To post lingerie shots on my social media..

I don't think its necessarily judging you for 'choices about your body' OP. I think even amongst the more aware/open minded, there may be judgement about the mental and emotional motivation of a woman to post the pictures.
Burlesque photos depict women in accordance with a male view of the ideal of femininity. Women don't also like themselves shown this way as a happy coincidence, they have been trained to see that as what beautiful means. As such, depicting yourself that way, while it understandably makes you feel good, is nothing to do with empowerment.
Not that everything has to be, and there's nothing wrong with enjoying your appearance. But the reality is, the statement you are making isn't 'look at how confident I am in my body' its actually 'look at how much better I feel about myself in lots of make up and flattering light gussied up in clothes men find titillating'.
If you're OK with that, then post and enjoy the likes.

Someone I semi-follow has chronic fatigue syndrome and muscular atrophy etc. He's puny, weedy, pale and balding, the opposite of a "masculine" man. I have to say, his confidence in putting up "male model" photoshoots (while somewhat revolting I admit) has made me more accepting. It's also inspired many other men who don't fit the "6 pack male" stereotype too, to be more self-accepting – if only in the bedrooms with their female partners.

I think it's the same as women with normal saggy non-model bodies putting up pictures of themselves. I struggled with an eating disorder in my teens and 20s, when it was all about skinny bodies. In an age of body diversity though, seeing other non-perfect, slightly saggy and wobbly bodies – which aren't covered up from shame – has helped me accept my perfectly normal body.

It's empowered me to stop focusing on my body fitting a certain model standard, and to live my actual life comfortably and confidently.

I do get though that in deriving confidence from sexuality, it's inevitably also rooted in the gaze of the other gender. I do think it can genuinely be posing for yourself, uninhibited and comfortable, but realistically one's motivations probably aren't entirely divorced from their socialised / sexualised context.

More pro female doesn’t mean getting your validation from likes on social media whilst in your underwear. It means having belief in yourself regardless of what strangers (you’ll never meet) think! I’m sick of women thinking ‘empowerment’ means posing in your underwear and looking sexy for strangers 🙄

You see it on MN in a different way. Someone posts a pic maybe to do with how old they look or should they have Botox or something and nine times out of ten they look good and younger, but there are people literally salivating to tell them they look in their 50's, or some even tell them 60, when they don't look a day older than 30. There are a lot of unhappy, mean people out there who seem to get off on making others feel shit, so just don't open yourself up to that possibility.

You have no control the minute you put them online - share them privately with whoever you trust but for me it’s the loss of control as soon as on social media.

If someone is actually posing in a bikini, getting a flattering angled, sucking in their belly etc. then that's cringy too, but a relaxed photo of someone having fun with family or friends on holiday is different.

OP, if you have long term issues with body confidence then one of the best gifts you could ever give yourself would be to come off social media altogether, or at least to unfollow the accounts which feature unrealistic beauty standards.

The photos exist and they have made you feel beautiful. You need to find a way to let that be enough. If you post them online you will be looking for external validation and you have to find a way to stop needing this. Show them to friends privately if you want.

@Junglejane8 you were never going to get a positive response on here for this. Honestly though if you want to post them then do. I have several friends who have done boudoir shoots and posted them. They look stunning and it definitely gave their confidence a boost. It’s on my list of things I want to do but I don’t have the courage

Could you imagine the responses to a thread, my husband got half naked photos of himself taken professionally and wants to post them to social media for all of our friends and family to see. Aibu to think that this is really empowering and will show him as the confident, powerful man that he is?

Whenever I hear the word ‘burlesque’, I immediately think ‘overweight’.

Someone I know did this on Facebook and I thought it was weird. Something you keep to yourself really, it's great that you've had a confidence boost though!

I personally wouldn't. I have a friend who posts a lot of bikini shots and tasteful underwear shots and she's one of the most unconfident people I know. She needs people to tell her she's sexy, beautiful etc and I think the majority of people who see them will probably think you're doing it for this reason, otherwise why would someone publicly share such intimate photos, unless it's they're an influencer or someone who makes money from that. You are also opening yourself to negative comments, which surely won't help your confidence at all. Keep them for you and show them to people close to you rather than sharing them on social media. It does come across as attention seeking, whether that's true or not and people feel the same if it's a bloke posing with ribbed abs too, so the "empowerment" argument isn't really valid tbh.

A woman I am in a Facebook group with had the courage to post some wildlife photos she took. They were amazing and she got loads of brilliant comments. That's empowering.

You feel empowered because you feel confident and that you at owning your insecurities, at least that’s how I felt.

One of my sil posts pays for photos of her in her undies and posts them to social media. I have to admit I do wonder what is lacking in her life that she feels the need to post those photos for validation. She does get 'stunning hun x' and all the rest from a few people but there are as many or more that think why? and yeah we can all see that she doesn't actually look that way in real life which adds to the wtf nature of it all. I've never acknowledged them in real life or online it all feels too weird.

I’m really surprised by these responses, I did a boudoir shoot and posted it on my social media, my privacy settings a on the highest and you can set the photos to only be viewed by friends and not friends of friends etc but I didn’t care who saw them, I was super proud of myself for doing it and there’s not anything extra on show compared to people posing in their bikinis etc when on holiday.

It empowers you to do what exactly? Make men cum?

Men posting lingerie shots would also be judged in the same way - women posting sexy pics is not particularly empowering and the fact that women are encouraged to on the basis of female empowerment whilst men don't and yet we still have sexism and the gender pay gap etc is telling imo

I wouldn't it comes over as needy same as people who post pictures of themselves looking ill or on a hospital bed. How would you feel if no-one clicked like on your picture, would that affect your self-esteem. I'd keep them to yourself to enjoy and understand that you don't need friends comments to feel good about yourself 😊

Why do so many women think female empowerment = taking your clothes off? It's really sad.

I don't see why you are linking empowerment to bedroom shots to be honest. If you need public validation from social media, there's still a lot of work needed on your self esteem. You did this, you love the results (and that's great) but not everything has to be public ally available

@Beezknees

People who post nice comments but then laugh behind her back aren't good people, so personally I wouldn't give a fuck about what they think. Two faced and bitchy is a terrible trait, I'd judge someone like that far more than somebody posting underwear pics.

Yes of course but why would you voluntarily leave yourself open for people like this to hang you out to dry if you have really struggled with low self esteem?

Also this approach comes back to the question of why do it? What do you achieve and whom do you appeal to by posting underwear pictures on the internet? What goal is reached? If you genuinely don’t give a fuck what people think why do it at all?

You may well find that you still have low self-esteem after posting the shots. What will you do after to make yourself feel better? I’d be focusing on the roots of why you don’t like yourself. Posting shots online is a sticking poster. Also, how will you deal with any negative comments?

How many men post “tasteful” pictures themselves in their chuds feeling empowered
Its a tired and fetishised trope, woman in underwear = empowered
One Be confident and empowered globally, not just in a plunge bra with photos to prove it

I like the username that goes with this post.