Thinking about doing a boudoir shoot and wondering what poses will flatter your body type? This guide on boudoir poses for plus size women is here to help. You don’t need to be a model to look incredible in front of the camera—you just need the right angles, a little guidance, and someone who knows how to bring out your best. I’ll walk you through the techniques I use to pose curvier women in ways that feel natural, confident, and powerful.
Flatter Your Hourglass Shape
Many women worry about how their backside will photograph. One trick I often use is having you shift all your weight onto your back foot. This lets your front hip drift slightly away from the camera, creating the illusion of a smaller rear and more curve through the waist.
Want to take it a step further? Cross your front knee over your back knee. This creates a beautiful S-curve in your silhouette, emphasizing your hips and pulling in your waist.
Stretch and Sculpt Your Midsection
Curvier bodies often hold extra weight in the lower half of the body. To balance that out visually, I use poses that stretch your mid section and enhance the upper half of your body. One simple way to do this? Bring your arms up above your head. Not only does it lift your arms off your sides—making your waist appear smaller—but it also makes your breasts appear perkier.
Tummy-Concealing Poses That Work
Lying on your stomach is a flattering pose for curvier figures. When posing you on a bed, I’ll often ruffle the sheets around your midsection. This does two things. First, the sheets cut into your body line, making you appear slimmer, and second, it eases tummy insecurities by completely concealing the area. To show off your curves, you’ll also want to bring one knee up and pop your hip. This small move adds shape to your hip line, enhancing your feminine curves.
Waist-Slimming Tricks You’ll Love
Lying on your back can naturally reduce the appearance of your tummy, especially if I photograph you from an angle where your face is closer to the camera. Gravity pulls everything downward, and in most cases, your tummy will be obscured by your breasts. To avoid flattening your chest too much in this pose, I usually recommend a well-structured bra for any pose where you’ll be on your back. This will support your bust so you can maintain its curves while also enhancing your tummy with gravity.
Booty Poses That Steal the Show
Another great way to enhance the curves of your hips and remove any tummy insecurities is to show off your butt while on your knees. One of the most confidence-boosting boudoir poses for plus size women is the kneeling booty shot—it draws the eye to your curves and away from the tummy altogether. Your tummy will be hidden from the perspective, and your hips will be at their widest, which will make your waist look smaller by comparison. The trick here is to keep your head lower than your butt to maximize the effect. My favorite way to do this is to have you bury your face in the sheets for that sexy, anonymous pose that puts the curves of your booty on full display.
Highlight Your Hip Line
Another one of my favorite tactics for highlighting your curves while minimizing your midsection is to highlight just the edge of your hip line. To do this, I’ll use part of your body or a prop to obscure your torso. This works especially well with implied nude shots that expose all the skin along your hip. By drawing the focus to your natural curves and away from the things you’re self-conscious about, I can help you create photos that make you fall in love with your body as we shift the focus to your best features.
Stretch Your Arms, Smooth Your Sides
Your butt is probably one of your best features as a plus-size woman. That said, many with this body type worry about body fat around the love handle area at the obliques and sometimes below the scapula. A great way to smooth these areas out is to pose with your arms up. There are lots of creative ways to do this that look sexy. For instance, you can untie your halter top, run your fingers through your hair, or even play with your bra straps. Any excuse that gets your arms up will stretch out the love handle area and make the pose feel authentic while also enhancing these common areas of concern.
Over-the-Shoulder Close-Up Ideas
The over-the-shoulder glance is a creative close-up idea that crops out many areas plus-size women might feel self-conscious about. Close-ups are a great idea for every set, if for nothing else than to connect with you as a person. Just remember that shots like this are all about your expression, so it’s very important to make sure it’s authentic.
If you don’t feel like you’re photogenic or that you could make the sexy expressions you’d need for such an intimate shot, make sure to check out this post about how to make sexy expressions. You can practice the techniques in this post before your session to greatly enhance the quality of all your photos, not just the close-ups. This is because great expression is one of the key elements that make a good boudoir photo.
Confident Curves from Behind
A lot of curvier women I photograph say their bust or booty is their best feature. If this is true for you, then it would be a great idea to lean into these areas by making them the focal point.
To make your booty look extra beautiful, it’s almost always a good idea to push one butt cheek toward the camera. This makes your butt look bigger as it’s brought closer to the camera and also helps smooth out any cellulite you might have.
To take this pose to the next level, trace your fingers along the lower cleft of your butt or the sides of your thighs. Remember that light touches and slight bends in all your joints will help make your body language in the photo feel authentic. Stiff, straight joints will make the image look inauthentic and compromise the photo. If you’re having trouble getting it right, keep your hands out of the shot and let your booty take center stage by itself.
Poses With Lingerie That Conceal
Another creative way to give your tummy some cover is to use your outfits to strategically conceal your waist. My favorite way to do this is to have you delicately hold your outfit or lingerie in ways that let the clothing conceal your midsection. I find that it’s a really good idea to show as much skin as you can while doing this, especially around the hip line, so you maintain the curves of your body with the exposed skin. Usually, as long as your lower tummy is concealed, you should be good to go, but you can apply this technique to any area you’re self-conscious about. The trick is to hide as little as possible to tease the viewer and draw attention away from the problem area.
Want to Feel Even More Confident in Front of the Camera?
Great posing is just one piece of the puzzle. What you wear plays a huge role in how confident—and comfortable—you’ll feel during your session. After exploring these boudoir poses for plus size women, the next step is choosing lingerie that brings out your best features. The right outfit doesn’t just fit—it enhances your curves, complements your proportions, and makes you feel unstoppable. If you’re not sure where to start, I’ve created a guide to help you find lingerie that flatters your unique shape. These aren’t one-size-fits-all style tips—they’re personalized tools to help you feel confident, empowered, and fully yourself.