Short answer... absolutely the hell not.

Long winded preachy answer....

I'm almost 45 years old. 

When I was in my 20s, I was so incredibly self conscious. I was always too xyz for me to love my body. Too skinny, too pale, too bloated, too whatever. In my teens, the skinny part had me in a chokehold. I hide myself under layer after layer, which wasn't easy seeing as I went to a Catholic high school with a very strict dress code.

I was too flat chested. My arms and legs were too skinny. All of that played into my brain all through high school, not to mention me being quite literally sneered at and called a "fucking anorexic" more times than I can count. Leading me to not wear shorts until I was in my 30s. 

When I hit bar age, I was still too flat chested and my arms were too skinny, but the bars were hotttt. So I started on my tank top obsession. One I still have today. I just laughed off the inevitable comments about how thin my arms were and how pale my skin was.

After I had my kids, my legs filled out a bit. Not a lot, but enough that I didn't get the skinny leg comments as much, so shorts started getting worn. At home, mostly. I still struggled with going out in public in shorts. 

But then I left my husband and met a man who absolutely LOVED my legs. Worshipped them, really. So I started to be more and more comfortable and ventured into that big scary world with shorts on.

I'm absolutely NOT saying I got more confidence because of a man. Fuck that. HOWEVER, it did help. It's more of the fact that it dawned on me that maybe my ex stole any confidence I could have been building. But that's a conversation for another day.

I did my first boudoir session for myself when I was 35. When I was 36, I had my boobs done, and that absolutely helped to bolster my confidence. And I've had my boudoir taken more than a few times since. I am lucky to be surrounded by our areas most talented photographers, and I trust them, namely my hair and makeup/photographer/jack of all trades friend, Frances, with my life.

As I said, I'm almost 45 and I have MORE confidence now than I have ever had in my whole life. So why would I NOT use that and get my sessions done? 

I'm not getting any younger.  But as I age, I love myself more. I give less of a fuck about how people see me. I SEE ME. I see every line and wrinkle. I see myself age and become more and more beautiful. I love myself more, not only esthetically, but who I am as a person. As a mother. As a partner. As a friend.

I spent way too long in my younger years hating myself. SO why should I not have gorgeous photos of myself now, simply because I'm over 40? I'll be doing these photos till my back can't arch anymore! 

So should you. 

Like Moira Rose said...

"Then allow me to offer you some advice: Take a thousand, naked pictures of yourself now. You may currently think, 'Oh, I'm too spooky.' Or, 'Nobody wants to see these tiny boobies.' But, believe me, one day you will look at those photos with much kinder eyes and say, 'Dear God, I was a beautiful thing!' "

Photo credit - ALL done by Frances Roberts