You know what pisses me off? People who damage other people for their own fun. I see so many women come in front of me, so unaware of their beauty, grace, and awesomeness because some asshat, somewhere, at some point in their life made them feel less than. While I am happy to help these women on their journey to finding all of those wonderful bits about themselves again, I become enraged and wonder WHO THE FUCK HAS THE RIGHT TO DAMAGE SOMEONE ELSE?? And I am not just talking about women, just people in general. Stop taking from other people to try to make yourself feel worthy. Ugh. Anyhow, enough ragey Monday stuff.
Miss H came to me for an empowerment session. This sweetheart sat in front of me in her quiet beauty and we chatted about her changing body since having a baby and how she wanted to see herself like everyone else sees her. Naturally, I take that very seriously, so when she came in for her shoot with nothing but the clothes she was wearing, we took to the Boudy N' Beauty Wardrobe, played dress up, enhanced her natural beauty with the artistry of Nicole Velasquez and set to work creating amazing images that would ultimately change the way she felt about her amazing self.
Are you ready to see yourself in a new light? To get reacquainted with the stunning babe that you are, inside and out? Then simply hit the contact button at the top and shoot me an email!!
NEWSFLASH: WOMEN LIKE SEX ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Let me just put this out there: women are allowed to enjoy sex. {GASP!} But wait! There's more....women are allowed to like sex in any capacity that they like: vanilla, rough, BDSM, multiple partners, monogamy, ALL OF THESE THINGS AND MORE. And more importantly, just because a woman likes sex in any of these capacities it does not make her: a slut, frigid, boring, "asking for it", or any of the other bullshit things we are told when we ask for what we want/need. For me, boudoir photography is meant to empower women,whether it be confidence, sexuality, or otherwise. Below is one my favorite memes on the internet and I am sorry if you are offended by the C* word, but to be fair it is a feminist word to begin with (plus I lived in Scotland for awhile and the novelty of the word wore off).
I think it's really cool when a woman can claim her sexuality. I am not saying you need to share details about your sex life all up in the internets if you don't want to, but I don't think sex and sexuality is something that women should be ashamed of. We should be able to ask for what we want (just as we should be respected for saying No to what we DON'T want).
I wanted to do this super saucy darker session and Miss J obliged me in coming out to play! Have a peak at this steamy session below and if you ever want to incorporate some sauciness into your session, let me know! This is a safe space with no judgement for you explore what makes you excited!
She Was Floored ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
When I put out a call for some babes to tell me why they needed an empowerment experience, I had NO idea the stories that I would receive. After much deliberation (I sound like Tyra from America's Next Top Model), Jill & I narrowed it down to 3 incredibly inspirational, well written stories. Miss J was one of those bad ass babes, who wrote out her vulnerability for us and when she came in for her consultation, I knew this was exactly what she needed.
She brought some gorgeous lingerie and we paired it with some fun stuff from the studio and while all of that was gorgeous, what was even more shining, was the way Miss J spoke, held herself, and talked about her "love story" with herself. Read on to see how this experience affected miss J.
I would describe it as a landmark moment in my adult life (no exaggeration). The fact that [Teri] does this for women every single day makes her SO MUCH MORE THAN OPRAH! She doesn't give a gift that can be used up. Even a car will only last so long, but this is something that women will look in the mirror (and their albums) and be changed by for the rest of their lives.
While I very much enjoyed getting my hair and makeup professionally done (and despite the fact that taking my everyday makeup off somehow made me feel MORE vulnerable than being naked, lol), it was 100% Teri (as well as Jill, especially at the reveal) who MADE this experience. Even though I know they do this every day, they came across as SO FUCKING GENUINE. Every compliment, every encouragement, and even every laugh, was 100% pure, and never felt repetitious or rehearsed. Looking back on it, that really floored me. These incredible women made me feel more special (as corny as that word seems, it's truly the perfect one) in my time with them than I've ever felt, even on my wedding day. Teri Hofford Photography is a gift, and one I truly wish every woman could be given.
To see why we chose Miss J's story out of the pile of submissions, watch the video here:
Too fat, Too Jiggly, Too Old ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Miss D traveled in for her shoot and though it started out as a gift for her fiancee, she quickly realized that it would also be a gift to herself. As per her request, I am only showing anonymous shots, but lemme tell you this babe is super saucy and we kept the good stuff for her now-husband. In any case, I am extremely thankful that Miss D let me share her images and it comes after me having a conversation with another boudy babe that there are not as many middle-aged women in my galleries. While I would love to represent every age group, ethnicity and size, it is not always up to me! I take my client's request for privacy extremely seriously, so I will not post their story if they don't want to share and I find my middle-aged and older clients tend to be more private. Miss D, however, wrote a stunning follow up and was very eager to share (after the wedding, of course!) So without further adieu, here is her take on her boudoir experience:
I am 51 years old and I have wanted to do a boudoir shoot for years but I could never work up the courage; I was too fat, too jiggly, too old, you know! I was going to wait until I lost the weight and toned up. I've had body issues my entire life - even when I was a size 7 so this was something I wanted to do for myself eventually.
