The 'All Bodies Are Boudoir Bodies' Approach To Boudoir | Bella Jade Boudoir Photography in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Arizona

The word boudoir pronounced buˈdwɑ (unless you’re me then it’s just boo-dwar) is an old-fashioned term used to refer to “a woman's bedroom or dressing room”. It originates from the French word boudoir which means “to sulk”. Naturally, boudoir photography typically takes place in a bedroom setting showcasing a woman posing suggestively wearing lingerie garments or similar.

Although previously a male-dominated industry featuring photos of models and imagery centered around the female form as sexually suggestive art, I’ve watched boudoir photography evolve into something I am very passionate about — empowering women.

All Bodies Are Boudoir Bodies | Bella Jade Boudoir Photography in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Arizona

You will find that a lot of photographers’ portfolios are primarily of models. And yes, you will find photographers out there who use filters and body morphing apps to sculpt images that prioritize perfection.

I can tell you that is not us.

As a female boudoir photographer, I aim to help women fall back in love with themselves. And, my boudoir photography studio has become known for being a creative private space where women can feel safe and comfortable getting boudoir photos taken.

It’s a place for everyday women aspiring to feel more confident in their own skin. A place where they can step out of their comfort zone, and change how they see themselves! For that, at Bella Jade Boudoir, getting boudoir photos is less about the male gaze or having the perfect body and more about how a woman feels in her own skin.

My initial approach to boudoir and for the last 8+ years has been to have a lot of fun, encourage self-love, enhance your beauty, honor your curves, and capture images that memorialize a moment when you felt celebrated, confident, and sexy!

If your goal is to boost your self-esteem do your research and find a boudoir photographer that is the right fit for you. who encourages self-care, and believes in things like body positivity or body neutrality. And, select someone who makes you feel seen and heard. Even if that happens to not be me, I promise that choosing a photographer who aligns with your values, understands why you’re doing this, and genuinely wants you to feel comfortable about being yourself, can positively impact how you feel about the experience and your final photos!

At Bella Jade Boudoir we do not expect our boudoir clients to lose weight, get an extreme tan, or force you into garments not meant for you. And, while you’ll get to have your hair and makeup done professionally our artists specialize in natural glam hair and makeup looks that enhance your natural beauty and boost your self-esteem. Plus, you’ll never see any over-editing on my end. My approach to editing is to create finished art-worthy photos through expert techniques like color and lighting enhancements, skin softening and removing unexpected blemishes like breakouts, and bruises.

Instead, we focus on celebrating women of all shapes and sizes and showing you just how beautiful you already are. Our thoughts: You do not need to transform into someone else to feel more confident in your own skin. Regardless of your imperfections, or so-called flaws, you too deserve to feel loved, sexy, and empowered. Above all, we know that your photos should feel like you, and morphing you into some unrealistic representation of beauty will never be as powerful as capturing photos where you genuinely look and feel your most confident. Truly, at Bella Jade Boudoir, we believe you are already beautiful and want nothing more than to highlight everything you already are so that you can see that too!

When you do a boudoir shoot at our Scottdale boudoir photography studio, it doesn’t matter how nervous you are, if you’re a little self-conscious, or if you have any insecurities about your current body, I can confidently say that you’ll be supported and celebrated by our all-female team!

We will help you with how to prepare, and what to wear, pamper you with hair and make-up, mimosas, have a few laughs, and coach you through posing from head to toe! Making a boudoir shoot with us one of the most memorable and empowering experiences you’ll ever have. One for the books that boosts your self-esteem and inspires you to love yourself unconditionally!

And so, if you take anything away from this let it be this: You don’t need to become someone else to get great boudoir photos. Plus, if you’re gifting your photos to someone special, my guess is that they too, want to see YOU in these photos and not some stranger they don’t recognize either. So be true to yourself, choose a photographer that gets you, and take this opportunity to practice self-love, re-claim your confidence, and recognize how gorgeous you actually are!

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Boudoir Photography and How It Changes You | Arizona Boudoir Photographer in Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Scottsdale

Boudoir Photography And How It Changes You

First, why I wanted to share this with you:

Woman to woman, the pressure to exist and look a certain way can be all too familiar for most women. Whether you’re single, married, divorced, a housewife, homemaker, stay-at-home mom, working mom, a career-centric woman with no kids both or anything else, the modern woman is undeniably a force to be reckoned with. She does it all and looks damn good doing it! Am I right? But, that doesn’t come without creeping feelings of guilt, burnout, feeling inadequate, or dealing with some form of self-loss.

