I really wanted to do a shoot that expressed both culture and womanhood for me... so I thought of a sensual Chinese bride. I wanted to celebrate both my culture and womanhood. I wanted to show other Asian women that they can be beautiful, sensual, and sexy... and still be classy, strong, and smart.

Combining these two passions, I wanted to do a shoot that celebrates the Chinese bride. I wanted to celebrate the beauty of Chinese culture, and the sensuality of womanhood. So here's my take on tradition... with a touch of sexy and fierce.

In my mid 20s, I definitely pushed my very traditional, very Chinese mom's boundaries when I showed her my first boudoir photos. She was so uncomfortable, she couldn't even look at them and noted that "they're beautiful, but men in my culture don't like women like this."

I disagree, but even if it were true, I don't care what men think I should or should not look like. I did back then though in my 20s. The older I get, the less I try to conform to societal standards... and that's why I FEEL far more sexy and sensual in my 30s than in my 20s. I strongly believe that sexy is more about the inside than the outside. Sexy is about confidence and self love, and less about physical appearance.

The older I get, the more I also find myself gravitating back to my roots. I'm more comfortable in my own skin and look to celebrate the culture I've come from.

A Chinese American model in a fine art boudoir studio photography shoot is not something you'd typically see. Eastern culture tends to favor modesty when it comes to womanhood, whereas it's more acceptable to express sexy and sensual in Western culture.

Being American-born Chinese myself, I never felt truly American or truly Chinese. I rarely saw Asian representation in media and I didn't feel like my Asian features fit into society's beauty standards. I grew up so resistant to my culture and history, choosing to celebrate womanhood - something that I still love to capture in my work.

Interested in a boudoir shoot? I'd love to hear from you!

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