I'm a boudoir photographer who does not have plus size poses. Here are 3 reasons why.
“Do you have any plus size poses?”
“I would love to see some plus size poses!”
“What about poses for plus size?”
I get some variation of these questions on nearly every spicy selfie posing tutorial that I post (and I have shared hundreds of posing videos), but my answer has always been and always will be the same:
No, I do not have plus size poses.
Let me tell you why.
1. “Plus Size Poses” is code for “Poses to make someone look smaller”
Search online for “plus size poses” or “plus size posing tips” and I’m sure you’ll find lots of advice like:
Always photograph from above!
Never face the camera straight on, always a 45 degree angle!
Keep elbows away from the body to slim arms!
Use wardrobe to hide insecurities!
The point of ALL OF THIS ADVICE is to hide the size of someone’s body and reinforces the idea that taking up space is bad.
What’s worse is that so many boudoir photographers repeat these same tips to newer photographers, and it all completely defeats the purpose of boudoir!
As your boudoir photographer, I am not here to help you hide parts of yourself. I am not here to reinforce all the bullshit that society has fed you all of your life that your body is wrong.
Your body is a work of fucking art. Your body deserves to be shown off. Your body deserves to be embraced and loved exactly as it is.
And above all, you do not need to hide the size of your body in order to look sexy.
2. Having “Plus Size Poses” is reinforcing all the negative beliefs about your body that I am supposed to be helping you heal.
Since plus size posing generally means making people look smaller, hiding parts of their body that society has taught them to hate, or learning how to “flatter” their body (again…code for make it look thinner 🙄)…
By assuming right off the bat that you want to hide those things, I would literally just be re-confirming all those shitty beliefs that you’ve gained about your body over the course of your entire life! Beliefs which you are actively trying to undo by coming to me for a boudoir session.
That’s why I ask every one of my boudoir clients three questions:
What do you LOVE about your body?
Is there anything about your body that you struggle to love, but WANT to love and see differently? (because I also do not assume that just because you’re insecure about something, you want to hide it!)
Is there anything about your body that you would like me to de-emphasize in your photos?
This way, I can select poses that are specifically crafted to help you celebrate those things you love and see your body in a newer, more neutral, and more positive light.
It’s not about body size — it’s about what you personally want to celebrate, see differently, or minimize, and it would not be fair or right for me to assume anything based on your size.
3. Plus size folks can do all the same poses that straight size folks can do (and look hot AF doing them)
The size of your body does not determine if a pose is for you. All that matters is if you feel good, hot, sexy, and confident doing it.
And of course I have modifications for poses, like if someone is unable to kneel, can’t arch their back, has lower flexibility levels, or even if they use mobility aids!
But none of the modifications are based on the size of your body.
