Leanne - Fuck Diet Culture
Creative Boudoir Photoshoot - Winnipeg, MB -
Storyline:
A beautiful plus size woman who has been dismissed, bullied and minimized by people who want her to fit societal standards. She endures the pain and sadness, feeling no choice but to dislike her body and want to change/shrink herself into fitting the mold. After years of self loathing and trying to lose herself she begins to find herself and her worth. She emerges from a state of insecurity and wanting to hide to become a woman who is powerful, undeniable, and worthy
The idea of projecting the magazine headlines onto her body was inspired by the idea that the way we think we should look and be is projected on us by society and diet culture is constantly forced upon us. As a bigger woman myself I can say that people assume you should be trying to lose weight or hate yourself. People make comments like “You’re so brave!” for doing a boudoir photoshoot when you aren’t “thin”, but we are simply existing and trying to love and value ourselves as we are.
Every single one of us deserves to feel good about ourselves, we are all worthy of self love. No matter what!
This is part of the reason that my photography will always be photoshop free! The only thing I change on your body is anything that will be gone in 2 weeks like pimples or bruises. It’s time we embrace the rest!
Read what Leanne had to say about her session:
What inspired you to apply for the creative content call?When I saw the post for the creative content call it was a no brainer for me to apply. I think for a lot of us, especially if you’re more of a homebody like I am, we tend to say no to things without thinking of the actual long-term effects this has on us as a person. By even attempting to put myself out there by clicking “send” without knowing if I’d be chosen or not it was like preemptively giving my future self a chance to experience something I may have said no to.
What story or message did you want to convey?Lynn came up with a great concept based on my experiences which I know is relatable to many. I’ve come a long way on my journey to love myself. I’ve been told my whole life in one way or another that I’m not conventionally “beautiful” by friends, family, strangers, clothing stores, magazines, etc. It’s honestly frustrating and exhausting to constantly have negativity thrown in your face. For me, the important message to convey is that even when the pressure makes you want to scream, accepting who you are for everything that you are will be the ultimate inner transformation and makes you feel like the god(dess) you were born to be.
Why was doing this important to you? What did this session mean or symbolize to you?It was really important for me to step out of my comfort zone bubble and be an inspiration to people. It symbolized photographic evidence of my self-love journey.
How did you feel before and during your session?Not gonna lie, I was nervous excited. Since I’ve never done anything like this before I wasn’t sure what to expect. Lynn was down to earth and that relaxed me immediately and then once Sandy arrived to do my makeup with her bubbly personality it felt like the three of us were just having a normal everyday conversation. And once it was just me and Lynn I was comfortable to just follow through with her lead. I loved when she said if it feels weird and unnatural, you’re doing it right. Once it was done I was kind of disappointed, I wanted the day to keep going!
What effect did this session have on your self love journey?It proved to me that there’s always room for more growth. As far as I had already come on my self love journey, I went even further during the session. I was amazed that I didn’t have a moment of hesitation or self-consciousness. And since the session I’ve continued to carry that.
What was your favourite part of the experience? My favorite part was the easy rapport I developed with Lynn and how I trusted her to create this storytelling experience. She used every inch of her studio to put it all together and it was so great to see her imagination and creativity
What would you say to someone else nervous about booking a boudoir session or someone nervous about their body?I’d say it’s okay to be nervous. Unfortunately society has enabled us to be nervous and uncomfortable in our own skin. I think we all owe it to ourselves to push through that level of discomfort and realize that if we pay attention to societies perceived normals we’ll never feel worthy.
How did you your images make you feel?I blushed! Haha. The projector images were so powerful. I’m not even sure I can even describe it well enough. The emotion Lynn was able to capture on my face was stunning. The more classic boudoir photos made me feel super sexy. I’m used to being told I’m “cute” so to have a different side of me photographically captured was very special. The “goddess” pictures made me feel transformed. Like I deserve to be dressed in a silk toga for the rest of my life and never let anyone question me why.
What was your biggest takeaway from this experience?The confidence boost. I want to wear lingerie everyday even under regular clothes! I keep thinking of when I should do it again :P
Any final thoughts you would like to share with others about your session or experience?Everyone I’ve told has said something along the lines of “you’re so brave”, “I could never”, “maybe when I lose some weight” but if not now then when? You’re always going to find an excuse or reason not to and then maybe one day when you finally do it you’ll wish you’d done it sooner. Don’t put it off. Release your inner god(dess) and throw caution to the wind! Trust Lynn, she won’t lead you astray.
