Tips for ditching the “I feel uncomfortable in my own body” feeling

Before we dive into practicing photoshoot face expressions and posing for your boudoir session – I want to remind you that you’re worthy of admiration. And booking a boudoir experience is a beautiful way to embrace this. You deserve to feel gorgeous, admired and feminine, sometimes we just need a little help to ditch the “I feel uncomfortable in my own body” feeling.

Tip #1: Practice your photoshoot face expressions

There’s three core boudoir poses that I’ll help you get into during your photoshoot. In two of them, you won’t even need to look into the camera, however I still recommend practising your photoshoot face expressions.

The one pose where you will be looking into the camera is lying down. I recommend undressing down to your underwear (or naked – whatever you’re comfortable with!) and lie down, facing a mirror. You can bend one leg up towards your torso to make your lower back more comfortable. Spend a minute or two gazing at your reflection, actively shutting down any, “I feel uncomfortable in my own body” thoughts – allowing them to wash over you and be replaced by kindness.

You can support your chin with one arm or both as you swap between smiling, laughing and holding a gentle gaze with a soft, neutral expression. Don’t necessarily try to pull a sexy face, as this can cause us to close off or even look bored – instead opt for a cheeky smile or gently biting your lip. Even breathing through your mouth can help keep your facial expressions light and inviting!

Tip #2: If the “I feel uncomfortable in my own body” thought is consuming you, take your top off

The second pose I’ll have you do is usually always topless. You can be completely nude or wearing lingerie, but either way you’ll need to challenge any negative thoughts. Practising being topless and staring at yourself in the mirror can help you feel more confident with hand placement and your body shape. Play around with covering your breasts, running your hands through your hair and hovering one hand around your chin. Have fun with this and once again, embrace an admiration mindset as you take in your reflection.

Tip #3: Still feeling nervous? You can look away

I have a lot of fun and lighthearted prompts that I’ll give you during your session to help soften your photoshoot face expressions. However if you’re feeling particularly intimidated by the lens, we can warm up with plenty of looking-away photos. The third and final pose I’ll always include is taken while you’re kneeling on a bed. It’s a perfect warm up pose as you can be looking up, away or even have your eyes closed – and regardless it always photographs beautifully!

Don’t let photoshoot face expressions stand in the way of your boudoir experience – you’re worthy of admiration and I’ll be there every step of the way.

I hope you found this blog helpful in challenging those negative “I feel uncomfortable in my own body” thoughts and practising your photoshoot face expressions. For more BTS boudoir and empowering tips, follow me over on Instagram @maru_collective. You can also enquire about booking your own boudoir experience here.