You’re here because you struggle with seeing yourself in photos. You’re not alone. That is exactly what started this practice for me and what got me curious about using the lens as a tool for body image healing 15 years ago when I started taking self-portraits.

And for the past 13+ years I’ve had the honour of guiding over a thousand people through the practice of getting in front of the camera lens.

We’re taught that if we get a ‘bad’ photo that is our fault.

That there is something wrong with our body.

That there is something wrong with how we took the photo.

That we didn’t pose right. That we didn’t do it right.

That if only we could hide this part of our body we’d like the photo.

I’m here to tell you that there is nothing wrong with your body.

There is nothing wrong with how you take your photo.

The problems is the lens we are seeing ourselves through.

The lens that is covered in the fingerprints of sexism, racism, ageism, gendered expectations.

The lens that has the scratches of the things people have said about our body, whether they were directed at us or not.

The lens that has the dust of perfectionism and expectations of what is 'flattering'

All of these, clouding our view. Making it hard to see ourselves in photos.

Let’s change the lens we see ourselves through. Let’s liberate the lens we see ourselves through and let ourselves be seen in a new way, by and for ourselves.

A lens that sees us as a person, not a product.

 A lens that prioritizes our own view of ourselves instead of putting our value in how others see us.
A lens that sees us not as an object OR a subject but an actual human being living in an ever changing body.

Sure, there will always be those scratches and the dust will gather at times but we’ll learn how to notice when those finger prints appear and call them out.

The structure of this class and the steps I teach you can become your practice for those moments when you find yourself seeing a photo and reacting to it. And of course, you’ll give it your own spin, you’ll uncover the words you need to hear in those moments, the tools that help your own individual path.

In Liberate the Lens I guide you through my 10 step process to stop ‘hating’ how you look in photos. This comes out of all these years of teaching Be Your Own Beloved and really honing in on why it works so well and what the stages we go through are when we are healing how we see ourselves in photos.

This class IS about taking selfies and getting into the visual story of your own life. You will come out of the class having taken 10 days of action on changing the story of how you see yourself in photos but not only that, you’ll have this framework to return to when a photo catches you off guard as this is a PRACTICE not a magic wand I’m giving you to make those thoughts disappear.

But here’s the thing. The more you have this framework at hand when a photo trips you up or you find yourself reacting, the easier it becomes to remember the process naturally AND the less power those moments have over us.

As folks in my classes have shared, when you start doing this work, you stop caring as much about what people think and the way YOU think about yourself in the photo becomes more about connection, about appreciation, about acceptance. You start to see the person looking back at you in the photo, not just the product you’ve been trying to make them into.

We are not a product.

We are not a problem to be solved.

We are not an imperfection

We have not failed at taking flattering photos, the systems in place that define flattering have failed us.

We are human beings ready to be witnessed beyond the expectations we’ve put on our relationship to photos, on our body.

We are deeply inherently worthy and it’s time to call out the external forces that tell us otherwise

Are you ready to liberate the lens?

Come join us!

The Course

Come Join Us!

Enter the coupon code BETA to get 20% off of the very first session of this brand new class!

Liberate the Lens Program

In the Liberate the Lens you Receive:

Daily Activities and action steps for each day of class. There are 10 days of class running Monday through Friday with a weekend break in the middle. We work through the 10 steps to liberating yourself from the diet culture lens that I've honed in on after 13 years of teaching these classes. You'll not only go through this process in an experiential way but also be able to take this framework with you for times when the diet culture lens challenges you!
A Class Group where you can share your daily photos and receive support from me.
A Class E-Book at the end of the class to refer to in moments you struggle with photos in the future.

What you'll need:

A camera of any sort. Smartphones 100% welcome (in fact, they work great for these activities). Point and shoot or DSLR’s too. You don’t need fancy gear or photo knowledge to take part.
Some time during your day to ponder the step of the day and take your photo and action step.

How it works:

Each day for the 10 days class you'll receive an activity from me in your email inbox for you to explore and you're invited to do the activity at your own pace during the day. Class runs Mondy through Friday with a weekend break.

Dates:

September 16th-27th, 2024

Cost:

$75 CAD (thats around $55 USD). PayPal will adjust the cost for your currency (note it's further in the process than the first page once you 'Add to Cart' but of course, before you pay)! As this is the very first session of this class and my beta session, enter the code BETA to get 20% off!

For those of you on the fence, trust me. Sign up. I’ve taken two courses with Vivienne and I’ll surely sign up for more. Vivienne is compassionate without being schmaltzy, creative without being flighty, and meets learners where they are. Her ability to create a community seems easy but as an online educator, I know how hard it is. Her classes are well worth the investment and they made me love the camera and myself.

To me, the idea of a self-portrait, or really most any photo online = utter terror. Vulnerability off the charts. Issues galore attach themselves to the shutter of the camera and bring forth sweats of anxious “no f’n way”. Tag a photo of me on Facebook? I will untag and maybe report it…no need for discussion. And yet I was drawn to this course by Vivienne’s transformative and empowering stories about the experience. As I seek to extend and expand my own interactions with a photo a day as a spiritual practice, I let curiosity win out over fear and signed on. “Count it as professional development” I convinced myself.

