Halle Berry Says This Is Your Best Chapter. A Nashville Boudoir Photographer Agrees
Yes, your 50s and 60s really can be your best chapter. That is what Halle Berry told a room full of women at a menopause and women's health event in Los Angeles, as Woman & Home reported this week, and two more women in their 60s said nearly the same thing within days of her. I have been a boudoir photographer for almost 13 years, and I want to add a few things from my Nashville studio, because I watch this happen to women every week.
Here are the four things they said that stuck with me, and what I would add to each one.
What three women in their 60s said this week
1. Halle Berry, 60: accept the face in the mirror. Asked what she has learned to embrace at 60, she said “My new face and body.” Then she got honest about it:
“I look in the mirror every day and I see, ‘Oh God, there’s one thing that wasn’t there last week.’”
I love that she said the quiet part. She still notices. She just decided the new line does not get a vote. She added that she knows she is “more than this body and this face that I’m walking around in.”
2. Monica Bellucci, 62: the gift is detachment. In her Harper’s Bazaar Spain cover story, covered by Page Six, she said “maturity brings with it a wonderful gift: detachment.” I see that one in my studio all the time. The woman in her 30s asks me to hide her arms. The woman in her 60s asks me where to put her coffee.
3. Paulina Porizkova, 61: strong beats small. After two hip replacements and what she called her menopausal weight gain, she posted a gym video and wrote, “I have never enjoyed being in my body more than today at 61,” as The Daily Beast reported. Ten pounds heavier and dancing with people half her age. That is the whole point.
4. Halle again: confidence grows. This was my favorite line of the week:
“I think as I’m aging, I’m learning that confidence just grows. It grows. You become more of yourself.”
What I would add from my Nashville studio
Celebrities have trainers, stylists and great lighting. Most women do not, and they assume that is why they do not feel the way Halle sounds. Here is what I have learned photographing women in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
You do not have to wait until you feel ready. Almost nobody books feeling ready. They book because a birthday is coming, the kids moved out, a marriage ended or started over, or they just got tired of hiding in the back of every family photo.
Seeing yourself changes the conversation in your head. When a woman sees her images at the reveal, the critic goes quiet for a minute. Then she starts pointing out what she loves instead. That minute is what this whole job is about.
Your body has a story, and it shows up in the photos. One of my clients put it better than I can on her questionnaire:
“You earned the stretch marks, scars and wrinkles by living!”
I could not agree more. Hair and makeup are part of every session, and I pose you so you feel strong, soft and very much like yourself.
Why October is a good month to start
October is Menopause Awareness Month, and World Menopause Day is October 18. Halle spoke at a menopause event for a reason. Midlife brings real changes, and more women are finally talking about them out loud. If your body feels different this year, you are in very good company, and a boudoir session is a fun, slightly brave way to meet the woman you are right now.
You do not have to wear lace if lace is not you. Some of my favorite sessions are in a soft robe, a big sweater, or your husband’s shirt. Comfort photographs beautifully.
Questions women ask me about this
Am I too old for a boudoir session?
No. Some of my favorite Nashville boudoir clients booked in their 50s and 60s. There is no upper age limit, and women in midlife are often the most relaxed people in my studio because they stopped waiting for permission a long time ago.
Do I need to lose weight or get in shape before my session?
No. Come as you are this month. Posing, light and the right lingerie do the heavy lifting, and you will see your images at the reveal before anything else happens.
What if I am self-conscious about my arms, tummy or skin?
Tell me. Every woman has a spot she worries about, and I pose around it. Robes, oversized sweaters, bodysuits and sheets all work, and you pick your favorite images yourself at the reveal.
Ready for your best chapter?
If Halle’s words hit home, come see it for yourself. My boudoir studio serves Nashville and Middle Tennessee, and you can read the booking guide to see how a session works, then pick your date online. Bring your new face and body. I already like them.
