These Stunning Boudoir Photos Celebrate the Sensuality of Postpartum Moms
Women have long had a terrible relationship with our postpartum bodies. Not only is it shocking at face value to see how our bodies have stretched and changed and held new life, but then we have outside voices telling us they’re supposed to snap back into form like a rubber band. But this is where the sub-genre of photography known as postpartum boudoir can serve as both art form and healing therapy to mothers and those who love them.
Boudoir photos are by definition sexy. They are traditionally photos of people in sexy underwear or lingerie, posing in a bedroom setting and taken for the gaze of someone else, or even many someones. But that’s not necessarily the case anymore. Many women and men hire photographers for boudoir sessions entirely for themselves. And this is definitely the case for the mothers and parents, including Teen Mom 2‘s Kailyn Lowry, who sign up for postpartum boudoir.
“Postpartum boudoir is about transforming your self-image and breaking through self-sabotaging and limiting beliefs you might have formed with the new you,” photographer Marisa Leigh of Intimately Yours in Los Angeles told SheKnows.
The act of putting on glamorous makeup, doing your hair, and then stripping down to lingerie in front of a photographer may sound alien and scary to many moms in those first months postpartum. But whether they do these sessions in those early weeks or months or years later, they report that overcoming that initial hurdle of fear and vulnerability is incredibly rewarding.
“Is it easy to do? No, but does it help? Yes,” Rami Thompson of Black Lace Boudoir in Virginia told us. “Women deserve to come in and have a whole day to leave worry at the door and just get a pampering makeover. I wish more women saw the beauty in themselves. Even after birth. That strength and courage it takes to give birth is something. Instead of running from it and hiding ourselves in shame we should be able to embrace ourselves in pride. We just gave birth to a tiny human who we help make for nine months.”
So, yeah, these sessions are self-care. But they are also undeniably sexy. Which is why we are very grateful for the photographers and women who agreed to share the following photos. The women in these photos have very different bodies from each other, different bodies from the ones they had before having babies, and different bodies from the ones we’ve been shown in magazines our whole lives. Maybe when we look in the mirror we may be tempted to scrutinize our own sagging pooch, a C-section scar, deflated breasts, or stretch marks. But if we look at these photos and recognize how sexy these mothers are — not just in spite of those new features but because of them — we can begin to see ourselves in this way too. Alyse Bourgeois of Louisiana’s Hello Vixen Boudoir let us know that there are lots of postpartum moms who do boudoir photos — about 80% of her clientele, she says — and that she loves hearing the unique “why” behind each story.
“Taking boudoir photos tells the world you no longer give a damn, you love yourself exactly as you are, and you’re ready to celebrate all of the amazing things your body does for you every day,” Ashley Biess of Artistrie Co. in Chicago told us.
Let’s celebrate these women who did so, and then do it for ourselves.
A version of this post was originally published in 2020.
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A Beautiful Place
This stunning shot was taken by Alyse Bourgeois of Hello Vixen Boudoir. “This momma wanted a photo of her postpartum tummy because she said even though it’s her biggest insecurity, it carried her baby, making it beautiful,” she told us.
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An Outdoor Boudoir
Image Credit: Marisa Leigh/Intimately Yours. “Postpartum boudoir is about putting you first. This small act can change everything. The amazing thing about putting you first, somehow everything else will always fall into place.” — Marisa Leigh, Intimately Yours, Los Angeles, photographing Helene
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Reevaluating Ourselves
Image Credit: Marisa Leigh/Intimately Yours. “No matter what happens in our lives, we need to always be checking in and evaluating the thoughts and beliefs we let run wild in our minds. Do you they make you feel good, or do they make you feel bad?” — Marisa Leigh
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Liberation
Image Credit: Marisa Leigh/Intimately Yours. “Liberate yourself from you fear. Break the shackles you’ve made in your mind. The more you shine, the more light shines on others.” — Marisa Leigh
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Love for Others Too
Image Credit: Marisa Leigh/Intimately Yours. “The more time you spend on loving yourself, somehow, some way, the love you have for others expands.” — Marisa Leigh
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Putting Herself First
Image Credit: Marisa Leigh/Intimately Yours. “Becoming a mother is so beautiful and all-consuming and it’s easy to get caught up in what you do for everyone else,” Leigh said. “Before you know it, you are last on your list. If you always are last on your list, it’s inevitable that the confidence and self-worth you once had will feel lost. In the absence of self-love, we will surely begin to fade away.”
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Owning Her Body
Image Credit: Marisa Leigh/Intimately Yours. “She wanted to brave a new love for her body that she had not owned before,” Leigh said of Helene. “I know these images made her feel liberated and she was very happy she did it.”
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Brave Move
Image Credit: Marisa Leigh/Intimately Yours. “Braving boudoir is a step forward in loving you, all of you,” Leigh said.
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Power in Photos
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “I think there’s something extremely powerful in photographing yourself in the skin you’re in, regardless where you’re at in life,” photographer Ashley Biess of Artistrie Co. in Chicago said. This is her client, Carmen.
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Better Than the Spa
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “The shoot was like going to the spa for the day only better,” Carmen said.
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Beyond Photography
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. Carmen loved “getting pampered by hair and makeup, enjoying some bubbly, and then being guided expertly by Ashley to make sure I looked and felt my best.”
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Time to Pause
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “I booked the shoot when I was five or six months postpartum,” Carmen explained.
