Confidence Uncovered: The Power of Boudoir with Liz Hansen

FINAL pub Sep 15 -s4e36LizHansen

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: [00:00:00] Welcome to Business is Unusual Today, I'm delighted to introduce Liz Hanson, the owner and photographer at Chicago Boudoir Photography.

Liz's Boutique Studio is dedicated to empowering women to feel confident in their bodies, relationships, and lives. Since opening her commercial studio in 2018, she has photographed more than 2000 women. Her work has earned significant recognition, including features on the TEDx stage, national Public Radio, and with the

association of International Boudoir photographers. Which I didn't even know existed. So that's pretty cool. Holding a BA in art and an ma a in education. Liz brings a unique depth to her craft. She resides in the Chicago area with her husband and two teenage daughters. Welcome to the show, Liz is,

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Hey, thank you so much for having me. It's great to be here.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: I, I've been really looking forward to this. I, I think it's such a unique and such an interesting. It's place to inhabit in, in work and in art? I think so I'm, I'm [00:01:00] excited to share what you're up to with people. One of the things when I was, uh, and I encourage everybody to go check out our website, it's beautiful.

Uh, but it just, even looking at the ways that you talked about what you're doing, and one of the things that you put on there that really struck me was there's a little fact and it talks about people. You know, will my photographs be retouched? And the very first response in there was, you are beautiful just the way you are.

And we will do things to make sure you feel like your images reflect that. I just thought that was such a powerfully inclusive and kind way to respond to that kind of comment. So, or question which I could see anyone having.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Yeah. So if you've never heard of what I do, um, it's boudoir, people say boudoir. Um, it boudoir is just a fancy French word that means a woman's bedroom. And what I do as a boudoir photographer is I've created a space where women can come and we create [00:02:00] sexy, sensual photos to help them feel confident and empowered in their own skin. of course, retouching is part of that, right? Like. Every photo you've ever seen on a magazine cover has been photoshopped. Any photo you've ever seen in an advertisement on a billboard, it, it's been digitally altered to some extent, whether it's lighting, smoothing, body shaping, right? And so. We're also used to Snapchat filters and, you know, face tune on our phones, whatever else we're doing to our photos. If you want some Photoshopping on your pictures, of course we will we will do that for you. If you've got like a blemish on your face that you don't wanna remember for the rest of your life, we will Photoshop that out. I also want you to know you don't need Photoshopping to be beautiful and to celebrate you.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Yeah, you, I really, you really make that clear. I was like a, it was such a neat experience to see the, the transformation that you have there, and it, I wonder if. [00:03:00] I have ideas about this. So, um, and I wonder if there's a, a story you could tell or an experience you could share that kind of gives a sense of what that transformation is, uh, for people.

Because it, I feel like there's, I dunno how to say it. Like there's this objectification world that we live in and this feels like the opposite of that, but I'm not sure if I could explain that particularly well. And, and maybe I'm putting you on the spot asking you to do that.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Yeah, it's, it is an interesting thing to say. Can sexy photos be empowering for

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Mm-hmm.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: or are they just playing into that same script that we have, that a woman's body is available for other people to enjoy and consume?

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Mm-hmm.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: So some people tell me like what you're doing is actually anti-feminist.

You're just doubling down on the idea that a woman's body is an object. But what I truly believe is that it is the opposite, right? That by showing up and saying, my body [00:04:00] is not wrong. There's nothing wrong with it. My body is worth celebrating. My journey is worth celebrating. Every wrinkle and scar is part of my journey and it's part of me. And I wanna document it and photograph it that you are saying is the opposite of objectification, in my opinion.

It's saying, my body is part of who I am and I'm proud of that. Um, I love to tell the story about Sarah who came into my studio. It's a photo shoot even though I've photographed 2000 women, this is a one particular session I'll never forget. was a young mom, 42 years old when she experienced a sudden massive heart attack in her bathroom in the middle of the night, she managed to crawl to her phone and call nine one one and in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, she literally died. And was brought back to life by the EMTs,

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Wow.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: and she had a series of multiple surgeries to go in and repair her heart after this experience. But she survived. And on the one year [00:05:00] anniversary of her heart attack, she wanted to be with me in the boudoir studio because she wanted to do something to celebrate that she was alive

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Hmm.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: feel gratitude for her body.

