PHYSICALITY #bodyconfidence (The Flash)

Posted on January 30, 2014 in 30 Dates

Here at the #30DatesBlog it’s Body Confidence Week, and it’s time for Flash, our resident photographer to contribute 🙂

Firstly with a short post about the best way to make a subject’s body look great. I’ll post her second, more personal post in a second, but I definitely recommend clicking on the India.Arie music video selected by The Flash too 🙂

Miss Twenty-Nine xxx

Body confidence is an issue close to my heart.

As a photographer of bodies (that sounds weird, eh? I mean during weddings … and sometimes in people’s bedrooms, but more of that another time… I can honestly say that everybody looks good when they’re confident!

Almost without fail, people always say to me before a photoshoot that they don’t look good in pictures, and don’t photograph well.

I never believe them.

And, to date, I’ve never had someone who was right.

I’ve found that if you can draw a woman out, and give her the permission to enjoy herself and feel good in her own skin, that character and personality is what makes a person shine and makes their bodies look great.

It’s one of the biggest tragedies that women aren’t allowed to truly enjoy their own bodies in this society.

Think about it, when did you last feel able to say “I look great in this dress!” out loud, without following it with a self-deprecating comment?

Interviews with female celebrities in style magazines almost always contain the killer question: “What would you change about your body?”.

We’re conditioned to feel bad about ourselves, and see it as arrogant to be at all proud about looking good. How ridiculous is that?!

I’ve got lots more to say, so I will separate out my personal feelings about my own body into a second post. And one about the representation of women in the media and how images are made. But for now I’ll leave you with this wonderful song from India Arie which I think beautifully demonstrates body confidence!