When I came across Teri's blog and website I knew this was my time. I had my consultation and upon meeting Teri I instantly felt comfortable and at ease. I booked right then. I was nervous when I arrived but once again, Teri made me feel so at ease. As soon as my makeup and hair were complete she told me which outfit to wear and we got right to it!! Teri's direction is so easy to follow and she encourages every step of the way. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life!!
I had my reveal the next day and I was so nervous to see my photos, way more nervous than I was for the actual shoot. I didn't need to worry - the photos were incredible. I am giving my fiance an album of them for a wedding gift. I've already had my gift - an unforgettable, empowering experience that has stayed with me, making me feel strong and sexy every day since! Thanks Teri, your talent is remarkable! Ladies, book your session now. You will not regret it.I can't say much more than that. Miss D is right...this is an experience that you will never regret and I can tell you that until I am blue in the face, but until you actually do it you won't really know. If you want a peek into how fun it can be, I am doing a fun promo/fundraiser for the month of October! Essentially you get to choose one outfit from our Boudy N' Beauty Wardrobe, get a 20 minute shoot (hair & makeup NOT included), and 2 digital files!! Contact me with your email for more info!!
An Open Letter to Addition-Elle
Dear Addition-Elle,I think it's time we had a chat. You see, I have been frequenting your establishment for quite sometime now and while I have been eagerly spending your fashion dollars and partaking in your plus size fashion, something has been bugging me and I think it's time I got it off my ample bosom.
You see, Dearest AE, while I absolutely love the gorgeous Ashley Graham and all of the other beautiful models you portray in your advertising, I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. As Canada's largest (and possibly only!!) plus size establishment (aside from Penningtons, which you also own) you have the opportunity to do something epic, groundbreaking, and revolutionary. You have the opportunity to provide your clientele with the one thing we ache for the most.....images of women like us, wearing your clothes. Nothing against the babes you showcase as they may fall into the "plus size" category (according to your blog post: http://blog.additionelle.com/2014/07/09/plus-size/), but I bet if I had a look at your main demographic, it would NOT feature a size 14/16 woman. I would bet that your average clientele falls between a size 20 and 24 and does not have that flawless hourglass figure that you tout in your fashion editorials.
Now, don't take this personally, because I love that you provide options for us plussies, where there wasn't any previously, but I think we can make a big difference here. You see, I have taken the liberty to provide you with beautiful imagery showcasing YOUR customers wearing YOUR garments and looking absolutely sexy and fabulous...and more realistic to how your customers look when they put on your lingerie. Seeing as it's 2016, I think we can all agree that it's time to stop marketing focused on getting women to want to be someone else and instead provide them with marketing that speaks to who they already ARE and how great they would look wearing your clothes!!
Now, I know this might sound forward and maybe even a little brash, and you are probably thinking, what the heck does this one girl know about fashion and marketing and OUR business...well, I AM your business. You see, I am an avid customer (I have the receipts to prove it) and I am pretty sure if I feel this way, so do a lot of your other customers (at least that's what I gather from the comments on the social media sites, saying they want to see more "bellies" etc.) And I am sure I can hear your marketing director scoffing at this letter, saying things like "nobody would buy clothes if they were on "REAL" bodies", but just think how we feel when we try your pieces on our REAL bodies and realize that we look NOTHING like Ashley Graham when we put on lingerie?? It would be rather radical (and amazing!!) of you to provide us with a more accurate representation of OUR body types. And yes, I know Penningtons has been featuring the gorgeous Tess Munster, but can we get more of that action in the lingerie department of AE?
Seeing as you essentially have the monopoly on plus size fashion in Canada at the moment, I realize you don't OWE me anything, but I think you have a chance to do something amazing and I promise that you will see a spectacular return on your investments (which, at the end of the day, is the idea, right?)
Oh, and PS. if you could get ring lights on your mirrors in the fitting room, I GUARANTEE an increase in sales. Downward lighting from pot-lights is flattering on no one.
XOXO,Your Customer Who Is Built Less Like An Hour Glass and More Like a Brick
(All of these babes are wearing lingerie purchased at Addition-Elle....as you can see, we all look fab as hell)