Boudoir Photos Boost Body Confidence

At Levana Bratique, we pride ourselves in finding productsthat are not only supportive but also beautiful. When a local customer, SaraLeitara, came in for a fitting and told us she wanted lingerie for boudoirshots, we were thrilled to help her out and learn about this empoweringprocess!

Sara saw an advertisement online for a Valentine's Dayspecial: hour-long boudoir sessions as a gift for partners. Sara found theconcept intriguing. After seeing the ad, she started really thinking about howshe viewed herself. Sara realized her self-confidence had taken a dive sincegaining weight from the pregnancies of her 2 sons (aged 4.5 and 1.5). She also realized she had nothing sexy to wear in the pictures. She'sstill breastfeeding her toddler and says, "my breasts haven't been proppedup by a fancy bra in 5 years. They were grazing the ground!"

Sara signed up for the boudoir shots to surprise her husbandand headed to Levana Bratique for a fitting, something she'd beenprocrastinating for ages. The fitting was an emotional experience for Sara, whocan't explain why she put it off, even after 2 breast cancer scares and a sternwarning from the breast care center to buy a more supportive bra. She didattempt to get fitted at plus-size stores and department stores, but nobody hadbeen able to measure her properly or point her toward a bra that fit. Sara walked inwearing a 44C with no underwire, a size she'd been wearing for a decade.

Judy fit Sara into 38G and gave her options for sexy braslike the Tulip Lace bra (pictured in black) and the Scarlet Bra, which Sara chose for her photosession. (Sara notes that the lacy bras aren't just sexy--they are comfortable enough to wear all the time. Just as comfortable as the wire-free bras she used to buy.)

After her fitting, Sara says, "I felt like I was inhigh school again. I had this aha! moment where I thought this is where my breasts are supposed to be. This is what I'm supposedto feel like." 

Because she no longer had a too-big band riding up, Sara'sclothes fit better, she looked thinner because her breasts were higher, and inher sexy, lacy bras, she says, 

"I must have just forgotten what being awoman was like because I was in such a state of 'momhood' I forgot about myselfand my own body."

Sara headed into her photo shoot feeling sexy and nervous,but her photographer helped her feel immediately comfortable and worked withSara to emphasize parts of her body that she felt most confident about. Whilethe session was an hour long, Sara says a big part of the experience was buyingthe sexy bras and choosing outfits (which she did surrounded by cryingchildren).

As soon as she got the email that her proofs were ready,Sara couldn't wait to show her husband, who absolutely loved the images and thelingerie. She says, "He thought it was fabulous that I did that for himand he felt really special…but it was also a gift for me. The bras brought itto a whole new level and I'm just so comfortable."

A month after the experience, Sara says she's still ridinghigh from the whole experience. Just the act of taking time to be a sexypartner, deliberately selecting outfits for sexy, tasteful images, and caringfor herself by buying well-fitting bras helped her to feel like a more completeperson. Sara, who works as a realtor here in Pittsburgh, says,"I feel like I can be a mom and a professional and a partner, like I have a complex and layered identity."She says feeling good in one facet of her life has spilled over into all theother areas, too.

And it was a good thing she had practiced feeling comfortablein front of the camera. This year, Sara was selected as one of the faces of NorthwoodRealty. She shot a television commercial for work, wearing her new bras, of course.

Are you looking for some sexy bras to reclaim that piece of your identity? We've got you covered, no matter what your cup size.  

All images courtesy of Angela Kenbok Photography.