WHAT IS A FEMININE GAZE BOUDIOR SESSION?
Sometimes people ask me, “What is the FEMENINE GAZE and how does it make your boudoir different from other kinds of boudoir?”
I’m ALWAYS happy to answer your DMs, emails, and questions about this topic and others, but, I thought it would be good to answer this question in a blog since it is something you don’t see everywhere.
So, if you’ve ever wondered what The Feminine Gaze Boudoir is and if it’s for you, KEEP READING!
THE BASICS OF THE FEMININE GAZE:
I photograph women from the perspective of how a woman wants to be seen instead of how she thinks her partner wants to see her. Because, that’s the way women feel the best about themselves and the images we make. It is also the best way to bring her perspective on herself into the artistic process.
That is how the Feminine Gaze manifests itself in the Strong Confident Femininity studio.
Now, here is the nitty gritty art-critic-type perspective on THE FEMININE GAZE: It is an expression of the emotional and visual perspective of women when presenting females in the arts such as film, literature, photography, sculpture, painting,etc. One writer on the subject said it is more about what the heart can feel than what the eye can see.
This perspective is accessed by female film makers, writers, photographers, and other artists.
All of that is tempered by the fact that women are a very diverse group, so The Feminine Gaze is not one narrow point of view. It is a rich and deep mixture of presentations.
As the person being photographed by a women, you get to be part of defining The Feminine Gaze for your boudoir session just by being you, expressing yourself and communicating how you want to be seen. Participating in the development of the vision for your session is an intrical part of your session. You should feel seen during the session and when you see your image when we captured the Femine Gaze correctly.
YOU ARE THE FOCUS OF FEMININE GAZE BOUDOIR!
And that’s not just because you are the subject of the images. These Feminine Gaze Boudoir sessions are designed with a focus on how you want to be seen, not on making you look sexy from someone else’s point of view.
Feminine Gaze boudoir is all about finding YOUR most sensual self-expression, which I believe with all my heart will end up being your personal sexiest look as well. To read more about sensual vs. sexual, check out this earlier blog post.
This approach may be somewhat different than what you believe your partner would suggest if they were in charge of your session.
But here’s the thing. When you make images that build your confidence by expressing the beauty you want to express, no doubt in my mind, your partner will be thrilled with those images because they are thrilled with you. You at your most confident is going to be appealing to your partner.
FEMININE GAZE BOUDOIR IS ABOUT YOUR SENSUALITY OVER OBJECTIVE SEX APPEAL
What makes you feel good, attractive, beautiful and sexy is what is sensual? That is what your Femininne Gaze Boudoir session will focus on. Not on some expectations of being a particular way because others think boudoir must be a particular way.
And example of this: Many people associate boudoir in general with nudity. My clients have a wide range of comfort levels with nudity - from wanting nudity as a big part of their session to not wanting to even get close to being nude. This is perfectly acceptable since nudity is not necessary to achieve sensual images. And it certainly isn’t necessary for beauty, confidence and emotional/personal strength. Plain and simple, it is not necessary for boudoir, although it is an option.
With a Feminine Gaze Boudoir session, you have control over the boundaries of your session - that is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for you to feel confident about what we do in the photo studio. Some of my clients use nudity in their images. Some of my clients don’t. And there is a lot of room to express your sensuality between fully clothed and fully or partially nude.
NOT ALL FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHERS PROVIDE FEMININE GAZE BOUDOIR
The long and short of it is, if your photographer is still using the traditional approach to boudoir of making images for someone else’s viewing pleasure, they are not giving you the Feminine Gaze Boudoir experience, even if they are female. Being a female photograper by itself is not having the Feminine Gaze.
This is because the Male Gaze dominated our culture for so long, and it dominates the way photographers are trained to present women in images, especially in the sesual and sexy genre of boudoir. There are many very talented and well meaning female photographers who provide technically well executed boudoir images that are still extremely objectifying of women.
But you should also keep in mind that there may be some cross-over between how you want to be seen and some traditional boudoir images. That’s okay, and the whole point of the feminine gaze is to allow you to be in charge of how you want to be seen!
ABOUT STRONG CONFIDENT FEMININITY:
Susan Beth of Strong Confident Femininity, is a boudoir photographer with a unique perspective. She photographs you how you want to be seen, instead of how you think your partner wants to see you. Because that’s the way you will feel best about your images and yourself. She celebrates the uniqueness and intimate beauty of your strong confident femininity with flattering, classy, tasteful, and stunning boudoir photographs.