So we took photos and guess what? All the scars up and down her body. She did not want to have those photoshopped out. She wanted to celebrate those scars. She wanted to highlight them. She wanted to say, I am here and I am alive and I'm grateful for it. And guess what? You can do the same with your body.

You don't have to have a heart attack to feel that same gratitude and aliveness for being in your body.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Yeah. Well, it is interesting. I was talking to you about an article that I found, uh, that I'll put in the show notes. And it, it goes along with the surprising fact that one of the surprising facts that you shared, uh, is that most of your clients don't book sessions to be sexy for someone else. And in [00:06:00] this article, this woman talks about when she first started doing this, her pitch was

for people to, to do them for a loved one or you know, significant other. And she said what was really interesting was that she found that while those photos were fine, the experience that the women had was not the same. And that when, when she switched to encouraging people to do it for themselves, she really saw what you're talking about, that acceptance, that empowerment, that, that feeling of embracing themselves in their own skin. Which I thought that was a really interesting, uh a testament to the, the approach that you have.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Yeah, I mean, women come into my studio for all kinds of different reasons. And there's no wrong reason to do boudoir. Some women are in my studio for happy reasons, right? Like they're having a baby. They're marrying the love of their life. They wanna And some women are in my studio for more difficult reasons.

Maybe they just got out of a domestic violence relationship and they're celebrating their freedom. Maybe [00:07:00] they have a breast cancer diagnosis, maybe they've recently had a loss in their life and they are just feeling the need to celebrate life. So it is for you, it is a, it is, in my opinion, boudoir is a radical act of self-care.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Hmm, I, I can really see that. And I wouldn't have, uh, necessarily gotten to that prior to reading the things that you were sharing and doing some background research for this. So let's say, uh, I'm not sure I'm ready for this. Like I, I, I'm intrigued. Maybe someone's listening like, Hmm. Or they don't live in Chicago and I don't know how to find someone that in my area might offer this.

What would you recommend for someone who wants to either look into this for themselves or thinks that it might be for them? Are there some tips about how to, to start your process in this journey?

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Yeah, so I mean, I'm not here to talk anyone into doing this if they don't wanna do it, but

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Yeah. [00:08:00] Mm-hmm. Yeah. Hmm.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: be the wrong size for boudoir. You can't be the wrong shape of for boudoir. That's because boudoir is not about fitting into a mold. It's about celebrating you and your unique. Beauty and your journey. So there's no wrong way to show up for a boudoir photo shoot. And the next thing I would say is that we're gonna take care of you from start to finish. So you really don't have to know what you're doing. You don't have to practice in front of a mirror, you don't have to know how to pose. A beauty team that's gonna do your hair and makeup and get you camera ready before the shoot. I have wardrobe to make you look great. And then during the session, I'm gonna show you exactly what to do and how to pose. Most people don't know what the camera is seeing, so I'm gonna make sure that your hands and your feet and your face look perfect for the camera. We highlight you and what makes you look great.

[00:09:00] Every photo shoot for that reason is a little bit different,

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Hmm.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: customize it just for you.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: That sounds awesome. It's very, I have a, a good friend of mine is a photographer and she does head shots for me. And she's so kind. And it so is a, um. It is so awkward and I really appreciate that. On your website where you talked about, of course it's awkward, you're not a model. Like why would you, why would you expect to like suddenly be good at something that people are actually trained to do. And well, thank you for that validation.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Yeah, and for most people, stepping in front of the camera is awkward, and it's even more awkward for boudoir, right? Because you are in lingerie or doing a nude or implied nude shoot. But the awkwardness of it, the the fact that it's out of your comfort zone, that's part of the reason to do it, right?

