What inspired Be Bold Be You?
Well, that’s a big blumin’ question. But one that I am very happy to answer (grab a hot chocolate for this one…It’s interesting but a bit longer than my normal blogs!)
In short, Boudoir Photography and my degree using the arts as a form of therapy inspired Be Bold Be You, however did you know that Boudoir Photography has been around for at least 100 years (and longer, if you include iconic paintings from hundreds of years ago!)
The 1920’s really saw Boudoir Photography become it’s own genre. Interestingly, during this decade it was illegal to have any form of nudity in photographs however Albert Arthur Allen broke all the rules and did it anyway. He focused mostly on women, especially larger women, who posed in romantic ways against ornate backdrops. If you look at his work you can see the classical poses used in the more “formal” paintings from the 1800s not to mention the statue-esque (that’s a real word!) style poses that he used in his styling.
The 1940’s saw the start of pin-up photography as we all love. These new-age kinda women, with their cheeky poses and gorgeous curves, really made eyebrows rise and mouths grin as they pushed the boundaries and explored a new way of femininity. The reserved culture and flowing lines were torn away by these girls who created a new way of beauty including different ways of wearing makeup through to a fashion shift as stockings, corsets, men’s ties and hats and were among the first to make their debut as props in this new from of portraiture.
It’s argued that it wasn’t until the 1970’s when the art world began to accept photography as a form of professional artwork. Magazines began to feature actual photographs of real women, rather than drawings, and as the vision of the female form became more widespread, boudoir photography became a realm of its own. There was backlash, however, as those women photographed without bras or even pants some people just viewed it as glorified pornography… Not everyone was ready to move with the times or even embrace the dawn of the feminine way.
Today, it is an honour to see that Boudoir Photography is accepted and that the #beboldbeyou experience is highly encouraged and celebrated in many circles. It seems that my clients not only enjoy this kind of photography as art work for their homes and other properties, but women often look to us to help them recreate classic boudoir photographs, or just come up with something new that features them as the stars of their own show and thus have the boost of confidence that they whole heartedly deserve in this 21st century, almost too electronic led western society.
Be Bold Be You isn’t about being the perfectly sized and shaped “model” to be seen in print or on screen, rather a celebration of real women’s bodies. It represents real women at their most vulnerable and yet at their most confident, which is empowering and, rather selfishly for me, an absolute boost to both see and watch be achieved on a daily basis in my professional role. The whole purpose of boudoir art and photography is that women should love their bodies, and that feeling sexy shouldn’t just be about pleasing somebody else — it should be about pleasing yourself, and realizing just how valuable you are.
Want to know more or have a chat? Drop me a message!