It used to be when I heard the word boudoir I would shudder, literally. My body would do a quick little shake, as if someone tickled the back of my neck, and my hair would stand on end. Then I would throw up in my mouth a little bit because: ew. I wanted no part of lacy red lingerie and plumped up booties and photoshopped bodies. It seemed disingenuous, as if the images were traitors to the beauty of the female form. Women would ask me if I did boudoir and the question was almost immediately followed up by another, more disturbing one, "Will you photoshop me to be thinner/prettier/have bigger breasts/taller/ and take the my mole off my left ass cheek?"

Um. Yeah. NOPE. Sorry, I won't.

Actually, strike that. I'm not sorry. The things is, babes, we get one whirl at the whole life thing and the vessel carrying us is also, shockingly, the only one we get. So it's up to us to love it as is. Sure we all have things we'd love to change about ourselves, that's par for the course of ~~being a woman~~ having society throw some constantly changing idea of perfection down our throats at every turn, but that doesn't mean we aren't already perfect just the way we are.

We launched &HELEN because we believe boudoir can be anything but boudoir. That boudoir doesn't need to mean getting undressed (but hooray if you want to!) or donning matching lingerie (but hooray if you want to!) or sticking your booty and ta-tas out farther than is comfortable (but by all means, shake what your momma gave you!). It can mean simply, earnestly, authentically you.

The slight of your hand. The curve of your hip. The line of your jaw and the way your neck meets your shoulder. The way you rock out on the sofa in your oldest tee shirt and loud music, or your favorite dress or nothing - absolutely nothing at all. Boudoir doesn't have to be kinky, my darlings, but it should always be kickass.

xoxo

Athena + Nicole