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Hmm.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: That's part of the reason. It's a cool experience. That's part of the reason it's fun and transformational, is because it's not just something you've done before that you do every day.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Yeah. What does success look like for you?[00:10:00]

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Well, I'm a solopreneur. I in the sense that I started my own business. Um, I started this eight years ago. I had never done anything like this before. I didn't have a lot of role models and I've made a lot of mistakes. But I really, really love what I do. I love running this business. I love meeting women. I love seeing their transformation and that in and of itself is success for me.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: That is awesome. Okay. What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Oh boy.

I think the most important thing I would say to my 18 year self, 18-year-old self is. It's gonna be alright. It's gonna work out. You have a lot of fears. And you have a lot of sense that you are inadequate. You're not good enough. But I want you to know that the reason you feel that way is because you're just getting started.

You're just starting to grow up. You're just starting to step into this adult journey. It's okay if you [00:11:00] don't have everything figured out right now. got a lot of years ahead of you. You're gonna learn a lot. You're gonna make a lot of mistakes. You're gonna have a lot of joy along the way. Just slow down and enjoy the ride.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Yeah, that's great advice. At any age, honestly. Uh, so you have an all female team, and I'm assuming that is a deliberate decision. Do, and do you ever, do men ever want to have boudoir photography?

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: That's a great question. I do sometimes have men who are interested in this and also couples sometimes wanna do this. My studio focuses on female only, so it's a really female-centric space. Women come in and feel like it's just for them, and I do have a hundred percent female staff. So my beauty team, the gal who answers the phone, me taking the pictures because you know, sometimes it's nice to have just a female only space.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Yeah.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Um, and so yeah, if men wanna do this or if couples wanna do [00:12:00] boudoir, I'm all for it. It's just not what I specialize in.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Mm-hmm. But it does, it does happen. That was a question I had is I, I was actually talking to a friend of mine. And I, I wanted to, I was like, is this the thing that, that men feel like women have this self-consciousness around our physicality. And, and he was like, yeah, but I don't know any straight men that go in for this.

And I was like, that's a good question. Like what? Where does that

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: You know, I don't think it is as popular with men, but I think it could be and should be. Right? Like why can't men celebrate their journey and their bodies also, right.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Right? And like a nice smoking jacket. I mean, that's

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Sure.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: a top hat and a bow tie. I mean, I could see some of these being real fun.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: for sure. And I think that the power of being in front of the camera for an empowering session doesn't have limits on who you are.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Yeah,

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: I've created a female-centric space. But I think it could be enjoyed by men as men as well.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: so if [00:13:00] there's a photographer out there looking for a niche market, we just, that idea's free. We're giving it to you.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Exactly.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: got this.

So what's something that you are excited about in your business?

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Well, we are coming up. We have a big, um, kind of month coming up. October is domestic violence awareness month.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Hmm.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: We are doing a lot of things here at the studio to promote awareness of helping people and survivors of domestic violence. So we are gonna be having a self-defense class. We are going to be putting resources out and donating a portion of every session to our local domestic violence shelter. And even if you're not in the area, I'd love to connect with you on this. I'm at chicago boudoir.com. Boudoir can be a tricky word to spell, but it's B-O-U-D-O-I r.com. And if you go there, you'll see what we're doing and you can download some free eBooks and other things to connect in this [00:14:00] self-confidence space.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: That sounds fantastic. And, uh, is there anything else? So for folks that are listening, is there anything else about how they learn more, follow you, or get in touch?

Liz: the best way to get in touch is on my website. It's chicago boudoir.com. Boudoir can be a tricky word to say, but it's b uh, tricky word to say and spell. Uh, it's spelled B-O-U-D-O-I r.com. And if you go to my website, you can see, um, what we're up to, and there's a bunch of free resources. I have some free eBooks on, on confidence and download some printables.

