How celebs like Kim K & Emily Ratajkowski’s racy bathroom selfies are the ultimate power symbol
FROM bikini shots on holiday to even the cheeky naked selfie, the bathroom has officially become the go-to spot for capturing that perfect snap.
And it’s not just us regular folks getting in on the action - reality stars and A-list celebs are all about the bathroom selfie too.
Take Maya Jama, flaunting her curves in a bikini, or Emily Ratajkowski going full-on bare in a steamy bathroom shot - these stars certainly know how to raise the temperature.
But there’s more to it than just a quick photo op.
Body language expert Judi James believes the bathroom selfie carries a deeper meaning, making it more than just a moment to pose - it’s a powerful symbol.
She says: “It’s a haven or refuge where a celeb can appear to be at their most intimate, as though confiding their inner selves as well as their half-naked bodies to the fans.
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“It’s also a recognisably secret sociable space, where us women congregate on a night out to compare notes about dates, or where stylists and hairdressers do their magic.
“But it’s above all a celebrity status symbol of wealth and success.
“From Cleopatra and her assets, milk baths onward, powerful, beautiful women have always been associated with luxury bathing.
“Posing in the high-end, high-spec bathroom says ‘wealth’ more than any designer outfit with an added bonus that stripping off looks less gratuitous and more relevant, taking the air of desperation away from the naked glamour pose.”
Here, Judi reveals to Yasmin Harisha the meaning behind other raunchy celebrity selfies.
Emily Ratajkowski
Emily, 33, is a lover of the bathroom pic and she regularly shares selfies taken from there with her 29.7million Instagram followers.
Judi says: “She seems to use the bathroom as her temple of self-admiration.
“Her body language is less about projection and more about savouring the lingering view of her sculpted waist or other enviable body parts, as well as some formidable turquoise tiling.
“This distanced, dramatic pose makes her look like a prop in the tiled scene rather than someone just relaxing in Radox.
“This looks like self-rewarding behaviour rather than personally attention-seeking.”
Kelly Brook
In August Kelly, 44, wowed her 1.3million Instagram followers as she stripped off completely naked for a bath picture during her overnight visit to the zoo.
Judi says: “Kelly’s status statement is a smart one as she turns her famous front curves away from the camera to commune with nature (while showing off her hourglass back view).
“Outdoor bathing like this suggests a sense of freedom and love of naturism that is in complete contrast to the usual ‘confined to an intimate space’ bathroom pics other celebs are posting.
The hint is that she’s even more daring in private than she is in real life
Judi James
“Kelly makes her nudity look natural and wholesome here and her entire bathing experience looks probably the most enviable.
“Her outdoor ‘bathroom’ is something most of us would never get to experience without being arrested. ‘Nice’ nudity then, from one of the most wholesome pin-up girls.”
Kim Kardashian
She certainly knows how to break the internet, and Kim, 44, did exactly this back in 2016.
The billionaire captioned the picture: “When you’re like, I have nothing to wear LOL.”
Judi says: “Anyone assuming Kim’s goddess image is just performed for the cameras gets a very emphatic message direct from Kim here that she is even more daring and more sensual alone, behind the locked door of her bathroom.
She’s experienced enough to know that less is more
Judi James
“This is an important reveal for the fans as the nudity involves a full-frontal pose in the bathroom mirror with just some well-placed stickers to hide her essential parts.
“The hint is that she’s even more daring in private than she is in real life and that in turn implies a genuine love of stripping for the fans rather than just seeing her curves as a money-spinner.
“This is very much the Marilyn Monroe route to stripping more for her ‘private moment’ pics and Kim is known to be a fan of the iconic MM.”
Halle Berry
The Hollywood actress, 58, shared two risque pictures on Instagram, with the actress appearing to be naked while standing in front of her bathroom mirror.
Judi says: “Halle’s smart, ironic, smug-looking smile suggests she’s loving causing a stir with this ‘naked’ bathroom pic even though there’s very little body showing apart from a finger full of rings.
“She’s experienced enough to know that less is more despite the fact that she has fans spitting their coffee out in shock over the implications of daring nudity from a very classy A-list star.
“It looks like the ultimate power statement.
