Artistic Nude VS Erotism

If we had won a dollar every time we explained the difference between artistic nude and erotism, we will be rich by now!

The education around nudity is very important to us and there is so much to talk about, so it would be really easy to go off on a tangent. We will try to only talk about today's topic, but we think it is important to understand why so many people are confused about those two types of photography, and how it can impact their decision to do a boudoir shoot.

Nudity is your friend

We are in 2021 but yet there is still a lot of misunderstanding around the naked body. For a lot of people nudity = sex = shame. From a very young age (depending the culture and country we grew up in) we were forced to cover up all the time and see our nude body only when it was time to clean ourselves, and later on, a leading way to sexuality. So we did not learn to undress for other purpose than bathing and sex.

But nudity is NATURAL, we are born naked. We also forget that our skin is a vessel which protects everything that keep us strong and alive: our bones, muscles, nerves, and organs… There is nothing sexual and shameful about that.

Unfortunately this belief is a big problem in our society as it creates a lot of misinformation, fear, and unnecessary pressure.

Why is it related to boudoir?

To do a Boudoir shoot you have to show some skin (otherwise it is a classic portrait session), or if you want to, be fully naked. Because of this specificity, some people oversexualize it. Also since boudoir was mostly shot by men a few years ago, people got used to see pictures of women in sexual poses, which did not help.

For someone who never had a boudoir shoot done before, and who recently decided to take back their sensuality and femininity, this wrong idea of boudoir might be too intimidating or scary, and might make them change their mind about trying this experience thinking it is not for them.

Which will be too bad as boudoir is such an empowering adventure!

So what is the difference between artistic nude and erotism?

By now we are sure you can probably answer it yourself… SEXUALITY IS THE DIFFERENCE. Not the location, not the artistic perspective, or the model, but sex!

• Artistic nudes are tasteful images of naked body. Period.

  The fact it involves nudity does not make it sexual!

• Erotism (and p🍑rn) are all about sexual acts, from touching genitals to the grand finale, with everything in between.

via GIPHY

Yes, it is that simple :)

Set yourself free, get naked!

We praise nudity to all of our client. We believe everyone need to have a beautiful picture taken of themselves fully naked, to learn to see their body in a difference perspective, and see how beautiful they are. Doesn't matter their age or body type.

Being naked gives you a powerful feeling of freedom.

Here is a little homework for you: whenever you can, and have some time by yourself, take off your clothes. All of them. You can be at home, or in nature is even better. If you are not ready for full nudity, then start topless. We promise you, it will feels good.

LOOKING TO FEEL BETTER IN YOUR OWN SKIN BUT NOT QUITE READY FOR BOUDOIR? SIGN UP BELOW TO GET OUR “WHAT TO EXPECT FOR YOUR BOUDOIR SHOOT” PDF! ⬇️

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We opened a business abroad

Bonjour vous!

We are Fanny & Juliette, boudoir photographers located in Toronto, and the founders of Scandaleuse Photography. Today we want to tell you a story… our story.

*Warning: the video below is meant to inspire you the same way we got inspired by other amazing people, who are doing everything in their power to create the life they want. At the end of that video, you might wanna start achieving your next dream :)

It all started in 2009

This year changed both of our lives. It is the year when we met each other for the first time, and we had no idea back then, we will ended up doing all the wonderful things we have done.

Juliette and I met in photography school in Paris and haven't really left each other ever since. From France to Toronto, with London in between, we have been created our own big adventures, and we have no regrets!

Today we are not going to tell you what happened in France (all the details are here) or in London (you can read about that here). We want to focus on that huge, yet natural, step we took back in 2015 (and all the mindset behind) :

Opening a business in a different country, and in a different language!

As you can tell, we love challenges :)

Was it a scary decision to open a business, and on top of that as best friends? Of course it was, but it was also something we both wanted to do for a very long time. So when we felt it was the best moment to do it (we wanted to make sure we could stay in Canada before opening Scandaleuse), and were both financially and mentally ready, we did not think twice! This happened 6 years ago and it has been such a beautiful adventure so far.

Listen to that little voice within you

A lot of people told us how lucky we were with everything that has happened since we met in that school. But the truth is, it had nothing to do with luck!

We both made it happen by taking actions towards what we wanted. We listened to that little voice inside our heads that said “you want to do it, then do it!”, and decided to not let fear or people stop us:

- “You will never make it as a photographer".

- “Going to live to London is too dangerous!". You should stay in France.”

- “Are you sure you want to open a business with your best friend? It will destroy your friendship!”

And so on…

If we had listened to those comments, mostly coming from our loved ones (they were just trying to protect us because they believed it was too risky and we would probably failed), we would not be here today writing those words to you.

It's very easy to let external factors discourage you from achieving whatever you want to achieve. This is why it is important to focus on you, and do everything you can to build the life you want.

We know how scary it can be to go after what you want even if it is something you are craving for. But you have all the abilities, passion, and strength to do it!

if it is not done yet, go watch that video on top of the page. We hope you are gonna get inspired by it, and start working on your next dream. We would also love to hear about a time you decided to do something just for you, even if it was very scary. Feel free to share your story with us by replying to this email.

