Why empowerment isn't about perfection
Most women arrive at their empowerment session saying some variation of "I'm so nervous" or "I'm so awkward in photos" or "I hope you can photoshop this, this and this" whilst actively looking for an escape route.
There's this expectation that an empowerment session is for women who already feel confident. Women who know how to carry themselves, love attention, own a wardrobe full of flowy dresses and can majestically twirl through fields of flowers like they're in a perfume ad.
The reality is, most women don't feel like that.
Every woman on this planet is actively going through something. Some are coming out of heartbreak, some are trying to reconnect with themselves outside of motherhood. Some are celebrating a milestone or entering a new chapter or healing from something that hurt. Most don't fully know why they book, just that they feel a pull towards doing something for themselves.
You may think the hardest part is taking that first step and deciding that you want to do this. I can tell you that the lead up to the experience is what will test you the most.
You will overthink everything. You'll try and talk yourself out of it, you'll stress about what to wear, you'll wonder if you made a terrible mistake and consider cancelling. This will happen over and over and will intensify the closer you get to the shoot.
This is normal.
This is your body telling you that you're nervous, that you're trying something new, that you're doing something that scares you. This is a good thing. Everything you want is on the other side of this fear.
Channel this nervous energy into something good. Gather together some photos that inspire you, some outfits you feel comfortable but ethereal in, think about a place outdoors that calms you, energises you and makes you feel at home. Pamper yourself by taking a long hot bath with candles or painting your nails and doing some skincare or sitting in a quiet space and visualising all the things you appreciate about yourself and your current situation.
Moving into a more positive headspace will help you the most and when you arrive at your session, you will still be a little nervous. But you will feel a flutter of excitement now, too.
Trust me when I say, your nerves will disappear 5 minutes into the session. Well, it's more like 30 seconds, actually. Every woman who has walked away from a session with me has told me afterwards that it felt like a warm hug, hanging out with an old friend and a deep breath in and then out.
Because slowly, without anyone really noticing it, you stop being nervous, you stop feeling like you have to perform and you start just existing in the moment. And it's in this moment where the magic lies.
My empowerment sessions aren't about forcing smiles and awkward movement. They're about emotion, connection, freedom, the way you laugh when you run through the waves, the way you tuck your hair behind your ear, the way your whole body relaxes when you take a deep breath in.
And most importantly, all the things that make you who you are. Things you don't see in the mirror.
So if you’ve been waiting until you feel more confident, more worthy, more ready - this is your reminder that the whole point is that you don’t have to be any of those things first. You just have to trust the pull.
Location: Warrnambool, Victoria
Time: Sunset & Dusk
Photographer: Sage & Seaside Photography
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