So it's Valentine's Day and Love in in the air. We often talk about Love in relation to others but the most important Love of all is the Love of one's self. This is also probably the hardest Love to come to terms with. I LOVE that part of my job is about helping others to love and embrace their body.
When Miss L first approached me about a Photoshoot I was beyond excited. She is gorgeous, full of positive energy and hella limber which makes posing a dream. She is a accomplished photographer herself and a dedicated and passionate yoga instructor. What is there not to love about photographing her. But what really captured me was that she gets it! She gets what boudoir is all about. It's about self love and honoring our body here and now. I will let her words express her feelings.
"Every time I would open Facebook, I kept seeing all these beautiful and sexy photos pop up in my feed. It’s hard to explain the longing that I felt for the images to be of me. I had never just celebrated my body in this way. Sure random boyfriends throughout my life had taken pictures of me naked or in lingerie here and there, but they were all inevitable bad lighting, flash eyes and super casual in the moment clearly taken on a cheap camera. They were not this declaration, shout out, fireworks, all out dance party in honor of my body!
And honestly what’s not to love? I’m 28 now, I’m pretty sure that even in 10 years I’ll be wishing I had the body I have now and wish I would have appreciated it when I had it. Honestly, how much of my day do I spend thinking about my body? Minutes, maybe even hours that I could be spending pursuing my passions and dreams or connecting with friends! What was stopping me from just owning my body? And while I’m at it why did I spend so much time thinking about what I didn't like about my body instead of what I did like about it?! Wouldn’t it make so much more sense to focus on what you do like about your body so that real contentment can blossom deep inside.
Those are the reasons why I finally decided to book the damn shoot already and I’m so stupid happy that I did and that that I honored what my heart really wanted which was that the shoot really reflect the real me so I just went all out and did exactly what I was dreaming about!
I got completely naked and covered myself in gold and glitter and I literally don’t have words to express how freaking excited I am about my images! I will have them for a lifetime! And each time I pass by them hanging on my wall I will remember to celebrate my body instead of criticize it, a constant reminder that this is the only body that I have and that when you embrace your body you let go of all the negative self talk and shame and convention, and instead open yourself arms wide open to the world and to a deep authentic connection to yourself - and that is when the your life changes…"
Miss L can be found teaching yoga at studios across SA. She is a dedicated yogi that is passionate about teaching her students to love and accept their body and push them past what they perceive their limits to be.