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Your closet is full of boudoir treasures.

One of the common misconceptions about boudoir photography is the fact that you have to wear the classic lingerie set during your shoot. FALSE!

Well, if it is what you really want to wear of course you can. There are gorgeous set of lingerie that are perfect for boudoir. But you can also wear so many other pieces! Anything can be turned into a boudoir outfit, all you have to do is to show some skin. You can be creative, mix and match different pieces, wear clothes you bought once but never wear because they are too “extravagant”, too colourful, or too sexy.

You don't have to play by the rules

It is very common to focus on your femininity if you identify as a women, or focus on your masculinity if you identify as a men, which is totally fine if it is what you prefer. But those are not rules set in stones. Unfortunately, there are a lot of stigma around femininity and masculinity, so often people don't dare to explore this hidden side of their personality. Whatever you identify as, don't be afraid to play with both of your masculine and feminine side.

If you are a men, you could for example wear a dark colour robe with heels. Or maybe wear some makeup, such as eye shadow. For women, you could try wearing a leather jacket, your hair up, and take a masculine attitude.

There are plenty of creative ways to embrace both side, without choosing to be cliché about them. See photography as a game, an experience you will try only a few times in your life, so you might as well have fun. The pictures are for you, at the end of the day you treat yourself the way you want.

You don't have to choose only one persona

Contrary to popular belief, we all have different personalities coming out depending of our mood, life events, weather,… So why would you stick to only one persona during your shoot?

You don't have to choose between being cute, badass, or sexy, be all of them! It is the same idea style-wise. During your shoot you can absolutely go from a cosy vibe, to a sultry and mysterious one. And maybe finish your session with some artistic nudes. If you do a shoot with us, we will tell you to bring a big suitcase with you, full of different pieces :)

Rock your wardrobe

Here are a few examples of what to bring. You will see that most of the items listed below are pieces you can easily find in your closet:

Bodysuits:

Those are our favourite pieces. Why? Because they look fabulous on every type of bodies, and you can find in so many different cuts and styles. On top of that, if you feel a tad uncomfortable with your belly, it will help to show it without uncover it completely.

Jackets & coats:

Those are great pieces to rock different styles (femme fatale, rock,…). We usually suggest to go topless with them, or depending of the length of the coat, to go fully naked. It is perfect to create some sexiness without showing to much.

High panties:

You can combine a high waisted panty, with pantyhose, and a bra or sweater, to a create a “flash dance” outfit. Or even the high panty, with a blazer and some pearls, for a totally different style.

Dresses:

Dresses are really pretty in boudoir, especially if they are see-through to play with your silhouette, and flowy to add some movement. Not sensual enough? Grab the bottom of your dress to show some thighs, or put one of the straps down to be more playful…

Jeans & pants:

Those are always a must, especially for men. Wearing a jean or pants, and being topless is such a great look for everyone.

And so much more…

Everything in your closet can be used for boudoir: faux fur shawl or jacket, blouses, shorts, corsets, skirts,… It is not about the cloth itself, it is about how you use it, and with what other pieces you combine it.

Don't forget the accessories as well: heels, jewelry and props, are a great addition to your outfits. We had Scandals bringing their most colourful necklaces, highest pleasers, bottle of whisky or wine, cheese platters, fruits, their pets (how badass it is to have your dog posing next to you for a shot?), and other amazing accessories.

Doing a boudoir shoot is the opportunity to take time for yourself, have fun, and let your amazing, badass, and sensual-self out. It is by letting go (of pressure, expectations, and judgment) that you will be able to relax, do all the things you wanna do, and live life by your own rules 💪

Check out some outfits ideas below:

Why did we open a boudoir photography business?

Hi you!

We are Fanny and Juliette, two frenchies living in Toronto since 2013, and Scandaleuse Photography's mommies. Today we want to re-introduce ourselves in case you are new in our community or you want to know more about us.

A little bit of our personal life.

31 and 29 years old. Capricorn and Pisces. Both spiritual and vegetarian. When we are not shooting our badass scandals, you can find us climbing a pole or doing some drops (sounds weird, let us clarify: two of our favourite hobbies are pole dance and aerial silk 🎪).

We have been friends since 2009. Our strong friendship started near Paris, in photography school. What helped us bond? Probably our love for vino & cheese, and coffee & pastries (food, food, food… on n’est pas françaises pour rien!). Also the fact we are both bold and pretty stubborn was a big trigger for what we are about to tell you…

Throwback summer 2012: we were both in transition. Between being done with school, not knowing what to do next, and a big desire to get out of our home country. We had that idea to go live in London (England) but without really a moving date in mind. Early September, same year, I received a call from Juliette:

“I found cheap train tickets to London, departure in 2 weeks, what do you wanna do?”

I probably thought about it for 3 seconds, “let's do it!” I said. Suitcases packed, 2 weeks later we were in the train to London, nothing else ever felt so natural before that. It was meant to be!

Then, Scandaleuse was born!

