Let’s talk a bit about body shaming, shall we? Oh, you guys are going to LOVE this…
Today I had a lovely girl come in for a boudoir consultation. She’s a beautiful girl, very sweet, and a nice small size 8. We hit it off well as I showed her my sample albums and we talked about wardrobe and what her goals are for the photos. I asked her if there’s anything about her body she’d like to downplay, and she told me about some skin issues she has, so we discussed skin smoothing in Photoshop. Then she told me what the last photographer she met with said to her…
She met with another local boudoir photographer, who is also female. The photographer asked her the same question, and when the client told her about her skin issues, the photographer said …
Wait for it …
“What about that pudge on your stomach right there?” as she pointed.
I know, I can’t believe it either! And she’s a WOMAN! She should know how it feels to have someone tell her she’s too fat. My client said the photographer was very insulting in more ways than that. That’s not the only word she used for her, and rightly so.
I don’t care how large a woman is, or what body problems she has (and trust me when I say this girl doesn’t have any body problems), it’s our job as photographers to make them feel welcome and beautiful. It’s also our job to flatter her with posing and lighting, not point out flaws and promise to Photoshop them out. First off, if a photographer has to Photoshop excessively, they’re not a very good photographer.
I’m very offended by what happened to this girl. I’m overweight and DO have body problems, and I’ve struggled with an eating disorder since I was 17. If this had happened to me, it would’ve triggered my eating disorder for sure. What if a girl has major emotional problems when it comes to body image and she goes to this photographer and hears an insult about her body? Women can be very seriously depressed about things like that. Young girls kill themselves over body image problems. Seriously, THINK about what you’re going to say before you open your mouth.
I’m very excited to work with this client, and I know she’s going to feel beautiful and sexy. I’m HONORED to be chosen by her as her photographer. 🙂