I can and I will. Watch me.
Isn’t that something we would love to say to ourselves over & over again? Mirror mirror on the wall, I do not hear your sirens call, I care not what you think of me, I am much more than you can see. That – is being fearless. But getting to that fearless point isn’t automatic.
Not so long ago seeing glossy pages of women who were clothed in practically nothing, you would know that male photographers dominated that industry and that the women in those pages were looked upon as sexual objects. As women, looking at material our boyfriends/husbands read left us wondering – is that it? When we bare our skin, is it always an invitation to be gawked at by men?
Can’t I bare a little more too yet still feel wonderful about my own body? A little bulge here, a scar there, an imperfection. When I take off my clothes, can I still be flawsome? That’s how The Boudoir Dolls came to be in 2010 – to photograph women celebrating being comfortable in their own skin.
Did we feel fearless back then? No. But we strongly felt that it was about time that we NEEDED to be.
Were we scared of being chastised by the women of a dominantly Catholic and Christian country? Yes, Absolutely.
Was our work accepted by the very opinionated public immediately? Absolutely NOT.
But for every person that had their own judgements and misgivings against the art that we did, there were 5 women that sent us letters of how a shoot with The Boudoir Dolls gave them back their confidence. For every disapproval that we met, there were 10 others who would excitedly share their boudoir experience with 10 other women – and then it just grew, one testimony after another.
Until we knew that taking off your clothes & being photographed wasn’t for gawking. It wasn’t for men anymore (though it can still be for your husbands), but more of celebrating who you are – becoming comfortable with what you have, the season you are in and going beyond that …which is becoming fearless.
We’ve been amazed by clients who continue to break down barriers in the modern world:
– women who are strong leaders in the workplace and who still go home as gentle loving mothers
– women who can speak their minds in a public forum and not be afraid of being chastised for having a strong set of beliefs
– women who are set in a culture where its not okay to be sexy, to just dress safely & act properly
– women battling sicknesses, death & heartbreaks
– women getting married, pregnant, celebrating a birthday
– women who are not afraid to take their place in society while courageously standing up for those whom they believe are worthy of the good fight.
These are the FEARLESS women, who for every piece of clothing they take off in front of our camera is a symbol of standing up for something, for who they are and not being sorry about it.
Fearless Women are all around you. Mothers, daughters, bosses, co-workers. Women in government, Pilots, Judges, MMA Fighters, Race-car drivers…YOU.
Don’t be scared, stand up, find your voice and be counted. We applaud you. We celebrate you. We admire YOU.
As we come to the end of Women’s Month, and look back at the women we have honored, we encourage you to go a step further beyond comfortable in your own skin – and that is being fearless.
Because once you become fearless, life becomes limitless.