Boudoir inspiration: A letter to mid-20s Marie-Ann

At the end of 2025 I slipped on a pair of silky white french knickers and stood (nearly naked) in a field of sunflowers. Not just because I love sunflowers, but to be my own boudoir inspiration. To bare all, feel gorgeous and look at my body through kinder eyes – since that’s what I spend most of my time telling the brave, gorgeous women who trust me with their boudoir experiences.

Except I felt bloated (yes, my uterus chose to betray me with an early period…), had just spent days indulging on Christmas food and thanks to some whacky weather, already rescheduled my boudoir shoot TWICE.

It was now or never. Bloat, tummy cramps, Christmas ham and all.

Was I worried that my insecurities would be highlighted? Absolutely.

Was I worried that my soft tummy was feeling a little extra soft? Yes, more worried than I care to admit.

Did I think back to the boudoir photoshoot I did in my mid-20s and wish I had her spontaneous,child-free, yes-yes-yes energy again? A little.

Except, it also got me thinking about what my boudoir inspiration for that photoshoot was. For starters, I was fully nude. And while the nudity was implied (i.e. no bare boobs), the photos were taken by a male photographer and in the end, it didn’t feel like those images were actually for me.

💋 Read On, Darling: Is a Modest Boudoir Photoshoot Possible?

It was rushed. My final gallery was so airbrushed and retouched my skin barely looked real. I didn’t even look really real. The photos look so NOT-me, they didn’t even represent who mid-20s Marie-Ann was. Or what set her heart alight. Or how she expressed her sensuality and channelled her chaos.

So, was she really my boudoir inspiration?

Or was I a bit too caught up on her smaller body? A body which hadn’t carried and birthed two beautiful babies yet (let alone gone through postpartum depression). A body who hadn’t discovered a fitness journey fuelled by wanting strong 60-year-old bones; not an unhealthy obsession with skinniness.

A body that I’ve now come to accept and celebrate for how she carries me through all the different versions of what it means to be a woman.
Suddenly, my expectations felt ridiculous. Playing the comparison game with a version of myself nearly 2 decades younger? At the end of the day, I couldn’t take my belly out, leave it on the ground under the shade of a sunflower and then put it back after my boudoir experience.
It’s a part of me. There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect size’ and there never will be.

And what did I learn after my own boudoir experience?

That my body changing has never, ever been a bad thing. That I love my soft belly and cute rolls and with the right number of sunflowers, they actually look really hot in photos (a big thanks to Chimi from Wilde Boudoir Inspiration for helping me capture it all!).

Because my softness is mine and it’s going to be there forever. And making peace with my body, in all her strength and changing shapes, is the biggest act of feminine rebellion I’ve ever made.

Be bold my girl gang. Go grab a sunflower by the stem, put your laciest bra on and be your own boudoir inspiration!

Marie-Ann x

P.S. Obviously, I’ll be over here hanging out, camera in hand, ready to make your own boudoir experience completely unforgettable. I offer Maitland boudoir photography from my home studio, or we can organise something at a location of your choice.

Button/CTA: BE BOLD – BOOK YOUR BOUDOIR!

BE BOLD – BOOK YOUR BOUDOIR!