Our time in London was a lot of fun (with a few struggles on the road, but those are part of any adventures), until it was time to change country again. Our choice: Canada 🍁.

Moving forward 2015, Toronto (if you want to know the details about London and our move to Canada, click here):

After spending 10 years working for other people (yes, we started working at a young age!) in divers field, we had that huge craving to open our own business rather than keep working for other people's dreams.

The only obstacle standing in our way (beside the fear of starting this big project 😱) was for me (Fanny) to get my permanent residence, which took me a while to get but eventually made it happen!

Remember when we shared about our love for food, well we took the decision to open our business over coffee and pastries (we also found the name over food… and most of our tons of ideas)!

via GIPHY

So why boudoir photography? Why going for such a small niche instead of the traditional portrait or wedding? Well for a few reasons:

• We were both fascinated by the woman body while being in photography school and we were kinda shooting boudoir already without knowing it was called boudoir (the story of boudoir photography is very interesting, check it out here).

• We are not traditional women to begin with, so choosing to do another type of photography just because it will be easier was not our jam. We like challenges, and on top of that we love to do what we are passionate about!

• But most importantly we wanted to change the face of boudoir photography that was (and unfortunately still is for most studios) not very inclusive. All we could see was those gorgeous and photoshopped professional models, standing on beds, in hotel rooms, in either very cute poses or sexual ones.

We were honestly tired to only see what we just described. Since nobody was making a change, we decided to shoot boudoir in our own way:

Making it accessible to every genders, body types, and ages!

We wanted to create an experience where people would be able to be 100% themselves, and where they could learn to like their body THE WAY IT IS. Then something magical happened… We realized that on top of creating beautiful images and spreading body love, we were also changing our scandals’ life. Because boudoir photography is not just about having beautiful pictures of yourself, it makes you feel like you can conquer the world and go after what you want in life. We are lucky to stay in touch with most of our clients, who share their life transformations. A few months after their shoot, we heard people quitting their job, leaving their relationship that was not working anymore…

When you take the decision to strip down in front of two strangers, nothing else can stop you from building the life you want 😄

Boudoir photography is a powerful experience that transforms you in a such amazing way, and makes you want to live your life fully. If you never try, we highly recommend it.

Even if Juliette and I made it happen with hard work, patience, and perseverance, we are so grateful to be able to follow our passion, and meet badass people with different style, and life story.

if you are not part of our community yet, FEEL FREE TO JOIN US ON OUR INSTAGRAM OR SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER TO GET NEWS & UPDATES!

All the "no’s" have simply been guiding me to bigger "Yes’s"

This post is a part of our series “If I Had Listened", in which we're reached out to strong-minded women we admire to tell us about a moment they chose to trust their gut and follow a different path despite other people's opinion.

If I had listened to all the "no’s" I wouldn’t have received all the "yes’s".

The amount of "no’s" that I have faced in my career have been endless, and have truly made me doubt my self worth and purpose.

But what I have grown to understand is that all the "no’s" have simply been guiding me to bigger "Yes’s".

My dance journey began at an older age than most, so for me I was always the underdog, always one step behind those of my peers. It used to frustrate me, because it seemed like no matter how hard I worked I wasn’t reaching the level of those around me. Little did I know this struggle was developing me & prepping me to receive all the blessings that lied ahead.

I began to build a humble foundation, understanding that nothing great would come easy, and that hard work, sacrifices and pain would make receiving the reward that much more valuable.

With time & continued dedication my training lead me to become a dance student at Ryerson University’s Dance program. Accepting my offer was an absolute dream come true. I was a small town girl moving to the big city to pursue her dance dreams. I felt like Jody Sawyer from "Centre Stage", the ballerina with the non stereotypical ballet body, and average ballet technique that Ryerson was taking a chance on, and funny enough that was exactly how my story unfolded.

I was in a program that was stripping everything beautiful about me away, and trying to squeeze me into a box that I would never fit into.

It was so damaging and so heartbreaking because I wanted nothing more than to meet their unrealistic and unattainable requirements so badly, but the truth was, I never would. The program beat me down, and stole my love for dance completely away from me. I was told that I would never be enough, that there was no place for me in the industry and that it was best if I looked at other career options. Ouufff, at the age of 19, those words were so damaging, because I admired and respected my teachers so much. My dreams of pursuing dance professionally, slowly seemed unattainable & unrealistic.

Now this was a defining moment for me, because I faced a crucial "No" at such an influential time in my life. I was young, impressionable, and easily influenced by my mentors, but something deep inside wasn’t allowing that "No" to define who I was.

I knew that there was a place for me in this industry and if there wasn’t I needed to create a place, and that is exactly what I did.

I used all those “no’s” to drive me to so many successful “yes's”, one very important "yes" being my heels company Sensual Heeling Inc.

Many times I’ve been asked “how did you know you wanted to be a dancer/choreographer and found your own heels company Sensual Heeling?” and the answer is I didn’t know, I didn’t know that any of this was achievable, let alone successful. I think the most beautiful part of it all is that I just didn’t give up, even at my lowest of lows, I kept on striving to be the best version of myself, despite what that looked like to others.