“Halle no longer has to prove herself as a star or to titillate to get press interest so she’s just taking and posting this flirty bathroom pic because she can and because she wants to.”
Catherine Zeta-Jones
In September, Catherine, 55, celebrated her and her husband Michael Douglas’s birthday by uploading a very risque snap.
She bared, whilst standing over the sink, and wrote: “In my birthday suit!
“After over 25 years of sharing my birthday day with my husband, I am running out of gift ideas! This is gift option two, golf balls being option one…of course.”
Judi says: “Catherine looks like a fully paid-up fan of bathroom porn but that’s less about her own poses and more about her love of sharing pics of her sumptuous bathrooms.
Posing in a stylish sting bikini, Bella manages to be edgy and casual and daringly revealing at the same time
Judi James
“There’s no attempt to pretend she’s a wash-and-go-type of a girl, Catherine’s visual narrative hints at hours spent pampering and luxuriating.
“It’s all about high-end glamour and mystique at a vintage, Liz Taylor level.
“An epic boasts about an ongoing love affair with the wealthy lifestyle.
“Here, her hair billows from an invisible wind machine and her body is tastefully blurred, with an emphasis on the designer killer heels.
“She looks totally out of reach of mere mortals here, a naked elegant A-list goddess.”
Bella Hadid
Bella, 28, turned her bathroom into a fashion set rather than a place to scrub up.
Judi says: “Posing in a stylish string bikini, Bella manages to be edgy and casual and daringly revealing at the same time.
“She usually models for other people, but this gives the impression she couldn't help but dash off into the bathroom to get her own snap of the bikini.
“It implies some inner shyness or inhibitions that she’s working to overcome.”
Dua Lipa
The 29-year-old shocked fans with her clad bathroom selfie whilst wearing skimpy lingerie.
Judi says: “Dua adopts a rather casual pose here: wet hair combed back and a nonplussed facial expression as she tilts her head to line up the selfie.
“She looks as though she’s just finished a very normal ballet and felt like showing off her black pants to the camera.
The cleavage and the pout make this a very sexy-looking pose but she’s made it all look very accidental
Judy James
“But the bathroom itself creates what looks like its own narrative here which could make this pic look like something of a boast.
“That steamy glass seems to have finger tracks running down it, suggesting Dua either held it for balance when she bent down to pick up her soap or that there has been some fun going on pre-selfie.”
Martha Stewart
After an eight-hour plane trip from Westchester to Palm Beach, Martha Stewart decided to share a candid bathroom selfie snap.
Judi says: “This is a very aspirational pose from Martha who seems to want to jump on the celebrity bathroom bandwagon but in her own ‘Sue Ellen from Dallas’ style way.
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“The emphasis is on glamour and wealth here, with her silk and lace sleepwear and her tousled hair and fresh-face make-up look as though they might have taken ages to produce a ‘just got out of bed’ look.
“The cleavage and the pout make this a very sexy-looking pose but she’s made it all look very accidental, more a glimpse at what lurks behind the wholesome image on screen.”
Shape
The perfect photo includes SHAPE, and use your body, or an outfit to enhance it.
Bikinis and lingerie work well for these shots, and it's best to use them as your props - these will help to define your shape too.
Grab your bikini and pop a hip, or adjust the side of your bikini whilst gently using the other hand to shape your face or grab your hair on either side of your head as if it were a natural swipe motion shot.
Then put one leg in front of the other. It’s about diversity in the image.
Angle
Know what angels you like. It’s so funny, whenever I meet someone who follows me on they always say ‘You’re so much shorter in real life, I thought you were tall!’
This always makes me laugh because the angle I use is hip height slightly facing upwards which elongates the image, making me look taller.
So, learn with a friend what angles you like of yourself, and when you’ve found it, it’ll make it so much easier.
Practise makes perfect
Try sitting, standing, lying and every other level you can think of.
One thing I live by is, that if it’s not working and we’re not getting the right shot: either sit down or change the background.
Have fun
Content creation is all about having fun! And that’s really where you’ll ‘get the shot’!
Splash the water around, dance, be creative and thrive hunny.
Follow Tally Sharp on page for more body-positive content