The Myth of the Moment of Awakening | Boudoir Photography Singapore

The mountain didn't wait. It stood anyway.

We love a good cinematic turning point.

The kind where the music swells, the fog lifts, and suddenly a woman knows.Knows it’s time to quit the job, leave the toxic relationship, book the boudoir session, finally choose herself.

We call it a moment of awakening.And we’ve been waiting for it like we need a breaking point to make it acceptable.

For many women, especially those considering boudoir photography in Singapore, this “moment of awakening” often arrives only after burnout, heartbreak, or a major life shift.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth, said gently but honestly.Most women don’t need a moment of awakening.They need to stop postponing themselves.

Over the years, I’ve photographed many women who told me, “I only booked this boudoir session because something big happened.” A breakup. A health scare. A milestone birthday. A quiet unraveling they couldn’t ignore anymore.

And almost every single one of them said the same thing afterward.

“I wish I had done this before everything broke open.”That sentence stays with me.

Because the awakening didn’t create their courage.It just cornered them into action.

Many of us were taught that big, scary decisions must be triggered by pain. That unless something shakes us awake, we’re not allowed to want more. To desire change. To take up space. To honour our bodies before they’ve been criticised, abandoned, or exhausted.

But what if awakening isn’t a lightning strike?

What if it’s a low hum that’s been there all along?

The tiredness you can’t sleep off.The quiet grief when you see photos of yourself and feel disconnected.The longing that doesn’t scream, but doesn’t leave either.

Most women aren’t unaware.They’re trained to wait.

Wait until it’s bad enough.Wait until it’s justified.Wait until life allows.

The reason I’m writing about the “moment of awakening” is because the cogs in my brain have been spinning nonstop lately, asking one question: what am I waiting for?

Awakening isn’t one big leap — How women practice choosing themselves daily

I want to be real with you for a second.

I’m fucking shit scared about launching my 2026 women’s travel boudoir retreat experience. Not in a cute butterflies way. In a proper, what-if-this-flops, what-if-I’m-not-ready kind of way. And my wonderful hype team of women keeps telling me to take the leap. Not recklessly. Not blindly. But because they’ve seen me build before.

It reminds me of when I started my boudoir photography studio in Singapore. I knew I’d get the side eye. I knew people would talk. And they did. But plenty of women still supported me. They trusted me before there was proof.

And here’s the honest part. While the sensible Mary is doing her spreadsheets and risk assessments, the other part of me is screaming, “FUCK IT LAH. JUST FUCKING DO IT.”Not because this is YOLO energy. But because courage can be responsible.

Some days, I want to stay small. Then I remember I didn’t build all this to play safe.

So YES, I’m still running the travel boudoir retreat in 2026. We’ll announce the official dates and details soon, once everything is properly locked in. And this won’t be fluff.

There will be intention. Purpose. Fun. And moments that go deep. Some women may unlearn shame they didn’t even realise they were carrying. We’ll rebel against our own doubts and old pain, and practice choosing ourselves firmly.

Many women who’ve worked with me know I’m a no-fluff person.

Holding space, not posing.

I won’t sell you fantasy. What I will do is hold a real space. And the biggest blessing of my work has been watching women reclaim their power, then trusting me with that transformation. This is my way of giving it back. And here’s where this loops back to you.

Awakening doesn’t only show up in big, dramatic choices.It’s practiced in small, ordinary ones.

Wear the dress you’ve been saving for a “special occasion.”Light the expensive candle on a random Tuesday.You don’t have to book the trip to Antarctica tomorrow, but you’re allowed to start planning it without guilt. These might look like small acts.But they’re often how women practice choosing themselves before life forces their hand.

So here’s the real question...

Are you the kind of woman who waits for a breaking point to make it acceptable?Or one who listens before life has to shout for attention?

Maybe your awakening isn’t dramatic.

I’m writing this as a reminder to my future self: the fuel has always been there.

Maybe it’s simply the moment you stop waiting.

And that’s the bravest kind of beginning.

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If you read this far, thank you! It tells me you’re not skimming life either ;-)