It’s undoubtedly an incredible time to be a woman — do not get me wrong! But it can also be stressful, overwhelming, and seemingly impossible to keep up at times. Especially with things like social media, reminding us every day that someone out there somewhere is probably doing it better, and somehow does it all while still having a rock-solid bangin body appearing as if they are just effortlessly walking around the world. {Insert intrusive thoughts: ‘being a woman is so easy you’re just not doing it right’} The point is that we are living in a world that makes it feel good to be a woman, but also one where instant gratification and highlight reels can send us on a path of comparison and self-doubt to no end.

I’m here to tell you that you are not alone. Also, that it’s never selfish to take care of yourself, set boundaries, do more of what makes you come alive, and love yourself through that process. There will be highs and there will be lows. That’s inevitable. But you get to choose how your story will be written and you, my love, set the bar for how you get to feel about you! You control the narrative, babe! This is all the more reason why so many women are choosing to do a boudoir session for themselves. They want to celebrate their victories, feel good in their own skin and learn to love themselves unconditionally.

So, how does a boudoir session change you?

As a female boudoir photographer in the Phoenix area for over 8 years I’ve gotten to work with women from all walks of life. Women come into our studio for all sorts of reasons! Whether its to celebrate a milestone, a gift for their significant other, an act of self love or something else, do you want to know the one thing most have in common? They want to change the way they see themselves!

My boudoir clients tell me all of the time how this experience changed them and that they are so full of gratitude for this experience.Just imagine having photos of yourself that capture a time when you felt loved, confident, and empowered. They are proud of what we’ve created together and now have photos of themselves that transform that narrative from never enough, to always have been always will be! The whole experience gives you confidence that you can take with you through all parts of your life!

What it feels like to experience the power of boudoir for yourself:

Picture it — you walk into our Scottsdale boudoir studio on the day of your very own shoot. You are eager, excited, nervous, palms sweaty, trying to hide how incredibly nervous you actually are. But then, you are warmly greeted by an all women team. You lay out your outfits getting advice and encouragement along the way. You sit down for hair and make up, get to chatting and your fears and feelings of self doubt start to fade. It begins to feel more like a day just hanging out with the best of friends, laughing, sharing stories, dishing the tea, and celebrating each other like you’ve known each other for years. You take a deep breath and think ‘im’m safe here, these are girls, girls’.

The time comes to slip into your first outfit. And, it challenges you to see yourself and let yourself be seen. But as you get into poses and are coached through that process you recognize that all of the fear leading up to this was just your intrusive thoughts … getting in the way of you looking and feeling your most confident self! You’re laughing, feeling sexy, and having fun! It’s now the end of you’re shoot and you’re walking away feeling like you’re on cloud nine, radiating with beauty and an abundance self love! You did it! And, you feel more alive than you’ve felt in a long time!

You come back to see your very own boudoir photos for the first time. Not without inhibition( let’s be honest we all have flaws, and your inner critic can be awfully convincing) but you made a pact with yourself to be more gentle with your body so you look up at them anyway, amazed by your own beauty. You’re realizing you were enough after all, and that you too are a gorgeous, incredible, strong, and beautiful woman! It changes you! It inspires you to love yourself more, be more present, and take more time to just be yourself! The bombshell, and absolute goddess who was always there and just needed a little boost to show fully, has arrived! And, there ain’t no stopping her now!

At Bella Jade Boudoir we believe boudoir is for every woman, no matter what age, shape, or size they may be. If you’re asking yourself whether or not you should do this, take it from our clients (you can read tons of client interviews with full testimonials on our blog!) While we all experience things differently, I am confident they would tell you that a boudoir session with us is truly an empowering experience that every woman should have! They would tell you to stop waiting. Stop second-guessing yourself and getting in your own way. Do it now!

Should you do your own boudoir session?

Here’s some snippets of advice from our boudoir client interviews …

Find the boudoir photographer that matches your personality as well as photo style -but definitely do it :)

Do it! With none or all of the flaws, do it! Whether you’re 20 or 50, do it. Capture this version of you and be proud of the body you have. Show the world what you are made of and let yourself feel like a queen.

Do it!!! You will not regret it and Christina will help you throughout the whole process.

Doesn’t matter if this is a little or a lot outside of your comfort zone we will guide you every step of the way! We aim to empower confidence in women through an unforgettable boudoir experience and photos that inspire you to love yourself unconditionally. We encourage you to challenge yourself, take the leap, invest in yourself, and affirm to show up for yourself wholeheartedly. We want you to do the shoot for you, so that you too, can experience the transformative power of boudoir. So that you have a safe space to celebrate your sexy, start healing the relationship you have with your body, be gentle with yourself and embrace your femininity! This truly can change the way you see yourself! And, if you’ve read through this far something tells me it’s your time babe. Do the boudoir session! Get on our schedule for an empowering boudoir session and see it for yourself!

Get started here …

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