Who has two thumbs and needs to work on their body image? Probably everyone you know.

The ways we view and judge (or accept) our bodies is deeply personal and can sometimes be difficult to talk about. Our body image is influenced by many factors, including the people around us and the media we consume—both as children and as adults. Body image is also heavily influenced by our unconscious biases toward Eurocentric beauty standards, which prioritize whiteness, thinness, and being able-bodied above all, to our collective detriment. As a photographer, I have seen firsthand how my clients struggle with their body image, and I knew I wanted to help people heal their relationships with their bodies. I particularly wanted to create a secure and comfortable environment for queer folks to feel safe connecting with themselves and others as they engage in the hard work of learning to love themselves.

My desire to become a body image educator started with Teri Hofford, a Canadian body image educator who developed the Body Image Bootcamp concept. When Teri began offering certification to become a facilitator, I knew that this was the right next step in my journey. I’ve struggled with my own body image for the majority of my life, and attending Teri’s Body Image Bootcamp (as well as gaining certification as a facilitator) changed my relationship with my own body for the better.

One particularly meaningful exercise during Teri’s bootcamp was when she had us write a list of mean things we say to ourselves. I thought it would just be a journaling exercise, but then she had us pair up and read each other’s lists as though we were reading their list about ourselves. Hearing the negative things I say to myself read aloud by someone else was heartbreaking as well as eye-opening. I truly feel that exercise changed the course of my life. Being able to repair my relationship with my body, in big and small ways, has been one of the most freeing feelings imaginable. I want others in my community to have the same opportunity.

Once I became a certified facilitator, I wanted to expand on the concept, which tended to center women only, and offer an exclusively Queer Body Image Bootcamp experience for queer folks of any gender presentation (or lack thereof). I wanted to offer a safe environment for queer folks to explore their body image challenges, including some of the unique difficulties that come with being a queer person in our politically charged world. I knew the venue had to have the right “vibe” (cozy, safe, comfortable, eclectic), but it also needed to be ADA-accessible, have furniture for a variety of body sizes and shapes, and be a place where queer people would feel welcome (as they should be in every space). I searched for what felt like months and kept coming up empty, until my friend mentioned Parlor Hotel, a queer-owned boutique hotel in Princeton, WI. While the words “boutique hotel” brought to mind images of small rooms and narrow hallways, I was surprised at how many things I was able to check off my list: Two ADA-compliant rooms, catering options, exclusive use of the hotel for our group, and the place was cute as heck. THIS was the place to host Queer Body Image Bootcamp—I was thrilled!

There were enough registrants that I was even able to offer a scholarship spot, which was important to me from a financial accessibility standpoint. As we approached the bootcamp weekend, I was busy prepping goodie bags, coordinating with my co-facilitator, Nik Shier of Heartbrain, and making sure everyone was prepared.

Before I knew it, the time had come: 2:00 on Thursday, March 20. While attendees shared ahead of time how nervous they were, I could see their big smiles as they arrived and took in the space. Their nerves fell away as they chatted with each other. That first day was focused on settling in, having dinner, and hopefully getting to know each other before diving into body image work on Friday morning. I’d asked Nik to facilitate some ice breakers, but to my great joy, attendees were naturally and effortlessly getting to know each other—no ice breakers needed.

On Friday, folks slept in and ate some breakfast before we got down to business. Day one of “class time” consisted of exploring how body image is formed and what contributed to each attendee’s body image in their youth. Some of these exercises were emotionally challenging—there’s a reason I included tissues in everyone’s goodie bags. The acts of care and compassion shown by each attendee, like actively listening, validating others’ experience, and holding space for those around them, had a positive impact on how comfortable each person felt in sharing their stories and insights. We broke for a catered dinner at the Horseradish Kitchen, owned by the same queer couple that owns Parlor Hotel, where we laughed, ate some delicious tacos, and let ourselves relax after a hard day of emotional work. After dinner, I made everyone delicious mocktails and we definitely had a little Chappell Roan sing-a-long.

On Saturday, we focused on identifying negative body image thoughts and practical tools for reframing or redirecting them toward body neutrality or body positivity. Each attendee took a moment to say something to the child version of themselves. Just hearing each person speak so lovingly toward their “little me” in that moment was so powerful. Many of us think we hate ourselves because we’re so used to near-constant negative self-talk. We assume everything we think about ourselves is true, so to see each attendee fiercely loving and protecting their child-self in that moment with words of encouragement, affection, and love was truly a gift, and it reminds me of the importance of this work.

We had another belly-filling dinner and got to toast the 10-year anniversary of Horseradish Kitchen with owners Matt and Greg, as well as their team. It was a sweet and serendipitous way to end the day.

Sunday was our graduation day. Each attendee received a mini boudoir + empowerment session with me, and then we had a graduation ceremony where attendees were able to place sparkly stickers, glitter, and gems on areas of each other’s bodies that needed extra love. Finally, each attendee was crowned with a rainbow paper crown handcrafted by co-facilitator, Nik. The smiles, tears, and hugs were overwhelmingly tender and beautiful. Each attendee shared with me that they gained something deeply meaningful out of the experience, in expected and unexpected ways. The experience was magical, and I am honored to have been able to help facilitate this kind of healing and walk alongside the attendees for this part of their body image journey.

Queer Body Image Bootcamp will now be offered on an annual basis! If you missed this year’s bootcamp, and would like to be the first to know when registration is open for 2026, head to reverenceintimateportraits.com/newsletter-signup to sign up for the newsletter. It is possible to have a better relationship with your body. We are so often told what’s wrong with our bodies and how they need to be fixed. But I’ll let you in on an important secret I hold deep in my heart: You are valuable and worthy, in the exact body you are in right now.