By definition, Boudoir means “a woman’s bedroom or private room”. Although this is a great representation of what boudoir is, it is not necessarily all that boudoir is. Boudoir is not simply a location. Boudoir cannot be found on a map.  Boudoir is that sacred place you hold dear to your heart that you run to when you need a moment with yourself. A place we go to, either mentally or physically, that gives us a feeling of serenity. Boudoir is intimate. Boudoir is you.
More often than not, people associate boudoir with pin-up. Some even believe that there are no differences between the two. This could not be more untrue. Boudoir and pin-up have almost no similarities. The only similarity being that both are intended to flatter a woman’s body, but for different reasons. Pin-up, by definition, means “a poster showing a famous person or sex symbol, designed to be displayed on a wall.”
In the late 19th century, burlesque performers and actresses often used photographic advertisement as business cards to promote themselves when they were working in clubs. Boudoir is in NO WAY, self advertisement. Pin-ups were artwork depicting idealized versions of what some thought a particularly beautiful and feminine woman should look like. Boudoir isn’t ever about being appealing to anyone else. It’s about you, idealizing the beauty in yourself.

Boudoir isn’t for professional models. Boudoir is for YOU. The woman who wakes up in the morning wanting to see her beauty in a different way than she does everyday. Boudoir is for the woman who lives the everyday life and wants to feel the spark inside of herself that she once felt long ago. Boudoir is for every woman who thinks this experience could help her see something in herself that others promise her is there, but she struggles to see. Sexiness. Beauty. Fierceness. All of things are meant to be felt by you, not anyone else.

Pin-up requires UNNATURAL posing. Pin-up is very literal. Just like a photo pinned up on a wall, this style of photography is something you could find at a store that sells posters, magnets and beer sleeves. Could you find an intimate photograph, flattering your every curve and dimple, in a generic store? Absolutely not.  Your boudoir experience is not intended to make you any sort of sex symbol. Boudoir is about you as an individual. I would never pose you in a way intended to attract male attention. I pose you in a way that attracts YOUR attention.

Boudoir is not about proving to anyone that you are sexy. This experience is about expressing your own unique beauty in your photographs. Not conforming to the beauty standards of any other person.  The pin-up style is an art of seduction.  The pin-up girl was created to win the adoration of men across the country. Not to win over the adoration of yourself. Boudoir is an art form that really revolves around individuality. Although very fun and playful, pin-up on its own is not an intimate art form. There is a real feeling of connection in boudoir that one simply does not feel from a pin-up style photo.

In boudoir photography, you can actually FEEL the intimacy radiating out of your photos. They are very personal. They are about loving yourself, at any height or weight. Boudoir is not about having a tiny waist and perky breasts. Self-love is a very important aspect of your boudoir experience. Boudoir is about loving your body just the way it is, because it is the body that you live in.