28 Sep To Boudoir Or Not To Boudoir: That Is The Question

Why on earth would a woman want to participate in a boudoir photography session?

If someone invited you to take your clothes off, put on your prettiest lingerie (or in some cases, nothing at all!), and asked you to pose in front of a professional photographer, most women would react with some variation of, “Are you kidding me?! No thanks!” This style of photography is usually called boudoir photography. It involves a woman by herself or a couple being photographed in various states of undress and in lingerie. The resulting photographs are sensual, sexy, sweet, tasteful, provocative, romantic, erotic, flirty, and alluring.

Why on earth would a woman want to participate in a boudoir photography session? There’s loads of reasons why! Now more than ever women are inundated with unrealistic images of the ideal female body and female beauty through social media, magazines, television, and movies. Two separate but linked billion dollar industries (the diet and exercise industry and the beauty industry) have been built upon telling women what’s wrong with their bodies, their faces, their hair, and how to spend money to fix them. Check out the magazine covers at your local grocery store or book store; we’re guessing it’s a safe bet half of them are telling women how they can improve their hair, skin, make up, bodies, or how to get a man. Collectively, day after day, year after year, these messages tell us we’re not good enough as we are, and we need fixing. Boudoir photography snubs its nose at that message and says, “You are beautiful just as you are! In fact, you’re so beautiful, you should be in pictures!” 

Scary. Exhilarating. Sexy. Empowering. Intriguing. Sensual. Romantic. Erotic. After years of being told we are not enough as we are, participating in a boudoir session is all of those things, and more! Boudoir photography isn’t about thigh gap, defined glutes, six pack abdominals, or perky boobs. It’s about expressions, hints, shadows, the power of suggestion, and empowering women. Sometimes women lose touch with the sensual or sexual side of themselves. This commonly happens after having children. Our body has played house to nurture and grow new human beings. We may have stretch marks, scars, and new or more weight where there used to be none or less. Any and all of these things can contribute to a woman to losing touch with her sensuality and sexuality. We start to view ourselves only as a MOM. We forget who we were before we were MOM. We put our own needs and wants at the end of the list, taking care of everyone else first, often to the detriment of our own health and well-being. Weight gain, illness, and fluctuating hormones can also contribute to feeling less sexy and sensual. A boudoir photography session stays with you long after you’ve put your street clothes back on and left the studio. That feeling of being alive and in the moment doesn’t go away; it’s something you can carry with you forever. It’s also a wonderful reminder to not let yourself forget about the sexy and sensual YOU. We should celebrate, embrace, and nurture our sensual and sexy selves more often than we do!

At Bliss Beneath we have lots of experience helping women choose the right lingerie for their boudoir photography experience. We can guide you through what to expect, how to make the most of your session, and we can help you with some of the questions you may have. We can help you select the right variety of lingerie that will seamlessly blend in with your day to day needs and that you can pair easily with items you may already have at home. Pair your husband’s favourite white button down shirt with the gorgeous lacy Panache Andorra panty you can wear any other day of the week. Cover your breasts with a Wallaroo UPF 50 rated sunhat and wear a kick ass pair of cowboy boots or knee high/over the knee high heeled boots. Don something unabashedly feminine and pretty paired with your favourite black leather motorcycle jacket. Invest in a red Mey Amorous t shirt bra and panty set (don’t forget red bras and panties can be worn under white and they don’t show through…how practical!) and your favourite high heels. Pretend to be unhooking the back of a Maison Lejaby black bra, or hook your fingers into the back of the matching panty pretending to take it off while you gaze over your shoulder directly at the camera with a knowing look in your eyes. Pair a Fleur’t boyshort (winner of the 2019 Best Panty award!) that you’ll love to wear again and again with nothing on top; only your hands covering your breasts, a flirty expression on your face, and pretty bare feet standing on your tip toes.  We’re full of ideas! Boudoir lingerie doesn’t (and shouldn’t!) be an investment in pieces you’ll never wear again.

There are lots of great photographers in Toronto and the GTA who specialize in boudoir. We recommend researching some. Look for a photographer whose pictures speak to you and move you. Interview the photographers like you would interview any other professional! You wouldn’t hire just anybody to be your lawyer or accountant; hiring a photographer is no different. At Bliss Beneath we personally know a few photographers between Toronto and Bracebridge we can refer you to for an interview. All you have to do is ask us! So to answer the question, “To boudoir or not to boudoir?”, we unequivocally say, “HELL YES! BOUDOIR!”