I’m on the journey to self-love just like you babes, and part of my journey is taking nude self-portraits. Forcing myself in front of the camera is hard enough, and baring it all is a big challenge for me. I’m face to face with every roll, pimple, stretchmarks and bulge. In the past when I’ve seen “sexy” photos of myself, I’ve cried. I’ve allowed myself to be so negatively affected by a photograph of myself that it’s ruined my entire mood. I’ve often felt like photographs were my enemy, and it’s time to cut that bullshit. My body is beautiful and I deserve to have photos of myself.
I took a bunch of pictures in my tub, which is one of my favorite places to be. This was my own personal in home boudoir session, and I wanted it to be somewhere I felt comfortable. The tub is where I go to unwind and relax, so it seemed fitting that it’s where I would go to photograph myself. It was a learning experience setting up my lighting and tripod, but I love the look of in home boudoir sessions, and I knew I wanted to document my comfort place.
You wanna know the best part? I didn’t cry when I reviewed everything I shot. I didn’t like all of the photographs I took, and I recognized that that’s ok. I don’t have to love every shot, and just because I look a little off in a photo doesn’t mean I have a bad body. Maybe I made a weird face or the pose wasn’t quite right. That doesn’t make me ugly or undesirable. My body is a good body, including every roll and all my cellulite.
I’m still mastering the art of the self-portrait, and I’m still working on truly loving my body. I think I’m a few photographs closer, though, and that makes me really happy.
XOXO, Alicia
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