Empowered: The Boudoir Journey for Women over 40

I stand here to day as a woman who is in progress. I am evolving, growing and living fully. I do my damndest to be present and in the moment…but there are times when my past sneaks in and I have to remind myself that I am not my past. I am my present and my future. I am a woman who has overcome, persevered, fought like hell and come out stronger.

The reason I stand before you today as an empowered woman, is because I was powerless and had the drive to change my life. I wanted to be strong. I wanted to have my voice heard. I wanted to stand tall in my own authentic light. I didn’t want others to dictate how my life was lived. I made the choice to live my life, rather than my life living me. I chose to lean on my own strength rather than be co-dependent. This process took time, experience and growing year after year.

There was a time when I was younger that I was scared and quiet. Why? Because I developed patterns as a child that protected me. That allowed me to survive trauma. As we grow we have a tendency to hold onto those thought patterns (especially negative) if they served a purpose for us while we were going through hard times. The hard part is recognizing and being self-aware that those patterns exist and that they do not serve the person you are now, or the person you would like to become. They must be UNLEARNED. I was a beautiful child, whose light was dimmed very early. Only after, studying and educating myself on self-improvement, self worth and empowerment did I learn to slowly let my light shine brighter. Over the years I’ve taught to talk to myself with love. I tell myself, “Sarah, you are safe. You are loved. You are Worthy. You are allowed to shine.”

This process takes time.

Years even. I will be 40 on February and I am only in recent years learning that I am worthy of living a fully aligned and empowered life. I am proud of my story because it is mine. I can inspire and educate others with my experiences. So many women assume aging is a tragic process. I feel the opposite. I feel like we are to be revered for our knowledge, experience and developed understanding of life. We aren’t youthful but we are powerful. We are beautiful because of our journey. We deserve to stand in our light and let it shine bright so we can inspire younger women to do the same.

The media tells us to get anti-aging products, to alter our appearance and to fix ourselves into youthfulness. I choose to age with grace. I choose to document me as I am now. No one can take who I am. Every mark, scar, roll, dimple and stretch mark tells my story. This is a story worth telling. YOURS is a story worth documenting.

Women over 40 do not need to be told how to fix themselves. We need to teach younger generations how to stand in their power so that they understand that they are worthy just as they are. Ladies who are 40 and over are to be revered, respected and documented. Boudoir is that outlet. My camera stops time for a second in your life. It tells your story. There is nothing more truthful than standing in your vulnerability and knowing that you are the very embodiment of inspiration.

So let me ask you something.

What if boudoir was the starting point?

What if it was the amplifier to you learning that there isn’t anything wrong with aging and that it’s actually a gift?

What if you recognized your true self was in there all along?

I truly believe women over 40 need to be reminded of who they are and that they are worth documenting.