Let's Try Loving Ourselves This Valentine's Day

Earlier this month I held a boudoir marathon to celebrate Valentine's Day. Some consider Valentine's Day to be a cheesy Hallmark holiday but I look at it as a day for celebrating love in all its forms. Whether that be with your partner, your family, your friends, or yourself.

When I was little my mom would always tell me I was her favourite Valentine, we would eat chocolates together and cuddle up to watch romantic movies (still a favourite pass-time of mine). Now it's a little more complicated though, when your single it's common to feel lonely and when you're in a relationship it can be stressful trying to plan the perfect romantic evening. That's all a bit silly don't you think? Just tell the people you love that you love them and do something fun together or by yourself, if you can. This I'm going to a comedy show with one of my best friends. If I wasn't doing that, I would probably be at home watching Grey's Anatomy and eating chocolate. Let's be real, I'll probably be doing that afterward anyways.

Initially, I thought Boudoir photoshoots would be a great way for womxn to give a special gift to their significant others, but the more I planned and thought about it, the more I wanted to facilitate a way for them to practice self-love as well. A boudoir photo shoot can be intimidating but the experience is so empowering. Womxn are given the opportunity to see themselves in a different light, to see the powerful, sexy, resilient individuals that they are. These boudoir sessions were my way of trying to create an opportunity to help others celebrate self-love.

We live in a society that presses unrealistic beauty standards, especially to female-identifying folks. Womxn have an extremely difficult time accepting their bodies, to a point where we are often our own worst critics. Boudoir photography gives us space to honour ourselves exactly as we are right now. To celebrate our bodies and acknowledge our accomplishments. We often focus on the negatives, the things we haven't done, the ways we feel we fall short and all of the things we want to change. It's important that we take a step back and recognize all of the things we have done, the messes we've cleaned up, the things we've learned and the obstacles we've overcome to shape ourselves into the individuals that we are today. Life is a crazy, messy journey and hitting pause for a moment to celebrate yourself is something everyone deserves. I think everyone should do a boudoir photography session at least once in their life.

Every person who ended up booking a photoshoot last weekend was there for a completely different reason and every single one of them was an inspiration to me. Thank you for trusting me to help you feel empowered. Happy Valentine's Day!