Many laughed at me, judged me, and doubted that my talent wasn’t enough to turn my passion into a success story, but here I am still standing strong, inspiring so many women each and every single day through my heels company Sensual Heeling. It truly comes down to your own personal happiness. Dance makes me happy, despite all the "no’s" I’ve received and continue to receive, dance always brings me back to a place of joy. Just as much as it has brought me joy, it has also brought me heartache. But nothing worth fighting for comes easy, and I’d rather have moments of unhappiness building a career that continually brings me back to a place of pride & joy then a career that is just sufficient.

My biggest piece of advice is stop waiting for approval, stop allowing all the "no’s" to define you. We as humans wait and we yearn for the approval of others when in the big picture the only approval that matters, is your own. You need to ensure you are living life for yourself and no one else, because if you aren’t happy then what is the value in living?

Kaela is 100% right, it is very important to live your life by your own rules and to not be afraid to become unapologetically you!

And we have something just for you that will help you get there! We have put together 6 easy tips you can use now to better your life. All you have to do is click below to get them!

How to set yourself free with Michelle x SheDoesTheCity

This article is part of our collaboration with She Does The City & Womanizer, in which we help them feature fierce AF womxn in boudoir photo shoots.

We’re thrilled to have Michelle for our final boudoir feature of 2020, because her energy is frankly what the world needs more of. We’ve been following Michelle for awhile on Instagram and she’s someone who always lights us up and makes us smile, be it from her humour, her glowing confidence, or dance moves that pop off the screen. We’re big fans.

Tell us a little about yourself…

I’m a queer midlife mom championing for diversity, inclusion and equality.

Professionally I’m a communications geek, multi-disciplined educator, social activist and content creator. I’m also very passionate about womxn’s rights advocacy and can often be heard speaking on issues facing marginalized communities, radical self-acceptance and self-reinvention.

How did doing this photoshoot make you feel?

It was truly a liberating and empowering experience. Juliette and Fanny made me feel very comfortable and at home during this photoshoot. This was my first time ever being a model and they were professional, patient and kind every step of the way.

When it comes to feeling good in your own skin, what advice would you give to your younger self?

I would tell my younger self that you could be the juiciest, yummiest peach and there will still be someone who doesn’t like peaches. That doesn’t mean that you’re not a delicious peach. You’re perfect.

What always puts a smile on your face?

My daughter.

What turns you on?

Independent womxn who enjoy their own company and have a quiet confidence about them. Womxn who are authentically themselves, goal-oriented, love adventure and have a quirky sense of humour. Yummy.

What has become an important part of your self care routine during COVID?

Self-care? What’s that! I’m still trying to implement a self-care routine in my life but, I would say not dating is my biggest form of self-care right now.

Loving myself and my daughter is my number one priority at the moment.

What lesson or idea is currently helping you on your path?

When people show you who they are, believe them.

What small things help you get through winter? Or what are you planning this year to help you?

Conversations with loved ones, self-pleasure and comfort food.

How would you describe your sexuality?

I identify as a queer femme/lesbian. I am attracted to different genders, but with womxn is where I feel most at home.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Give zero fucks. It will set you free.

Hell yes, we love this last advice! Do not hesitate a minute to live your life by your own rules and don't be afraid to become unapologetically you.

And we have something just for you that will help you get there! We have put together 6 easy tips you can use now to better your life. All you have to do is click below to get them!

Andrea's celebrating her new found confidence - Scandaleuse X She Does The City

Today we are sharing the interview of the beautiful Andrea who had a boudoir shoot with us this year to celebrate her 29th birthday. She is also part of the our Lockdown Special (clic here for all the details) as she recently opened her new candle business (we are so proud of her for taking this step 💛) and is offering a special deal.

This article is part of our collaboration with She Does The City & Womanizer, in which we help them feature fierce AF womxn in boudoir photo shoots.

Andrea grew up in a religious and conservative family. Sexuality wasn’t something that was openly discussed. She didn’t think she’d ever be in a place where she’d feel comfortable to do a boudoir photo shoot.

Like so many of us, it took time for Andrea to find her own path. To prevent caving to external pressures or getting influenced by all the “shoulds”, she’s had to stay vigilant with her vision, and trust her gut. At 29, she’s feeling comfortable with where she’s landed, and decided to book a photo shoot with Juliette and Fanny of Scandaleuse Photography to celebrate her newfound confidence. We want to celebrate her too. 

What was it that made you want to do a boudoir shoot with Scandaleuse? 

I’ve always wanted to do a boudoir shoot. As a girl who grew up in a conservative & religious family and culture, I thought it wouldn’t be possible. Most of the boudoir shoots I saw were celebrities or models; I had no access to a photographer who would do a boudoir shoot for me, let alone guide me on how to do it.

A few years later, I moved to one of the greatest cities in the world, matured more & met Fanny & Juliette of Scandaleuse Photography.

I used to be afraid of getting older; I thought any age after 25 was simply old. But I luckily outgrew that thinking. WhenI was planning my 29th birthday, I decided I wanted it to be special, since this will be my last year in my 20’s.

