London Boudoir Photography: Yvette in the warehouse in her smalls.

Bwah. Yvette makes me want to die my hair black and grow 80’s eyebrows. If only that would look half as good on me as it does on her. I’ve already had those eyebrows once, nobody needs to see that again.

I like Yvette. A lot. She’s got such a strong, beautiful face, and a gaze that seems to sink straight into your soul. A bit like Galadriel from Lord of the Rings. Oooh, was that too nerdy of a reference? I love this simple, soft look on her.

Anyway, I know you’ll all struggle to believe this, but Yvette was nervous for her boudoir photography session with me. Despite being a successful fashion model and and absolutely beautiful, she hasn’t done much lingerie work before. That, and she actually said to me, out loud, “I hate my body.” Now, that’s obviously silly of her because she looks incredible, and I’m sure Mrs. Y has plenty of days where she feels great. Still, I think it’s helpful to know that come shoot day she was battling the same self-doubt the rest of us do.

Yvette got into the groove quickly and was a dream to shoot, but I’ll use her as an excuse to mention something I’ve been wanting to say. Occasionally people make comments to me about “real women.” It’s often said in a way that demeans women who are slender, and that doesn’t help anyone feel better about anything. People seem to forget that models are even human sometimes. I work with models quite often so I have a different perspective – I meet them in person and see what they have to go through, we laugh and chat just like I do with any of my other clients. I do get it – it’s hard to feel like you can relate to models as a group, but they are women too. It if you’re feeling incredulous at the idea that a model might have a crisis of confidence, keep this in mind; their entire CAREER revolves around looking amazing. And they are just as “real” as anyone else is.

If your appearance is your job, you’re under constant pressure regarding how you look, especially when you consider that your career starts at 14 and ends at what, 30? When you take the time to think about it, it’s 100% understandable that even the most beautiful women could struggle under than kind of scrutiny. I do think that inside, we’re all basically the same. We have the same confidence issues, the same struggles. It doesn’t help any of us when we devalue a woman based on having a certain body type. We need to stick together girls. T-o-g-e-t-h-e-r. Anyway, I’ll step down off my soap box now!

Don’t you think Yvette has a very pretty profile? I told her than after taking this shot on the left, which she probably thought was a weird thing to say:)

For our next look, we went for a darker and more fashion-oriented feel. This makeup (courtesy of the ever talented Gemma) would be too strong for many, but it’s perfect on Yvette, who has the colouring and angular features to pull it off.

This is also a great example of an easy way to mix lingerie with everyday pieces to create an editorial feel. Katrina was our stylist for the day, and here she’s paired a custom, hand-detailed black bra with a black, patterned skirt. The skirt gives a little extra coverage, but it’s sheerness means it still reads as suggestive and sexy. Basically, the best of both worlds.

Yvette is all arms and legs and moody beauty here.

Okay….I know some of you hate snakes. But when you are lucky enough to have snakes on set, you USE THE SNAKES.

Yvette is in a green crushed velvet bodysuit, chunky black boots, and a furry black jacket. This is a great starting point for a boudoir photoshoot outfit that reads cool, urban, grungy, etc. It reminds me a bit of American Apparel, except more flattering (why do they make all the girls in their ads look so terrible?).

One snake, two snake:)

…and one last beautiful frame:) Mucho gracias to Katrina for excellent styling and snake charming.

To conclude the earlier thoughts I shared, I feel like I’m learning more about women and self confidence every day. The one idea I’m starting to come around to is that inhabiting your own skin comfortably is not about your shape, size, or age. It’s not about your weight or what other people say or don’t say about you. It’s just not. And that’s sort of sucky, because it’s so tempting and alluring to believe it could be that simple.

A diet is certainly an easier fix than the mental work required to change your opinion of yourself. So many of us live with this hope/illusion that if we could just lose ten pounds, if we could just get that boob job or get our wonky nose fixed or get rid of that birthmark that we would suddenly be so much happier. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe the answer is more than skin deep.

I’m really interested in specific actions that lead to more self-confidence and less self-loathing in women. I don’t have the answers yet, but I know that a boudoir photo shoot certainly seems to help. I’m looking for ways I can amplify this effect for clients. If you have suggestions, personal experiences, or other avenues that have worked for you, I’d love to hear about them. Please share. We all need more:)

Stormy