“I am Malka. An artist, calligrapher, wife, mama, proud friend of Rebecca, and mainly a human just trying to figure life out.
I did a boudoir session as a treat to myself. I did it before I was ready or really knew why I wanted it on a deeper level.
That's how I do a lot of the more important things in my life. On a whim. So far so good.”
“I have admired Rebecca's work since I first came across it on Facebook years ago. I knew her talent was something special and worth following.
I never actually imagined myself doing a session though. I couldn’t envision for a moment that I would be the subject of such a photoshoot, despite my interest in it. Seems weird now!
Then suddenly, late last year I got a strong feeling that I wanted to book a boudoir shoot with Rebecca after I had my best month in my business yet. That was my first idea for a self-love splurge! So I did it.
I decided to treat myself to a gorgeous boudoir experience. And I’m so thrilled I did.
The scheduled date fell at the perfect time, in a period of joy and self-love that I had no idea was coming. It was all so synchronized in ways I can only appreciate and can’t fully understand.”
“I have always been relatively happy with my body and appearance, but I was raised to see my body as something to be covered, to be somewhat shameful of, and to be hidden from the world.
I never really had a chance to think much of my body on a deep level or to come face to face with it because it was usually behind something. I did struggle with binge eating throughout high school and undiagnosed stomach issues, so I have struggled, but not really with weight or appearance. The challenge was more related to the physical sensations my body held and the treatment of my own body and self-esteem issues that come with the self-harm of stress-induced overeating.
Basically, I considered myself lucky to be naturally thin and close enough to beauty standards, but I didn’t love my body deep down. I just accepted it and tried to stay thin.
Through my boudoir experience, I understood what celebrating beauty without constraint does for the mind, for joy, and for freedom.
I didn’t expect to feel that. I expected to feel beautiful but still hidden. This session allowed me to feel exposed in the best way. In a safe space, in beautiful light with my wonderful friend!”
“A lot changed in my life right before the session so everything actually worked out perfectly. A month before my session I had a life-changing plant medicine experience in Costa Rica that really changed my entire mindset about life.
It helped me finally kick my binge eating habit and negative self-talk out the window. It opened me up to joy and love and the self-acceptance of where I am right now. I began meditating. I was eating healthier and doing yoga. I’d also begun dressing more freely in a way that felt more me and less influenced by outside rules and obligations.
So my session came at the perfect time, and somehow, without preparing, I was more ready than ever. I healed from within, and it helped me be ready to heal in my external view of myself and my body.”
“My boudoir session with Rebecca was perfect in every way. The makeup and hair by Rhonda was so glamorous and better than I could have ever imagined. Rebecca was so fun to hang out with, and she made me feel so effortlessly comfortable. During the preparations, I happened to get a call from a dream client (Dior!) so that was another exciting unplanned addition.
After that, it took me a few minutes to let go and feel the posing more naturally, but Rebecca was patient and encouraging every step of the way.
The experience was pure fun and an example of jumping into a newness that I think keeps us young and ensures life doesn't become dull.
The shoot went by so quickly. Rebecca made me feel really beautiful and confident in a situation that was entirely strange and overwhelming to me at first.”
“I was on a high for the rest of the day and totally kicked ass at Dior in full makeup. It left me forever changed. I realized celebrating my outer beauty had value.
I gave space for my body to be celebrated out loud, and that was certainly a first. G-d makes us beautiful, and that is something to share in the right time and place. This place and time felt right, and I’m thrilled it’s been captured as a true art form with Rebecca’s eye and guidance.”
“This experience changed my perspective on sharing our bodies with the outside world. It helped me understand why others would share images of themselves or dress in a way that’s more revealing. It allowed me to release judgment of people who do that.
I still have modesty police that lives in my head sometimes, but overall I feel I have a new understanding and acceptance of what a sexually and physically liberated woman brings to the world. And it isn’t a bad thing. It just is. It’s natural. It’s what naturally happens when patriarchal control is relinquished.”
“When Rebecca sent me my gallery, I lit a candle to set the tone and then scrolled and scrolled and couldn’t stop. I was so happy!
There were so many photos I loved at first sight, and some I couldn’t believe were me because they were so darn gorgeous. Even the few that weren’t my favorite because they focused on a body part I don’t love, it felt good to see them. I was able to approach them from a place of joy and understanding that this is my body and it serves me. I celebrated those parts of me, too. I don’t have to look like a model from every angle. It just isn’t the whole picture of who I am.”
“We all deserve to be treated, dressed, and photographed like goddesses. We all deserve to be given the chance to see how beautiful we are through another’s eyes. Sometimes we need that outside lens and perspective to know our worth. It sparks an inner knowing.
It’s ok to receive help in this area and learn to love your body more as a result.”
“I’d recommend this experience specifically to religious women who don’t celebrate their bodies and feel they’ve been taught to hide them like it’s a bomb that might go off.
Women who don’t know how to let go because they were taught to hold it all in.
Women who want to laugh and breathe deeper. Honestly, I think that’s all of us.”
Hair and Makeup by Rhonda Lev
Kodak Film // Processed and Scanned by Panda Labs, Tel Aviv
