and seeing it as a magical and powerful thing? It would be my honor if you would allow me to help you work through some of the images in your mind about how your body looks. I would love to help you heal and embark on a new journey. A journey where you feel empowered, where you love who you are and what you look like, and you understand the power and beauty that is held within.
My client closet is always included in your session cost and I am more than happy to help you find inspirational pics for the theme/mood you are wanting to capture. Message me to book today! Don’t wait-You deserve this!
