Photographer launches ‘black bag photoshoot’ on Buchanan Street in online toxicity social experiment

A boudoir photographer set out to ‘prove a point’ about online toxicity towards women and their bodies on Buchanan Street this week when she organised a ‘black bag photoshoot.’

Robyn Allan, who operates her own business in Perth, Robyns Boudoir Photography, directed the shoot with a group of her models on Buchanan Street outside Victoria’s Secret on Monday, January 9. The shoot was broadcast live on TikTok - so the business owner could observe the comments and see how people react to women’s bodies behind the anonymity of a phone screen.

Robyn was inspired to launch the social experiment after organising a similar shoot on Buchanan Street in November. In the shoot models posed for pictures in red lingerie to promote the boudoir photographers Valentine’s Day.

It was after posting the pictures that Robyn was alarmed to see the response from people online, with toxic trolls leaving nasty comments about the models, including but not limited to remarks like ‘state’ or ‘You’re lucky you didn’t get a Glasgow kiss’.

Robyn Allan explained the situation, she said: ”I wanted to make some Valentines Day content, and if you operate a business you need to think ahead, so I organised the shoot for November to get the content ready for January/February time..

“It was just some simple social media content with ladies in red underwear on Buchanan Street holding red love heart balloons.

“But almost immediately there was a flood of negativity towards the girls, with appalling comments being made saying all sorts of things.

“I just thought ‘this is ridiculous’, as a Boudoir photographer I want to empower and instil confidence in women. A lot of people think Boudoir is just about lingerie images - but it’s more than that, I’m empowering women to enjoy the skin that they’re in.

“So I knew I had to prove my point, and the black bag photoshoot was just that.”

Robyn began her business two years ago in the midst of the pandemic, hoping to empower women to feel comfortable and ‘own’ their own bodies. Unfortunately for the boudoir photographer (and women everywhere) she quickly found that people can be incredibly negative towards women online - particularly women who seem comfortable in their own skin.

The Boudoir photographer set out to challenge the shameful misogynistic online culture with the ‘black bag’ photoshoot. Over 2000 people watched the stream live on TikTok, and predictably people were quick to shame the woman in the comments.

Robyn said:”I wanted to illustrate that no matter what you wear, people will have something to say.

“And unfortunately, I was proved right, more-so than I would have liked if I’m being honest. The girls were dressed in black bags, at most what was being shown was their arms - and people were acting as if we were murdering kittens in the street.

“The negativity and toxicity didn’t stop with the Live show either, it continued when the girls posted pictures from the shoot on their social media.

“I feel like I’ve been screaming for years now that body positivity matters - size does not matter, we are not defined by our size, so let’s stop focusing on size.

“I started the business two years ago to change people’s mindsets, encourage women to love themselves no matter what - and that’s incredibly difficult

“No matter how strong someone is, those comments still stick with them. Words fester and have a massive negative effect. It’s scientifically proven that humans hone in on negative comments about themselves rather than positive ones.

“One girl in particular, who’s made massive strides in loving her own body with our support, was really badly affected by the comments she received when posting pictures from the shoot.She said ‘this is why I don’t post online’. That’s why it’s so important that we try and stop this from happening.

“None of the comments were even made towards myself and I’m still reeling from the negativity. I can’t imagine how the models are feeling.

“People in real life during the shoot were incredibly kind - they were all so positive and gave so much encouragement - it really proved the adage true that People Make Glasgow’.”

Robyns Boudoir Photography, not to be deterred by the online comments, plan to go ahead with another shoot soon to illustrate their body positivity message. To read more about the Boudoir photography business and their quest to make body positivity a social norm, visit Robyn’s blog.