In search of a “true” definition of boudoir

I was doing what I normally do, which is avoiding work and doomscrolling Facebook, when I came across these great images of a couple models from Kenya in lingerie.

Or at least, I assume that’s where they’re from, as that’s where the photographer was from. They’re great.

He’s posted the results, as well as a behind the scenes on his youtube channel. You can go check them out, if you like.

You’ll note that he doesn’t call the images “Boudoir”, just lingerie. But because he posted it in a boudoir group, the first comment on his post was: “Maybe I don’t understand the true definition of boudoir.”

And there you go, another reason why my relationship with the way many people define boudoir is rocky.

Because if you’re looking for the “true” definition of boudoir, it means a sitting room (or pouting room) in 19th century France. AND IT CAN MEAN NOTHING ELSE.

But language? It evolves and changes. That's what language does. That's what art does. I was just listening to John McWhortor’s Lexicon Valley, and he was talking about this idea we have that art is a fixed thing in societies that are less developed than ours. He talks about how people visited a remote village that hadn’t been visited for dozens of years. They went up to the basket weavers, and asked why their baskets didn’t look the same as the baskets that had been collected years earlier. “That was the way our parents made baskets,” was the response. “This is how we make baskets.”

Things change. 100 years ago, boudoir photography was shorthand for "risque pictures for the male gaze." In the 1970s, it was all about the feather boas. In the 80s, it was glam. These days, there's a lot of people using boudoir to empower women as opposed to exploit them.

Does boudoir mean shot in a bedroom? Then what happens if you go to a studio with a bed in it? That's just a pretend bedroom. Does it need a bed? What if I shoot on a chaise lounge instead? Does that mean it’s not boudoir?

My goal is explore different visions of not just what boudoir photography is, but photography in general. It is to observe and experience how other people see the world and interpret the idea of taking pictures of people, rather than to police what they do and find a way to put everybody into the same box. That seems to me a boring way to be.

I solved the problem of people saying what I do is not “true” boudoir by calling what I do "beyond boudoir." Rather than looking for a "true definition" of boudoir, my goal is to be open to new ways to interpret the word. To watch how other people are shooting, and bring from them new ideas and incorporating the things that resonate with me into my vision.

And it’s looking at other styles of photography, especially fashion, and taking from others tools that will help me create my unique vision.

Because my goal in doing this is not to take and put my clients into a box and say “only that which is inside this box is beautiful.” Instead, I want to show the things that make them beautiful and celebrate that.