I thought, “I should just do that boudoir shoot that I’ve been wanting for so long!” I know reputable photographers & I am finally accepting/loving my body as it is. 

What was it like to get photographed by Juliette & Fanny? How did the experience make you feel? 

It was honestly the best experience I’ve had. I’ve worked with other great photographers but no experience came close with the one I had with Fanny & Juliette. With them, I was truly confident, and they guided me well. I genuinely felt their warmth & passion. It’s obvious that they do what they do because they love it. 

When it comes to feeling good in your own skin, what advice would you give to your younger self? 

Stop seeking approval from people who do not matter! Be authentically you, and the rest will just follow. I am different & that’s special. I am different from my friends & cousins, and that’s fine, because that means I have my own identity. Every time I tried to work on my creative side, I did not get 100% support from people I expected support from. I got hurt, and that’s okay. I just kept going. You are your #1 fan and supporter.

Be there for yourself. Be your own standard of happiness. Be your own standard of beauty. Be your own standard of success.

This does not come overnight, it took me years—and I am still learning this. 

What always puts a smile on your face? 

The good deeds that I get to witness every day. Big or small gestures make me happy.

What has become an important part of your self care routine during COVID? 

Having a rest day, to reflect, nourish my mind & just be me.

If we charge our phones from time to time, we should do that to ourselves as well.

Get that good 8-hour sleep, write in your journal, turn that phone off, put on your favourite movie, hydrate yourself, do that bubble bath, eat good food & so on. 

What lesson or idea is currently helping you on your path? 

Just do you. It will not be easy. There may be defeats, but you are not done. Continue what you are doing and don’t stop until you are at your own definition of success. I’m saying this as I am currently on my path of being an entrepreneur. I opened a small candle business in November and consider it my baby. 

What small things help you get through winter? Or what are you planning this year to help you? 

Time Management! I currently work a 9-6 job and own a small business as well. This is why journals & planners truly help me. I get to write down tasks I need to do for the day & also plan my rest days. Getting organized is the way.

How would you describe your sexuality? 

As someone who came from a conservative & religious family, sexuality and sex was a taboo topic. I never truly learned how to address sexual feelings or know my sexuality. I’ve learned more as I’ve matured. I believe sexuality & sex should be a natural topic—sex is a natural & wonderful thing! I believe it is a sacred exchange of energy. If you have someone who matches your energy, great, if not, that’s fine; just keep swimming. I am happy that I found someone who matches mine, who accepts & acknowledges my needs.  

Anything else you’d like to share? 

To anyone finding their purpose and/or passion, if you do not have the answer in front of you right now, it’s okay, some things take time. Enjoy the present. Live in the moment! Once you realize what it is/they are, your creative juices will just naturally flow.

To anyone who wants to do a bold move, do it!

As long as you are not hurting anyone intentionally and your intention is good, go for it! I hope everyone is safe & healthy during these uncertain times.

Boost your self-confidence & reconnect with yourself with our FREE confidence challenge!

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Fixing our project that never took off.

If you have been following us this month you probably saw we are working on a new concept: our first video mini-series called “Behind Limitless".

The goal of those videos are to share with you our ideas, struggles and achievements, around our Limitless program we have been working on for this past 1.5 year.

We are bringing you on this journey with us, showing you the positive but also the negative sides every business owners have to deal with.

If you are new or have no idea of what we are talking about, here is a summary:

Limitless is a mindset coaching program for women, combined with our boudoir photography work. We have been working with Eden, the best mindset coach we have ever met. All together, we created this unique program to help womxn remove their limiting beliefs, rebuild their self-confidence, and embrace their body so they can kick some asses and live the life they truly want.

Today's article is the second part of this "Behind Limitless” series (you can read the first part here or watch the first episode video) and it is all about:

• The struggle of making this second video (we told you we will get real);

• Finding the right people to hire in order to make this program work (it wasn't that easy!);

• The main reason why Limitless did not take off;

• All the work that had to be done (and redone 😬);

• And the new direction we are going to.

Having a business is definitively a long journey but we love it so much that it is worth the struggles.

Helping womxn to achieve their dreams and feel better in their life is our calling, so we will always make sure we do everything we can to provide the best experience.

Here is the second episode for you!

We are so happy to finally announced our brand new Instagram, come being part of our community!

We are building Limitless around you, because you deserve a freaking great program and a safe place to help you rise. But we need your help: we would be so grateful if you could take two minutes to fill out this short survey.

The more empowered womxn we see, the better this world will be.

With love, 💋💋

- Fanny & Juliette

Join us online!

Letter to our society

Dear society,

There was a time when we, people, allowed you to negatively impact our decisions and Life. We did not know better, neither realized we could actually change social norms. So we trusted most of the things that were told to us!

Like, for example, how women need to have proper manners and men to be manly, in order to be respected. What type of clothes are the most appropriate to wear in order to be accepted by others. We accepted the pressure about our sexuality and who we should love because we felt threatened if we were to choose otherwise. We rushed into similar paths because we believed being different is a weakness.

