Women are dealing with a lot when it comes to body image. I’m not exempt…and my experiences over my lifetime have shaped my unique boudoir approach.
I was six the first time I heard I wasn’t ok just the way I was. I was told I was fat when I was underweight, “thunder thighs”, worthless because I was a girl and more.
Naturally, I adopted the beliefs “My body isn’t right,” “I’m not pretty enough,” “I have straight hair, but I want curly.” “All my cousins are so much taller, what the hell happened to me?” The “I-want-what-I-don’t-haves” curse stuck with me for years. It clouded how I saw myself. It distracted me from living my life in an authentic, joyful, powerful way.
As I grew older, I lived in the hallucination that I wasn’t good/pretty/thin enough based on what I saw in the media, which only amplified those old voices in my head. I was consumed by what my friends looked like, what the girl living down the street looked like, hell, what the girl walking by looked like. And of course, I couldn’t compare.
I’d flip through magazines, pulling out photos of what I wanted to look like, what I wanted to be able to “fit into.” I tried every diet known to man to get down to a size even my bones aren’t built for. It almost killed me.
My Photography Journey - Shaping My Boudoir Approach
My eyes started to open through photography classes in high school and college because I saw those media images for what they really are. I was taught about flattering angles, lighting, shadows, blur, and other tricks to make models look great on film. Yes, film; I’m an old-timer!
Out of college, I also trained as an esthetician and makeup artist and learned a lot MORE tricks about skin, airbrushing, and the like. Add digital media and Photoshop years later and voila! Anyone can be morphed into the media version of perfection. We’ve all been fed the myth that these women we see truly look like that.
As an esthetician, I worked on “everyday women”, models, singers, dancers, and Hollywood stars in a Beverly Hills spa. I’ll tell you a little secret about them—only ONE of those women in the magazines looked like that in real life. ONE.
Even though I knew the tricks of Hollywood and film, I never really got rid of the “curse”. I longed to feel good in my own skin. You can find out more about my journey to finding boudoir photography and how it changed my life here → https://jilliantodd.com/about/
The Real Reason for Boudoir
When most women think of boudoir, they think of a “wedding gift” or maybe even an “anniversary gift” for your beloved. This is not how I see it. My mission in boudoir has always been to change the narrative. I LOVE sexy photos as a gift for your beloved…but the REAL REASON for boudoir is to change you from the inside out
The women that come into my studio walk about a different woman….they have a deep and real experience with their inner goddess, and that changes them. I mean…my client Ms. C even titled her session and experience “The Goddess Within.”
So I encourage you…even if you don’t have a wedding or anniversary coming up, consider booking a session for YOU.
Why I Believe Boudoir is for All Stages of Life
Another misconception about boudoir that I would like to squash right now is that boudoir is for 20-somethings with perfect bodies. But I truly and and whole-heartedly believe that feeling sexy and confident is for all ages and all stages. Single, married, divorced, the 20-something and the 50-something…this is what boudoir is…it is reclaiming your confidence. It’s loving the body you are in. It is giving your mind and body grace for the journey it’s been on.
My Unique Boudoir Approach
When I look at my clients through my camera lens, I’m not thinking of getting the best shot for their beloved…I’m thinking about getting the best shot for THEM. To show them their inner goddess. And I wish I could show you the faces of these women when they take a peek behind the camera. They come alive. They FINALLY see themselves as their beloved sees them…and it’s not only transformational…it’s life-changing.
Join the Glam Goddess Haven
I love having these conversations..everything from boudoir outfits, self-confidence, self-love, and sassy fun! Join us over at the Glam Goddess Haven…we’d love to have you!