You can also find me on Instagram. I'm at Chicago dot boudoir.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: And you have said you have teenage daughters. How do they feel about this? I mean, I assume they know what you do.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Yeah. And it's interesting, I get that question all the time. Do your kids know you do this? And of course, you know, of course they do. Um, I've been doing this full time for about a decade. I felt like I was doing something that I couldn't tell my kids [00:15:00] about, I wouldn't do it because I would feel that it was wrong. but I don't feel like it's wrong. And I feel like it's important, even, especially for our teenage daughters to start understanding. the body is not shameful,

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Yeah.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: your sexuality is not shameful, to build positive conversations about that, of course, I don't photograph minors, of course, I don't show my client photos to my teenage daughters. But the conversation around what I do is important for teenagers. What does it mean to say nice things about your body? What does it mean to show up unapologetically who you are? What does it mean to embrace your journey? All of these things is not about nudity necessarily, it's about taking back the conversation for women and teens and not allowing ourselves to become, you know what I call like victims of the patriarchy, right?

Because like so often women, we can't win, [00:16:00] right? We are either, you know, too prude or too much of a slut, right? And

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Yeah.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: is it that we can exist powerfully outside of that dynamic?

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Right. Well, something I noticed, uh, is that in America, culturally like bodies and women's bodies often, mm, and seeing skin is almost always equated with sex or sexuality, and there's not a lot of encouragement, uh, for young people to kind of connect to their physicality without thinking about how it's about somebody else, somebody else's vision, somebody else's pleasure, somebody else's ideas, whatever it is, and to actually find that comfort in their own skin.

And when my kids were younger, it was a really important thing for me actually as a mom was giving that message of this is your space. It's not somebody else's ideas about it. Don't, they're not your, they [00:17:00] might be your problem because of how things go, but they're not your fault. And that that doesn't define how you live in that. 'Cause. I do feel like that's the other piece is there's this immediate equation to something that is frankly false and damaging in my opinion.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: There are a lot of messages out there, and I think in some ways it's gotten better. Like I grew up in the nineties, right? Like the conversations around bodies and women's bodies in the nineties were not healthy.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Yeah.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: was a lot of fat shaming. There was a lot of, um, your body is wrong. You know, it was like this line between be sexy but not too sexy, right?

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Yeah.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: and, um, I grew up with like a lot of unhealthy thoughts about my own body and what it meant to show up as a woman, what my role was, what I was allowed to do, and still be, quote unquote, a good woman, right?

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: Hmm.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: And I think a lot of that has changed, but I still want my girls to know, [00:18:00] know, they're lovable and whole and valuable no matter what.

Right? Like there's this idea, I, I always think about like holding a newborn baby, right? And we just, we love that newborn baby and we value that newborn baby so much. We know how invaluable that baby is right. But that baby, that baby's never gotten a job. That baby's never lost weight, that baby's never written a book.

That baby's never accomplished anything. Right? And yet we know how valuable they are apart from doing anything or achieving anything. somehow along the way, we like develop this idea that our worth is wrapped up in what we do or what we achieve or what, or that we have less worth because of some terrible thing we've done.

Right. And I want my girls especially and, and all women and all girls and all people to understand that they are valuable and worthy just because they are alive, just because they're human. You have an innate inherent value that can never be taken away. And that's something that I hope boudoir celebrates, and that's something that I hope my girls [00:19:00] take away from what I do in my business.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: All. That's really beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. I, is there anything else that you wanna touch on or talk about that we haven't mentioned?

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: I would just say if you're thinking about starting a business, running a business, thinking about doing something scary like a boudoir photo shoot, like I hope that this gives you a little bit of encouragement to just go for it. I wish I'd had more voices telling me to do the, to take the leap into the unknown, to take the risk, do the thing, start the business, grab the domain, sign up for the photo shoot, send that email, make that phone call like it's just there.

Um, I just think, you know, the world needs you. The world needs your voice. Go for it.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: That's great advice. Thank you so much for joining me today.

liz-hansen--she-her-_1_08-05-2025_171046: Well, thanks so much for having me.

bau--she-they-_1_08-05-2025_161046: It's been wonderful. See everybody next week.

Next week, tune in for my chat with investment research professional Daniel Nick on business. As [00:20:00] unusual, he shares insider perspectives on navigating risk, private equity, and the human side of decision making in today's rapidly changing business landscape.

Thank you for tuning into business as unusual, remember, in this ever evolving world of modern business, it's not about fitting in.

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