But this social pressure is heavy and honestly it is loosing credibility. How can we take those common standards seriously when, clearly, nothing we do is enough:

• We know the importance of Life but make ourselves obsolete after 40 years old.

• We hear womxn who show too much skin are sluts but if we cover ourselves, we are old school.

• It is a common rule for people who identify as men to not show their vulnerability as they think they should always be strong. So can we really complain when they don't find other ways other than violence and aggressivity, to show their masculinity .

• We are supposed to be healthy and strong so we can be good workers and help make this society works but all we consume is chemicals and pills.

• We break ourselves apart, building inequalities: rich vs poor, men vs women, skinny vs fat, young vs old... But yet, we should support each others when times are difficult.

We divided ourselves by saying which skin colour is the most powerful but we forgot we are all human beings!

We let anger and fear dictate our life and we put the blame on society, rather than getting together to create positive changes. There are so many things that are wrong in this world and we let it happen, so we are also part of the problem.

Taking actions and being consistent (practice makes perfect!) is a must if we want to help this world to improve. To do so, we need to get out of our comfort zone and look at our belief system. Is it still accurate to this day? Is there adjustments here and there we can make to make a step towards what we want to build?

There is so much more in this world beyond what we think we know! We need to open our mind and increase our knowledge. We need to experience by ourselves and make our own opinions rather than believing only in what we see in the media or what we are told.

It is time we realize WE are society and that, all together we can empower this world and decide how to live our life. We are strong, smart, gorgeous and badass people who will take their lives by the reins and make this world a better place.

We now dare to be unique!

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Street harassment, a sad reality

You guys probably read or heard about the recent cases of street harassment happening to women in Toronto.

To sum it up: Some women have been followed by black SUV while they were walking alone downtown Toronto. The drivers ask them questions about directions, getting pushy if they don't reply and in some cases, other men came out of nowhere behind the potential victims.

Street harassment is a reality.

As scary as it is, unfortunately it happens all over the world, some countries being worse than others. Toronto might feel unsafe right now but for Juliette and I, it is so far the safest city we have lived in with London (England). France, on an another hand, is another story!

The goal here is not to scare you, neither to be defeatist, like: “well this is life, nothing we can do about it!”. We just want to tell you that all of us have to be aware of those situations, even if we have never experienced them. Knowing what to expect and potential dangers is important to be able to confront them.

We both unfortunately experienced those behaviours: being followed by men walking in the street or driving their car. Being catcalled, from whistles to insults such as:

“Hey f**king b**ch!”,

“You know I can r*pe you if I want!”,

“Come see me, I will put it deep!”,

“You have beautiful legs, at what time do they open?”…

But also been touched inappropriately (for Juliette) and been beaten up (for me).

And we are not the only ones! Ask any french women if they ever faced any danger in France due to men's behaviour, the answer will be yes and many times…

What we learn from a young age.

Street harassment is so common in France that most of the time you can forget about getting help from strangers as people don't even pay intention to those behaviours anymore. It has become so common that there are many rules we are taught from a very young age to avoid as much as possible any trouble. And we wanna share those rules and advice with you, which can be real life savers:

• Never stay too long at the same spot:

  If potential attackers see you are alone and waiting for someone, they will try to talk to you. Changing spots will make it more difficult for them and you can easily see if someone is following you.

• Show confidence:

  Chin up and look straight! Why do french women have resting b**ch face? To show no mercy to potential attackers. Those men are looking for easy victims, you have less risk to get in trouble if you give the impression you will fight back.

• Be aware of your environment:

  Walk like you know where you are going and always keep an eye on people (without staring). If they see you walking fast with purpose, you become a difficult target for them. Be also careful when you are listening to music. Always try to keep hearing what's going on around you.

• Walk on the sidewalk where you can see cars coming:

  Walking on the opposite side of driving cars is a great way to avoid being followed by one and it makes it easier to keep an eye on what can be potentially coming for you.

• Don't take risks:

  Don't make the decision at night to chose a risky itinerary because it saves you time to go home or because it looks pretty. It is not worth your safety! So when it is dark outside, avoid empty streets as well as parks. You wanna stay close to people, in bright and busy locations.

• Don't hesitate to ask for help:

  Talk loudly, scream, grab someone in the street or find shelter in places of business. It is better to alarm people for nothing and feel stupid about it, rather than keeping it quiet and really get in trouble. They will stay with you until someone you know come to help you.

• Listen to your guts:

  We don't say it enough: TRUST YOUR INSTINCT! If you feel in danger, it is probably for a good reason. Don't think twice, without showing fear remove yourself from the situation as soon as you can.

• In case you are in trouble: act batshit crazy.

  Those kind of men don't want to attract attention, so give it your best performance. Scream, make weird animal noises if you have to, catch them off guard and flee.

What can you do if you witness those behaviours?

Most of the time, people pretend they do not see anything when someone is in trouble is because they don't know what to do or they care about their own safety. But there are so many things you can do depending of the situation, you just have to educate yourself and get creative. Sometimes the simplest actions works. Check out Loréal's video for a few examples:

Those situations should not happen, but they unfortunately do. So if you witness someone being harassed or worse, please don't hesitate to help. You don't have to do it alone, you can gather people around you to help as well.