Now, a month later, after posting my last two pictures to the classroom site, I’ll say this was no mere continuing ed experience. The learning of this experience has been great and worthy, no doubt a reflection in days to come. I just want to say THANK YOU Vivienne and the amazing classmates who shared so much courage and strength in such a simple and profound daily workout.
-Michelle Favreault

The Course

This might be for you if:

You’ve done work around body acceptance but it feels like photos are the last remaining piece
You still find it hard to see yourself in photos and find yourself caught in the comparison game
Your Instagram is full of memes and no photos of you. Or you avoid being in photos at all costs
You’ve taken classes with me and are ready for a reboot and a new kind of practice/process. Or you've been wanting to take Be Your Own Beloved but 30 days of taking selfies felt like too long.

This might not be for you if:

You feel trapped in the self-hate but haven’t done any work to change that yet.
You’re not familiar with body acceptance or don’t really have a ‘need for that’.
You're entrenched in perfectionism and not ready to release it

Register for Liberate the Lens

Registration is Closed.

Hear from Past Participants of the Beloved Classes

The whole experience was much more transformative than I'd dare hope, and was exactly what I needed. I wanted it to be this transformative, but figured I'd probably come away disappointed. But these 30 days helped pull together what I've been trying to accomplish in a decade of therapy to heal my body image because it took those concepts of self-love/self-compassion/body neutrality and translated them into an embodied practice.

I can't/won't say I'm totally healed and at peace with myself because I know it's an ongoing journey, with ups and downs, but my word do I feel like I've made enormous strides. I'm still just really astonished. And I'm so so grateful to you, Vivienne.
-Kelsea Habecker

About Vivienne

I’m Vivienne, your guide in helping liberate ourselves from the lens of diet culture and unlearn the messages that keep us stuck in our struggle with photos. I've been teaching these classes for 13+ years and can't wait to share The Liberated Lens with you and give you these tools for clearing the lens and seeing yourself with neutrality.

This work originated from my own struggles with body image and the practices that helped free me from

self-hate alongside seeing what helped the hundreds of people who've been through my classes.

Faq

FAQ

Here are the most frequently asked questions.
If there’s anything else you’d like to know, please Reach Out

How does this class differ from the Be Your Own Beloved Class?

This class is completely different than the Be Your Own Beloved class. No prompts are the same as that class. That said, it is the same person behind them so there will be similar themes, similar practices, but none of the prompts are exactly the same as the Be Your Own Beloved class. In fact, the structure of the prompts are a bit different. There is a selfie prompt in each daily post but also other resources and action steps to inspire the journey. It will feel new to you if you’ve taken a class with me but of course, have the familiar energy of the Be Your Own Beloved classes.
 I will say that with Be Your Own Beloved there is an extra gentleness especially at first. This class is a bit bolder. We’re not being subtle about the fact that fat phobia, racism and sexism are at the root of why we struggle with photos. So you could say this class is a bit bolder. But don’t let that scare you off…I think it’s time to be bold and ditch the old lens you’ve been seeing yourself through.

Is this a self-portrait class?

Yes, this is most definitely a self-portrait class. Each day there is a practice for you to explore. That said, what you think a self-portrait class might be…this might be it. It is not about getting a specific photo, a ‘perfect’ image, or about achieving something to share on social media. It is about meeting yourself in the camera lens and reclaiming how you see yourself.

That often looks like letting your photo be more simple than you expected to release the hold of perfectionism. It might be shaking up the way you usually take photos and playing with perspective. As with the Be Your Own Beloved E-Course there is a LOT of room for flexibility within each class.

This class also involves extra fun resources. Somedays there is a video from me, other days a song that ties to the theme to inspire you, other days a video to check out. On the weekends we take a break from photos but you’re encourage to choose one of the ‘Action Steps’ included in the class to help create body acceptance ripple effects in your life as a whole.

So yes, it’s a self-portrait class but lots more too!

Do I get feedback on my photos?

We have a community group where we will be sharing our photos throughout the class. I will be spending lots of time in the Community group exploring photos and I love to comment on photos and cheer you on! The feedback you will get throughout the course will be encouraging and as you’ll find, it becomes fun to cheer each other on in this adventure! You will definitely receive supportive feedback from me (as well as your peers) on all of your photos during the class.

It says the class is in Canadian Dollars (CAD) what is that in my currency?

Indeed, I’m Canadian, so the prices in Canadian currency but when you put the class into your cart, paypal will let you know what it will be in your currency before purchasing the class. You can check here to get a sense of what it would be though it may be a slightly different rate via paypal.

If you have any further questions about this don’t hesitate to click the contact form and connect with me!

Is this class just for women?

No, the class is welcome to all genders and all bodies. While cis women are usually the majority of participants, it is open to men, trans folk and those who identify outside of the gender binary. I use gender neutral pronouns in the class to welcome folks of all genders and to not assume the gender of anyone’s partner either. Safe space for all of us, including women, trans and non-binary folks, LGBT community and men dealing working through body acceptance is of the utmost importance to me. In every class I offer, I’m in awe of the diversity of backgrounds and life experiences we each bring to the group and the safe space we create together.