Here it comes again. The ONE day of the year where couples celebrate their love for one another and singles usually dread. That’s right, I’m talking about the infamous Valentines Day.
Now I’m in a relationship and happily so, however I want to point one crucial thing out. In the words of the wise RuPaul, “If you can’t love yourself how the hell can you love somebody else? Can I get an Amen?!”
We often get caught up determining our value by if we are in a relationship or not. Well I call BS. Your worth IS NOT, I repeat, IS NOT determined by your relationship (nor your wealth, social status etc - I could go on, but I’ll leave that for another blog).
You might think “well that’s easy for you to say, you’re in a relationship”, but I’ll let you in on a secret, before I got into this amazing relationship I had a handful of really shitty ones. Don’t get me wrong, I am now forever grateful for all of those relationships because they taught me a HUGE life lesson (cue Ariana Grande’s “Thank you, Next”).
Until I had done the work on myself - self-love, acceptance, boundaries, self-care etc (trust me, this process is still an ongoing journey) - I was going to continue to get into relationships where I was trying to “save” the other person. It was EXHAUSTING, so something needed to change.
That something was me and the value I had perceived I was worth. It wasn’t until I loved myself that my world changed.
And that, my beautiful people, is what I want to help you achieve. So this Valentines Day I encourage you to do something self-loving rather than fall prey to the commercialised day of love - regardless if you are in a relationship or not.
A perfect way to do this is through a boudoir shoot. This is an opportunity and experience where you get to know your body, to celebrate and love yourself as you are now. Boudoir helps you realise you are perfect just the way you are.
My clients often share how their boudoir shoot has left a lasting impact on their body confidence and self-love;
“Even now as I look back on the photos I can see a new beauty in myself and it gives me a different kind of confidence. We all deserve that” - Nina Simone
“It has made me appreciate my beautiful body even more. I have a selection of my photos on my wall and I take pleasure in looking at them every day. I see a strong, empowered and radiant lady in them.” - Antonia
Regardless of how you spend the fourteenth of February - single, coupled, alone, with friends, always remember, you are worthy of love, not just the love of others, but self love too, and, “If you can’t love yourself how the hell can you love somebody else? Can I get an Amen?!”