WE HAVE TO STICK TOGETHER TO HELP PEOPLE IN NEED!

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I turned 30

Hey Scandals, Fanny writing today!

I want to share with you my experience on turning 30. I feel like there are a lot of expectations coming from others but also from our own beliefs about starting a new decade. Generally speaking we believe that by 30 we should have our life together: be a home owner, married with kids and a carrier. So we put a lot of pressure on our shoulders thinking with HAVE to fit in this mold.

My friends, this is not the reality anymore (was it ever?) ! So let's dust off all of those expectations that, frankly, are just here to create more stress and anxiety. We don't want that in our life, do we?

Last January I turned 30 and honestly I was fine (end of the article, thanks for reading).

More seriously! I am the type of person who is not afraid to get old and die, so age was never really a struggle for me. But apparently it is a harder topic for others…

You see, people expect you to feel bad about turning 30, especially if you are:

• a woman;

• who is single;

• with no kids.

Like me! So around my birthday, I have heard them all:

“You must be so sad to turn 30?”

“Still no kids hein!”

“Are you single by choice?"

“When are we seeing a ring on your finger?”

“You are not 25 anymore, time to get settled!”… Blablabla.

For those who know me, you will not be surprised to hear that instead of feeling angry, I tried to educate those people but man it asks for a lot of patience!

It is really easy for people to guilt trip others, especially if they believe they know better. It is usually done in a “I am joking” way but the result is the same: we feel bad about our life choices and start doubting ourself.

The way I see it is we have 3 options here:

• we give up and make choices towards a life than is not ideal for us;

• we feel angry at them, carrying negativity and frustration around. The chances are we are gonna explode at some point and start useless confrontations.

• or, we ignore them and keep focusing on how we want to live our life (I vote for this one!)

Personally I believe some people are not worth my energy. I am happy with my lifestyle and would not trade it with anybody else. It makes me feel free and I know I am going towards the right path, meaning the one towards what I want to achieve.

Don't be afraid to dig into what you truly want and take actions to make them happen.

If your loved ones don't understand and disagree, then this is not your problem. In the end, it does not really matter what they think, they are not you. The best fight you can start is towards the life you wanna build for yourself.

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Don't be afraid to embrace your sensuality

For hundreds of years, sensuality has been related to sexuality. And even if both can be connected (when you learn to develop your sensuality, you learn to appreciate your body the way it is, which opens up your sexuality), sensuality can have a much bigger impact than leading to sex:

It helps feeling liberated!

What is sensuality?

If you Google it, you will read the common definition of sensuality is:

The enjoyment, expression, or pursuit of physical, especially sexual, pleasure.

But sensuality is also defined as the ability to feel in touch with all our senses: touch, smell, sight, hearing, taste and any extrasensory perceptions beyond our five commonly recognized senses.

If sensuality is often interpreted as sexuality, it is because of that one thing they have in common. PLEASURE. What can be more difficult to understand is this notion of pleasure: some things can give you sexual pleasure and others can be pleasurable without sexual desire.

Sensuality can increase your sexual behaviour but can also be about enjoying simple pleasures, such as watching a sunset, flavourful food, a massage, a perfume or any particular smell, a yoga pose, feeling the sun on your skin… Anything that makes you feel amazing in the moment but isn't related to sex.

Why is it important to embrace it?

As women we heard it all:

“Be polite. Dress up properly. Be a good girl!" they say.

Most of us have been told to never be too loud because people will think we are hysterical. We have been told to not take too much room otherwise we are just showing off. Neither to show too much skin because we are whores if we do. So we cover ourselves up, forget how to be in touch with our femininity and let our true essence disappears. And for what? Well just to please others and fit in a mold.

Not loving our whole-self enough leads to frustration, jealousy and sadness. How can we expect to be happy and live the life we want, when we are filled with all those negative feelings?

Well, learning to grow that sensual side we all have is a way to start feeling in harmony with our body, which increases our self-confidence and trust in others. And since sensuality is connected to all of our senses, it also develops our creativity, imagination and intuition (I'll take two of those please… how can you say no to that!).

How can you develop your sensuality?

When at peace with our whole-self, we are less likely to feel stressed in our every day life. We also don't feel the need of external validation: what people can think of us does not matter anymore. It creates a new level of self-love!

So, are you tempted to start caring about your sensuality? Or to develop it even more than you already do? Well, we do… Just writing this blog post makes us curious about what is next on our sensuality list!

So far, here is what we do to cultivate sensuality:

• Boudoir photography:

  Surprise! We might be biased but this his a huge part of our life, so we cannot talk about sensuality without mentioning the art of boudoir. Come on, can you think of a more powerful tool to develop your sensuality than boudoir photography: having (pardon our french) the balls to pose half naked -or naked- and still feel badass and empowered… ? That's what we think :)

• Pole Dance & Aerial Silk:

  You maybe saw us online or heard us talk about those two acrobatic activities. They are tough to do and painful but man, it's worth it! They are both incredible for flexibility, strength and core. We train with music, create our own choreography to work on our sensuality and sexiness.