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Making Space
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “For me, it was a gift to myself that allowed me to make space for myself during the season of life I was in.” — Carmen
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A Way Back
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “I struggled a lot with postpartum depression and anxiety, and doing this shoot led me back home to honor and love myself again,” Carmen said.
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A Woman’s Worth
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “We live in a world that sends women a consistent message that we should take up as little space as possible to be worth anything,” Ashley Biess said.
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A Maker of Life
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “Even after going through nine months of pregnancy, there’s this expectation that women need to get back to their ‘pre-baby weight,’ as if their appearances are more important than the fact that they just made human life.” — Ashley Biess
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A Pampering Experience
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “The shoot was more than just taking photos, it was a whole pampering experience,” Allison said of her shoot with Ashley Biess. “I had my hair and makeup done, drank mimosas, listened to music and relaxed, which was a real treat since I had a small baby at home. Ashley made sure I felt comfortable and though it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, I soon found myself enjoying it and feeling more confident! It was truly a very enjoyable experience and fun day.”
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A Special Moment in Time
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “I originally booked the shoot because our second wedding anniversary was coming up and I wanted to give a traditional ‘cotton’ gift,” Allison said. “But then as the shoot went on, and especially when I received the photos, I realized that these photos are living proof of the way I was feeling at the time. I had just had my first baby and I started to see my body in a whole new light.”
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What This Shoot Means
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “Pre-baby, I surely would have looked at the photos and found things that made me self-conscious. But postpartum, I look at the photos and feel like a goddess whose body has super-powers! I grew a human life and then nursed for 15 months!”
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Loving the Whole Package
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “Women’s bodies are amazing and we should celebrate that more! Every stretch mark or imperfection is worth it and now, I wear them all like a badge of honor.” — Allison
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Reflections to Keep
Image Credit: Ashley Biess/Artistrie Co. “I’m grateful to have these photos to look back on and remind myself of that feeling!” — Allison
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A Pick-Me-Up for Moms
Image Credit: Rami Thompson/Black Lace Boudoir. “Postpartum sessions are near and dear to my heart for many aspects,” Rami Thompson of Black Lace Boudoir in Fredericksburg, Va., said. “As a mother of three, I have struggled with postpartum depression with each of my babies. I know personally the hardships we women face after giving birth and dealing with the emotional side of it all. A boudoir session is amazing way to see ourselves in this new body and love our bodies. A lot of moms after giving birth are exhausted, drained, overwhelmed, depressed, in pain, and thinking of being ‘sexy’ is just not in their sight. I want to encourage more women to seek these sessions out because I truly believe in my heart that we all need a pick-me-up after birth.” Thompson’s client Elizabeth was three months postpartum here.
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Show What New Moms Can Do
Image Credit: Rami Thompson/Black Lace Boudoir. “When we showcase women embracing this new chapter in their bodies we are opening up a whole new light of postpartum. It proves that ANY woman can do this — that you can be sleep deprived and still show up and have beautiful images that are mind-blowing.” — Rami Thompson
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Why Women Sign Up for Boudoir
Image Credit: Rami Thompson/Black Lace Boudoir. “I think for each client the reason is always different,” Thomspon said. “The end result is the slightly the same. They just want to feel beautiful and see themselves the way they remember. Learning to love this new body after a child can be a very long and draining road. I remember working with a client back in 2015 who had her son three months before her session. She was struggling with depression and trying to balance motherhood with now two children under the ages of 3. Her husband reached out to me to tell me thank you for helping his wife find herself.”
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A Photographer You Can Trust
Image Credit: Rami Thompson/Black Lace Boudoir. “I think my personality of being genuine and my passion in what I do helps women feel comfortable,” Thompson said of how she prepares clients like Taylor (pictured) for their shoot. “For me it is all about building that trusting relationship with my clients. There is no way in hell women want to come into studio or wherever and get half-naked with someone they are unsure of or have barely spoken to. Being vulnerable is difficult, and it can be really scary. I think because I take the extra time to meet with my clients and talk with them throughout the entire planning process, whether it be email, call, or in-person, my clients come in feeling comfortable. They may be nervous, but they leave skipping with confidence. To me that is what makes any women feel sexy.”
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How Postpartum Boudoir Is Different
Image Credit: Rami Thompson/Black Lace Boudoir. “I think the rawness of the experience sets it apart,” Thompson said. “Seeing yourself in lingerie or half-naked can be a shock after having a baby. Letting someone else see us like that is even harder. What I love about these sessions is it really takes us out of this mindset that we aren’t beautiful anymore and shows us that we are just as beautiful as before. Every session I do means something to me. Each client has special place in my heart. I love that I get to help women share their stories and embrace their bodies in a place that is safe and free of judgment.”
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Sexy in Any Setting
Image Credit: Molly Grunewald Photography. This photograph is from an empowering group session Detroit-based photographer Molly Grunewald did with a diverse group of women. It’s not in a bedroom, nor are the women slinking around in traditional poses, but their sexiness still shines from within.
“I’ll be honest, posing in my underwear 16 weeks postpartum is daunting,” new mom Francisca said in Grunewald’s blog post about the shoot. “I had this comedic assumption that once I delivered, I would begin the ‘road to recovery.’ I dreamt of the day I could be in my living room, doing pushups while smooching my little babe on each descent. I would do yoga while he napped, answer emails as he drank from my breast, and read him to sleep with our library of books. (I would like to insert an audible LOL here). I slept while standing out of sheer exhaustion, I showered if and when I remembered. … Every day, I look at my body — soft, loose, and unfamiliar — with a question mark above my head as if I were in a cartoon. When will I finally go back to normal?”
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