When your boudoir session acts as a step toward loving your self above all else

Reading through the personal interviews of my clients is one of my favorite parts about their boudoir experience. Each client's story is as different as their personalities, and each client's goal is as different as their lingerie style. When reading through this lovely woman's interview I was reminded of a thought that so often prevents us from existing happily and confidently in our lives. So many of us walk through life being our own worst critic. We over-analyze our side profiles, we pay too much attention to our pores, we've convinced ourselves that our mouth "does a weird thing" when we smile, and we can't get out of social media unscathed with the constant comparing of ourselves to every one else. 

Reading through this interview made me so excited and impressed that my client's approach to her boudoir session was to "silence [her] inner critic". She came into her session anxious as ever (and we quickly decided to use the word "excited" instead of anxious!). Through the hair and makeup process and the posing I saw her come alive in her OWN way, and finally be proud to see herself in her images. For me, I feel selfishly rewarded.... kind of in an "I told you so!!!" way. But really, I am so proud of her and honored that I was one of the steps on her journey to evict her inner critic. 

Read on and take one step to silence your inner critic today, too.

-Sarah

 1) How old are you... or if you prefer, who were you listening to at age 14 :)?

I'm 29

2) What do you do for a living?

I am a student studying computer science

3) What/who made you decide to book a boudoir session?

I wanted to have a snapshot of how my body looked and how I felt at this particular moment in time. I've been quick to judge and hate on literally any/all pictures of me immediately after they were taken, only to come back and look at those same pictures years later and be shocked that those "horrible" pictures of have actually been quite flattering all along. So I wanted to silence that inner critic once and for all and get some phenomenal pics of me taken. 

4) Did you have any obstacles or fears about boudoir?

My main obstacle was making all of the decisions leading up to the photoshoot, especially finding inspo pics and picking out outfits. Fortunately, everyone at OWN was super helpful and were always a quick phone-call or text message away! Whew! 

5) Why did you choose OWN? 

I love how unique each of the boudoir sessions on the OWN blog are; none of OWN's images I found while I was researching felt cookie-cutter to me. I knew I wanted classy and timeless pictures, and that was definitely the vibe I picked up while I was scrolling through the blog and instagram. 

6) How was the actual session different from what you expected (if at all)?

The session was laid-back and fun straight from the get go! I was initially nervous about how I was supposed to pose since I've never done anything like this before. But Sarah was so precise in telling me how to move my body that those went away quickly. 

7) What was your favorite part of the entire experience? (priming, the shoot, seeing images, giving the images..etc)

Definitely seeing the final images was my favorite aspect of it. Seeing those pics for the first time and knowing that all the planning and preparation paid off! 

8) How has the response been to your images?

Super positive :) 

9) What is your advice for women interested in such a session?

If you're interested you should do it! I'd been following OWN for years on instagram and always thought I'd do a photoshoot once I lost some weight or once I get a new job or some other excuse; we will always find a reason to not do something. It can be empowering to put those excuses aside and do the thing anyway.  

10) Did anything change about the way you see your own beauty as a result of this session?

 Absolutely! Seeing these pics made me realize that the "flaws" on my body I always seem to notice don't get picked up by the camera or by other people. I'm kinder to myself.