Boudoir as a Loving Act of Rebellion

My boudoir studio is a space that holds a lot of intimate conversations - clients often share personal stories with me, full of growth and celebration as well as turmoil and challenge. I especially hear a lot of clients reflecting on their own identities, and the way that our culture has influenced their relationship with their body. We are living in a time when people are experiencing prejudice and societal pressure across many communities - immigrants, people of color, women and nonbinary folks, people in trans and LGBTQ+ communities.  I talk with many of my clients about this and how it can be common to feel under attack or undervalued and challenging to cope with the reality of their rights and safety being at risk. It can feel like an act of rebellion to love yourself and your body, especially in our current political climate when so many people are told they are unwelcome or not good enough.

In my work as a boudoir photographer (read about how I got my start here) I have had the privilege to witness and receive feedback from my clients on how their boudoir session felt like a loving act of rebellion. To have even a tiny space in the grand scheme of things, at least for one day, to express: I absolutely belong to myself, and I can love myself and be enough for myself. To push back against all of the body expectations and the cultural conditioning on how you should look or should walk or what you should wear or what you are allowed or not allowed to do. To give yourself space from that pressure and those rules and that feeling of not belonging, to do something just for yourself and take joy in your body while doing it. 

What a powerful act it is to take joy in your body. 

This can be especially powerful and loving and rebellious when women’s bodies, queer bodies, black and brown bodies are so often told that something is not good or quite right about them (read my note about inclusivity here). A boudoir session is one way to give yourself power and space, to spend a day loving yourself, to look at your body and think of it as art.. People tell me that all the time that it can feel so empowering to just be comfortable with their bodies as they are. This itself is an act of pride and strength and rebellion. 

If you’re ready to learn more about my boudoir sessions, download my info and pricing guide or send me an email at hello@illuminateboudoir.com.