Danielle: Badass Anishinaabe Ikwe
There is nothing more powerful than a woman speaking up and taking up space, Danielle is a fearless and gentle woman who does just that. I feel so honoured and grateful that Danielle went through with this session and trusted me to capture her strength and beauty.
Many people have anxiety about the session and being vulnerable in front of someone photographing them intimately but what is often overlooked is the reveal of your images. Seeing the final product can bring up so many emotions, excitement, doubt, insecurity, pride. It’s a complicated mix of emotions that needs to be handled delicately, with someone to guide you and remind you of why you are celebrating yourself and all you have been through. It’s important to see those images, appreciate them and still choose them even if they give you some discomfort because given some time and space I bet you will be able to look back at those images with much kinder eyes.
Boudoir images must be handled with care, this is why my clients have an image reveal over zoom or in person. If left alone with your thoughts and without a guiding hand your mind can start to spiral and revert back to the old ways of thinking.
Enough from me, take your time and read Danielles word’s below she tells it so much better!
What inspired you to apply for the creative content call?I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I have never participated in a boudoir shoot before and have always wanted to but did not feel comfortable in my own body to do so. I have been on a journey of healing by participating in traditional ceremony for the last four years and in this journey I am learning to love myself which encompasses my body, my mind and my spirit.
What story or message did you want to convey?I wanted to convey that I am a strong Anishinaabe Ikwe (woman), that I am a beautiful, sexy and powerful Ikwe and that colonial beauty standards are bullshit. I am a badass Ikwe that has worked my ass off to fight against white supremacy and speak up for Indigenous ways of being, seeing and healing and I will continue to do this heart work in a good way.
Why was doing this important to you? What did this session mean or symbolize to you?It was important for me to push myself outside of my comfort zone and it symbolizes for me to keep pushing myself. I do not fit the colonized beauty standard and this always deterred me from wanting to have photos of me like this out in the world because I would be criticized on all levels. This session symbolized me taking my power and owning that I am this beautiful, sexy, powerful but yet humble Ikwe.
How did you feel before and during your session?I was very nervous prior to the session, I was questioning why I was doing it but was determined to step out of my comfort zone. During the session it took me a while to feel comfortable with showing my skin and body but as we continued I started to feel more comfortable. I saw a couple posts from the session and immediately felt scared because of my body dysmorphia thinking but I got a pep talk from Desiree which I am extremely grateful for <3 During my reveal I saw these pictures and I will be honest I did some negative self talk but as we went I kept combating that negative thinking and started to think in a loving way and how courageous of me to take part in such a special session and there are pictures I loved and some I am scared of but will own because I am a beautiful, sexy, powerful Ikwe.
What effect did this session have on your self love journey?It has motivated me to stay on the path of self love and keep on this journey of being gentle with myself and challenging the colonial standards of what beauty is. I have carried babies in my womb and birthed babies and what a powerful beautiful journey that is. I do not need to live in a thin body to have worth, I am worthy in this body I have that is not the colonial standard and I am a bad ass powerful Ikwe.
What was your favourite part of the experience? I think my favorite part was getting my make up done and doing the actual session of taking pictures, the feeling of getting out of that comfort zone and pushing forward.
What would you say to someone else nervous about booking a boudoir session or someone nervous about their body?I would say own who you are on all levels, do not let your negative self talk and doubt make you sit out on doing this for yourself. It is a beautiful experience.
How did you your images make you feel?I was shy seeing myself in a different way, at the end I was in awe of myself and very proud.
What was your biggest takeaway from this experience?To keep pushing myself and keep doing things out of my comfort zone.
Any final thoughts you would like to share with others about your session or experience?It was a lovely experience <3 Thank you to Lynn for giving me a safe space to take part in this and taking such beautiful pictures <3 Thank you Desiree for the encouragement and bomb ass makeup <3
