Why You Don’t Need to Lose Weight Before Your Boudoir Shoot.

 

I hear it

all….the….time. 

“I’m going to call you as soon as I lose this extra 10 lbs.” 

“If I ever lose this baby weight, I’m coming in a for a shoot.” 

Girl, I get it.  I totally get wanting to feel and look your best for a boudoir shoot.  It’s an investment of time and money and you want to be sure you’re going to be happy with the results. 

Here’s the thing though.  What if you never lose the weight?  Are you going to live your life always wishing you could just lose those last few pounds?  Are you going to be destined to feel inadequate unless you have a certain physique?  Are you not deserving of an amazing and empowering experience just because of what the scale says or how the jeans fit? 

Is it possible that you could love yourself no matter your size?  Is it possible that your perception of yourself is skewed? Is it possible that your perceived “flaws” are not real and you have no idea how lovely you actually are? 

Is it possible that you’re beautiful and perfect right now, in this moment?

It is and here’s proof. 

I have a client who booked herself a shoot with the plan that she would lose some weight in-between the time she booked and the time of the actual session.  She emailed me in a panic a few weeks before her shoot and asked if it was possible to reschedule.  She had gained weight instead of losing it and wasn’t feeling prepared. 

Now, she was flying in from Seattle and although my policy states that reschedules are subject to a new session fee, I decided that since she was making such a long trip and had the added expense of travel, I would make an exception.  Flash ahead to just before her second shoot date and the Seattle “snowpocolypse” of 2019 meant we had to reschedule once more. 

As her final session date approached, she reached out to me again.  She was now 25 pounds heavier than she was on her first session date.  I think due to sheer embarrassment at rescheduling again, she told me she was coming.  I assured her everything was going to be okay and she would still love her images but I’m pretty sure she didn’t believe me.

I’m going to let her tell you the rest in her own words in an excerpt from her post session interview.

What was your favorite part of the entire experience?

Jolene is my favorite part! She is just the most amazing human and I felt comfortable from the moment I walked in the door. As a photographer, it’s so hard to be in front of the lens, but she made me so comfortable

How has the response been to your images?

These images were for me, so I actually held on to them for a bit before I showed my husband. He, of course, loved them. I also shared them with my sisters and mom who couldn’t believe how amazing they were; especially the shots of my backside. I’ve carried a big’ole booty around my whole life trying to minimize/hide/draw attention away from it. NOT ANYMORE! I feel like a queen in the jeans now!

What is your advice for women interested in a boudoir experience?

DO IT!!! Do it for yourself. I’m serious when I say that no one has more body issues than me and it has changed the way I talk to and think about myself. Also, stretch before hand!

Did anything change about the way you see your own beauty as a result of your experience?

Everything has changed. I don’t have the words to express it properly.

 

“Everything has changed.” 

 

Such powerful words. 

Ladies, it does not matter.  If you want to lose 10 pounds for your shoot, go for it!  If you don’t?  Totally fine!  If you want to, but life happens and you end up gaining weight instead…it’s going to be okay.  Good posing alone takes off 10 pounds anyway. 

No matter where you are, I will make you look more beautiful than you thought possible and it’s the best part of my job.  I love nothing more than igniting new found confidence in my clients and helping them to see themselves as they truly are.

My lovely client from Seattle has already scheduled her second session with me.  Will she lose those last few pounds for this one?  Maybe she will, maybe she won’t and it will not matter.

Will she be reminded at her shoot that she is worthy and beautiful at every point in her life and at every weight?  Will she be reminded that she is a GODDESS and it worthy of all that is good simply because she exists?

Yeah, she will and you can too. 

Let’s chat.