01/18/2026
I talk a lot about how much I loved dancing, and how it’s shaped me, blessed me, and surrounded me with all my favorite people. But looking back (thanks 2016 trend), I also have to face how that affected my body. How those 7” Pleasers made me feel so powerful and gave me a forever “stripper posture.” But…they also fu**ed up my feet. My knees. My back. Coming down off the ol’ stilts made life in flats pretty uncomfortable. I think about floor work and giving dances, always supporting myself with my right arm and how painful it’s been since.
I tried to demonstrate a pose for a client last week and could not reach over my head. My arm said, “no.” So then I thought about people who don’t even consider this beautiful experience because they doubt their ability to physically go through the process, or their belonging in this space. Hell, I’ve shot in studios where there were only stairs to get in and never asked my clients if they could walk up them.
I can’t bend like I did at 35. In some ways I’m hyper mobile but in others I have strict limits. I have a vestibular disorder that makes it so I can’t tilt my head back without getting the spins. I think about my own abilities and lack thereof every day. And I’m constantly thinking of why you rarely see bo***ir shots of people in mobility devices, or with limb loss (correct me if there’s a more mindful way to phrase that.) Perhaps the photos I do see are people with chronic pain, sensory sensitivities, and other hidden disabilities but I don’t know.
What I do know is that I suggest that clients stretch before and after sessions because they can be physically demanding but I haven’t been as communicative as possible about their ability to do so.
I don’t really know what to do except to be more considerate and emphasize that inclusivity goes beyond shooting all body sizes, sexualities, identities, and ages. I want YOU, who’s reading this right now, to know that you deserve to feel wonderful and pampered and beautiful. You deserve to get in front of the camera and document the seasons of your life. And I’m open to a dialogue about how I facilitate or complicate a fully inclusive experience.