There’s nothing to be ashamed of.
There’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Before I start, I should probably tell you, this topic gets me pretty hyped up. I am oh-too-familiar with shame. When I became a boudoir photographer, I questioned whether it was “ok.” The worst shaming came from a close family member, who made me feel like a straight-up failure. I felt like the biggest disappointment ever for what I was doing. While it hurt deeply at the time, the experience forced me to go deep and ask if I could really stand behind this work. And guess what? That deep dive led me not only to a “yes,” but to a definitive “hell yes!”
You see… every woman has her own story. Every woman has her own thoughts, perceptions, feelings about herself and her body. I am no different.
Most women struggle with what it means to be a woman, what it means to be feminine. Society, culture, relationships, history, and family members tell us we must be a certain size or behave a certain way… that we somehow start losing a sense of our own identity as a woman. It is damaging to a woman’s self-worth and how she feels about her body with all the shaming that goes on.
This got me to reflect back on how I myself, like so many of my clients, spent a lot of time and energy focused on how others perceived me as. Fortunately, I was able to escape that kind of shameful thinking the more I photographed women and saw how liberating a boudoir session made them feel. I realized my work is sorta…its own version of therapy and healing.
To me boudoir photography is about making women feel at home inside their own skin, offering them a safe space for them to reconnect with themselves because when the shaming is gone - they become a work of art.
XO,
Marcia Coronado - Coronado Boudoir
Why I Shoot Boudoir | NY Boudoir Photographer
Why I shoot boudoir/ NJ Coronado Boudoir photographer
As a photographer, I always get asked the question, “Why Boudoir?” I’ll tell how this career came to be. Ready? Grab some coffee, tea or screw it… have some wine as I share my story with you. Here’s the thing, I’ve been a sonographer for over a decade. A couple of years ago, I opened a 3/4 D ultrasound studio in order to help women bond more intimately with their baby in a private setting. After scanning women for many years, one thing always stood out to me —they would apologize for their body. I, of course, didn’t see what they were seeing — I saw them unique, beautiful, and powerful. It was then that I knew that I had to do something much bigger… I decided to incorporate maternity photography into my business to remind them how beautiful and sexy they still were. Being pregnant is probably one of the most extraordinary experiences but also one of the most vulnerable times as we sometimes just don’t feel like our normal selves.
As I started doing more sessions, it didn’t take long for me to realize sensuality played an important role. Women wanted to be seen... not for anyone else, but for themselves. —to be reminded of who they have always been. That is when the idea came to me, I could do this for every woman through all stages of life! I became very interested in the boudoir genre. I searched for a mentor that style matches mine and I found Stephanie at Brooklyn Boudoir.
Photo credit: My mentor —Stephanie Bordas @Brooklynboudoir. Stephanie is genuine, an excellent mentor and an amazingly skilled photographer!
As my mentor, Stephanie, mentioned in one of her blogs," if I'm going to talk the talk, I also had to walk the walk." I decided that if I was going to do this for other women I also had to experience it for myself. Once my mentorship was over it was time for my own boudoir shoot. I remember feeling nervous and anxious, as some of my clients do. I have the same insecurities as many women have and I almost talked myself out of it. I thought…. this is ridiculous, this is not for me, I have stretch marks and cellulite, I have c-section scars. What will my conservative family think of all this?? But, as I stepped into my session; all of those insecurities and negative self-talk vanished. I OWNED my boudoir session! I felt empowered and so damn proud of myself. I finally felt free of judgments and insecurities. I rediscovered who I always was… It was at that moment I knew that this is exactly what I want every woman I photograph to experience. To truly love and accept herself just as she is without feeling shame or guilt.
This is not about being naked, seducing men or doing it for anyone. This is about you! 20 years later you will look back at your images and be reminded of the beautiful, unique and powerful woman you have always been. And this is why I shoot boudoir. To remind YOU that you are more than just your skin. You don’t need to lose 10, 15 or 20+ pounds, you are enough exactly as you are right NOW!
Walking the walk… Photo credit: Brooklyn Boudoir