• Stretching:

  Anything that is related to movement has a positive impact on sensuality. Gifting your body with more flexibility is very important for our physical and mental health. It keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints and keep our body moving. We don’t know for you guys but we wanna become sexy and healthy grandmas!

• Food:

  Big foodies here! We are both from France, so let us tell you that you how much food means to us. France has a fabulous culinary reputation and it is for a reason: french cuisine is all about flavors, forget about salt and sugar, we are talking about explosion of aromas. We learnt to educate our palate, so when we try exquisite food, it can feel like non-sexual orgasms.
  

• Makeup (Juliette writing):

  I associate sensuality with femininity and confidence. Makeup has always been a great tool for that in my opinion. I have fun with it by creating different looks depending on how I feel. It makes me feel confident, stylish, like I have my life in order.

• Twerk (Fanny here):

  Twerking was my most recent sensual discovery. I always wanted to learn this dance, mostly to have fun but also because I like testing things that are not well accepted in our society, things that can seem provocative. I took one class and I was on my butt -french expression to say it blew my mind- :). I would have never expected to fall in love with it. You put all your energy and movement around your hips which makes you feel so powerful and sexy.

Now you just have to go for it!

“I never thought that sex was wrong, sinful, dirty. When you take away the thought of things being dirty or forbidden, then you can really enjoy your sensuality.” Gioconda Belli

We see sensuality as a way to experience a deep peace with ourselves, to feel alive and fulfill. So if you embrace it, it makes you feel like you can do anything.

The world become your oyster.

And guess what?! When you feel like you can do anything, you actually start doing stuff that make you happy and 100% yourself. It is like a magical kick in the bum!

You know what, let's make it a little challenge: find a new way to bring your sensuality to the next level, before the end of the month.

It does not matter the activity you are using to grow that sensual side of yours (sexuality, dance, food, …), the most important thing is to do it for YOU.

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Boudoir Photography = a step back from feminism?

One of our first radio interview covered the relationship bewteen boudoir photography and feminism. A sociologist was brought on board to discuss the impact on publishing your boudoir photos online and she had a pretty strong opinion about it (even though we do not agree with it, we believe it is important to listen to other's point of view and understand why people can think differently).

If you'd like to watch the interview and read the article (in French), it's here.

A quick reminder.

We won't go over in details why you should do a boudoir session (because we did it here) but to recap, we think that the best reason to do it is because you want to treat and/or challenge yourself. It is the perfect opportunity to showcase your confidence, welcome your true self and slam the door on everything that has held you back.

Posting sexy photos of yourself online = seeking attention?

During this interview, we were asked why our models were sharing their photos online. Our main argument is that, you Scandals post them because you are proud of them, and proud of yourself. The second argument is that, we do like receiving support from others. It feels nice to get positive comments from friends, family and sometimes strangers.

Every time our clients share their pictures from their session on social media, they get a lot of positive comments from people supporting the movement. They even inspire people to do a same or at least be more loving with their body.

If social media can get more positive messages and encouragement, we don't know about you but we are down!

The point of view expressed by the sociologist in this article was pretty concerning. From what we understood, she thinks the fact that more women want to show themselves in lingerie is risky and is not a way to claim our feminism. She adds:

"Why should every woman show themselves? I see it at a regressive phenomenon."

Not Ashamed.

By definition, feminism is wanting to get the same rights as men, period. We think that dragging feminism and politics in this interview didn't make much sense with boudoir to begin with. We are assuming the idea behind it was that, as women, we cannot expect to be taken as seriously if we were to post sexy pictures of ourselves online.

Boudoir photography is getting more and more popular for one reason: women (and men!) are finally saying "screw it" to inaccessible beauty standards and are encouraging self love and acceptance.

Boudoir is a way to celebrate yourself, why would you hide it? Don't get us wrong, you have every right to keep your photos private. But you also have the right to share them without losing points in the feminism column.

Less professional because of boudoir?

If you have been following us for a little while, you must have seen that we are mainly using ourselves for our advertising, in lingerie, and even tasteful nudity.

Does that make us look less professional to you? Do you even remember it when you see us face to face? No. What sticks is the message behind it: you can do whatever the hell you want.

The other photographer, Sarah, says at the end of the video that she admires women who share their photos online because it motivates others to do the same and will become more and more normal.

“We don't have to worry about what people think because it does not define who we are.” she added.

Man, we cannot agree more! You are not less professional because of your boudoir photos. It has absolutely nothing to do with your work performance, the way you interact with people, or whether you like broccoli or not. If anything, you were just brave enough to openly say you are proud of yourself.

You do not need to explain your choices to others. Do a boudoir shoot if that makes you happy, share your pictures with the world if you want to… At the end of the day YOU are the only one who decide what is the best for your beautiful self!

And if you don't feel ready (yet!) to do a boudoir shoot with a professional, then start with an homemade one. We have created a fully detailed online program so you can take your own pictures with just your cellphone, at home, in your own time. This is the perfect opportunity to get familiar with the boudoir photography world!

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