On a Paris Rooftop: A Boudoir Photoshoot and Freedom of Self-Expression
Black and White Nude Boudoir Portraits with Soft Shadows
If you know me, you’re aware there’s nothing I love more than traveling and taking photos. I find inspiration everywhere I go, but Europe as a whole, and France, in particular, hold a special place in my heart.
If you know me, you’re aware there’s nothing I love more than traveling and taking photos. I find inspiration everywhere I go, but Europe as a whole, and France, in particular, hold a special place in my heart.
Being in France feels like breathing in an overwhelming sense of liberation. There’s a palpable happiness for the women here, who are unapologetically themselves. Let me share a story of my first visit to France, where I saw a couple of women at a beach in the South. They were in their mid 50s-60s, soaking up the sun with their tops off. My surprise was not about what I saw, but rather where I was. For a moment, I wondered if I’d accidentally stumbled onto a nudist beach. But no, I was on a regular beach in an extraordinary country where women’s freedom shines.Traveling to Europe over the years, I’ve learned that nobody looks down on a woman who chooses to go topless at the beach, nobody cares if you wear a bra or if your nipple is peeking out from under your shirt, and more importantly, nobody minds if you are breastfeeding in public or not.
To put it simply, a woman here is not viewed as a sexual object, and if her living her life makes anyone uncomfortable, that’s their problem, not hers.
I’m not suggesting that we should all walk around naked. Rather, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could collectively embrace the idea that a woman’s body can exist without being sexualized? When you really consider it, we all have the same body parts, similar shapes, and sizes that differ ever so slightly. Feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable simply because you live in a place that passes judgment feels profoundly unfair.
As women, we don’t often consciously get to decide how we view ourselves. Society, governments, and religions do that for us. Therefore, it’s crucial to find or create a place where you can thrive instead of enslaving your life to the opinions of others. I hope you choose the former.
“Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own. ”
