Boudoir...where did it come from?

Boudoir is french for a woman's private bedroom/dressing room. Long ago, in the early 1920s, boudoir photography was considered tasteless and disgraceful. While it was intended to capture the beauty of a woman's figure and emotions. Many saw this as a unrealistic or inappropriate explorations of her body. This was back when women were laughed at, mocked, shamed, and not treated equally (or fairly). And during this time, it was actually illegal.

Albert Arthur Allen, and American based photographer was wrapped in scandal because his style of nude photography wasn't quite acceptable (example of his work shown above). In fact, so much so that he was indicted for sending obscene materials through mail and spent years in litigation. All of which was eventually dropped. **Eye roll**

Fast forward to the mid-1930's and 40's. Pinup girls, *whistles*. Before Marilyn Monroe, there was Betty Grable (pictured above). Betty was the face of the iconic pin-up-girl-look that was created in the 30's and 40's, right around the beginning of WWII FACT: Our government actually used a pin-up of Betty as propaganda to persuade young men to enlist into the war! Do you remember those bomber plans with the pin-ups on the noses? Yup...

Women then started commissioning their own pin-up drawings and photographs to send to their husbands away at war as motivation for their safe return home. Betty's work did so much more than just becoming the government's pin-up girl. Betty was also the highest-paid actress and woman in her time.

When the 50's rolled around Marilyn Monroe became a pretty household name. Some would argue that Marilyn kicked off the sexual liberation of women. While she is one of many women, Marilyn definitely normalized female sexuality and is still a household name 50+ years later. But, it wasn't just the photos that made her so popular and intriguing. Marilyn was outspoken, charismatic, humorous, and embraced herself with ease, resulting in the entire world falling in love with her.

After that, boudoir picked up and more and more women started participating in the trend. These women paved the way for modern-day boudoir. Today, while some people are still uncomfortable with the idea of having a boudoir session. Boudoir is widely accepted in today's standards. We see women all over social media, magazines, and in movies embracing their bodies and flaunting their stuff! Women have a variety of reasons why they chose to do a boudoir session. It may be a gift for a significant other or celebrating a milestone in life. However, a surprising number of women take these photos just for themselves. One thing that happens with all women is that boudoir sessions allows them to see themselves differently. There is an unexpected journey that clients go through from planning stages, showing up the day of their session with great bravery and finally putting their own self-criticisms aside to truly appreciate the beauty that has always been there.

Boudoir is booming more than ever. So... what are you waiting for? Become part of boudoir history and book your session!